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Stephanos #1
شهر عسل مر
الكبرياء قناع بامكانه ان يحجب الحب أو يحوله إلي كراهية وصد ... ولعل اختلاف الطبائع والاطباع بين البشر يدفع احيانا ببعضهم الي التمسك بكبريائه حتي آخر لحظة , ودومني الانكليزية التي تزوجت اليوناني بول لم تقبل يوما واقعها , وبرغم الحياة الفريدة التي اعطيت لها على طبق من ذهب , بقيت وشائح قلبها متعلقة بشاطئ بلدها ... وبذلك الرسام الشاب الذي خطف لبها بحديثه وطموحه . وركض معها على الرمال الرطبة ... وتلتقيه في الجزيرة اليونانية بعد سنوات ... فهل تهرب معه كما يريدها ان تفعل , أم تبقي وفية لذلك النمر اليوناني بول ستيفانوس
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1967
14 people are currently reading
372 people want to read
About the author
Violet Winspear
176 books142 followersViolet Winspear was a British author renowned for her prolific output of romance novels, publishing seventy titles with Mills & Boon between 1961 and 1987. In 1973, she became a launch author for the Mills & Boon-Harlequin Presents line, known for its more sexually explicit content, alongside Anne Mather and Anne Hampson, two of the most popular and prolific British romance writers of the time. Winspear began writing while working in a factory and became a full-time novelist in 1963, producing her works from her home in South East England, researching exotic settings at her local library. She famously described her heroes as lean, strong, and captivating, “in need of love but capable of breathtaking passion and potency,” a characterization that provoked controversy in 1970 when she stated that her male protagonists were “capable of rape,” leading to considerable public backlash. Her novels are celebrated for their vivid, globe-spanning settings and dramatic tension, often employing sexual antagonism to heighten conflict between the alpha male hero and the heroine, who is frequently portrayed as naïve or overwhelmed by his dominance. Winspear never married or had children, and she passed away in January 1989 after a long battle with cancer, leaving a lasting influence on the romance genre.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
April 6, 2010
I should stop rereading my teen keepers, because I'm finding out that they rarely stand the test of time. This one failed too, as the woman I am now can't stand the cruel hero and the doormat heroine anymore. It's kind of sad, like when you run into a childhood friend years later and realize you don't have anything in common with that "stranger". Oh well, at least I'm opening some room in my bookshelves for my new keepers. :)
July 28, 2012
I first read this book back in the late 70's as a reissue. It was actually first published in 1967. At the time Violet Winspear was one of my favorite authors and I remembered liking this book.. However, as a romance it did not stand the test of time for me. I didn't particularly care for the heroine. Her "woe is me" attitude got tiring and she was superficial and narcissistic. Other than beauty, I am not sure what the hero saw in her. It certainly wasn't her winning personality. As is common in the older HP's, it was hard to get a real feel for the hero. He is portrayed as somewhat aloof and his POV is so very rare that I never got a chance to know him....I always felt like he was just slightly out of reach. Probably done intentionally by the author.
But WHAT was fascinating for me, was the historical references to Greece, to the violent civil war, to the kidnapping of children through Albania over to communist countries. That's when I went back to look at the publish date and started doing the math. Paul Stephanos fought in that civil war. Today he would be mid to late 80's. He took a grenade in the face that left him scarred. His sister references the fight that brought brother against brother and I started to recall the many stories my father told me when he fought that same civil war.
For those of you that are history buffs, you know that the unintended consequence to WWII, was the loss of over half of Eastern Europe to communism...That battle raged in Greece from 1946-1949 and had a devastating impact on the country and the people. It wasn't until the US government forced Albania to shut their borders that those fighting on the side of democracy had a chance of winning the war. The realistic historical references that the author so subtly wove into the story about Greece were spot on and very well done. You don't often find that in category romances and I wonder what compelled the author to weave such a compelling piece of history into her work. I am actually going to go back and reread this book when I can do better justice to it. I just hope I can put up with the heroine.
But WHAT was fascinating for me, was the historical references to Greece, to the violent civil war, to the kidnapping of children through Albania over to communist countries. That's when I went back to look at the publish date and started doing the math. Paul Stephanos fought in that civil war. Today he would be mid to late 80's. He took a grenade in the face that left him scarred. His sister references the fight that brought brother against brother and I started to recall the many stories my father told me when he fought that same civil war.
For those of you that are history buffs, you know that the unintended consequence to WWII, was the loss of over half of Eastern Europe to communism...That battle raged in Greece from 1946-1949 and had a devastating impact on the country and the people. It wasn't until the US government forced Albania to shut their borders that those fighting on the side of democracy had a chance of winning the war. The realistic historical references that the author so subtly wove into the story about Greece were spot on and very well done. You don't often find that in category romances and I wonder what compelled the author to weave such a compelling piece of history into her work. I am actually going to go back and reread this book when I can do better justice to it. I just hope I can put up with the heroine.
April 1, 2024
How many times must I swoon over H's tiger like physique and smoky golden eyes. How many times does it bear repeating that h's eyes glow like sapphires or the sea. How many cheroots does this guy light up? How much more rose pink can h apply to her generous mouth? Yes, the honeyed prose of this sad tale has a very bitter aftertaste.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 2, 2022
Along with Anne Mather and Anne Hampson, Violet Winspear was one of the three original authors for the Harlequin Presents line when it launched in 1973. Her bestseller, The Honey is Bitter, was first published in 1967 by Mills & Boon. It had about 30 reprintings under Harlequin.
The Honey is Bitter features a Greek hero named Paul. I swear, these classic Presents had about 5 or 6 names for heroes! Paul, Dominic, Nick/Nico, Alex, and Andre/Andreas. Plus, the plots were nonsensical, with an intimidating male running roughshod over the heroine, as occurs here.
This book’s Paul is a Greek tycoon who blackmails Domini into marriage. How? By holding over her head that her brother embezzled funds from Paul’s company. Why does he want a young British girl like Domini? Because Paul is Greek, and his pride demands vengeance this way! Although she is outraged by Paul’s demands, Domini acquiesces fairly easily. Nor does she turn to anyone for help.
On their wedding night, Domini runs out into the darkness and is swept into the sea. Whether that was a genuine attempt to end her life is left up to the reader. Soon, after a bit of coaxing, Domini falls into Paul’s bed. And that’s the end of chapter one! Quite a lot of action. With more drama to come.
Paul is much older, and one wonders what–besides the obvious–he sees in Domini. Domini is hard to like because she’s so caustic, so… bitter. It’s understandable, though. No woman wants to be forced into marriage with a handsome, sensual, magnetic, powerful, wealthy man who desires her above all women. (Except as an escapist fantasy, naturally. 😉)
Paul whisks Domini to his Grecian villa. Despite her discontent, Domini cannot deny Paul’s allure. While she swaps verbal barbs with him during the day, they communicate on a carnal level at night.
Then the man Domini had fancied herself in love with comes back into her life, demanding she leave Paul. Tragedy strikes. Will Domini leave Paul forever? Or is it too late and her heart already his?
For an older Presents, The Honey is Bitter was deeply sensual even though the love scenes were behind closed doors. Paul employs forced seduction with Domini, so readers who dislike that trope, you are warned.
This vintage romance stars a cruel hero and prickly heroine. Paul is inscrutable yet domineering; Domini is determined yet ill-tempered. Together, they make a passionate pairing.
This was a fascinating tale that had me hooked from the first. But then I have a soft spot for dark, somewhat offensive romances, especially with solid writing. Violet Winspear provides just that. I can see why The Honey is Bitter was a Harlequin sensation in its day.
4 stars
The Honey is Bitter features a Greek hero named Paul. I swear, these classic Presents had about 5 or 6 names for heroes! Paul, Dominic, Nick/Nico, Alex, and Andre/Andreas. Plus, the plots were nonsensical, with an intimidating male running roughshod over the heroine, as occurs here.
This book’s Paul is a Greek tycoon who blackmails Domini into marriage. How? By holding over her head that her brother embezzled funds from Paul’s company. Why does he want a young British girl like Domini? Because Paul is Greek, and his pride demands vengeance this way! Although she is outraged by Paul’s demands, Domini acquiesces fairly easily. Nor does she turn to anyone for help.
On their wedding night, Domini runs out into the darkness and is swept into the sea. Whether that was a genuine attempt to end her life is left up to the reader. Soon, after a bit of coaxing, Domini falls into Paul’s bed. And that’s the end of chapter one! Quite a lot of action. With more drama to come.
Paul is much older, and one wonders what–besides the obvious–he sees in Domini. Domini is hard to like because she’s so caustic, so… bitter. It’s understandable, though. No woman wants to be forced into marriage with a handsome, sensual, magnetic, powerful, wealthy man who desires her above all women. (Except as an escapist fantasy, naturally. 😉)
Paul whisks Domini to his Grecian villa. Despite her discontent, Domini cannot deny Paul’s allure. While she swaps verbal barbs with him during the day, they communicate on a carnal level at night.
Then the man Domini had fancied herself in love with comes back into her life, demanding she leave Paul. Tragedy strikes. Will Domini leave Paul forever? Or is it too late and her heart already his?
For an older Presents, The Honey is Bitter was deeply sensual even though the love scenes were behind closed doors. Paul employs forced seduction with Domini, so readers who dislike that trope, you are warned.
This vintage romance stars a cruel hero and prickly heroine. Paul is inscrutable yet domineering; Domini is determined yet ill-tempered. Together, they make a passionate pairing.
This was a fascinating tale that had me hooked from the first. But then I have a soft spot for dark, somewhat offensive romances, especially with solid writing. Violet Winspear provides just that. I can see why The Honey is Bitter was a Harlequin sensation in its day.
4 stars
November 25, 2020
"The Honey is Bitter" is the story of Domini and Paul.
This book should have been called "The heroine is bitter". Lawd.
She is coerced into marrying the hero, a decision she takes to save her dishonest cousin. She then proceeds to make the hero's life hell- acting like a whiny shrewd and blaming him for everything and anything. There are moments where she lets her guard down, but then goes back to being a bitch. I honestly found the hero nice and very smitten with the heroine, and she occasionally let him into her bed. I had no feeling of love from her, while the hero seemed pretty taken with her. It is also her that engages with her ex post marriage, while hiding the truth from the hero.
I felt bad for him while she should have been sent back home to nurse her very cold heart.
Safe
3/5
This book should have been called "The heroine is bitter". Lawd.
She is coerced into marrying the hero, a decision she takes to save her dishonest cousin. She then proceeds to make the hero's life hell- acting like a whiny shrewd and blaming him for everything and anything. There are moments where she lets her guard down, but then goes back to being a bitch. I honestly found the hero nice and very smitten with the heroine, and she occasionally let him into her bed. I had no feeling of love from her, while the hero seemed pretty taken with her. It is also her that engages with her ex post marriage, while hiding the truth from the hero.
I felt bad for him while she should have been sent back home to nurse her very cold heart.
Safe
3/5
May 11, 2022
I understand Schrödinger’s cat experiment in which the hypothetical cat is both dead and alive but couldn’t figure out how Domini fell in love with Paul! 🤔
January 13, 2026
Not very substantial but I was still moved
⠄･ ⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄･ ⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄
𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒚 𝑮𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒂 ♡
⠄･ ⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄･ ⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄
The story was so... sorrowful.
Even though the bare essentials were as typical as that of any harlequin of the era, the tone
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
⠄･ ⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄･ ⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄
𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒚 𝑮𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒂 ♡
⠄･ ⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄･ ⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄⠂⋆ ･ ⠄
The story was so... sorrowful.
Even though the bare essentials were as typical as that of any harlequin of the era, the tone
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━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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December 14, 2015
Glorious, vintage romance packed with melodrama, glamour and sexual tension.
Violet Winspear's "The Honey is Bitter" is a classic of its time: from an era of virginal, teenage heroines and rakish, worldly older men. Written in 1967 and published by Mills & Boon you're clearly not going to get explicit sex, but there's enough tension and "hunger" and "surrender" that it's pretty clear what's going on when the drapes are closed.
Paul Stephanos is one of Winspear's notorious "Greeks" - she had a thing for dark, dramatic heroes seething with alpha male passion. He's constantly described as a "tiger" and "pagan" and literally paces up and down in a couple of scenes.
Domini, the 19-year-old(?) English heroine is extremely beautiful and spirited, and very self-possessed for her years. Women in that era were considered women when they reached the age of majority, not girls or "kidults". It wasn't unusual for a woman still in her teens to be married and setting up a home and having a family.
We get endless melodramatic dialogue about "Greeks" versus "English" - Greek readers or those married to Greeks will probably enjoy a chuckle - lots of beautiful descriptions and exotic scenery, endless references to Apollo and so on. It's dramatic and great fun.
That said, it's not really possible or fair to read books from this era with a modern, feminist eye and expect to be satisfied. The reality is that there's a huge power gap, the heroine has pretty much been blackmailed into marriage, and much of the seduction is quite coercive. Which is wonderful if you enjoy that, but if you require absolute gender equality and unequivocal spoken consent in your romance, then skip this (and many others from this era).
This is a great one for vintage romance lovers, those who like age gaps and those who enjoy a little bit of dominance/reluctance.
Violet Winspear's "The Honey is Bitter" is a classic of its time: from an era of virginal, teenage heroines and rakish, worldly older men. Written in 1967 and published by Mills & Boon you're clearly not going to get explicit sex, but there's enough tension and "hunger" and "surrender" that it's pretty clear what's going on when the drapes are closed.
Paul Stephanos is one of Winspear's notorious "Greeks" - she had a thing for dark, dramatic heroes seething with alpha male passion. He's constantly described as a "tiger" and "pagan" and literally paces up and down in a couple of scenes.
Domini, the 19-year-old(?) English heroine is extremely beautiful and spirited, and very self-possessed for her years. Women in that era were considered women when they reached the age of majority, not girls or "kidults". It wasn't unusual for a woman still in her teens to be married and setting up a home and having a family.
We get endless melodramatic dialogue about "Greeks" versus "English" - Greek readers or those married to Greeks will probably enjoy a chuckle - lots of beautiful descriptions and exotic scenery, endless references to Apollo and so on. It's dramatic and great fun.
That said, it's not really possible or fair to read books from this era with a modern, feminist eye and expect to be satisfied. The reality is that there's a huge power gap, the heroine has pretty much been blackmailed into marriage, and much of the seduction is quite coercive. Which is wonderful if you enjoy that, but if you require absolute gender equality and unequivocal spoken consent in your romance, then skip this (and many others from this era).
This is a great one for vintage romance lovers, those who like age gaps and those who enjoy a little bit of dominance/reluctance.
February 16, 2009
This book was a giveaway with groceries in about 1977 or so. I read it then (about 9 years old) and even then I was bothered by the story of the 17 year old girl who is virtually forced into a marriage with a much older, wealthy man. On the bright side, it made me realize that even I could write a book that was good enough to be published by someone.
June 11, 2021
This was my first ever HMB romance. Arrived in a heap from a friend of my grandma's. I must have been about 14? Had barely moved on from Enid Blyton. Maybe that's why it knocked me sideways. Spent the rest of my adolescence craving a Greek tycoon (or similar. Real life in my home town was such a disappointment!) Just found it on open library and dived in with pleasure.
The characters didn't stand up so well (H-wise I appear to have a mental lacuna about the cheroot smoking and the many scrolls of dark hair) but I am almost scared by how many actual lines in it I remembered! From 40 years ago! Which might say something about my brain but also about how memorable this author's writing style is.
I know it's old fashioned but the richness of the Greek setting makes me wish I was there right now (had to cancel our holiday to Greece due to the pandemic). Made me fall in love with the genre and publisher. Fell out of love in the billionaire virgin mistress years (all those titles merge into one. What's wrong with the older style titles? I don't get it.) Anyway. Am back checking out new stuff now, but a corner of my heart will always belong in the vintage years.
And he wasn't a Greek tycoon but I did find a Hero.
The characters didn't stand up so well (H-wise I appear to have a mental lacuna about the cheroot smoking and the many scrolls of dark hair) but I am almost scared by how many actual lines in it I remembered! From 40 years ago! Which might say something about my brain but also about how memorable this author's writing style is.
I know it's old fashioned but the richness of the Greek setting makes me wish I was there right now (had to cancel our holiday to Greece due to the pandemic). Made me fall in love with the genre and publisher. Fell out of love in the billionaire virgin mistress years (all those titles merge into one. What's wrong with the older style titles? I don't get it.) Anyway. Am back checking out new stuff now, but a corner of my heart will always belong in the vintage years.
And he wasn't a Greek tycoon but I did find a Hero.
December 27, 2012
The very best thing for an author is not only having someone read your books, but having someone re-read them over 30 years later has to be the ultimate compliment. In the 70s I read The Honey is Bitter by Violet Winspear, and the title of the book and the heroine's name, Domini, have stayed with me ever since. I remember it as a fabulous Mills and Boon, and curious to read it again I recently bought some Violet Winspear books.
The story was originally published in hardcover in 1967 and up until 1980 it had been reprinted 29 times throughout the world. The writing style was very much of the 70s, with a lot of narrative, description and melodrama the whole way through, never letting up on that intense emotion, culminating in a dramatic black moment before the happy ending. In other words, a vintage M&B.
They say you should never go back, but I'm so very glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed the love story of Domini and Paul a second time round.
The story was originally published in hardcover in 1967 and up until 1980 it had been reprinted 29 times throughout the world. The writing style was very much of the 70s, with a lot of narrative, description and melodrama the whole way through, never letting up on that intense emotion, culminating in a dramatic black moment before the happy ending. In other words, a vintage M&B.
They say you should never go back, but I'm so very glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed the love story of Domini and Paul a second time round.
July 8, 2025
This was my first book I received as a teenager free at Kmart in Washington Court House that intrigued me so much I started purchasing them in the mail. This is the only one I decided to keep. Such a girly romance.
March 10, 2010
This was my first Harlequin Romance way back when and I was immediately hooked. I love the cruel Apha Hero, the wimpy heroine and the tension, angst and of course the HAPPY ENDING!!
May 24, 2020
Spoilers all over this one
On the one hand I want to give' this book minus 100 stars because the H is a litter lout throwing his cigarette butts everywhere. I wasn't too offended by the h until the end where she whipped out her fur coat made of ocelot. Now I know this is VW and vintage but h's back then knew fur was a no no and told their H's off for trying to buy their affections so now I'm annoyed with her as well.
If the H hadn't been busy flicking his fag butts onto the beach in Cornwall and into the sea near his Island (hope they wash up on your private cove beach douche canoe) then he would have been pretty awesome. He is a pretty decent guy and doesn't force the h to do anything she doesn't want to do (once he makes her marry him). There is no forced seduction and the day after the wedding she actually likes him and enjoys his company, its only because she gets a message from her uncle telling her she doesn't need to save the family that she gets arsey because he knew about it.
We have to assume the guy fell head over heels for our h because he never really fully explains himself and he and lord knows what was going through his head as apparently he was going to shuffle off the mortal coil due to shrapnel in his head from a grenade to the face.
The other man BS was just too much I mean what are the chances he lived on the island where the h ends up? Asking her to leave her husband and run away with him is just tacky.
h ends up preggers but doesn't really know she is and then is crushed in a cave in and loses it making the H feel total guilt.
There is a rather abrupt ending where he doesn't come home because he is dying and the h suddenly realises she is in love with him the op kinda works because he doesn't die and is only blind in one eye. Anyway his sister that likes to curl up in his lap like a kitten despite being practically a grown up is sequel bait as is the cousin she is crushing on (separate books though)so we get to see them in later books though apparently they send theit kids to boarding school!!! not very HP H & h behaviour!
On the one hand I want to give' this book minus 100 stars because the H is a litter lout throwing his cigarette butts everywhere. I wasn't too offended by the h until the end where she whipped out her fur coat made of ocelot. Now I know this is VW and vintage but h's back then knew fur was a no no and told their H's off for trying to buy their affections so now I'm annoyed with her as well.
If the H hadn't been busy flicking his fag butts onto the beach in Cornwall and into the sea near his Island (hope they wash up on your private cove beach douche canoe) then he would have been pretty awesome. He is a pretty decent guy and doesn't force the h to do anything she doesn't want to do (once he makes her marry him). There is no forced seduction and the day after the wedding she actually likes him and enjoys his company, its only because she gets a message from her uncle telling her she doesn't need to save the family that she gets arsey because he knew about it.
We have to assume the guy fell head over heels for our h because he never really fully explains himself and he and lord knows what was going through his head as apparently he was going to shuffle off the mortal coil due to shrapnel in his head from a grenade to the face.
The other man BS was just too much I mean what are the chances he lived on the island where the h ends up? Asking her to leave her husband and run away with him is just tacky.
h ends up preggers but doesn't really know she is and then is crushed in a cave in and loses it making the H feel total guilt.
There is a rather abrupt ending where he doesn't come home because he is dying and the h suddenly realises she is in love with him the op kinda works because he doesn't die and is only blind in one eye. Anyway his sister that likes to curl up in his lap like a kitten despite being practically a grown up is sequel bait as is the cousin she is crushing on (separate books though)so we get to see them in later books though apparently they send theit kids to boarding school!!! not very HP H & h behaviour!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 3, 2019
This was the first romance story I ever read, and it came into my possession when the local grocery put in a book rack, where this book resided, marked "FREE". I picked it up and for years afterwards read Harlequins.
In this classic tale, the poor British woman marries the arrogant, wealthy Greek magnate to protect her family from recriminations.
She falls in love with him, and the story of how she saved him is classic and powerful. Beautiful story.
In this classic tale, the poor British woman marries the arrogant, wealthy Greek magnate to protect her family from recriminations.
She falls in love with him, and the story of how she saved him is classic and powerful. Beautiful story.
May 18, 2025
#6 on the 100 list and it was hard to get through. I wish it had backed up to the meeting and the blackmail proposal. It didn’t feel right starting after the wedding. I really didn’t like the h. So I couldn’t get too upset at the H’s actions. The end brought the rating up a half ⭐️. Glad I hung in there!
September 12, 2018
Location: Greece
I wasn’t expecting too much of this book after reading some of the reviews, but I was pleasantly surprised.
It is a bit slow and the characters are annoying, but overall, the story was decent.
Paul forces Domini (love that name!) into marriage to save her cousin from going to jail for embezzling money from Paul’s company. Their relationship is hostile from the start. Domini hates Paul although you can tell that he is very attracted to her.
They marry and after the marriage is consummated and Domini learns that her uncle may have been able to get her out of it. Paul wasn’t having it. He’s Greek and he keeps what is his.
They travel to Paul’s home in Greece and Domini unexpectedly meets her ex boyfriend, the artist. He tries to get her to leave Paul and run off with him.
There’s a lot of tedious dialogue and the book drags. Paul is cruel and Domini is distant and cold. Sex is a once in a while thing when Paul forces the issue.
They muddle along until on an outing, part of a cave falls in on them and Domini gets buried under rock. She’s fine but miscarries the baby she didn’t know she was carrying. She survives and shortly after Paul ends up in hospital in critical condition. It’s all very dramatic!
I finished the book. It was ok. I didn’t live it or the characters. Domini was weak. Paul was a bully. I did like Kara, Paul’s young sister. She was argue bright spot in the book.
This one is a read at your own risk.
I wasn’t expecting too much of this book after reading some of the reviews, but I was pleasantly surprised.
It is a bit slow and the characters are annoying, but overall, the story was decent.
Paul forces Domini (love that name!) into marriage to save her cousin from going to jail for embezzling money from Paul’s company. Their relationship is hostile from the start. Domini hates Paul although you can tell that he is very attracted to her.
They marry and after the marriage is consummated and Domini learns that her uncle may have been able to get her out of it. Paul wasn’t having it. He’s Greek and he keeps what is his.
They travel to Paul’s home in Greece and Domini unexpectedly meets her ex boyfriend, the artist. He tries to get her to leave Paul and run off with him.
There’s a lot of tedious dialogue and the book drags. Paul is cruel and Domini is distant and cold. Sex is a once in a while thing when Paul forces the issue.
They muddle along until on an outing, part of a cave falls in on them and Domini gets buried under rock. She’s fine but miscarries the baby she didn’t know she was carrying. She survives and shortly after Paul ends up in hospital in critical condition. It’s all very dramatic!
I finished the book. It was ok. I didn’t live it or the characters. Domini was weak. Paul was a bully. I did like Kara, Paul’s young sister. She was argue bright spot in the book.
This one is a read at your own risk.
August 19, 2016
Not too bad! Not outright rape and justification. ..in fact the wedding night was sweet and enjoyable for Domini. Glad they had that one day of honeymoon before it all went pear-shaped. This is the prequel or Book 1 before Dragon Bay which I had read first. Kara is Paul's much younger sis and was delightful here. Her own story is Dragon Bay so I kind of had spoilers fir this book but it made me want to keep reading this to get to their HEA. I read Violet Winspear's Wikipedia page and have a better appreciation of society back in the 60s to 80s when her books were written. Indeed it was a snapshot if social mores back then which was women had few rights and good girls and sex do not go together. ..this is why the heroes are usually depicted as more ahem "forceful" in order for the heroine to still be a "good lady" despite enjoying sex.
..Domini and Paul...even the secondary cast are well characterised and mostly likeable. Though all the Apollo and tiger reference for Paul gets really tired...to the point of ridiculous by the end. I was busy picking out tiger and Apollo by the end of the book haha! All in an easy 3* story.
..Domini and Paul...even the secondary cast are well characterised and mostly likeable. Though all the Apollo and tiger reference for Paul gets really tired...to the point of ridiculous by the end. I was busy picking out tiger and Apollo by the end of the book haha! All in an easy 3* story.
May 5, 2016
Here's what you need to know about Violet Winspear books:
- If you have read one, you've read them all, but will probably come back for more.
- The "hero" epitomizes a misogynistic cave man bordering (and sometimes crossing the line) of being abusive.
- The heroine thinks she is a modern woman with a spine ... she isn't. She is a simpering brainless, confidentless archetype pigeon holed into thinking that being a trophy slave to the "hero" is her only option.
- The dub con and non con elements fulfill rape kinks.
- Everything about the relationships these books depict is toxic and unhealthy and these are the types of books that impressionable young ladies should avoid at all costs.
- When these first came on the market or so in the 1970's they were probably a dirty little guilty pleasure. Today you can much better dirty little guilty pleasures.
- If you are looking for modernized bodice rippers ... these will satisfy.
- If you have read one, you've read them all, but will probably come back for more.
- The "hero" epitomizes a misogynistic cave man bordering (and sometimes crossing the line) of being abusive.
- The heroine thinks she is a modern woman with a spine ... she isn't. She is a simpering brainless, confidentless archetype pigeon holed into thinking that being a trophy slave to the "hero" is her only option.
- The dub con and non con elements fulfill rape kinks.
- Everything about the relationships these books depict is toxic and unhealthy and these are the types of books that impressionable young ladies should avoid at all costs.
- When these first came on the market or so in the 1970's they were probably a dirty little guilty pleasure. Today you can much better dirty little guilty pleasures.
- If you are looking for modernized bodice rippers ... these will satisfy.
September 21, 2017
The story you have read at least thirty times... Angry handsome Greek dude hauls the lovely English girl off to his private island to have his revenge, wicked way or something else similar, and they fall in love. How many private islands can there possibly exist, how many Greek men can be both independently wealthy and good looking, and seriously, how many English girls are actually delicately pretty?!
This book should be called Another Collection of Clichés.
This book should be called Another Collection of Clichés.
October 28, 2011
I read this book nearly 20 yrs ago, and it has always stuck with me! It was my introduction into the romance novel genre, and I have never looked back. Thank you, Violet Winspear!
May 29, 2020
I read this book years ago and can't remember a damn thing
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August 5, 2014شهر عسل مر-فيوليت وينسبر
الكبرياء قناع بامكانه ان يحجب الحب أو يحوله الى كراهية وصدّ... ولعلّ اختلاف الطبائع والأطباعبين البشر يدفع أحيانا ببعضهم الى التمسك بكبريائه حتى آخر لحظة, ودومني الانكليزية التيتزوجت اليوناني بول لم تقبل يوما واقعها, وبرغم الحياة الفريدة التي أعطيت لها على طبق من ذهببقيت وشانج قلبها متعلقة بشاطئ بلدها... وبذلك الرسام الشاب الذي خطف لبّها بحديثه وطموحه، وركض معها على الرمال الرطبة... وتلتقيه في الجزيرة اليونانية بعد سنوات... فهل تهرب معه كمايريدها أن تفعل, أو تبقى وفيه لذلك النمر اليوناني بول ستيفانوس؟
الكبرياء قناع بامكانه ان يحجب الحب أو يحوله الى كراهية وصدّ... ولعلّ اختلاف الطبائع والأطباعبين البشر يدفع أحيانا ببعضهم الى التمسك بكبريائه حتى آخر لحظة, ودومني الانكليزية التيتزوجت اليوناني بول لم تقبل يوما واقعها, وبرغم الحياة الفريدة التي أعطيت لها على طبق من ذهببقيت وشانج قلبها متعلقة بشاطئ بلدها... وبذلك الرسام الشاب الذي خطف لبّها بحديثه وطموحه، وركض معها على الرمال الرطبة... وتلتقيه في الجزيرة اليونانية بعد سنوات... فهل تهرب معه كمايريدها أن تفعل, أو تبقى وفيه لذلك النمر اليوناني بول ستيفانوس؟
February 8, 2021
Keep your love. Did I ever ask for it?"
Paul's voice rang out. His face was a taut sculpture, chiseled out of stone-as she felt certain his heart was.
"No," Domini threw at him, "but you're not quite so inhuman as to enjoy for very long the companionship of a wife who hates you!"
She couldn't weep. Tears had set like ice in her and the sweetness of today had turned to bitterness. The rings on her hands felt heavy-like manacles, she told herself. Shackles that bound her to a man who had forced her into a loveless disaster of a marriage.
Paul's voice rang out. His face was a taut sculpture, chiseled out of stone-as she felt certain his heart was.
"No," Domini threw at him, "but you're not quite so inhuman as to enjoy for very long the companionship of a wife who hates you!"
She couldn't weep. Tears had set like ice in her and the sweetness of today had turned to bitterness. The rings on her hands felt heavy-like manacles, she told herself. Shackles that bound her to a man who had forced her into a loveless disaster of a marriage.
November 11, 2013
domini was just too painful, i mean a pain in the ass. till the end, she cud not let go of the past or accept the bargain she had made. she chose 2 sacrifice herself 4 her cousin, yet she went on & on abt paul forcing her !? 4 god's sake, who wud give money freely 2 strangers without gain !? especially when it was 4 no noble case. her cousin was a fraud, a thief. so domini, u had a choice
January 5, 2019
قرأتها من ضمن روايات أحلام .
كانت الترجمة سيئة جداً و القصة غير منظمة الاحداث و شعرت أن العلاقة بين البطلين سخيفة جداً و سريعة التطور بشكل مبالغ فيه .
كانت الترجمة سيئة جداً و القصة غير منظمة الاحداث و شعرت أن العلاقة بين البطلين سخيفة جداً و سريعة التطور بشكل مبالغ فيه .
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May 31, 2020 So... there were parts of this book that I liked. It had the potential to be a solid Gothic romance but it's dated and in this case, the romance fails to hold up. The weirdly puritanical writing gives the story a disjointed feel. The enemies to lovers story line failed to unfold correctly. I suspect both of these issues stemmed from the author trying to fit the story into Harlequin's formatting and word count requirements.
There is also the issue that the dynamics of the two MCs is objectionable.
There is also the issue that the dynamics of the two MCs is objectionable.
September 8, 2021
I've read only a few of VW's books and so far have liked most although they tend to be a little odd. The heroines have some backbone but don't seem to have a lot of people sense and don't recognize when their husband/fiance loves them.
This one was good but got a little tedious and it wasn't clear why she felt the way she did either in love or hate.
I did like the peek into a history that I had not known, Greece between WW2 and the 1980s or so. I had to go look up the monarchy and the civil wars.
This one was good but got a little tedious and it wasn't clear why she felt the way she did either in love or hate.
I did like the peek into a history that I had not known, Greece between WW2 and the 1980s or so. I had to go look up the monarchy and the civil wars.
June 16, 2025
beautiful writing and interesting plot, but I dont understand how she forgave him to quickly?? in a seemingly forced, loveless marriage for 2 months, seemed to force her to sexual acts, domini constantly showed and expressed fear of her husband and he does nothing to be romantic and soft with her. I mean she literally has to travel to Greece w him, a foreign country and language and custom different from London. I'd be having mental breakdowns left and right, but she keeps her composure and then he insults her. like omfg I dont get it.
April 27, 2023
I enjoyed this story after reading longer books....a quick read with a good story....
Paul bargains with Domini to marry him or he will charge her cousin with stealing money from his shipping business. Because the cousin and his father brought Domini up in a loving home, she cannot risk having the family name ruined so she marries Paul.
There are several twists to the story which made it pleasant to read....naturally all ends well but that's a nice way to conclude the novel.
Paul bargains with Domini to marry him or he will charge her cousin with stealing money from his shipping business. Because the cousin and his father brought Domini up in a loving home, she cannot risk having the family name ruined so she marries Paul.
There are several twists to the story which made it pleasant to read....naturally all ends well but that's a nice way to conclude the novel.
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