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كوخه قرب قصرنا
Holly Templeton hated Gareth Nicholas at first sight -- a situation that often leads to love at second sight!
But there was one good reason why that should not happen as far as Holly and Gareth were concerned.
But there was one good reason why that should not happen as far as Holly and Gareth were concerned.
Unknown Binding
First published December 1, 1973
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 17, 2015
This was cute and charming. Not quite what I expected from an older Harley, but perhaps this Harley (written in 73) was a bit pre-hardcore, rapey alpha. I think that sort of storyline may have come aroaund a bit later, perhaps very late 70s and definitely in the 80s. There were times when the H was angry and the h felt threatened by him, but I think it was mostly that she was threatened by her sexual attraction to him and she'd never really felt it before. He did turn out to be a good guy. The heroine was only 18 and the H was in his early 30's - a typical old school May-Dec dynamic.
The star of the book was actually the h's aunt. An adorable, often scatterbrained old Scottish lady who lives in the Highlands with every stray dog and cat she can find. The h comes to live with her after her mother dies.
Initially the h is suspicious of the H because he is living in a cottage on her aunt's land and her aunt had been known to take in human strays as well as animals, which had not always turned out well. Mix that with their chemistry and the h is often quite prickly to Gareth. There's more to it as well. In a way the heroine was a bit immature, yet not unlikable. Both characters did have the aunt's best interests at heart and loved the collection of strays. Animal lovers always get extra slack in my book, and I enjoyed the descriptions of the various animals and their personalities.
This was from the days when there was no sex between non-married couples, so don't expect a sex scene.
The star of the book was actually the h's aunt. An adorable, often scatterbrained old Scottish lady who lives in the Highlands with every stray dog and cat she can find. The h comes to live with her after her mother dies.
Initially the h is suspicious of the H because he is living in a cottage on her aunt's land and her aunt had been known to take in human strays as well as animals, which had not always turned out well. Mix that with their chemistry and the h is often quite prickly to Gareth. There's more to it as well. In a way the heroine was a bit immature, yet not unlikable. Both characters did have the aunt's best interests at heart and loved the collection of strays. Animal lovers always get extra slack in my book, and I enjoyed the descriptions of the various animals and their personalities.
This was from the days when there was no sex between non-married couples, so don't expect a sex scene.
September 19, 2017
Pages and pages and pages of knock down, drag out fights, a gazillion cuppa teas, and then the sudden turn-around on the next to last page declaring their love for each other. I just did not get this one. They were both pretty horrible but the heroine took the cake. Even the presence of all those cute animals in the stray dog and cat sanctuary run by heroine's aunt did not manage to elevate this pretty dismal story.
September 18, 2023
Oh my was this bad. Hero's father sets out to destroy heroine's father and succeeds. He has a long-standing grudge ever since her mother dropped him in order to marry heroine's father.
I would love to be a guest at that holiday dinner table. I mean really, what was the author thinking? Both H/h were horrible people so a long life of torture may actually be a happy ending.
Dropping this from two stars to one star and adding it to the "avoid at all costs" shelf!!!!
I would love to be a guest at that holiday dinner table. I mean really, what was the author thinking? Both H/h were horrible people so a long life of torture may actually be a happy ending.
Dropping this from two stars to one star and adding it to the "avoid at all costs" shelf!!!!
December 13, 2013
قرأتها مترجمة بعنوان : كوخه قرب قصرنا
October 4, 2022
I loved Witchwood so much, I was hoping for something similar, but alas. Pretty typical older Harlequin with a big age/experience difference.
September 26, 2024
It starts as a traditional HQ with antagonistic h who suspects the mysterious H is no good. Then their relationship progresses and the girl falls in love only to discover the H’s BIG secret.
His father determinedly ruined her father.
From this point the books becomes a suffering fest. And goes from 3 stars to four!
The couple gets snowed in and the h gets seriously hurt.
The H has one more secret up his sleeve. It turns out the h’s mom jilted her fiancé (the H’s dad) to marry the h’s father. So the H’s father became vengeful for a reason.
It’s nice to be a millionaire’s son with his grandfather’s inheritance, to quit the rat race and to become a simple owner of a shelter for rescued animals.
His father determinedly ruined her father.
From this point the books becomes a suffering fest. And goes from 3 stars to four!
The couple gets snowed in and the h gets seriously hurt.
The H has one more secret up his sleeve. It turns out the h’s mom jilted her fiancé (the H’s dad) to marry the h’s father. So the H’s father became vengeful for a reason.
It’s nice to be a millionaire’s son with his grandfather’s inheritance, to quit the rat race and to become a simple owner of a shelter for rescued animals.
August 27, 2021
Frankly, I didn't like the interaction between the H and the h...There really wasn't any need to fight so much or show aggression ...or atleast I couldn't understand it. However all was not bad as there is a really nice Aunt of the heroine along with my favourite setting of the Scottish highlands , and sheltering stray animals amongst other things that do kind of make it a tolerable read. The story is based on Scorpio/pisces chemistry and does make a mention of astrology..if you are interested...
July 6, 2021
I thought this one read almost like a serial in a magazine for teenagers. Plot devices were quite crudely latched on. Plenty of bickering. The tale itself wasn’t wholly believable. However, I did enjoy reading about the animals and the aunt.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2026
This one was pretty good, and all the dogs added to its charm! I've been reading more of these older Harlequins (60's/70's) and while some have the old cliches (like a h of 18 or 19 and an H more than a decade older, and she has a tendency to shout, "Don't touch me I HATE you!" just a tad too often), a lot seem to have better storylines and more character development. You feel like you're reading something of merit, not wasting your time, and the modern ones all seem to be rolled off an assembly line (which is why I rarely read ones beyond the 90's), you don't get that vibe with these classics.
That being said, I'll have to say (without giving the story away) that the H's father took revenge (as well as a bruised ego) to the extreme. So, he got hurt, when his fiancée dumped him for another man, that was no reason to do what he did. Lots of people get dumped and at least he found out how little she really cared for him before the wedding, saving himself a lot more unhappiness. And his relationship with his son suffered because of his need for revenge.
As for the H and h, there's the usual jealousy/misunderstanding (and an uncovered secret that almost tears them apart just when they were getting together), and there's also a snowstorm, fire, rescue mission (dogs to be saved) and both the H and h taking turns caring for each other when each gets hurt. The h acts over emotional too many times, but since she's only 18, she gets a pass for that.
This one's worth reading!
That being said, I'll have to say (without giving the story away) that the H's father took revenge (as well as a bruised ego) to the extreme. So, he got hurt, when his fiancée dumped him for another man, that was no reason to do what he did. Lots of people get dumped and at least he found out how little she really cared for him before the wedding, saving himself a lot more unhappiness. And his relationship with his son suffered because of his need for revenge.
As for the H and h, there's the usual jealousy/misunderstanding (and an uncovered secret that almost tears them apart just when they were getting together), and there's also a snowstorm, fire, rescue mission (dogs to be saved) and both the H and h taking turns caring for each other when each gets hurt. The h acts over emotional too many times, but since she's only 18, she gets a pass for that.
This one's worth reading!
May 2, 2024
2 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really didn’t like this h. She was very immature and hysterical about things that weren’t his fault! Ridiculous!! He deserved better!
April 1, 2024
Holly Templeton hated Gareth Nicholas at first sight -- a situation that often leads to love at second sight!
But there was one good reason why that should not happen as far as Holly and Gareth were concerned.
But there was one good reason why that should not happen as far as Holly and Gareth were concerned.
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September 22, 2017تلك المشاعر المكبوتة بداخلنا ، المشاعر التي وجدت من يبادلها دون أن تدري ، يوماً ما ستجد للبوح طريقاً ...
February 17, 2017
i hate this guy Gharin francies .
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews