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A Very Public Affair
Scandals!
Exposed: millionaire in baby battle!
Suddenly, Clare was the latest tabloid gossip: the girl who'd had an affair with Jack Straker, notorious tycoon….
Their night of passion, five years ago, should never have happened. Clare had been vulnerable, and Jack had been married. When Clare found herself pregnant, she knew it must remain a secret. Only, now the papers knew, and so did Jack! The most eligible bachelor in London, he wanted his son. Saying no to him wasn't going to be easy!
144 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1997
About the author
Sally Wentworth
108 books95 followersDoreen was born on 1936 or 1937 in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, UK. She married Donald Alfred Hornsblow, with whom she has a son Keith, in 1968. The family lived in Braughing, England.
Doreen began her publishing career at a Fleet Street newspaper in London, where she thrived in the hectic atmosphere. She started writing after attending an evening class and sold her first novel to Mills & Boon in 1977, she published her novels under the pseudonym Sally Wentworth. Her novels were principally set in Great Britain or in exotic places like Canary Islands or Greece. Her first works are stand-alone novels, but in 1990s, she decided to create her first series. In 1991, she wrote a book in two parts about the Barclay twins and their great love, and in 1995, she wrote the Ties of Passion Trilogy about the Brodey family, that have money, looks, style, everything... except love.
Doreen was an accounts clerk at Associated Newspapers Ltd. in London, England, and accounts clerk at Consumers' Association in Hertford, England. In 1985, she was the founding chair of the Hertford Association of National Trust Members, and named its life president. She also collected knife rests and she was member of The Knife Rest Collectors Club.
Doreen Hornsblow died from cancer on 30 August 2001, at 64 years of age.
Doreen began her publishing career at a Fleet Street newspaper in London, where she thrived in the hectic atmosphere. She started writing after attending an evening class and sold her first novel to Mills & Boon in 1977, she published her novels under the pseudonym Sally Wentworth. Her novels were principally set in Great Britain or in exotic places like Canary Islands or Greece. Her first works are stand-alone novels, but in 1990s, she decided to create her first series. In 1991, she wrote a book in two parts about the Barclay twins and their great love, and in 1995, she wrote the Ties of Passion Trilogy about the Brodey family, that have money, looks, style, everything... except love.
Doreen was an accounts clerk at Associated Newspapers Ltd. in London, England, and accounts clerk at Consumers' Association in Hertford, England. In 1985, she was the founding chair of the Hertford Association of National Trust Members, and named its life president. She also collected knife rests and she was member of The Knife Rest Collectors Club.
Doreen Hornsblow died from cancer on 30 August 2001, at 64 years of age.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
January 3, 2019
Re A Very Public Affair - Sally Wentworth takes up an interesting societal debate in this HP year of 1997, that of father's rights in Great Britain.
Prior to the Custody of Infants act in 1839, parental responsibility and custody was always given to the father- no matter if the father was unwed or divorced, he became the sole guardian and decision maker for any children he sired.
In 1839, Caroline Norton was a woman who was infamously separated from her abusive husband and denied access to her children. She used her political hostess influence and the power of the press and petitions to get the law significantly changed.
Her influence, (she was the mistress of Lord Melbourne, the English Prime Minister at the time,) and her press exposure after the death of her youngest son whilst he was in her husband's custody led to three significant acts for women:
The Custody of Infants Act 1839 - which gave mothers primary custody until the child was 7 and guaranteed access after that.
The Matrimonial Causes Act 1857 - which moved divorce out of ecclesiastical courts and three separate trials and put it firmly in the jurisdiction of a single trial in English Civil courts, and finally
The Married Women's Property Act of 1870 - which for the first time in English history gave ALL women the right to a separate financial identity from their husband, (which meant women could keep their earnings/inheritances for themselves and weren't forced to give them to an estranged husband, or a current one for that matter,) and the act also allowed a woman to attend civil court proceedings on her own behalf. (Prior to this a woman could not go to court or testify on her own behalf - even when being divorced.)
In 1873, the Custody of Infants limits to the age of seven were extended to the age of 16, which meant that divorced and unmarried women could keep their children and in the case of unmarried women, the mother became the sole bearer of parental responsibility.
(This was a significant change, because prior to this, custody was given to the father as he was the usually the only one able to financially support a child and unmarried women could be publicly beaten until they named the father of their child and then the child was removed from the mother's custody to the father's, with the mother being given no say about how her child was cared for.)
This new doctrine, called the Tender Years Doctrine, essentially denied unmarried or divorced fathers any type of legal access or input into their child's lives - until 150 years later with the Children's Act of 1989. The 1989 act allowed unmarried father's to apply to the courts for access to their children.
For the most part tho, even the 1989 act meant the father was usually only able to be granted visitation. If the mother was uncooperative for whatever reason, equal parental responsibility was denied to the father - even up to the point that the mother could take the children and emigrate if she so desired, with no legal ramifications.
In essence, after close to 800 years of fathers being the only one's able to decide the care of their children, mothers became the sole custodial parent and for another 150 years, the shoe was on the other foot.
That started to change in 1971, when father's rights advocacy groups became more prevalent. In the later years of the 1990's up until 2003, there were more and more protests and eventually public attacks on British Parliamentarians in support of rewriting the law on parental responsibility for fathers.
(Eventually the law was updated and now if a man is listed on the birth certificate, he is considered a joint custodian of the child - he has to make a declaratory statement that he is the father at the time of birth registration, but he is granted full access and decision making custody of the minor child and equally responsible for child support.)
Which is where Sally Wentworth steps in. In 1997 an unwed father had to apply to the courts to be given access to his child. In this one, the h and H had a one night of passion after the H's father died, they meet again almost six years later and the H wants his son, the h had named the H as the father on the son's birth certificate and so the H is taking the h to court for visitation.
When the story starts, the h is an antiques appraiser and has her own shop. She ends up at the H's summer cottage, which used to be his father's Lake District home. We learn the h had snuck into the H's car when he left it running six years earlier. She was 19, homeless and it was a freezing cold night.
The h saw the empty car running and the door was open, so she crept into the back to get warm and fell asleep. The H was rushing to get to his father's home, so after he ran into his London home to change out of his evening clothes, he never looked in the back to see the h.
Eventually the H drives all night in a bad snowstorm and ends up at his father's house. The father has the flu and is dying, there is no hope and the H is resigned to sharing what he can of his dad's last days. Then the h pops up in the back seat. The H isn't mean enough to kick her out into the snow and the police have more important emergencies to worry about, the storm is really bad.
So the h ends up staying and cooking and cleaning for the H while he sits with his father. She also reads up on antiques in the H's father's library. Eventually the H's father passes and the h and H have a night of grief fueled passion. The h believes this is the start of a big romance, while the H is mired in regret.
The H gives the h a huge check and sends her on her way, he sorta feels bad for taking advantage of a teenager, but also informs her that his wife is on her way and the h needs to clear off. The h is bitter and furious and refuses the check. She slept with the H out a sense of compassion and then fell into love. But it clearly wasn't love or even liking for the H, he just wanted a convenient object to pump and then he paid her off like a tart.
The h keeps the check she finds in her backpack later tho, because by then she was pregnant and had her son on the way. Now, six years on, the h recognizes the house after she walks in and then she recognizes the man who essentially pumped and dumped her years earlier.
The h panics and in a midst of fury and pain, she practically drives over the H in an effort to get away from him. The H doesn't get why she is so angry with him and then he sees his son in the h's car as she is driving away and figures out he has a child. Since the H is now divorced, he wants his son.
The h is not about to give a man who thinks women are available to hire by the hour access to her son, so the H goes to court - the h named him on the birth certificate-and he at least wants visitation.
This starts off a war between the H and h and when he uses the fact that the h has an elderly homeless man being an au pair for her son while she works, things rapidly decline. The press has gotten wind of the millionaire famous business guy H's custody battle and the bickering over the h's son is never ending.
The H manages to get visitation and the h is livid, she has never forgotten the H's callous treatment of her and she is all out to keep the H and the little boy apart. The H, not used to anybody telling him he can't have what he wants, forces his way into the h's life.
After a few punishing H roofie kisses, and an H and h desperate search for the very nice homeless man on the anniversary of the death of his wife, the h decides that she will platonically marry the H's business rival to provide a different father figure for the courts and force the H out of her life.
But the h stupidly lets one of her married friend's use her flat as an afternoon love nest with a famous actor. When that same friend sets the H and h up for a weekend at a country hotel, the snot hits the fan and everyone gets slimed in the aftermath of the H and h's inability to resist the treacherous body syndrome.
The platonic fiance is not pleased that the h spent the night with the H, or that she is dumping him and he is getting really nasty when the famous actor comes out of the h's bedroom to run him off. The vindictive ex fiance calls the press on the h and the actor and yet another nightmare of paparazzi hounding goes on.
The H categorically believes the h is a tart, just like his ex-wife, and that she is having an affair with the actor while also sleeping with him that one time. He completely condemns her without letting her explain and the h is irked enough that she lets him run off at the mouth without defending herself.
The H thinks this might be his chance for custody, because apparently a single woman having a relationship is still grounds for unfit motherhood in HPlandia and the H is extremely jealous of the actor - who unlike the wimpy ex-fiance is real competition.
But when his son comes to visit, the little boy mentions that the famous actor signed his space commander movie poster and that the guy is his aunt's friend, the H quickly figures out that the actor wasn't seeing the h, rather he was seeing the woman that set him and the h up on the hotel weekend moment.
The H goes home to the h's with his son, there is a big fight where the h points out that he has kicked her out of his life twice now and she isn't interested in marrying him. The H decides to tell the h that he is crazy about her, but as the h is starting to accept her feelings for the H, they notice that the little boy has run out the front door.
In typical SW dramatic style, the little boy almost gets hit by a car, but the H saves him and gets injured himself. The h is all about cuddling up to the injured H at hospital and the H is all about claiming his broken wrist means he will need the tender loving care of the h and son for years.
The h and son are all on board with everybody being in love and happy together and we leave the h demonstrating the depths of her tender care to the H in anticipation of the wedding and the HEA.
This one is interesting, the h starts out sympathetic and then gets gradually more irritating as the story goes on, until of course SW realizes that she is writing a romance and not a treatise on why father's should have more rights.
It is also rather realistic in that neither the H nor the h's motives are very pure in this - they both allow their jealousy and anger to overcome the best interests of the little boy and the one who gets the most fallout from that is actually the little boy.
Still, SW manages to pull it together enough at the end to make the fallout on the child minimal and also gives us a pretty interesting HPlandia outing with one heck of a social commentary for the time it is set in.
Prior to the Custody of Infants act in 1839, parental responsibility and custody was always given to the father- no matter if the father was unwed or divorced, he became the sole guardian and decision maker for any children he sired.
In 1839, Caroline Norton was a woman who was infamously separated from her abusive husband and denied access to her children. She used her political hostess influence and the power of the press and petitions to get the law significantly changed.
Her influence, (she was the mistress of Lord Melbourne, the English Prime Minister at the time,) and her press exposure after the death of her youngest son whilst he was in her husband's custody led to three significant acts for women:
The Custody of Infants Act 1839 - which gave mothers primary custody until the child was 7 and guaranteed access after that.
The Matrimonial Causes Act 1857 - which moved divorce out of ecclesiastical courts and three separate trials and put it firmly in the jurisdiction of a single trial in English Civil courts, and finally
The Married Women's Property Act of 1870 - which for the first time in English history gave ALL women the right to a separate financial identity from their husband, (which meant women could keep their earnings/inheritances for themselves and weren't forced to give them to an estranged husband, or a current one for that matter,) and the act also allowed a woman to attend civil court proceedings on her own behalf. (Prior to this a woman could not go to court or testify on her own behalf - even when being divorced.)
In 1873, the Custody of Infants limits to the age of seven were extended to the age of 16, which meant that divorced and unmarried women could keep their children and in the case of unmarried women, the mother became the sole bearer of parental responsibility.
(This was a significant change, because prior to this, custody was given to the father as he was the usually the only one able to financially support a child and unmarried women could be publicly beaten until they named the father of their child and then the child was removed from the mother's custody to the father's, with the mother being given no say about how her child was cared for.)
This new doctrine, called the Tender Years Doctrine, essentially denied unmarried or divorced fathers any type of legal access or input into their child's lives - until 150 years later with the Children's Act of 1989. The 1989 act allowed unmarried father's to apply to the courts for access to their children.
For the most part tho, even the 1989 act meant the father was usually only able to be granted visitation. If the mother was uncooperative for whatever reason, equal parental responsibility was denied to the father - even up to the point that the mother could take the children and emigrate if she so desired, with no legal ramifications.
In essence, after close to 800 years of fathers being the only one's able to decide the care of their children, mothers became the sole custodial parent and for another 150 years, the shoe was on the other foot.
That started to change in 1971, when father's rights advocacy groups became more prevalent. In the later years of the 1990's up until 2003, there were more and more protests and eventually public attacks on British Parliamentarians in support of rewriting the law on parental responsibility for fathers.
(Eventually the law was updated and now if a man is listed on the birth certificate, he is considered a joint custodian of the child - he has to make a declaratory statement that he is the father at the time of birth registration, but he is granted full access and decision making custody of the minor child and equally responsible for child support.)
Which is where Sally Wentworth steps in. In 1997 an unwed father had to apply to the courts to be given access to his child. In this one, the h and H had a one night of passion after the H's father died, they meet again almost six years later and the H wants his son, the h had named the H as the father on the son's birth certificate and so the H is taking the h to court for visitation.
When the story starts, the h is an antiques appraiser and has her own shop. She ends up at the H's summer cottage, which used to be his father's Lake District home. We learn the h had snuck into the H's car when he left it running six years earlier. She was 19, homeless and it was a freezing cold night.
The h saw the empty car running and the door was open, so she crept into the back to get warm and fell asleep. The H was rushing to get to his father's home, so after he ran into his London home to change out of his evening clothes, he never looked in the back to see the h.
Eventually the H drives all night in a bad snowstorm and ends up at his father's house. The father has the flu and is dying, there is no hope and the H is resigned to sharing what he can of his dad's last days. Then the h pops up in the back seat. The H isn't mean enough to kick her out into the snow and the police have more important emergencies to worry about, the storm is really bad.
So the h ends up staying and cooking and cleaning for the H while he sits with his father. She also reads up on antiques in the H's father's library. Eventually the H's father passes and the h and H have a night of grief fueled passion. The h believes this is the start of a big romance, while the H is mired in regret.
The H gives the h a huge check and sends her on her way, he sorta feels bad for taking advantage of a teenager, but also informs her that his wife is on her way and the h needs to clear off. The h is bitter and furious and refuses the check. She slept with the H out a sense of compassion and then fell into love. But it clearly wasn't love or even liking for the H, he just wanted a convenient object to pump and then he paid her off like a tart.
The h keeps the check she finds in her backpack later tho, because by then she was pregnant and had her son on the way. Now, six years on, the h recognizes the house after she walks in and then she recognizes the man who essentially pumped and dumped her years earlier.
The h panics and in a midst of fury and pain, she practically drives over the H in an effort to get away from him. The H doesn't get why she is so angry with him and then he sees his son in the h's car as she is driving away and figures out he has a child. Since the H is now divorced, he wants his son.
The h is not about to give a man who thinks women are available to hire by the hour access to her son, so the H goes to court - the h named him on the birth certificate-and he at least wants visitation.
This starts off a war between the H and h and when he uses the fact that the h has an elderly homeless man being an au pair for her son while she works, things rapidly decline. The press has gotten wind of the millionaire famous business guy H's custody battle and the bickering over the h's son is never ending.
The H manages to get visitation and the h is livid, she has never forgotten the H's callous treatment of her and she is all out to keep the H and the little boy apart. The H, not used to anybody telling him he can't have what he wants, forces his way into the h's life.
After a few punishing H roofie kisses, and an H and h desperate search for the very nice homeless man on the anniversary of the death of his wife, the h decides that she will platonically marry the H's business rival to provide a different father figure for the courts and force the H out of her life.
But the h stupidly lets one of her married friend's use her flat as an afternoon love nest with a famous actor. When that same friend sets the H and h up for a weekend at a country hotel, the snot hits the fan and everyone gets slimed in the aftermath of the H and h's inability to resist the treacherous body syndrome.
The platonic fiance is not pleased that the h spent the night with the H, or that she is dumping him and he is getting really nasty when the famous actor comes out of the h's bedroom to run him off. The vindictive ex fiance calls the press on the h and the actor and yet another nightmare of paparazzi hounding goes on.
The H categorically believes the h is a tart, just like his ex-wife, and that she is having an affair with the actor while also sleeping with him that one time. He completely condemns her without letting her explain and the h is irked enough that she lets him run off at the mouth without defending herself.
The H thinks this might be his chance for custody, because apparently a single woman having a relationship is still grounds for unfit motherhood in HPlandia and the H is extremely jealous of the actor - who unlike the wimpy ex-fiance is real competition.
But when his son comes to visit, the little boy mentions that the famous actor signed his space commander movie poster and that the guy is his aunt's friend, the H quickly figures out that the actor wasn't seeing the h, rather he was seeing the woman that set him and the h up on the hotel weekend moment.
The H goes home to the h's with his son, there is a big fight where the h points out that he has kicked her out of his life twice now and she isn't interested in marrying him. The H decides to tell the h that he is crazy about her, but as the h is starting to accept her feelings for the H, they notice that the little boy has run out the front door.
In typical SW dramatic style, the little boy almost gets hit by a car, but the H saves him and gets injured himself. The h is all about cuddling up to the injured H at hospital and the H is all about claiming his broken wrist means he will need the tender loving care of the h and son for years.
The h and son are all on board with everybody being in love and happy together and we leave the h demonstrating the depths of her tender care to the H in anticipation of the wedding and the HEA.
This one is interesting, the h starts out sympathetic and then gets gradually more irritating as the story goes on, until of course SW realizes that she is writing a romance and not a treatise on why father's should have more rights.
It is also rather realistic in that neither the H nor the h's motives are very pure in this - they both allow their jealousy and anger to overcome the best interests of the little boy and the one who gets the most fallout from that is actually the little boy.
Still, SW manages to pull it together enough at the end to make the fallout on the child minimal and also gives us a pretty interesting HPlandia outing with one heck of a social commentary for the time it is set in.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2017
Heroine was a bitch!
August 18, 2011
I’m not usually bothered by “secret baby” plots, but this story really made me see why so many people hate them. The heroine, Clare, behaves in a way that’s spiteful, immature and unconscionable. Although hero Jack made some mistakes (while under a great deal of emotional stress -- which she was perfectly aware of) it didn’t remotely justify her actions.
Clare is a 19 year old runaway when she stows away in Jack’s car, and so she happens to be there during an extremely low point in his life. She offers to sleep with him as comfort, but is then devastated when he doesn’t fall immediately in love with her and sends her away. (I can understand her being very upset at 19... but at 25, she should have acquired a little perspective.)
Years later, they meet again, and Jack discovers there was a consequence of that night, 5 year old Toby. And since Clare refuses to allow him anything to do with his son, he is forced to bring the courts into the matter.
Good points: I liked the angst towards the end, which brought my rating up to 3 stars, just barely. Extra props for wild-child Clare not having been a highly implausible virgin. The unusual plot is interesting and this probably could have been a really good story, if only there had been some growth of self-awareness and redemption on Clare’s part. (Also, she’s an idiot. You’re in the middle of a custody battle and you let a married friend borrow your apartment for adulterous assignations? Seriously?) Instead, Jake winds up doing the classic redeeming, when he really hadn’t done anything all that wrong to begin with.
Spoiler for those who hate adultery in romance: .
Clare is a 19 year old runaway when she stows away in Jack’s car, and so she happens to be there during an extremely low point in his life. She offers to sleep with him as comfort, but is then devastated when he doesn’t fall immediately in love with her and sends her away. (I can understand her being very upset at 19... but at 25, she should have acquired a little perspective.)
Years later, they meet again, and Jack discovers there was a consequence of that night, 5 year old Toby. And since Clare refuses to allow him anything to do with his son, he is forced to bring the courts into the matter.
Good points: I liked the angst towards the end, which brought my rating up to 3 stars, just barely. Extra props for wild-child Clare not having been a highly implausible virgin. The unusual plot is interesting and this probably could have been a really good story, if only there had been some growth of self-awareness and redemption on Clare’s part. (Also, she’s an idiot. You’re in the middle of a custody battle and you let a married friend borrow your apartment for adulterous assignations? Seriously?) Instead, Jake winds up doing the classic redeeming, when he really hadn’t done anything all that wrong to begin with.
Spoiler for those who hate adultery in romance: .
August 13, 2019
Here are my overall impressions:
+ 3 stars for entertaining and having a good revenge plot (SW knows how to write 'em.)
+ 3 stars for characterization (Jack was great and well developed. But, Clare was too 1-dimensional.)
- 2 stars for implausibility (providing a safe harbor for your friends to conduct an adulterous relationship while fighting a custody battle for your child, was just plain ridiculous.)
-1 for inconsistency. The book had two viewpoints on his relationship with his father. At the beginning they have a special, important relationship which sends him off the deep end when his father dies. At another point, the book states that he had not maintained a close relationship with his father, after his mother had died. WTH?
Overall I'd give this three stars for a good (not great) HP. However, it might be a show-stopper for those that hate adulterous relationships. Otherwise go for it. It was a fun ride.
+ 3 stars for entertaining and having a good revenge plot (SW knows how to write 'em.)
+ 3 stars for characterization (Jack was great and well developed. But, Clare was too 1-dimensional.)
- 2 stars for implausibility (providing a safe harbor for your friends to conduct an adulterous relationship while fighting a custody battle for your child, was just plain ridiculous.)
-1 for inconsistency. The book had two viewpoints on his relationship with his father. At the beginning they have a special, important relationship which sends him off the deep end when his father dies. At another point, the book states that he had not maintained a close relationship with his father, after his mother had died. WTH?
Overall I'd give this three stars for a good (not great) HP. However, it might be a show-stopper for those that hate adulterous relationships. Otherwise go for it. It was a fun ride.
July 23, 2016
4 Stars! ~ It was only the wicked snow storm that allowed a homeless young Clare to continue to stay under Jack's roof. When Jack breaks under the grief of his father's death, Clare comforts him, and when he reaches out to her for more she generously gives more. The next morning Jack shatter's her innocent hopes of a future and sends her away. It's now six years later and Jack is suddenly made aware that he has a son. When Clare refuses to see him or allow him to meet the boy, he decides he has to use the courts. The scandal can't be kept from the papers as Jack is a tycoon very much in the limelight, and the conception would have taken place while Jack had been going through a very bitter divorce. Clare hates Jack bitterly, and vows that Jack will never be able to corrupt her son or warm himself into the boy's heart only to later reject him as he had done to her. Jack struggles to understand Clare's hatred until it dawns on him that she must have cared for him very much all those years ago and it is this hurt that consumes her.
I picked this up and read it in one sitting. Jack realizes how callously he had treated Clare all those years ago, while he had been overcome with grief. But Clare's feelings towards him will not deter him from access to his son. Convinced that she despises Jack, Clare has a difficult truth to face when she becomes aware that she's always cared for him. But scandalous stories in the tabloids threaten to keep them forever apart. Just the right amount of intensity that kept me reading without pause. Both Clare and Jack are memorable characters and easy to route for.
I picked this up and read it in one sitting. Jack realizes how callously he had treated Clare all those years ago, while he had been overcome with grief. But Clare's feelings towards him will not deter him from access to his son. Convinced that she despises Jack, Clare has a difficult truth to face when she becomes aware that she's always cared for him. But scandalous stories in the tabloids threaten to keep them forever apart. Just the right amount of intensity that kept me reading without pause. Both Clare and Jack are memorable characters and easy to route for.
April 29, 2012
I gave this two stars instead of one because I really liked the hero. He was the only likable character in this book, other than Toby, the son. The heroine was horrible (likable at the very beginning but turns into a vicious harridan in the rest of the book), her "best" friend was awful, the man her best friend had an affair with was awful, the other man who she considered marrying was awful. They all had horrible characters.
Now, I don't mind secret baby stories but this woman was just too much. She didn't want Jack to have anything to do with her son. In fact she actually agrees to marry another man so the courts will not allow Jack anymore time with him than he has already. She takes the son away for a weekend so Jack can't have his visit. Ugh! She just makes me so mad! He wasn't even threatening to take Toby away from her. He just wanted to see his son. She is the one that forced Jack to go court to even get the right to see his son. Ugh, horrible woman.
Now, I'm not saying that Jack was the perfect hero. He was married when he slept with Clare in the beginning but his wife was no angel. His father had just died and his marriage was going nowhere. So, he took the comfort that Clare offered. Yes, he did make her leave the morning after because his wife was on the way. So, he wasn't the perfect hero but he was not a jerk to Clare or horrible to her after finding out she kept his son from her. He was just a man who wanted to know his son.
The angsty goodness in this book? It was the pain that Jack felt after getting rejected by Clare again. Very heart wrenching.
So, as one can tell, I did not like this book and only gave it that second star because the hero deserved better than what he got.
Now, I don't mind secret baby stories but this woman was just too much. She didn't want Jack to have anything to do with her son. In fact she actually agrees to marry another man so the courts will not allow Jack anymore time with him than he has already. She takes the son away for a weekend so Jack can't have his visit. Ugh! She just makes me so mad! He wasn't even threatening to take Toby away from her. He just wanted to see his son. She is the one that forced Jack to go court to even get the right to see his son. Ugh, horrible woman.
Now, I'm not saying that Jack was the perfect hero. He was married when he slept with Clare in the beginning but his wife was no angel. His father had just died and his marriage was going nowhere. So, he took the comfort that Clare offered. Yes, he did make her leave the morning after because his wife was on the way. So, he wasn't the perfect hero but he was not a jerk to Clare or horrible to her after finding out she kept his son from her. He was just a man who wanted to know his son.
The angsty goodness in this book? It was the pain that Jack felt after getting rejected by Clare again. Very heart wrenching.
So, as one can tell, I did not like this book and only gave it that second star because the hero deserved better than what he got.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 5, 2011
The book was good n clean (free of any abuses ),the plot was good,characters were well developed though i felt that there was a lack of spark between Jack-Clare but the circumstances that they met in and how Clare came to resent-hate Jack was logical
Clare was one head strong woman,a good mother though she was wild but experiences and motherhood changed her i liked her very much and how she is protective abt her son Toby,she has been hurt by Jack her close friend Tanya whom she considered close
Jack a good man but has been hurt in the past and now is determined to meet his son n be a father to him,i hated the fact he never once tried to find out what happened to Clare and mistrust Clare
Though the end was happy but i was not satisfied many things were left unsolved like did Clare break her friendship with Tanya,What abt Sean,Paul cause of whom Clare's rep was ruined and Jonesy whom she considered as father n was close to Toby n used to babysit Toby
Anyways a nice read
Recommend it
Clare was one head strong woman,a good mother though she was wild but experiences and motherhood changed her i liked her very much and how she is protective abt her son Toby,she has been hurt by Jack her close friend Tanya whom she considered close
Jack a good man but has been hurt in the past and now is determined to meet his son n be a father to him,i hated the fact he never once tried to find out what happened to Clare and mistrust Clare
Though the end was happy but i was not satisfied many things were left unsolved like did Clare break her friendship with Tanya,What abt Sean,Paul cause of whom Clare's rep was ruined and Jonesy whom she considered as father n was close to Toby n used to babysit Toby
Anyways a nice read
Recommend it
April 7, 2012
Seriously? This heroine was simply TSTL too many times for me. She just seemed to go out of her way to hang on to a hurt she should have let go. The man did lose his father that same night, etc. etc. Hurt at 19 when it happened? Yes. Hurt, bitter, angry and so resentful as to be downright childish and immature...well, I guess it's her life but she was in danger of messing up her kid IMHO.
August 21, 2011
I liked this book. I think it was very well written. It had an interesting plot and grabbed my interest from the first page.
The book starts in the present with flashbacks to the past. Today Clare is a 25 year old single mother of a five year old son. She is successful, confident and attractive. She has a good life and her son is the center of her life.
Jack Straker is the father of her child, although he never knew there was a child. Jack is a 35 year old divorced male. He is wealthy, powerful, attractive and newsworthy. The newa ia that Jack has found out he has a son and wants to be a part of his life and Clare is determined that he won't so there is a custody fight.
The background story is that their love-child was the result of one night of passion, in extroardinary circumstances and Jack was married at the time. The next morning Jack sends the then 19 year old Clare on her way after informing her rather callously that he is married. Because she is a homeless, street kid he offers her a check to see her through which just adds to Clare's outrage and fury. This is why she does not want Jack involved with her son. She thinks he will just eventually toss him aside like he did with her.
This book has many sub-plots, does extensive character devlopment that explains much of the behavior of both the H/h and in general held my interest from start to finish.
The book starts in the present with flashbacks to the past. Today Clare is a 25 year old single mother of a five year old son. She is successful, confident and attractive. She has a good life and her son is the center of her life.
Jack Straker is the father of her child, although he never knew there was a child. Jack is a 35 year old divorced male. He is wealthy, powerful, attractive and newsworthy. The newa ia that Jack has found out he has a son and wants to be a part of his life and Clare is determined that he won't so there is a custody fight.
The background story is that their love-child was the result of one night of passion, in extroardinary circumstances and Jack was married at the time. The next morning Jack sends the then 19 year old Clare on her way after informing her rather callously that he is married. Because she is a homeless, street kid he offers her a check to see her through which just adds to Clare's outrage and fury. This is why she does not want Jack involved with her son. She thinks he will just eventually toss him aside like he did with her.
This book has many sub-plots, does extensive character devlopment that explains much of the behavior of both the H/h and in general held my interest from start to finish.
May 29, 2014
Was a pretty emotional read but still full of charm. The heroine did behave in a immature way when dealing with the hero as she didn't really understand her own feeling and who she really was protecting. Which I find understandable as not many of us really are honest with ourselves and some never outgrow the spite when dealing with ex-(lovers, spouses, etc.). She does come to realize how much she loves him but is still afraid to let go.
Read
June 15, 2022Most HP writers have the same themes in their HP’s. With a Lynne Graham for instance you’ll get an unplanned pregnancy. With a Helen Bianchin you’ll get lots of showers and baths.
And with a Sally Wentworth you know beforehand that her h’s lie and deceive.
But this h takes the cake. She may be the worst of all Wentworth’s h’s.
Anyway, I couldn’t take her hostility towards the H (her child’s father) anymore. Her antagonism was over the top and this H is a saint.
I DNF’ed, so no rating.
And with a Sally Wentworth you know beforehand that her h’s lie and deceive.
But this h takes the cake. She may be the worst of all Wentworth’s h’s.
Anyway, I couldn’t take her hostility towards the H (her child’s father) anymore. Her antagonism was over the top and this H is a saint.
I DNF’ed, so no rating.
May 18, 2026
A very dramatic read that inadvertently highlights the father's rights movement in the 1970/1980's.
I was sympathetic to the h at the beginning, but by the middle of the story, I was annoyed by her behaviour. I needed more of the loose ends tidied up to feel truly satisfied by the ending.
I was sympathetic to the h at the beginning, but by the middle of the story, I was annoyed by her behaviour. I needed more of the loose ends tidied up to feel truly satisfied by the ending.
July 2, 2026
That was 200 pages of a custody battle
November 5, 2017
I have to stop for a while. I'm at half the book and I really really really rezlly hate the heroine.
At 19 she was homeless and cold in a snowstorm so she brokd into the hero's car. he unknowingly drove them to his father's house where his dad was dying, he lets the heroine stay there due to the snowstorm but completely ignores her, his dad is dying. the night he dies she consoles the hero and he tursns to have sex with her. It does not seem like he was her first, he made no promises, he didn't even talk to her. next morning he trows her out because he's married and gives her a cheque. she thought that after that magic sex he would marry her but he didnt so she grew bitter and resentful. i didnt get it, he made her no promises or even create any typr of expectations. it was a one night stand.
they meet again 5 years later and she had his son and he's divorced. he wants to see his son, she doesnt so she doesnt respond to any of his attempts, he takes her to court so shes bitter and resentful of this. shes resentful that he didnf look her up, even though she used a face last name, she was pissec because he paid her off, even though she used thr money. it relt like she thought that if he didnt want her hewouldnt get access to the son either, so petty and mean, especially considering she didnt ask her son one whether or not he wanted a connection with his father. t
i didnt like her because she had zero reason to think he would be a bad influence on their son. she was so obviously bitter that 5years ago he didnt want her that now she's punishing him and the son by keeping them apart. The hero didn’t set out to cheat on his wife, his dad just passed away and u didn't say no, and u spend his money, get over it. i can get if the wife was pissed but the heroine, not so much.
At 19 she was homeless and cold in a snowstorm so she brokd into the hero's car. he unknowingly drove them to his father's house where his dad was dying, he lets the heroine stay there due to the snowstorm but completely ignores her, his dad is dying. the night he dies she consoles the hero and he tursns to have sex with her. It does not seem like he was her first, he made no promises, he didn't even talk to her. next morning he trows her out because he's married and gives her a cheque. she thought that after that magic sex he would marry her but he didnt so she grew bitter and resentful. i didnt get it, he made her no promises or even create any typr of expectations. it was a one night stand.
they meet again 5 years later and she had his son and he's divorced. he wants to see his son, she doesnt so she doesnt respond to any of his attempts, he takes her to court so shes bitter and resentful of this. shes resentful that he didnf look her up, even though she used a face last name, she was pissec because he paid her off, even though she used thr money. it relt like she thought that if he didnt want her hewouldnt get access to the son either, so petty and mean, especially considering she didnt ask her son one whether or not he wanted a connection with his father. t
i didnt like her because she had zero reason to think he would be a bad influence on their son. she was so obviously bitter that 5years ago he didnt want her that now she's punishing him and the son by keeping them apart. The hero didn’t set out to cheat on his wife, his dad just passed away and u didn't say no, and u spend his money, get over it. i can get if the wife was pissed but the heroine, not so much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 21, 2011
3 stars
I was a bit afraid reading terrible reviews and instead I liked it.
I like the heroine more than the hero. I found her a bit immature but after her previous experience of life I can understand it. I think she really loved Toby and mostly she was afraid that Jack would do to him what he did to her, love her and then leaver her. I think she did wrong daring him to the court because she didn't think to that horrible media circus but she understood her mistakes and never denied him his rights to visit his son and never tried to convince the child his father was a bad person.
She was a good person and it shows in her behaviour with Jonesy and that horrible BF, Tanya, what a horrible cunning and really bad *****!
The thing I really cannot stand is the media circurs, I understand that media circus was one of the main plot of the story but it was the thing I hated.
I was a bit afraid reading terrible reviews and instead I liked it.
I like the heroine more than the hero. I found her a bit immature but after her previous experience of life I can understand it. I think she really loved Toby and mostly she was afraid that Jack would do to him what he did to her, love her and then leaver her. I think she did wrong daring him to the court because she didn't think to that horrible media circus but she understood her mistakes and never denied him his rights to visit his son and never tried to convince the child his father was a bad person.
She was a good person and it shows in her behaviour with Jonesy and that horrible BF, Tanya, what a horrible cunning and really bad *****!
The thing I really cannot stand is the media circurs, I understand that media circus was one of the main plot of the story but it was the thing I hated.
January 15, 2013
Sally Wentworth is usually a good writer but this novel was poor. The initial impression wasn't helped by the appalling cover picture which strongly suggested "lech meets vamp". The emotional development of the characters wasn't very interesting - he was appallingly manipulative and she was really quite vicious towards him, both physically and emotionally. They do gain some maturity & understanding but they aren't people you'd really want to get to know.
October 21, 2012
messed up heroine
July 31, 2021
A Very Public Affair
Their beginning was not a typical way of meeting. She had stolen away in his car. She was homeless and cold. She did help him while he spent time with his dying father. And in a moment of despair they end up having a one night stand. She leaves when he tells her that he is married. Now five years later he finds out that she had his child and she didn't let him know. Now he wants to know his child but she denied his attempt. Will these two people find a common ground for the sake of their child? Can those differences between them be too much for the happy ending that they are not sure is real?
Their beginning was not a typical way of meeting. She had stolen away in his car. She was homeless and cold. She did help him while he spent time with his dying father. And in a moment of despair they end up having a one night stand. She leaves when he tells her that he is married. Now five years later he finds out that she had his child and she didn't let him know. Now he wants to know his child but she denied his attempt. Will these two people find a common ground for the sake of their child? Can those differences between them be too much for the happy ending that they are not sure is real?
hq-to-read
May 1, 2020Scandals!
Exposed: millionaire in baby battle!
Suddenly, Clare was the latest tabloid gossip: the girl who'd had an affair with Jack Straker, notorious tycoon….
Their night of passion, five years ago, should never have happened. Clare had been vulnerable, and Jack had been married. When Clare found herself pregnant, she knew it must remain a secret. Only, now the papers knew, and so did Jack! The most eligible bachelor in London, he wanted his son. Saying no to him wasn't going to be easy!
Exposed: millionaire in baby battle!
Suddenly, Clare was the latest tabloid gossip: the girl who'd had an affair with Jack Straker, notorious tycoon….
Their night of passion, five years ago, should never have happened. Clare had been vulnerable, and Jack had been married. When Clare found herself pregnant, she knew it must remain a secret. Only, now the papers knew, and so did Jack! The most eligible bachelor in London, he wanted his son. Saying no to him wasn't going to be easy!
August 18, 2019
Considering Jake thought his wife was pregnant he shouldn't have taken advantage of a teen runaway and then treating her life a prostitute afterwards was even more reprehensible. Not acknowledging his own mistakes and being super unaware of his own actions make him an awful H. The h swings from hatred to love to hatred with no periods of equilibrium. Too much drama with not a lot of understanding of self or others.
Read
October 2, 2023DNF for now
Did Not Finish
April 22, 2024Una reputazione da proteggere
September 17, 2024
Ironically, this was one case where I didn't think the h was wrong to not tell the H he was a father. They had a one-night stand and then she finds out he's married. (Of course, things aren't as cut and dried as that, but that's beside the point.) In her shoes, I'd probably keep quiet too, unless I wanted child support and got a legal guarantee I'd have custody.
What I HATED was her being so resentful after six years that she put her own feelings above her son's, who got to know his father and care for him. Despite her son's feelings, she seemed determined to keep the H away from him and actually got angry that the five-year-old boy should dare to have feelings for anyone but her! She put her own crappy emotions above her son's happiness! She was willing to go to any lengths to spite the father, even use another guy to do it. (She was the type who used people to get what she wanted.)
Talk about self-centered and vindictive! No matter how she felt about the H, it was obvious he wanted to be a good father to his son and that should have taken top priority.
I couldn't finish this one, as I didn't want a HEA for these two, just co-parenting.
What I HATED was her being so resentful after six years that she put her own feelings above her son's, who got to know his father and care for him. Despite her son's feelings, she seemed determined to keep the H away from him and actually got angry that the five-year-old boy should dare to have feelings for anyone but her! She put her own crappy emotions above her son's happiness! She was willing to go to any lengths to spite the father, even use another guy to do it. (She was the type who used people to get what she wanted.)
Talk about self-centered and vindictive! No matter how she felt about the H, it was obvious he wanted to be a good father to his son and that should have taken top priority.
I couldn't finish this one, as I didn't want a HEA for these two, just co-parenting.
March 5, 2014
I despise all the characters from this book, and couldn't like it no matter what. (¬▂¬)
And I think I gave this book too much stars. //sarcasm
And I think I gave this book too much stars. //sarcasm
Read
April 29, 2018Exposed: millionaire in baby battle!
Suddenly, Clare was the latest tabloid gossip: the girl who'd had an affair with Jack Straker, notorious tycoon...
Their night of passion, five years ago, should never have happened. Clare had been vulnerable, and Jack had been married. When Clare found herself pregnant, she knew it must remain a secret. Only, now the papers knew, and so did Jack! The most eligible bachelor in London, he wanted his son. Saying no to him wasn't going to be easy!
Suddenly, Clare was the latest tabloid gossip: the girl who'd had an affair with Jack Straker, notorious tycoon...
Their night of passion, five years ago, should never have happened. Clare had been vulnerable, and Jack had been married. When Clare found herself pregnant, she knew it must remain a secret. Only, now the papers knew, and so did Jack! The most eligible bachelor in London, he wanted his son. Saying no to him wasn't going to be easy!
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