The Slender Thread

by Yvonne Whittal

The brilliant surgeon, Paul de Meillon, had saved Catherine from spending her life as a cripple; when he also fell in love with her and married her, she was sure life had nothing more to offer.

But Paul would not believe that she felt more than just gratitude to him. Could she convince him of her very real love or was their marriage headed for disaster?

Genres: Harlequin, Harlequin Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Romance

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Yvonne Whittal was born and raised in South Africa, the setting of most of her romances. She started writing stories at a young age, but didn't really get serious about writing until after she married and had children. She got many rejection letters from publishers, until a friend who loved romances gave her to encouragement to continue.

Reviews

[Julz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, furry ride with a hotter than hawt gold chain wearing neurosurgeon going all caveman over a sweet young thing.

The story starts off with the little sun kissed darling being doomed to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. Another slobbering older neurosurgeon wanted to be her hero and got his buddy (our hero) to come and save the day and perform a miraculous surgery so that she can walk again. After a few snips and some alpha moves, voila'!, our girl is whole again.

Because all doctors take their patients on multiple outings and show off their pecs, Dr. Groovy goes on a three day binge of platonic excursions with our little sun blossom such as picnics where we get a fantastic description of his unbutton shirt showing off his crisp chest hairs accented with a crucifix. Felt natural to me...cough. And since Dr. I'm-Too-Sexy-For-My-Shirt doesn't want to settle for anything less than true love in its purest form, our hero drops off the face of the earth for a year to make sure any mere gratitude has worn itself out while also given Dr. First-Slobber a chance to make his move. But don’t bite your nails too short worrying that our cool couple might not ever see each other again, we have one of those coincidental hook-ups when Daddy and baby girl go on a tour of Europe.

Keeping with typical doctor-patient relationship, Dad and Sunshine gets invited to stay at the hero’s home for an extended stay. By the end of the visit, it was mad, obsessive love times two. But apparently our hot and hairy hero went to medical school and became a miracle worker in order to compensate for some deep seeded insecurities. After two weeks of uninterrupted bliss, Dr. Oh-Yes! became Dr. Oh-Noes!

In our hero’s defense, our heroine had a totally TSTL moment(actually, numerous said moments) when she allowed herself to get sucked into a transparently bad deception by the sister-in-law who felt it was more favorable to ruin her sibling’s marriage than to go get her own life and let Dr. Big-Brother know that she was being poked by a hot but seriously overused man-tool. Of course, Dr. I’m-Not-Worthy always walked in at the perfect point of the conversation that made it sound like little wifey and Mr. Whoredog (baby sister's man-meat) were going at it hot and heavy. But ever the loyal dim-bulb, our heroine went along with the unnecessary ruse and allowed her hubby to believe that after 22 years of clinching tight to that v-card, she suddenly got a taste for clinching other things (wink wink nudge nudge).

After things get drug out waaaay too far, the heroine takes a red eye outta there, while Dr. Can-Of-Whoop-Ass beats the truth out of Mr. Goodbar, leaving our remorseful hero dog-faced and shit outta luck when he fails to make the plane on time. Things get tidied up at a convenient run-down but quaint seaside villa then off they go to visit Daddy and rub their happiness in the face of the poor schmuck (the aforementioned Dr. First-Slobber) who introduced them.

Overall, an incredibly fun read loaded with lots of wtfery, numerous hot and horny clinicians, and 70s nostalgia. What’s not to love.

[StMargarets · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and half stars.

This is an older Yvonne Whittal and it reminded me a lot of some of Betty Neels stories written around the same time. There is some delicious angst, and the hero does a great grovel, but I was still left wondering how someone who got it so very wrong and let his jealousy consume him, was suddenly never going to be jealous again.

The story opens in South Africa with the gorgeous, rich heroine in a wheelchair hoping an operation will fix the traumatic injury to her back caused by her drunk-driving boyfriend. Her neurologist (who is in love with her) has his old school friend (H) from Paris look her over. The hero instantly falls in love and operates on her. Heroine is in love with the H, and they do a lot of sightseeing together as she heals from her surgery. Hero abruptly leaves vowing in his mind to return for a year, since he thinks she needs time to know whether she feels love or gratitude toward him.

Heroine finishes her university degree, tries to forget the hero by going out with her South African neurosurgeon, but she is still hung up on the hero. Her father takes her on a business trip with him to Europe and they stop in Paris to see the sights. Enter hero again, who quickly invites them to stay at his palatial house with his sister. After a sightseeing trip through Paris, they decide to marry.

They have a blissful honeymoon in the South of France and the hero is pretty up front about his doubts of her love. Heroine is so happy, she doesn't take him seriously and settles into a life of dinner parties and shopping. Unfortunately, the sister is having an affair with a known womanizer and she vows the heroine to secrecy. (This is such a Betty Neels plot) Hero is convinced the heroine is in love with the known womanizer and nothing she says will change her mind. At one point the heroine blurts out that it's his sister who is going around with the OM, but when the hero questions his sister she lies and says it's not true.

The hero moves out their bedroom and things are icy. The heroine finds out she's pregnant, but doesn't tell him. Hero is a doctor and is hardly home.

When a catty friend mentions seeing the h and the OM dining at a restaurant, the hero demands an answer. The heroine tells him she's pregnant, and he replies by asking who is the father. Heroine leaves that night on flight for SA.

Hero goes to OM's apartment and learns the whole story. He then is full of remorse and flies to SA. The heroine doesn't make it easy for him, and he has to grovel. HEA without the sister having any comeuppance for lying. *sigh* I need some justice mixed into my HEAs!

I liked the heroine in this one, but I found her loyalty to the sister baffling. The opening chapters are sweet and because of the blurb, you know that doom is overhanging them (and the foreshadowing of the hero worried about love vs. gratitude). I don't know if it would have been more effective for the story to open with their first tiff in their marriage and put all of the SA scenes in backstory. (Sorry, I'm an angst junkie and many chapters of torture work for me.) Still, this was enjoyable and if you're in the mood for vintage, you'll like this one.

The title refers to the "slender thread" between love and gratitude.

[Leona · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars!!! I view this as one of my favorites ever written by Yvonne Whittal. The heroine was incredibly strong and the hero was absolutely charming.

Unfortunately, jealousy gets in their way of a HEA and threatens their fragile marriage. Though, unlike other HP's, I found their problems to be a realistic portrayal of a young man who is not quite sure of his wife's feelings and allows it to poison him. I also loved the descriptions of France, Paris and the French culture. It was a nice change of pace from all those Greek/Italian Billionaires.

I only have one small pet peeve with the book which is why I can't give it a full 5 stars. His sister should have been made to pay for her treacherous lies. In my opinion, she got off way too easy considering she almost destroyed her brother's marriage and ultimate happiness. The heroines reaction to her lies also didn't "sit well" with me. Her priorities were clearly misplaced. I found that her acceptance of the sister's position totally out of character and it somehow lessened her.

If you like your Harlies filled with angst driven and page turning moments, then this one is for you.

[Naksed · Rating 2 out of 5]

Doctor performs miraculous surgery on paralyzed patient. Patient falls in love but doctor is uneasy about "the slender thread" between real love and mere gratitude. Patient keeps pursuing Doctor and they eventually marry but, through a series of Great, Big, Terrible Misunderstandings engineered by Doctor's spineless, leaky, jellyblob of a sister, Doctor accuses his new bride of cheating on him. Doctor's wife flees back to her home overseas, soon to be followed by a repentant husband. HEA. No comeuppance for the sister. No resolution of Doctor's irrational, hysterical jealousy, control, rage, and insecurity issues.

This reads like a very early effort by the author. The writing, plot, and characterizations are really basic and awkward. I have read some charming books by this author where she really brings to life her characters as well as the setting. I would not recommend this unless you are a superfan of Yvonne Whittal and must devour her entire backlist at all costs.

[*CJ* · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Slender Thread" is the story of Catherine and Paul.

In this story of jealousy and possession, the book begins with our h in a wheelchair after an accident. The local physicians have given up hope, until the H, a neurosurgeon from Paris enters her life, and operates successfully on her. She instantly falls in love with him, much to the heartbreak of her other suitors, but he leaves.
An year later, they meet once again while she is vacationing, and this time the H proposes to her. There is a bilateral confession of love, until the green eye monster invades their life. The H is crazy jealous of every OM, until he accuses the h of the biggest betrayal..

An engaging read with a smitten h, an insanely obsessed H, selfish siblings, loads of OM drama, a hearty confession and HEA.

Enjoyed it.

Safe
4/5

[Reading with Cats · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dear Paul,
Welcome to your lifetime membership in the Grow the Fuck Up Club! With the GTFUC you will be able to:

-Overcome your cripplingly low self-esteem
-Employ better coping strategies besides “sulking” and “pouting your way through life”!
-Learn to use your ears to listen to what others have to say!
-Avoid using violence in conflicts with others!
-Open up to others by Using Your Words! (advanced-level members only)

We hope that this lifetime membership in the GTFUC will help you become less of a toxic piece of shit! Good luck to you in your journey from abusive jackass to baseline not too terrible human. (Results not guaranteed.)

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hero falls for his patient after he performs a miracle and enables her to walk again. They get married but when another man enters the picture he is doubting her love because he thinks her love for him is just gratitude for saving her life...

Angsty read with sweet decent characters and a very romantic love story that will warm your heart! I couldn't help but fall in love with Paul. The chemistry he and Catherine share, just blew me away, and it certainly pulled at my heartstrings! Definitely a keeper!

[Aou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jealousy is harmful person! Lol

[Chantal ❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh so many misunderstandings in this one! He was so sweet at the beginning then he turn into a green eyed monster over nothing! She was in a wheelchair and he save her from that faith and then when they marry and have a great honeymoon he starts to doubt her feelings even when she is constantly telling him that she loves him and it's not gratitude that is the reason for her love. She wanted him from the first and so did he.

[Megzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first book by this author. I enjoyed the description of locales, South Africa and the little snippet of Paris. Paul's fears were genuine in its nature and therefore, he was still a likable character throughout the story. Cathy suffered a bit from martyr syndrome especially when it came to her sister in-law.

[Mtve41 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like another reviewer said this is YW earlier work and not refined in her writing and character growth. Also quite boring imo.

The h is crippled and has 2 doctors who have fallen for her. She picks the Frenchman who despite being quite older was a whiny cry-baby. It takes beyond 50% of the book for their relationship to pick up and it doesn’t anyways. I felt they were more like friends and the girl was too nice and sweet without any spunk.

I didn’t like the H or his try-hard courtship. The chemistry was missing and it was dreadfully boring. I’d have liked the h to hook up with the other physician instead. He’d have loved her and wouldn’t have been a recluse with a complex. The H was forever suspecting of the h but also I didn’t care because I never fell into their relationship to begin with. Was still brutal to get to the end. Have read wayyyyy better from YW.

[Aarathi Burki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was fast-paced, and we get to read the feelings of both H and h for a change.
Story starts in capetown South africa where heroine Catherine is crippled by an accident and her doctor David takes help of his friend Paul a famous neuro surgeon from Paris.
It's love at first sight for Paul, and he operates on Catherine and cures her. He wants to propose to her but fears she may accept his love out of gratitude. Catherine also loves him but doesn't show it outside. Meanwhile, Paul returns back to Paris to give her time while Catherine resumes her college degree. David is in love with her and proposes to her several times, but Catherine, who still loves Paul, refuses him. After a year, Catherine's father plans a trip to Europe, and finally, Paul and Catherine meet up, and this time, they confess their love and get married.
Paul is always skeptical about Catherine and her love for him and keeps doubting her whenever she speaks to any male acquaintance. He is shown as a bit of a psychic, and when Catherine reveals she is pregnant, Paul questions her about the father of the child. Catherine has had enough, and she leaves for Capetown in anger, and Paul realises his mistakes and rushes to her to apologize and HEA.

I found this story fast-paced without much of a drag. I also felt bad for the OM who genuinely cared for Catherine and wanted to marry her even when she was crippled.

[Corandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars. This was quite dated, but I appreciated that it was a clean and safe read. However, the writing style was too much telling, not enough showing and the feelings the MCs had for each were consequently unconvincing. In addition, the lies/secrets and poor decision making toward the end of the story were utterly ridiculous.

[Ipshita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first time reading a novel by Yvonne Whittal. The writing was wonderful enough to keep me engaged and I finished it in one go. The heroine was brave enough to hold her own in front of the hero which I really liked. However, I do believe she let him off the hook too easily. I wanted the hero to be a bit more convincing about his sincerity. I also wouldn’t have been too averse to the idea of the hero doing a little grovelling on his part. But all things considered I really liked this one and will be looking forward to more of Ms.Whittal’s works.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not often we are presented with an insecure hero, an insecure alpha hero, no less. Paul knows the rules about becoming involved with a patient and fears that the miracle surgery he performed for Catherine produced a love based on gratitude, not a love for himself as a man. When she proclaims that it's a true love she feels for him, he marries her. But that niggling insecurity rears up when a work colleague with a romeo reputation appears to take an interest in Catherine, an interest she seems to reciprocate. And now we have a bitter jealous husband who fails to see that he's about to lose all that he holds precious. There is angst, and there are some bitter horrible arguments. We do get to see some repenting and a bit of groveling. A hard won HEA.

[More Books Than Time · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just not enjoyable and I skipped to the end, skimmed.

[Rongbu]

?

[ANGELIA · Rating 2 out of 5]

It wasn't bad, but I think the H's insistence in believing that the h only married him out of gratitude and didn't really love him was a bit much. He was good looking, sophisticated, and a brilliant doctor, so it didn't seem logical that he could be so lacking in confidence, get jealous without reason and misunderstand situations. That behavior's more typical of a h who's young, inexperienced and insecure.

Also, the story seemed to imply that before the car accident, the h was a party girl, which didn't fit in with her personality. And how come the creep ex-boyfriend who caused the accident gets off with a wrist slap? It's hard to believe she was ever interested in such a jerk!

It had a sweet, romantic ending, but I wish the story had been better. (And enough with the cigarettes!!! Some doctor!!!)

[RomLibrary]

The brilliant surgeon, Paul de Meillon, had saved Catherine from spending her life as a cripple; when he also fell in love with her and married her, she was sure life had nothing more to offer.

But Paul would not believe that she felt more than just gratitude to him. Could she convince him of her very real love or was their marriage headed for disaster?

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a nice story but so improbable it was difficult to enter into the spirit of the thing.