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Thunder on the Reef
"I want you back in my life-back in my bed!"Macy had fallen for Ross Bannister's charms before, only to be totally disillusioned when he had abandoned her for better things.Now they had met again and she had no intention of making the same mistakes. But when Ross abducted her and took her to his island, Macy's resolve began to crumble. After all, she was still married to the man….
153 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1994
8 people are currently reading
89 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 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 5, 2018
Re Thunder on the Reef - Sara Craven does a second chance with kidnapping trope, grab your sunglasses and your tropical beverages, we are going to the Bahamas.
This one starts with the h in the Bahamas trying to close a land deal to buy a private island for her father's property conglomerate.
The h's father also has a business partner that her father is clearly trying to pimp her out to, but the h takes after her mother with her business sense and is trying to prove herself worthy of a career.
We learn that the h is seekritly married and has been for five years. She met her husband at a photography exhibit, well before he had made a name for himself.
Because the h's father is a controlling nematode and the h did not want to face it, she hid her marriage from the slime pustule and let her father think it was only a live in temporary thing.
The h's father went out of his way to provide photographic evidence that the H was involved with another woman and that he paid the H £150,000 to make the H leave her.
So the h sincerely believes that the H used her to get a payout to finance his jump start for a wildlife photography career and that he was involved with another woman the whole time they were together and he dumped the h when he got her father's cheque.
Then the h finds out that the H is connected with the owner of the island she is trying to buy on behalf of her father's firm, but it isn't until the H kidnaps her and strands her with him on the island, called Thunder Cay, that the h finds out the H is now the owner of the place.
The H reveals that the reclusive and ill billionaire who was the original owner is his illegitimate dad. His mother fell in love with the guy and then dumped him when she found out he was married and told him not to come back until he was free.
Ironically the H's bio dad's wife died right before the H's mother did, so the two were never able to reunite and the H knew nothing of this until his mother's death.
The H and h are now living in a beach shack on the H's island and the H proposes that they resume their marriage, the H's dad is sick, he would like a grandchild and the H and h are still sharing that Old Black Lurve Mojo.
The h is horrified. This is a guy who took money to dump her and had an OW. The same OW who is also the H's father's nurse and who does a lot of undersea diving with the H during his photography sessions.
The h is even more horrified when she finds the OW's clothes in the beach shack and learns that the H expects her to wear them.
The h demands to be taken back to the mainland and the H refuses. After the h gets heatstroke and becomes ill, the H takes care of her and tries hard to make the h stay with him by offering the island deal in return for a child.
We get some back and forth bickering, some nightime skinny dipping with a shark warning and some island sight seeing, but the tension is mounting and the storm will soon break.
The h believes the H wants revenge, because the H claims the h dumped him without so much as a by your leave. He believed it was because she did not want to travel the world with the H in primitive conditions while he worked on his nature photographs. However, it is pretty easy to see the H is still in love with her, we are just waiting on SC for the explanations.
The h blows the H's payoff accusations off like the garbage they are. But all the OW clothes in the world can't get rid of her Treacherous Body Syndrome that throws caution to the winds and she has a big Lurve Mojo moment reuniting with the H.
The h is very sad, cause she realizes she really loves the H and always will and all he seems to want is revenge for some imagined slight to his ego. The H, once his passion is expunged, tells the h they won't work out and he will agree to her petition for divorce.
Then he gives her the unredeemed cheque he was paid off with four years earlier and the h is in shock. Especially when the OW shows up on the island and assumes the place has been sold to the h.
He takes her back to the mainland and the h's father is there. He does his best to bully the h into accepting a marriage with his business partner and flat out tells her if she doesn't agree to marry the guy, the father will be ruined - probably from shady deals.
The h, who has a trust established for her by her wealthy mother and is set to inherit a lot more in the next few years, calls her father out on his pimp daddy tactics and in a SC first, tells the father he is out of luck - she doesn't like his partner and she is resigning from the firm and the father can deal with his own mess.
Then she drops the bombshell that she and the H are married, that the H gave her the cheque back that he supposedly took to dump her and that she is totally aware that the father staged the breakup and she is very angry about it. The h's father asks the h to give him the cheque, but the h refuses and puts it in her handbag.
The h's father looks like he is going to pass out and the h decides she is leaving the next day. She goes out for a walk on the moonlit beach and runs smack dab into the H's chest. The big explanation's finally begin.
The h knows that her father pushed the whole break up to pimp her out to his business partner and that was why he got those photographs of the H and the OW.
The H tells the h that the OW is not the H's lover and never has been. The H's father sent her to London five years earlier to ask the H to meet with him. The OW can also dive and knows the area that the H was using for his big nature photographs.
But while the H did pretend to be interested in the OW to make the h jealous, he has always been faithful to his wife. Now however, after she came to island and was rebuffed by the H, the OW has disappeared into the mists of HPlandia and the clothes the h found in the beach shack were bought especially for her by the H to start their reconciliation and make up for their poverty stricken beginnings.
The H claims that he still loves the h, even tho he knows she paid him off. But hopefully with so much passion still between them, she will want to stick around now, even if it is only temporary, because he doesn't want to live without her.
The h is puzzled, she tells the H that she never paid him off, her father did and the H tells her to look at the signature on the cheque. They go back to the h's room and find the h's father trying to steal the cheque of her purse.
The h looks at the cheque and sees that it is her signature, the h's father slipped it into some trust documents and distracted the h while she was signing.
The H and h finally get just how far the h's slime slurping sewer blob father went to break them apart and the h tells the father he is out of luck and on his own, cause she and the H will be reunited in love, travelling the world together and leaving him to face the music for his bad behavior alone for the big SC HP HEA.
This one was very well done and a nice story. The H is one of SC's nicer H's and the h was not a doormat either. It was clear that there was some outside influence that messed these two love birds up, but SC does a good job in creating a little mystery about how it all was maneuvered .
This is not SC's usual angstfest of drama, but it is a nicely written and sweet HPlandia outing, worth the read if you find it.
This one starts with the h in the Bahamas trying to close a land deal to buy a private island for her father's property conglomerate.
The h's father also has a business partner that her father is clearly trying to pimp her out to, but the h takes after her mother with her business sense and is trying to prove herself worthy of a career.
We learn that the h is seekritly married and has been for five years. She met her husband at a photography exhibit, well before he had made a name for himself.
Because the h's father is a controlling nematode and the h did not want to face it, she hid her marriage from the slime pustule and let her father think it was only a live in temporary thing.
The h's father went out of his way to provide photographic evidence that the H was involved with another woman and that he paid the H £150,000 to make the H leave her.
So the h sincerely believes that the H used her to get a payout to finance his jump start for a wildlife photography career and that he was involved with another woman the whole time they were together and he dumped the h when he got her father's cheque.
Then the h finds out that the H is connected with the owner of the island she is trying to buy on behalf of her father's firm, but it isn't until the H kidnaps her and strands her with him on the island, called Thunder Cay, that the h finds out the H is now the owner of the place.
The H reveals that the reclusive and ill billionaire who was the original owner is his illegitimate dad. His mother fell in love with the guy and then dumped him when she found out he was married and told him not to come back until he was free.
Ironically the H's bio dad's wife died right before the H's mother did, so the two were never able to reunite and the H knew nothing of this until his mother's death.
The H and h are now living in a beach shack on the H's island and the H proposes that they resume their marriage, the H's dad is sick, he would like a grandchild and the H and h are still sharing that Old Black Lurve Mojo.
The h is horrified. This is a guy who took money to dump her and had an OW. The same OW who is also the H's father's nurse and who does a lot of undersea diving with the H during his photography sessions.
The h is even more horrified when she finds the OW's clothes in the beach shack and learns that the H expects her to wear them.
The h demands to be taken back to the mainland and the H refuses. After the h gets heatstroke and becomes ill, the H takes care of her and tries hard to make the h stay with him by offering the island deal in return for a child.
We get some back and forth bickering, some nightime skinny dipping with a shark warning and some island sight seeing, but the tension is mounting and the storm will soon break.
The h believes the H wants revenge, because the H claims the h dumped him without so much as a by your leave. He believed it was because she did not want to travel the world with the H in primitive conditions while he worked on his nature photographs. However, it is pretty easy to see the H is still in love with her, we are just waiting on SC for the explanations.
The h blows the H's payoff accusations off like the garbage they are. But all the OW clothes in the world can't get rid of her Treacherous Body Syndrome that throws caution to the winds and she has a big Lurve Mojo moment reuniting with the H.
The h is very sad, cause she realizes she really loves the H and always will and all he seems to want is revenge for some imagined slight to his ego. The H, once his passion is expunged, tells the h they won't work out and he will agree to her petition for divorce.
Then he gives her the unredeemed cheque he was paid off with four years earlier and the h is in shock. Especially when the OW shows up on the island and assumes the place has been sold to the h.
He takes her back to the mainland and the h's father is there. He does his best to bully the h into accepting a marriage with his business partner and flat out tells her if she doesn't agree to marry the guy, the father will be ruined - probably from shady deals.
The h, who has a trust established for her by her wealthy mother and is set to inherit a lot more in the next few years, calls her father out on his pimp daddy tactics and in a SC first, tells the father he is out of luck - she doesn't like his partner and she is resigning from the firm and the father can deal with his own mess.
Then she drops the bombshell that she and the H are married, that the H gave her the cheque back that he supposedly took to dump her and that she is totally aware that the father staged the breakup and she is very angry about it. The h's father asks the h to give him the cheque, but the h refuses and puts it in her handbag.
The h's father looks like he is going to pass out and the h decides she is leaving the next day. She goes out for a walk on the moonlit beach and runs smack dab into the H's chest. The big explanation's finally begin.
The h knows that her father pushed the whole break up to pimp her out to his business partner and that was why he got those photographs of the H and the OW.
The H tells the h that the OW is not the H's lover and never has been. The H's father sent her to London five years earlier to ask the H to meet with him. The OW can also dive and knows the area that the H was using for his big nature photographs.
But while the H did pretend to be interested in the OW to make the h jealous, he has always been faithful to his wife. Now however, after she came to island and was rebuffed by the H, the OW has disappeared into the mists of HPlandia and the clothes the h found in the beach shack were bought especially for her by the H to start their reconciliation and make up for their poverty stricken beginnings.
The H claims that he still loves the h, even tho he knows she paid him off. But hopefully with so much passion still between them, she will want to stick around now, even if it is only temporary, because he doesn't want to live without her.
The h is puzzled, she tells the H that she never paid him off, her father did and the H tells her to look at the signature on the cheque. They go back to the h's room and find the h's father trying to steal the cheque of her purse.
The h looks at the cheque and sees that it is her signature, the h's father slipped it into some trust documents and distracted the h while she was signing.
The H and h finally get just how far the h's slime slurping sewer blob father went to break them apart and the h tells the father he is out of luck and on his own, cause she and the H will be reunited in love, travelling the world together and leaving him to face the music for his bad behavior alone for the big SC HP HEA.
This one was very well done and a nice story. The H is one of SC's nicer H's and the h was not a doormat either. It was clear that there was some outside influence that messed these two love birds up, but SC does a good job in creating a little mystery about how it all was maneuvered .
This is not SC's usual angstfest of drama, but it is a nicely written and sweet HPlandia outing, worth the read if you find it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2019
Rich girl heroine secretly married free-lance photographer hero 4 years before. Daddy dearest broke them up by showing heroine photos of the hero with an OW and his receipt of a check that was the payoff for him to go away.
Heroine has been celibate ever since. (Hero was also celibate)
H/h meet again when the heroine goes to a Bahaman island to pursue a development deal with a recluse. Surprise! Hero is the illegitimate son of the rich recluse.
Hero kidnaps her to the remote island so she can give the dying man a grandson. It sounds bad, and hero makes all the right revenge alpha noises - but he’s not that cruel and heroine stands up for herself.
Once they have sex, the hero has second thoughts. He brings heroine back to civilization and gives her the check he never cashed. Somehow the heroine’s father tricked her into signing it – that’s why the hero left. He thought the heroine wanted him gone.
Meanwhile daddy has turned up to see how the development deal is going. Heroine tells off her father in a satisfying manner. H/h finally reconcile. There was nothing going on with the OW. They plan to make the island their home base.
Just a nice Sara Craven second chance story with an interesting setting. Nothing overly angsty or overly sweet. The H/h were victim of outside forces so now that those forces are diminished, an HEA is believable.
Boogenhagen has more details in her excellent review.
Heroine has been celibate ever since. (Hero was also celibate)
H/h meet again when the heroine goes to a Bahaman island to pursue a development deal with a recluse. Surprise! Hero is the illegitimate son of the rich recluse.
Hero kidnaps her to the remote island so she can give the dying man a grandson. It sounds bad, and hero makes all the right revenge alpha noises - but he’s not that cruel and heroine stands up for herself.
Once they have sex, the hero has second thoughts. He brings heroine back to civilization and gives her the check he never cashed. Somehow the heroine’s father tricked her into signing it – that’s why the hero left. He thought the heroine wanted him gone.
Meanwhile daddy has turned up to see how the development deal is going. Heroine tells off her father in a satisfying manner. H/h finally reconcile. There was nothing going on with the OW. They plan to make the island their home base.
Just a nice Sara Craven second chance story with an interesting setting. Nothing overly angsty or overly sweet. The H/h were victim of outside forces so now that those forces are diminished, an HEA is believable.
Boogenhagen has more details in her excellent review.
June 27, 2020
Besotted H ❤️ me
March 1, 2023
Having read a few flat duds in a row, I decided to treat myself to almost my last SC (before I complete the set😭) Even her duds aren't usually that bad.
In this story little rich girl Macy reunites with estranged (former) poor boy, Ross with whom four years earlier she'd had a passionate, sweet romance. They'd been fettled by the machinations of her father (who, unbeknownst to the h, had her lined up as marriage fodder for his business partner) despite having secretly married. There was the usual catastrophic misunderstanding and time apart (she's now 21 so I'm not sure how old she was when they married? Without parental consent she'd have had to have been 18 surely?) In the meantime, Ross has become heir to his reclusive rich father Mr Hilliard (who had never married Ross's mother) and owner of Bahamian Thunder Cay which Macy's father's company wants/needs to buy for tourism development.
It has some nice moments but a fair proportion of duffness. The first time she catches sight of him again on Fortuna (the main island) he is wearing a denim waistcoat and mid-thigh cutoffs in the same fabric. If you are able to overcome this mental image throughout the rest of the book, you are a better woman than me.
In this story little rich girl Macy reunites with estranged (former) poor boy, Ross with whom four years earlier she'd had a passionate, sweet romance. They'd been fettled by the machinations of her father (who, unbeknownst to the h, had her lined up as marriage fodder for his business partner) despite having secretly married. There was the usual catastrophic misunderstanding and time apart (she's now 21 so I'm not sure how old she was when they married? Without parental consent she'd have had to have been 18 surely?) In the meantime, Ross has become heir to his reclusive rich father Mr Hilliard (who had never married Ross's mother) and owner of Bahamian Thunder Cay which Macy's father's company wants/needs to buy for tourism development.
It has some nice moments but a fair proportion of duffness. The first time she catches sight of him again on Fortuna (the main island) he is wearing a denim waistcoat and mid-thigh cutoffs in the same fabric. If you are able to overcome this mental image throughout the rest of the book, you are a better woman than me.
July 25, 2019
"Thunder on the Reef" is the story of Macy and Ross.
A couple estranged due to misunderstandings and evil fathers gets reunited when the heroine goes to seal a business deal, and gets reunited with her long lost husband when he kidnaps her.
There is mild angst, heavy passion, heartbreak, OW drama, ultimate confession and hope for a eventual HEA.
I did like how the couple remained loyal to one another, despite separation.
Safe
3/5
A couple estranged due to misunderstandings and evil fathers gets reunited when the heroine goes to seal a business deal, and gets reunited with her long lost husband when he kidnaps her.
There is mild angst, heavy passion, heartbreak, OW drama, ultimate confession and hope for a eventual HEA.
I did like how the couple remained loyal to one another, despite separation.
Safe
3/5
November 2, 2014
there wasn't enough angst in this one- even though there was a lot of potential for it. An ok read, Sarah Craven's written much better stuff...
March 29, 2023
2.5
Plot started out great with potential. Love the second chance trope with a besotted hero aiming for reconciliation …or so I thought. Oh, how I thought & most desire so! That we would get a decisive hero, that this particular man was genuinely interested in a reunion with his estranged wife until he abruptly chased her away. After a lovemaking night, too. He suddenly came to a quick decision that their marriage is a no go. Seriously? He could at least play it cool until further communication but he was quick to say deuces. Honestly, he loves her and when he finally gets her exactly where he wants, how is so that he would then get rid of her just like that? SC is to blame for that one. For bringing this poor convenience & unnecessary frustration. This scene took place at the near end, too. By now MC should just communicate & not play games anymore. Also, the whole Daddy is the big evil revelation was almost too comical as it was also convenient for the plot. In fact, everything as followed & how the story wraps up was too dang convenient. It was all whacky stuff! They deserves way better. SC kind of did both of her MCs wrong here…
Plot started out great with potential. Love the second chance trope with a besotted hero aiming for reconciliation …or so I thought. Oh, how I thought & most desire so! That we would get a decisive hero, that this particular man was genuinely interested in a reunion with his estranged wife until he abruptly chased her away. After a lovemaking night, too. He suddenly came to a quick decision that their marriage is a no go. Seriously? He could at least play it cool until further communication but he was quick to say deuces. Honestly, he loves her and when he finally gets her exactly where he wants, how is so that he would then get rid of her just like that? SC is to blame for that one. For bringing this poor convenience & unnecessary frustration. This scene took place at the near end, too. By now MC should just communicate & not play games anymore. Also, the whole Daddy is the big evil revelation was almost too comical as it was also convenient for the plot. In fact, everything as followed & how the story wraps up was too dang convenient. It was all whacky stuff! They deserves way better. SC kind of did both of her MCs wrong here…
December 12, 2022
Read this a couple years ago and liked it but enjoyed much more this read. It’s fairly short and SC let’s us travel around in h’s head as she figures out what happened four years ago and is happening now.
November 23, 2023
Nice
This was a nice read. Written in the style of the old Harlequins.
It has lots of drama, angst and protagonists trying to break up the couple. It ends with a nice HEA.
This was a nice read. Written in the style of the old Harlequins.
It has lots of drama, angst and protagonists trying to break up the couple. It ends with a nice HEA.
July 20, 2025
2.5 stars
The miscommunication was a bit much
The miscommunication was a bit much
April 16, 2021
I want you back in my life�back in my bed!"
Macy had fallen for Ross Bannister's charms before, only to be totally disillusioned when he had abandoned her for better things. Now they had met again and she had no intention of making the same mistakes. But when Ross abducted her and took her to his island, Macy's resolve began to crumble. After all, she was still married to the man….
Macy had fallen for Ross Bannister's charms before, only to be totally disillusioned when he had abandoned her for better things. Now they had met again and she had no intention of making the same mistakes. But when Ross abducted her and took her to his island, Macy's resolve began to crumble. After all, she was still married to the man….
November 19, 2022
Thunder on the Reef
When her father conspired to break her and the man she loves apart it took five years for her to get the whole story. Now they meet again but he is in charge of the situation. Can their past be forgotten? What about his new love interest? What will she do when she finds out what her father has done?
When her father conspired to break her and the man she loves apart it took five years for her to get the whole story. Now they meet again but he is in charge of the situation. Can their past be forgotten? What about his new love interest? What will she do when she finds out what her father has done?
January 8, 2015
My first book of the year certainly made a great impression for me, as for the author, I´m dully grateful for finding her books by chance. Though they were written quite a while ago, they´re delectable. Loved the story, even though it made shed several tears...
I´ll keep on reading. :D
I´ll keep on reading. :D
January 2, 2025
This one has excellent writing and an H and h who misunderstand and resent each other for absolutely valid reasons that are neither of their fault. So I was not wanting to gouge his eyes out or impatient with her.
November 29, 2024
3,5 stars
July 7, 2025
A nice little romance
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews