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Forbidden! #8
Deceived
Librarian's note: See alternate cover edition of ASIN B009IJEP7I here.
The prodigal lover... Lydie had grown up too close to Marius Benedict to remain immune to her stepcousin's fatal charm. But Marius had merely seduced and abandoned her, leaving town under a cloud of scandal. Five long years and, no doubt, a dozen meaningless affairs later, Marius had walked back into her life, looking for all the world as if he owned it! The trouble was, he did. As far as Marius was concerned, it was Lydie who was the deceiver. He had been away a long time - just long enough to have planned his revenge on Lydie Benedict down to the first quiver of her lips... . Forbidden! - when passion knows no reason...
The prodigal lover... Lydie had grown up too close to Marius Benedict to remain immune to her stepcousin's fatal charm. But Marius had merely seduced and abandoned her, leaving town under a cloud of scandal. Five long years and, no doubt, a dozen meaningless affairs later, Marius had walked back into her life, looking for all the world as if he owned it! The trouble was, he did. As far as Marius was concerned, it was Lydie who was the deceiver. He had been away a long time - just long enough to have planned his revenge on Lydie Benedict down to the first quiver of her lips... . Forbidden! - when passion knows no reason...
192 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1996
17 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
About the author
Sara Craven
493 books266 followersAnne Bushell was born on October 1938 in South Devon, England, just before World War II and grew up in a house crammed with books. She was always a voracious reader, some of her all-time favorites books are: "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen, "Middlemarch" by George Eliot, "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë, "Gone With the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell and "The Code of the Woosters" by P. G. Wodehouse.
She worked as journalist at the Paignton Observer, but after her marriage, she moved to the north of England, where she worked as teacher. After she returned to journalism, she joined the Middlesbrough Writers' Group, where she met other romance writer Mildred Grieveson (Anne Mather). She started to wrote romance, and she had her first novel "Garden of Dreams" accepted by Mills & Boon in 1975, she published her work under the pseudonym of Sara Craven. In 2010 she became chairman of the Southern Writers' Conference, and the next year was elected the twenty-six Chairman (2011–2013) of the Romantic Novelists' Association.
Divorced twice, Annie lives in Somerset, South West England, and shares her home with a West Highland white terrier called Bertie Wooster. In her house, she had several thousand books, and an amazing video collection. When she's not writing, she enjoys watching very old films, listening to music, going to the theatre, and eating in good restaurants. She also likes to travel in Europe, to inspire her romances, especially in France, Greece and Italy where many of her novels are set. Since the birth of her twin grandchildren, she is also a regular visitor to New York City, where the little tots live. In 1997, she was the overall winner of the BBC's Mastermind, winning the last final presented by Magnus Magnusson.
She worked as journalist at the Paignton Observer, but after her marriage, she moved to the north of England, where she worked as teacher. After she returned to journalism, she joined the Middlesbrough Writers' Group, where she met other romance writer Mildred Grieveson (Anne Mather). She started to wrote romance, and she had her first novel "Garden of Dreams" accepted by Mills & Boon in 1975, she published her work under the pseudonym of Sara Craven. In 2010 she became chairman of the Southern Writers' Conference, and the next year was elected the twenty-six Chairman (2011–2013) of the Romantic Novelists' Association.
Divorced twice, Annie lives in Somerset, South West England, and shares her home with a West Highland white terrier called Bertie Wooster. In her house, she had several thousand books, and an amazing video collection. When she's not writing, she enjoys watching very old films, listening to music, going to the theatre, and eating in good restaurants. She also likes to travel in Europe, to inspire her romances, especially in France, Greece and Italy where many of her novels are set. Since the birth of her twin grandchildren, she is also a regular visitor to New York City, where the little tots live. In 1997, she was the overall winner of the BBC's Mastermind, winning the last final presented by Magnus Magnusson.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
December 23, 2016
A step-sibling romance (hero is the nephew of the stepfather) that began and ended five years before when the hero was run out of the family by his uncle who vowed his name would never be uttered again.
The heroine thinks the hero betrayed her by getting a local girl pregnant and that's why her stepfather was so angry - but there is obviously more to the story.
Heroine's mother is an aging has-been actress who married the stepfather for security and status when the heroine was eleven. The mother wanted the step-nephew gone so that her son would take over the family business. The son is now working at the mill, making a mess of it. The heroine is part-owner of an art gallery - which is subsidized by loans from her stepfather.
And enter the hero after five years. He's just in time for his uncle's formal birthday party. His uncle had invited him back to live and to take over the company. The h's mother is hysterical at this turn of events, since now her son won't inherit. She is also worried about her daughter's prospects and tries to engineer a public engagement between the h and the son of the local gentry at the party, but the heroine runs away. Now that the H is back, she realizes she can't love another.
That's the last we see of her backbone for the rest of the story.
The H declares his need for revenge to our quivering h - but he doesn't explain the whole story. There is also the mystery of a local artist who has a five year-old son and hates the h's family. The heroine's mother makes hysterical speeches, which endear her to no one - except the heroine who feels sorry for her. The brother drinks a lot.
Finally we and the heroine learn the truth. The heroine keeps her mother's secret
That the heroine could feel any compassion for her mother for these lies when her only motivation was all out greed is beyond me. In this case, the hero had a great motivation for revenge - although his target was wrong.
The tension in the story comes from the hero's anger and the heroine's confusion about what is really going on. SC dribbles out the info in small doses and the erroneous assumptions of the heroine might confuse some readers. This is one you have to read carefully.
I really hated the heroine's mother and brother. The heroine's mother was never called to justice for her lies - instead she got a trip to Spain with her now-retired husband. The heroine was ridiculous - not telling the hero the truth when she finally realized it, running off to a hotel and assuming the H was cheating on her and neglecting his "lovechild." The hero was too good of a guy for this lot.
The heroine thinks the hero betrayed her by getting a local girl pregnant and that's why her stepfather was so angry - but there is obviously more to the story.
Heroine's mother is an aging has-been actress who married the stepfather for security and status when the heroine was eleven. The mother wanted the step-nephew gone so that her son would take over the family business. The son is now working at the mill, making a mess of it. The heroine is part-owner of an art gallery - which is subsidized by loans from her stepfather.
And enter the hero after five years. He's just in time for his uncle's formal birthday party. His uncle had invited him back to live and to take over the company. The h's mother is hysterical at this turn of events, since now her son won't inherit. She is also worried about her daughter's prospects and tries to engineer a public engagement between the h and the son of the local gentry at the party, but the heroine runs away. Now that the H is back, she realizes she can't love another.
That's the last we see of her backbone for the rest of the story.
The H declares his need for revenge to our quivering h - but he doesn't explain the whole story. There is also the mystery of a local artist who has a five year-old son and hates the h's family. The heroine's mother makes hysterical speeches, which endear her to no one - except the heroine who feels sorry for her. The brother drinks a lot.
Finally we and the heroine learn the truth. The heroine keeps her mother's secret
That the heroine could feel any compassion for her mother for these lies when her only motivation was all out greed is beyond me. In this case, the hero had a great motivation for revenge - although his target was wrong.
The tension in the story comes from the hero's anger and the heroine's confusion about what is really going on. SC dribbles out the info in small doses and the erroneous assumptions of the heroine might confuse some readers. This is one you have to read carefully.
I really hated the heroine's mother and brother. The heroine's mother was never called to justice for her lies - instead she got a trip to Spain with her now-retired husband. The heroine was ridiculous - not telling the hero the truth when she finally realized it, running off to a hotel and assuming the H was cheating on her and neglecting his "lovechild." The hero was too good of a guy for this lot.
December 23, 2018
Re Deceived - Sara Craven brings the Whacktastik Avalance of Wreckiness to her contribution to the Forbidden series
In fact she is probably the only vintage HPlandia author that can give Anne Mather a run for her money in the evil relative stakes. We get a plethora of evil relatives here and the h is just a tiny paper boat tossed between the ferocious shoals of their spite.
The book starts with our 22 yr old h late for a family party. As she is rushing around she recounts a bit of family history. The h's mother was a B rate actress who hooked up with a wealthy business guy whose only family was a nephew set to inherit the business guy's empire.
Five years earlier, the 17 yr old h became the seekrit love of the nephew and then huge dramas happened and the next thing the h knew, the nephew had bent sent off in disgrace and the h's spoilt sewage gulper brother was set up in his place.
The h's corprophagic, narcissistic mother told the h it was because the nephew got one of the village girls who works in the family firm preggers and the resulting scandal enraged the h's stepfather enough that he drove the nephew away.
But the h was wildly in love and the nephew swore he loved her back. From the time the h was a little girl, hiding from the new stepfather's mean housekeeper and the H saved her from a scolding, she has always adored the H.
The h's mother and brother are quite pleased that he is gone. The h's mother dotes on her son and has no time for the h, but like many abused children, the h has a fierce loyalty to her mother and seekritly thinks that her continual blind devotion will eventually earn her mother's love.
So when the h rushes down the stairs of her art gallery and sees the H in her area, the reaction is immediate shock and horror. The h finds out that her stepfather, who is as obstructive in his own chauvinistic patronizing way as her mother and brother are, has invited the nephew H back to the family fold, he is the only one who can run the business.
While the h's mother has total hysterics and tries to force an h engagement with a local scion by announcing it at the party, the h starts to realize that things are not as she was told. The h runs away before her supposed 'engagement' can be announced and the H soon hunts her down.
Despite tremendous lurve force mojo and treacherous body syndrome, the h is frightened of the H because he blames his entire exile on her. The h has no clue why, but as the H forces his own engagement between the h and himself and her mother gets more and more vindictively hysterical, the h gradually discovers what is up.
Things finally coalesce after the h tries to deliver a check to a local single female artist, with a small son, for the work she sold through the h's gallery and the woman has a fit. The h believes it is because the H is present and that he is the father of the girl's son and the artist resents him being with another woman when he left her to behind to single parenthood.
After the h's brother gets firmly booted out of the family firm and his fiancee, who is also the h's business partner in the gallery, goes into shock after finding out some horrible truth about the h's brother, the h finally pulls her head together enough to go question her mother.
Five years earlier the h's mother wanted the H out of the way. She knew about the h and H's relationship and so she stole some letters and faked a few things and told the H's uncle, her husband, that the H had sexually assaulted the h.
The h's stepfather was destroyed by his nephew's behavior and sent the H away. The H believes it was the h who orchestrated those events and his forced engagement and his flaunting of OW in front the h are all designed to make her pay.
The h also finally learns that the H was not the deadbeat dad of the single's mum's child, her brother is. All of this takes place after the H and h have a reconnection purple passion moment when the h deserts the family manse and her gallery to rethink her life.
After the big night o'lurve, the H walks away and the h forces her mother to confess her many, many misdeeds to her stepfather. The h is still prepared to do what she can to help her mother save her lifestyle, (probably because the h doesn't want the burden of having to support her mother for the rest of her life.)
But the h is pretty sure that any chance she had for love with the H is gone and she begins to plan her life accordingly. Even after being confronted by the wanna be OM and sending him away, the h believes that she will be alone and bereft of love for the rest of her life.
Meanwhile the h's mother does confess her sins and the stepfather soon whisks her away to a permanent retirement in Spain. (Tho I suspect there may well be a fatal accident for the woman several months after the book ends.) The h's brother still has a job at the family firm, but he is no longer in charge of anything and true to his little snot snarfing bratty self, he has to run away to sulk about things.
The H eventually tracks the h down in her art gallery and finally explains that he knows the h was completely innocent of all that he accused her of. He also confesses that he still loves her madly and the last five years have a been a barren waste of heartbreak and torment.
The OW the h had noticed were not really OW, the H just did a few OW flaunts to make the h jealous, cause his heart hurt so badly at what he thought was the h's betrayals, he just had to make sure she shared his pain.
That is all over now tho. Cause the H is now reinstated in his rightful place and he demands that the h marry him and set up house in the former stepfather's family manse. The h loves the H back, so she is ready to leap into love with bells on.
So with no word on if the mean housekeeper is getting the boot, we leave the two of them declaring true love forever and deciding that there will be minimal communication with the h's mother in Spain, for another SC rosy glow HP HEA.
This one is pretty intense on the family drama and the wrecki angst. The h is very slow to pick up some things, but I understood how her ingrained loyalty kept her seeing her family via a rosy glasses glow. Mainly cause I have worn those same rosy glasses myself a few times while venturing in HPlandia.
Overall this is a very solid little angstfest with true slime swilling coprophagic relative drama. The H was suitably vengeful and the h was suitably naive enough to make this a pretty entertaining, solid HP outing and worth a read if you are an angst trainwreck junkie.
In fact she is probably the only vintage HPlandia author that can give Anne Mather a run for her money in the evil relative stakes. We get a plethora of evil relatives here and the h is just a tiny paper boat tossed between the ferocious shoals of their spite.
The book starts with our 22 yr old h late for a family party. As she is rushing around she recounts a bit of family history. The h's mother was a B rate actress who hooked up with a wealthy business guy whose only family was a nephew set to inherit the business guy's empire.
Five years earlier, the 17 yr old h became the seekrit love of the nephew and then huge dramas happened and the next thing the h knew, the nephew had bent sent off in disgrace and the h's spoilt sewage gulper brother was set up in his place.
The h's corprophagic, narcissistic mother told the h it was because the nephew got one of the village girls who works in the family firm preggers and the resulting scandal enraged the h's stepfather enough that he drove the nephew away.
But the h was wildly in love and the nephew swore he loved her back. From the time the h was a little girl, hiding from the new stepfather's mean housekeeper and the H saved her from a scolding, she has always adored the H.
The h's mother and brother are quite pleased that he is gone. The h's mother dotes on her son and has no time for the h, but like many abused children, the h has a fierce loyalty to her mother and seekritly thinks that her continual blind devotion will eventually earn her mother's love.
So when the h rushes down the stairs of her art gallery and sees the H in her area, the reaction is immediate shock and horror. The h finds out that her stepfather, who is as obstructive in his own chauvinistic patronizing way as her mother and brother are, has invited the nephew H back to the family fold, he is the only one who can run the business.
While the h's mother has total hysterics and tries to force an h engagement with a local scion by announcing it at the party, the h starts to realize that things are not as she was told. The h runs away before her supposed 'engagement' can be announced and the H soon hunts her down.
Despite tremendous lurve force mojo and treacherous body syndrome, the h is frightened of the H because he blames his entire exile on her. The h has no clue why, but as the H forces his own engagement between the h and himself and her mother gets more and more vindictively hysterical, the h gradually discovers what is up.
Things finally coalesce after the h tries to deliver a check to a local single female artist, with a small son, for the work she sold through the h's gallery and the woman has a fit. The h believes it is because the H is present and that he is the father of the girl's son and the artist resents him being with another woman when he left her to behind to single parenthood.
After the h's brother gets firmly booted out of the family firm and his fiancee, who is also the h's business partner in the gallery, goes into shock after finding out some horrible truth about the h's brother, the h finally pulls her head together enough to go question her mother.
Five years earlier the h's mother wanted the H out of the way. She knew about the h and H's relationship and so she stole some letters and faked a few things and told the H's uncle, her husband, that the H had sexually assaulted the h.
The h's stepfather was destroyed by his nephew's behavior and sent the H away. The H believes it was the h who orchestrated those events and his forced engagement and his flaunting of OW in front the h are all designed to make her pay.
The h also finally learns that the H was not the deadbeat dad of the single's mum's child, her brother is. All of this takes place after the H and h have a reconnection purple passion moment when the h deserts the family manse and her gallery to rethink her life.
After the big night o'lurve, the H walks away and the h forces her mother to confess her many, many misdeeds to her stepfather. The h is still prepared to do what she can to help her mother save her lifestyle, (probably because the h doesn't want the burden of having to support her mother for the rest of her life.)
But the h is pretty sure that any chance she had for love with the H is gone and she begins to plan her life accordingly. Even after being confronted by the wanna be OM and sending him away, the h believes that she will be alone and bereft of love for the rest of her life.
Meanwhile the h's mother does confess her sins and the stepfather soon whisks her away to a permanent retirement in Spain. (Tho I suspect there may well be a fatal accident for the woman several months after the book ends.) The h's brother still has a job at the family firm, but he is no longer in charge of anything and true to his little snot snarfing bratty self, he has to run away to sulk about things.
The H eventually tracks the h down in her art gallery and finally explains that he knows the h was completely innocent of all that he accused her of. He also confesses that he still loves her madly and the last five years have a been a barren waste of heartbreak and torment.
The OW the h had noticed were not really OW, the H just did a few OW flaunts to make the h jealous, cause his heart hurt so badly at what he thought was the h's betrayals, he just had to make sure she shared his pain.
That is all over now tho. Cause the H is now reinstated in his rightful place and he demands that the h marry him and set up house in the former stepfather's family manse. The h loves the H back, so she is ready to leap into love with bells on.
So with no word on if the mean housekeeper is getting the boot, we leave the two of them declaring true love forever and deciding that there will be minimal communication with the h's mother in Spain, for another SC rosy glow HP HEA.
This one is pretty intense on the family drama and the wrecki angst. The h is very slow to pick up some things, but I understood how her ingrained loyalty kept her seeing her family via a rosy glasses glow. Mainly cause I have worn those same rosy glasses myself a few times while venturing in HPlandia.
Overall this is a very solid little angstfest with true slime swilling coprophagic relative drama. The H was suitably vengeful and the h was suitably naive enough to make this a pretty entertaining, solid HP outing and worth a read if you are an angst trainwreck junkie.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2017
Huh?
Wtf?
The revenge wanting hero seems to be the only sane character in the whole book. If I was him I would want blood too, but the mother's! His want of revenge seems misdirected!
Wtf?
The revenge wanting hero seems to be the only sane character in the whole book. If I was him I would want blood too, but the mother's! His want of revenge seems misdirected!
December 17, 2012
Some decent angst here, but the real reason for the hero's departure is disturbing in light of the father-figure's enthusiasm for the protagonist couple getting together in the present. I don't know if the author didn't think that through or if she didn't see any problem, but it's bothering me.
July 7, 2016
A love betrayed.
Lydie and Marius were stepcousins but that didn't stop the passion or the love from forming. Keeping their relationship a secret they fall deeply in love.....not realizing their secret really isn't a secret.
Truths get twisted and lies get told by one person they both believe wouldn't lie to them. Marius disappears leaving Lydie heartbroken. Years past until Marius comes storming into their lives again seeking vengence.
The sexual tension and passion between them can be felt as they dig into the past and try to resist each other....but of course that is no use because the love never died.
A nice read brimming with passion, deceit, jealousy, and love.
Lydie and Marius were stepcousins but that didn't stop the passion or the love from forming. Keeping their relationship a secret they fall deeply in love.....not realizing their secret really isn't a secret.
Truths get twisted and lies get told by one person they both believe wouldn't lie to them. Marius disappears leaving Lydie heartbroken. Years past until Marius comes storming into their lives again seeking vengence.
The sexual tension and passion between them can be felt as they dig into the past and try to resist each other....but of course that is no use because the love never died.
A nice read brimming with passion, deceit, jealousy, and love.
July 28, 2015
Cute love story, adorable heroine. Heroine's mother was a bitch though and still Lydie forgave and forgot. The woman ruined her daughter's love and manipulated her for 5 years! She deseved some kind of punishment!
September 22, 2014
It was just plain stupid and a complete waste of my time, I actually found it burried in my library and decided to give it a try... I should not have done that.... The heroine, Lydie, was so weak and without character I felt like gagging, she believed Maruis cheated on her and just stopped talking about him when her mother asked her to after he got some girl pregnant, then when he came back and after so long I almost dropped the book he confronted her about her role in deceiving him, see Maruis hadn't cheated and gotten someone pregnant, it was Jon, Lydie's brother, so her mother payed the girl's father money to say it was Maruis so she can get rid of him and Jon would be the heir to her husband´s fortune, who is Lydie and Jon's stepdad... When Maruis confronted her she still didn't say she was innocent and played like she was actually the one who wrote to her stepdad that Maruis had been molesting her when she and maruis slept together and he wrote her a love letter... The lettre was intercepted by her mother and she fixed the whole thing, still Lydie didn't say a thing, Lydie's weakness was actually having no bone againt her mother, the woman ruined her love and manipulated her her whole life and she kept protecting her??!!..... Not cool!!! I hated the ending by the way, too chliché and I wanted to vomit..... So in conclusion the book suckef
August 28, 2018
This book was very aptly named!
The level of deception and villainy was epic!
So... the h and the H met when his uncle married her momma. His uncle raised him after his parent died and is the only family he has. Her momma is a failed actress who realizes she is aging and needs a sugar daddy.
The h was a child when she met the H and he was always there for her. Their relationship changed as she got older and she fell head over heels. They shared one special night together and shortly after that the H got kicked out of the house. He supposedly got a local girl pregnant and his uncle banished him.
Five years later the H returns, at his uncle’s invitation, for the old man’s birthday party. He has returned to take over his uncle’s business. The h’s momma is not happy. She starts freaking out saying that the H will kick her son out of his job at the company. On the night of the party momma convinced the h’s boyfriend to propose, on stage, in front of everyone. And he did. It did not go as planned. Seeing the H in the audience made her realize that she had some stuff to work out and she humiliated poor boyfriend.
So now h is free and the H is looking for revenge. He was wronged and she’s the reason. Buuut, in reality m, she the most innocent person in the whole book.
There is so much deviousness that has taken place, it kept me waiting for the next shoe to drop. The h, having no clue what is happening, is taking the blame for things she knows nothing about. All this to protect her mother who didn’t appreciate her at all. IMHO, her mother should have lost what she loved most. That woman was wicked. I was upset to see her walk away without any repercussions for what she did.
I enjoyed the book. There was enough drama and angst to satisfy my jaded soul. I felt bad for the h and H who lost so much time because of that woman’s machinations. At least they finally got their HEA.
The level of deception and villainy was epic!
So... the h and the H met when his uncle married her momma. His uncle raised him after his parent died and is the only family he has. Her momma is a failed actress who realizes she is aging and needs a sugar daddy.
The h was a child when she met the H and he was always there for her. Their relationship changed as she got older and she fell head over heels. They shared one special night together and shortly after that the H got kicked out of the house. He supposedly got a local girl pregnant and his uncle banished him.
Five years later the H returns, at his uncle’s invitation, for the old man’s birthday party. He has returned to take over his uncle’s business. The h’s momma is not happy. She starts freaking out saying that the H will kick her son out of his job at the company. On the night of the party momma convinced the h’s boyfriend to propose, on stage, in front of everyone. And he did. It did not go as planned. Seeing the H in the audience made her realize that she had some stuff to work out and she humiliated poor boyfriend.
So now h is free and the H is looking for revenge. He was wronged and she’s the reason. Buuut, in reality m, she the most innocent person in the whole book.
There is so much deviousness that has taken place, it kept me waiting for the next shoe to drop. The h, having no clue what is happening, is taking the blame for things she knows nothing about. All this to protect her mother who didn’t appreciate her at all. IMHO, her mother should have lost what she loved most. That woman was wicked. I was upset to see her walk away without any repercussions for what she did.
I enjoyed the book. There was enough drama and angst to satisfy my jaded soul. I felt bad for the h and H who lost so much time because of that woman’s machinations. At least they finally got their HEA.
January 20, 2014
light n entertaining. i used 2 like sara craven's books more but i've read so much of her work dat it's become cliched. neway come back 2 marius n lydie. they were separated due 2 lydie's evil mother. debra did not even do it 4lydie's own good. she did it bcoz she wanted jon (her son) 2 inherit the benedict's wealth! n abt jon, how disgusting !! i hope nell finds another man n does not end up wid him. he actually impregnated a young girl n left her high n dry, did not bother 2 look back on her. lydie's whole family is unbearably disgusting. as marius said, the war had been going on since 10 years!! not only 4 the past few days. however, he did not know this until he was banished from the house, he blamed lydie seriously though she was the innocent party here. lydie also suffered greatly from the separation bcoz she believed marius had been unfaithful n add 2 dat, had left her after having had her virginity. they were both victims not of fate, but of mercenary people. debra had a very lucky escape, in fact she was not punished at all ! i did not appreciate this bcoz she caused huge pain around her. she shud have got her just deserts !
March 9, 2020
Lydie had grown up too close to Marius Benedict to remain immune to her stepcousin's fatal charm. But Marius had merely seduced and abandoned her, leaving town under a cloud of scandal. Five long years and, no doubt, a dozen meaningless affairs later, Marius had walked back into her life, looking for all the world as if he owned it! The trouble was, he did.
As far as Marius was concerned, it was Lydie who was the deceiver. He had been away a long time — just long enough to have planned his revenge on Lydie Benedict down to the first quiver of her lips....
As far as Marius was concerned, it was Lydie who was the deceiver. He had been away a long time — just long enough to have planned his revenge on Lydie Benedict down to the first quiver of her lips....
February 16, 2017
Eeeek!!!
Growing up together: √
Semi-related, therefore semi-forbidden: √
His name is Marius: √
Angsty: √
Smitten hero: √
His culmination of passion: √
Her ultimate peak of satisfaction: √
Bad parenting: √
I never realized the name Marius got me going, but it does:)
Growing up together: √
Semi-related, therefore semi-forbidden: √
His name is Marius: √
Angsty: √
Smitten hero: √
His culmination of passion: √
Her ultimate peak of satisfaction: √
Bad parenting: √
I never realized the name Marius got me going, but it does:)
August 5, 2018
It’s back to 1996 and our heroine (Lydie) is busy running an art gallery which also caters to the ‘craft fair tat for tourists’ trade. (As an aside here, it is amazing how many heroines featured in the Mills and Boons of the early 90s operated businesses like this – it must have been the fashion at the time). Lydie has financed the gallery from a loan from her step-father – the bank (in another nice nod to the social history of the time) wouldn’t touch the venture because of the financial recession at the time. Lydie’s step-father is a wealthy mill owner (were there such things in 1990?) – her brother is the Sales Director and her mother is a retired actress who has married the mill owner for his money. The mill owner expected his nephew to inherit the factory but due to a falling out (which Lydie thinks is down to him getting a local girl pregnant) Lydie hasn’t seen Marius (the nephew) for five years.
Well, one day, whilst peddling the craft fair tat, Marius walks back into her life to take over the factory, sacking Lydie’s brother (who is a dead loss as a sales director) and questioning whether financing a gallery which the bank wouldn’t touch is the best use of company funds. From here it all gets very confusing. It transpires that Lydie met Marius when she was 11, newly ensconced in her step-father’s home, and hiding under his bed from the forbidding housekeeper. She idolised him from that point up until she was 17 and then their feelings changed and became more sexual in nature. Marius deflowered her, before allegedly getting the local girl pregnant and disappearing for five years. Upon Marius’s return, it becomes obvious that he thinks Lydie had something to do with his estrangement from his Uncle and his banishment for five years. However, they are both still very much attracted to each other (although hating each other at the same time – of course). Well, it’s a Mills & Boon, so it’s no surprise that they get together in the end (although even after reading it I wasn’t sure precisely what had happened over the local girl/the mother/her brother’s involvement/and who had told which lie to perpetuate the deception of the title. In fact, it was all such a tangled mess of lies, it’s amazing that they ever get together at all. However, fortunately for Lydie, the housekeeper (still an object of fear even though Lydie’s an adult now) goes off to see her sister in Huddersfield for the afternoon, leaving the house free for Lydie and Marius to attempt to untangle the web of deceit before getting tangled up together in the bedroom.
I liked this novel for the brilliant things it does which are so ‘Mills & Boon’ – the recording of social history in the recessions of the time, the way the heroine openly manipulates the situations to her liking (including admitting this by mentally admonishing her brother for having no subtlety in the way he manages situations) and also the importance that cars have in this novel. Nearly every scene of importance is acted around a car (Lydie drives a Vauxhall Corsa – good choice, Vauxhalls are great cars, but if she’d gone for the Astra she’d have had more room in the back to get up to the shenanigans that Marius and her get up to in her Vauxhall, particularly if she’d gone for the estate model). Marius drives something more powerful (It may have been a Jag) but the sense of freedom that Lydie gets from her little Corsa is palpable in the novel. Cars frequently pop up in these novels as vehicles of importance (if you’ll excuse the pun) which makes me think that there’s something worth investigating here as a research topic. I just love these books – they constantly yield more and more points of interest to get your teeth into.
There’s also a lot of intertextuality going on in this book – Wuthering Heights is repeatedly referenced and it makes one think that Craven is deliberately doing this in order to evoke a more classical literary romance of obsession and purvey the sense of this into her own work (despite the fact that Wuthering Heights doesn’t end well for anyone and for this reason doesn’t wholly work in the context of a formulaic romance).
This one isn’t a great story, but it’s a very interesting example of Craven’s work.
Well, one day, whilst peddling the craft fair tat, Marius walks back into her life to take over the factory, sacking Lydie’s brother (who is a dead loss as a sales director) and questioning whether financing a gallery which the bank wouldn’t touch is the best use of company funds. From here it all gets very confusing. It transpires that Lydie met Marius when she was 11, newly ensconced in her step-father’s home, and hiding under his bed from the forbidding housekeeper. She idolised him from that point up until she was 17 and then their feelings changed and became more sexual in nature. Marius deflowered her, before allegedly getting the local girl pregnant and disappearing for five years. Upon Marius’s return, it becomes obvious that he thinks Lydie had something to do with his estrangement from his Uncle and his banishment for five years. However, they are both still very much attracted to each other (although hating each other at the same time – of course). Well, it’s a Mills & Boon, so it’s no surprise that they get together in the end (although even after reading it I wasn’t sure precisely what had happened over the local girl/the mother/her brother’s involvement/and who had told which lie to perpetuate the deception of the title. In fact, it was all such a tangled mess of lies, it’s amazing that they ever get together at all. However, fortunately for Lydie, the housekeeper (still an object of fear even though Lydie’s an adult now) goes off to see her sister in Huddersfield for the afternoon, leaving the house free for Lydie and Marius to attempt to untangle the web of deceit before getting tangled up together in the bedroom.
I liked this novel for the brilliant things it does which are so ‘Mills & Boon’ – the recording of social history in the recessions of the time, the way the heroine openly manipulates the situations to her liking (including admitting this by mentally admonishing her brother for having no subtlety in the way he manages situations) and also the importance that cars have in this novel. Nearly every scene of importance is acted around a car (Lydie drives a Vauxhall Corsa – good choice, Vauxhalls are great cars, but if she’d gone for the Astra she’d have had more room in the back to get up to the shenanigans that Marius and her get up to in her Vauxhall, particularly if she’d gone for the estate model). Marius drives something more powerful (It may have been a Jag) but the sense of freedom that Lydie gets from her little Corsa is palpable in the novel. Cars frequently pop up in these novels as vehicles of importance (if you’ll excuse the pun) which makes me think that there’s something worth investigating here as a research topic. I just love these books – they constantly yield more and more points of interest to get your teeth into.
There’s also a lot of intertextuality going on in this book – Wuthering Heights is repeatedly referenced and it makes one think that Craven is deliberately doing this in order to evoke a more classical literary romance of obsession and purvey the sense of this into her own work (despite the fact that Wuthering Heights doesn’t end well for anyone and for this reason doesn’t wholly work in the context of a formulaic romance).
This one isn’t a great story, but it’s a very interesting example of Craven’s work.
July 26, 2023
Oh boy, not the best of SC. The conversations were so deliberately vague so that Big Misunderstandings could keep being misunderstood that they felt unrealistic. Who has conversations about specific people or specific issues without stating said people or issues? Who says, “ But she’s hurting so much because of what she’s going through!” as opposed to “ Why did you leave Sara when you knew she needed you?” People don’t usually dance around topics they want answers to.
And I really couldn’t respect the heroine. She’s willing to keep taking the blame for a lie that her MOTHER told that destroyed multiple lives, including her own daughter’s, even as that lie is still causing needless pain. I get not wanting to rat out relatives but she could have been honest while still maintaining that her mother did it for her son’s benefit. Even if both are absolute scum. And why would she want to protect her stepfather from his shallow scheming wife? The man deserves better.
I was unsatisfied with the way the mother seemingly waltzes off into the sunset with no apology, no punishment, not even an angry husband. It didn’t ring true when we’d already seen how harshly said husband takes family betrayal, as evidenced by him banishing his beloved and ONLY blood relative for FIVE whole years.
And I really couldn’t respect the heroine. She’s willing to keep taking the blame for a lie that her MOTHER told that destroyed multiple lives, including her own daughter’s, even as that lie is still causing needless pain. I get not wanting to rat out relatives but she could have been honest while still maintaining that her mother did it for her son’s benefit. Even if both are absolute scum. And why would she want to protect her stepfather from his shallow scheming wife? The man deserves better.
I was unsatisfied with the way the mother seemingly waltzes off into the sunset with no apology, no punishment, not even an angry husband. It didn’t ring true when we’d already seen how harshly said husband takes family betrayal, as evidenced by him banishing his beloved and ONLY blood relative for FIVE whole years.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 27, 2023
I hate this kind of heroine. She's a massive doormat who, for some reason, throws her whole life under a bus to protect her c**t mother. The H treats her like absolute shit, sneering at her, calling her a slut, pushing her away and looking at her like she's disgusting... and she's positively *throbbing* with lust the whole time. He so much as looks at her sideways and she's humping the furniture, rubbing her titties, grabbing his hand it putting it on her quim while moaning (she actually does the hand thing too, I almost barfed) and I can't help but scream 'BITCH WHERE IS YOUR DIGNITY?'. Have some fucking pride, urgh, just urrrgh. She's like a chimp in heat, and he's obviously disgusted by her. Nope, NOPE I'll never never get the appeal for this particular trope. I don't even know what it is, thirsty bitch in heat trope I guess. I hate it.
March 3, 2018
Lydie loved Marius since she was 11 and when she grew up and became a daunting 17 years old teenager, Marius confessed that he shared her feelings. Unfortunately, Marius seduced her then disappeared after her step-father threw him out because her made some unknown girl pregnant. Lydie was hurt and never actually recovered from his betrayal, but when she became 23, Marius came back claiming that he was actually the one who stabbed him in his back! And this is when the story started!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 6, 2020
How much of a mess can can everyone get into. If this couple wants to make it, they have to move and not speak to their family. It's the only way. Nothing happened to the bad family members. Nothing. It was so stupid. Our heroine is defending her mother and taking the blame for her, for no reason. None. Our hero is just storming around not doing much. Eh skip, not romantic or a fun read.
September 7, 2024
A lot of people and events are introduced right at the beginning. I have to be honest, I had a hard time following who's who and what's what. Heroine's step father is her uncle so Hero, his son, is her cousin? I guess? But I'm not sure that's even pertinent to the plot since they end up together regardless.
May 2, 2020
Deceived
This started out with her finding out that he was back after being kicked out five years ago. Lies were told. But who told what to whom? Their lives were destroyed back then. She is about to be engaged to another. When the truths come out who will be left standing?
This started out with her finding out that he was back after being kicked out five years ago. Lies were told. But who told what to whom? Their lives were destroyed back then. She is about to be engaged to another. When the truths come out who will be left standing?
November 24, 2022
I didn’t enjoy this book. The family relationships are horrible and our poor h walks around in a daze within a fog, can’t see anyone truly. That said it’s well written with emotion and strong characters.
November 28, 2025
This had a whole lot of soap opera angst (as well as its over-the-top melodrama). A wealthy, narcissistic has-been actress marries a man for wealth and security, and plans a wonderful future for her ne'er-do-well son, John as future head of hubby's business, as soon as she gets his nephew (the H, Marius) out of the way. This she does by using her daughter's (the h, Lydie) love for him. Lydie and Marius were planning a future together, when their lovemaking is turned into something tawdry, as Lydie's informed that Marius has made a local girl pregnant and refuses to take responsibility, while stepdad is informed (supposedly by a letter Lydie wrote) that Marius forced himself on her. Hearing all these things about his beloved nephew (who has left town out of anger and disillusionment) causes him to have a heart attack, and the next thing you know, John is running the business! How about that!!
Several years later, Lydie is running an art gallery with her friend, Nadine (John's girlfriend) and seeing Hugh, who comes from the prominent background her mother adores, when who shows up at the gallery? You guessed it, Marius!! His uncle's had another attack, and wants to make amends. Marius is also seeking justice, as well as revenge! And Lydie knows in her heart she's never stopped loving him.
Meantime Lydie's tried to live her life independent of her family, but that's no easy task. Her brother's selfish, irresponsible, and always in need of something, usually help with the latest mess he's gotten into. Both Lydie and Nadine have to put up with too much. Her mother thinks the world revolves around herself and her son, with her daughter and husband taking a back seat every time. Lydie's also having a lot of doubts about her relationship with Hugh.
This book is a bit different, as its more a story of justice, retribution, name clearing and truths revealed. There are some good scenes, like when Lydie shows some backbone by walking out on her engagement party, right before the announcement is made, in defiance of her selfish bitch of a mother. And when she goes to see the mystery artist whose work she wants to exhibit, to discover she's a single mom with a little boy, the right age to be Marius's son!
I don't think I need to say who the boy's daddy is, as I doubt the truth would surprise anyone. Though it's unbelievable the lengths Lydie's mother went through to get what she wanted, and when it backfires, she conveniently has a breakdown, eliciting sympathy she doesn't deserve. This woman needed to be punished for all the havoc she wreaked, not be rewarded with a trip to Spain by her (stupidly) forgiving husband!
I'm glad Nadine's not nearly so forgiving!
Of course, Lydie and Marius see through all the lies they were told and find their way back to each other, but was it worth it? you never get the feeling that these two really connected, as they were both too quick to believe the worst of each other.
The HEA was hardly worth it.
Several years later, Lydie is running an art gallery with her friend, Nadine (John's girlfriend) and seeing Hugh, who comes from the prominent background her mother adores, when who shows up at the gallery? You guessed it, Marius!! His uncle's had another attack, and wants to make amends. Marius is also seeking justice, as well as revenge! And Lydie knows in her heart she's never stopped loving him.
Meantime Lydie's tried to live her life independent of her family, but that's no easy task. Her brother's selfish, irresponsible, and always in need of something, usually help with the latest mess he's gotten into. Both Lydie and Nadine have to put up with too much. Her mother thinks the world revolves around herself and her son, with her daughter and husband taking a back seat every time. Lydie's also having a lot of doubts about her relationship with Hugh.
This book is a bit different, as its more a story of justice, retribution, name clearing and truths revealed. There are some good scenes, like when Lydie shows some backbone by walking out on her engagement party, right before the announcement is made, in defiance of her selfish bitch of a mother. And when she goes to see the mystery artist whose work she wants to exhibit, to discover she's a single mom with a little boy, the right age to be Marius's son!
I don't think I need to say who the boy's daddy is, as I doubt the truth would surprise anyone. Though it's unbelievable the lengths Lydie's mother went through to get what she wanted, and when it backfires, she conveniently has a breakdown, eliciting sympathy she doesn't deserve. This woman needed to be punished for all the havoc she wreaked, not be rewarded with a trip to Spain by her (stupidly) forgiving husband!
I'm glad Nadine's not nearly so forgiving!
Of course, Lydie and Marius see through all the lies they were told and find their way back to each other, but was it worth it? you never get the feeling that these two really connected, as they were both too quick to believe the worst of each other.
The HEA was hardly worth it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 28, 2024
The heroine’s mother is a fading actress. She marries an industrialist in Yorkshire.
He already is raising his dead brother’s son who will inherit the mill and the house and the money.
Then this devious woman with her son and daughter arrives.
The hero warms up to the heroine and teaches her things as she grows up.
She cannot stand his girlfriends.
One fine day it dawns on her that she wants him for herself.
Another fine day it dawns on him that he wants her for himself.
The heroine in her teenage frenzy goes to his room one night and the inevitable happens. The next day he writes an impassioned letter to heroine.
The heroine who had come down for step father’s birthday is sent back to boarding by the mother.
The mother decides to nip several buds at once. She plants a fake letter instead of the letter she intercepted. She also blames hero for the pregnancy of the girl her son was having an affair with.
The heroine hears that hero has impregnated a local girl. She’s immature. Instead of finding out anything she breaks. She’s barely an adult.
The hero is thrown out of the house and the business for despoiling the step daughter.
The uncle has a coronary. The hero goes away.
Five years later there’s another birthday coming.
The step father says he’s called his nephew back to take over everything.
The hero and heroine meet again. They are still desperately in love with each other. The hero has more reasons to feel angry about.
He thinks the heroine went and told tales about him to step father after coming to his bed.
Anyway. They sort it all out.
I thought the plot was intricately woven and all the characters and happenings were very realistic.
The mother was a snake. The brother was a worthless piece of shit.
All was well that ended well.
He already is raising his dead brother’s son who will inherit the mill and the house and the money.
Then this devious woman with her son and daughter arrives.
The hero warms up to the heroine and teaches her things as she grows up.
She cannot stand his girlfriends.
One fine day it dawns on her that she wants him for herself.
Another fine day it dawns on him that he wants her for himself.
The heroine in her teenage frenzy goes to his room one night and the inevitable happens. The next day he writes an impassioned letter to heroine.
The heroine who had come down for step father’s birthday is sent back to boarding by the mother.
The mother decides to nip several buds at once. She plants a fake letter instead of the letter she intercepted. She also blames hero for the pregnancy of the girl her son was having an affair with.
The heroine hears that hero has impregnated a local girl. She’s immature. Instead of finding out anything she breaks. She’s barely an adult.
The hero is thrown out of the house and the business for despoiling the step daughter.
The uncle has a coronary. The hero goes away.
Five years later there’s another birthday coming.
The step father says he’s called his nephew back to take over everything.
The hero and heroine meet again. They are still desperately in love with each other. The hero has more reasons to feel angry about.
He thinks the heroine went and told tales about him to step father after coming to his bed.
Anyway. They sort it all out.
I thought the plot was intricately woven and all the characters and happenings were very realistic.
The mother was a snake. The brother was a worthless piece of shit.
All was well that ended well.
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