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Love of My Life
Lord Desmond Shayne had gallantly rescued Jessica Court from highwaysmen and had made her feel welcome in his home. Now he asked Jessica's help as he struggled to win the hand of the beautiful Lady Olivia. Jessica knew Olivia to be heartless, cruel and selfish as she was fair of face. Would Jessica serve her friend well by forwarding his cause with another woman who did not love him half so passionately as she did herself?
208 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1981
About the author
Caroline Courtney
48 books28 followersHer other names: Penny Jordan, Annie Groves, Melinda Wright, Lydia Hitchcock
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on 24 November 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".
She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialised bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her younger sister Prue, who was always the heroine. At eleven, she fell in love with Mills & Boon, and with their heroes. In those days the books could only be obtained via private lending libraries, and she quickly became a devoted fan, and was thrilled to bits when the books went on full sale, in shops and she could have them for keeps.
Penny left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography. She first discovered Mills & Boon books, via a girl she worked with. She married Steve Halsall, an accountant and a "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity. Her late husband bought her out of his own money at a time when he could ill afford it the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first novels. Her husband died at the beginning of 21th century.
She has earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, Penny found an agent who was looking for a new Georgette Heyer. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her nom de plume to Melinda Wright for threebair-hostess romps and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her present historical romance novels, she has adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70m of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
As Widow, Penny Halsall lived in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, with her Alsatian Sheba and cat Posh. She worked from home, in her kitchen, surrounded by her pets, and welcomed interruptions from her friends and family. She passed away on 31 December 2011.
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on 24 November 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".
She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialised bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her younger sister Prue, who was always the heroine. At eleven, she fell in love with Mills & Boon, and with their heroes. In those days the books could only be obtained via private lending libraries, and she quickly became a devoted fan, and was thrilled to bits when the books went on full sale, in shops and she could have them for keeps.
Penny left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography. She first discovered Mills & Boon books, via a girl she worked with. She married Steve Halsall, an accountant and a "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity. Her late husband bought her out of his own money at a time when he could ill afford it the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first novels. Her husband died at the beginning of 21th century.
She has earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, Penny found an agent who was looking for a new Georgette Heyer. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her nom de plume to Melinda Wright for threebair-hostess romps and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her present historical romance novels, she has adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70m of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
As Widow, Penny Halsall lived in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, with her Alsatian Sheba and cat Posh. She worked from home, in her kitchen, surrounded by her pets, and welcomed interruptions from her friends and family. She passed away on 31 December 2011.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 4, 2024
I did not enjoy this as much as some of her other books. The love between these characters is not shown, it's like an instant thing that just happens, especially on the FMC part. I did like what happened when the MMC finally proposed.
April 23, 2021
Non male, ma ho letto di meglio
April 22, 2012
I was surprised that I enjoyed the book. Sometimes the novel reads like simple fairy tale, a little too perfect. I felt bombarded with descriptions on just how sweet the heroine was and how foolishly blind the hero was. But I enjoyed how the earl's mother handled his obsessive infatuation, how the heroine showed the good sense to not be a rebound, and just how superficial men can be =)
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****Spoiler Summary****
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Jessica, retreats from London, her vulgar stepmother and two vapid stepsisters, to her family's beloved country home, en route accosted by highwaysman, saved by Lord Shayne. Shayne's mother, hearing Jessica's troubles, invites her to stay. Shayne treats Jessica like a little sister while blindly pursuing the lovely heartless Olivia. Jessica patiently advises and waits for Shayne to fall out of love with Olivia. After a literal jolt to the head, Shayne sees the truth and declares his love for Jessica. Jessica returns to London, asks Shayne to wait and if his feelings don't change, come for her after a year.
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****Spoiler Summary****
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Jessica, retreats from London, her vulgar stepmother and two vapid stepsisters, to her family's beloved country home, en route accosted by highwaysman, saved by Lord Shayne. Shayne's mother, hearing Jessica's troubles, invites her to stay. Shayne treats Jessica like a little sister while blindly pursuing the lovely heartless Olivia. Jessica patiently advises and waits for Shayne to fall out of love with Olivia. After a literal jolt to the head, Shayne sees the truth and declares his love for Jessica. Jessica returns to London, asks Shayne to wait and if his feelings don't change, come for her after a year.
March 1, 2016
Love of My Life, Caroline Courtney, PB-M @ 1981, 1982. A romance about a girl resced from highwaymen by a Lord and she falls in love with him. But he has asked her to help him win the love of another woman, one that she knows doesn't love him as much as she does. Will she help? Okay.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews