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Leopard in the Snow
Helen simply couldn't believe her eyes when, stranded in the snow in the wilds of Cumberland, she found herself confronted by a leopard! But luckily it was a tame one, and its owner, the mysterious Dominic Lyall, was able to offer Helen shelter in his house.
Soon, however, the situation turned into a nightmare as she realized that he intended to keep her there, virtually a prisoner - and no one had any idea where to start searching for her! How could she get away? And, as time went by, did she want to get away?
Yet she was only too well aware that if Dominic did decide to let her go, it would only be because he wanted to get rid of her for good...
Soon, however, the situation turned into a nightmare as she realized that he intended to keep her there, virtually a prisoner - and no one had any idea where to start searching for her! How could she get away? And, as time went by, did she want to get away?
Yet she was only too well aware that if Dominic did decide to let her go, it would only be because he wanted to get rid of her for good...
187 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1974
23 people are currently reading
504 people want to read
About the author
Anne Mather
799 books360 followersAnne Mather is the pseudonym used by Mildred Grieveson, a popular British author of over 160 romance novels. She also signed novels as Caroline Fleming and Cardine Fleming.
Mildred Grieveson began to write down stories in her childhood years. The first novel that she actually finished, Caroline (1965), was also her first book to be published. Her novel, Leopard in the Snow (1974), was developed into a 1978 film.
Mildred Grieveson began to write down stories in her childhood years. The first novel that she actually finished, Caroline (1965), was also her first book to be published. Her novel, Leopard in the Snow (1974), was developed into a 1978 film.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
May 25, 2019
I first read this when I was a teenager. It was the 1978 edition that had stills from the movie. I gave it five starry eyes of smitten and I never forgot it.
How can you forget this re-telling of Beauty and the Beast that begins with the silly rich girl heroine running away from her father’s stifling control and emotional neglect to the Lake District where they had been happy once? It is winter. She is driving in a snowstorm and gets lost on the back roads. Her car stalls out. She begins to walk and stumbles across a leopard (cheetah, actually) and runs away in fear. Hero calls off his pet and takes her to his sumptuouscastle manor house.
And this is where the fairy tale quality begins – the entire house is spotless, they have three course meals, laundry done up, etc . . . And it’s one man doing all the work. That’s Bolt, the hero’s manservant. He is also a mechanic, physical therapist, and confidant to the hero and the heroine. Only magic/enchantment explains it.
Same with the heroine’s “love” of the hero. He’s a man in pain (because he refused to have surgery) and that’s about all we know of his personality. He was a famous race car driver who was involved in a crash that killed his brother. He’s lived in seclusion since and when the heroine recognizes him he declares she must stay with him until he can find a new hide-out.
Heroine is alarmed to be held against her will -but the digs are nice. Bolt is fun to hang out with (they go sledding) and the hero kisses her into submission every now again.
The first act is the best part of the story. It starts to sag in the middle and the ending really isn’t all that satisfying once the beast and heroine are back in the real world.
So this is really a three star story if middle-aged me was reading it for the first time. But teenage me is not having that. So four stars it is.
How can you forget this re-telling of Beauty and the Beast that begins with the silly rich girl heroine running away from her father’s stifling control and emotional neglect to the Lake District where they had been happy once? It is winter. She is driving in a snowstorm and gets lost on the back roads. Her car stalls out. She begins to walk and stumbles across a leopard (cheetah, actually) and runs away in fear. Hero calls off his pet and takes her to his sumptuous
And this is where the fairy tale quality begins – the entire house is spotless, they have three course meals, laundry done up, etc . . . And it’s one man doing all the work. That’s Bolt, the hero’s manservant. He is also a mechanic, physical therapist, and confidant to the hero and the heroine. Only magic/enchantment explains it.
Same with the heroine’s “love” of the hero. He’s a man in pain (because he refused to have surgery) and that’s about all we know of his personality. He was a famous race car driver who was involved in a crash that killed his brother. He’s lived in seclusion since and when the heroine recognizes him he declares she must stay with him until he can find a new hide-out.
Heroine is alarmed to be held against her will -but the digs are nice. Bolt is fun to hang out with (they go sledding) and the hero kisses her into submission every now again.
The first act is the best part of the story. It starts to sag in the middle and the ending really isn’t all that satisfying once the beast and heroine are back in the real world.
So this is really a three star story if middle-aged me was reading it for the first time. But teenage me is not having that. So four stars it is.
August 16, 2012
So, what can I say about this little beauty. It might not be exactly 4 stars but I found it amusing enough. At one point this book read like it would turn into one of those m/m/f stories, but you know we don't get those in HQNs. The H's sexuality was actually addressed though, funny enough.
This is one of those stories where you ask yourself what in the H.E.double-toothpicks does this heroine find attractive about the hero in order to decide this is the love of her life. He was handsome and had that sexy limp, but this guy was NASTY to her from the get-go. He frenched her and felt her up a couple of times, but the rest of the time he mocked, scoffed, smirked, verbally denigrated and whispered all those other sweet nothings that these heroines find so addictive. Oh! Let's not forget the hairpulling!
The heroine, too, what a winner. She was such a masochist. The hero couldn't hardly say or do anything bad enough for her not to just bat those eyelashes and gaze at him with luuuurv. At one point, I had to go back and reread, because I thought I missed something when one minute he was putting her down and the next she was burning from the sexual heat. Ha ha! He told her numerous times to eff off, but she just came running back for more...and then was surprised when he was hateful and said he didn't want her! Really? When she did finally get a clue, he was like "Whaa? How could you think I don't want you?" I seriously laughed.
If the impossibility of this love match wasn't entertaining enough, you had cheetas, imprisonment, and the H getting massages while butt naked in a secret room in the basement from the beefy bald manservant. I don't know... Six years the H and Bolt the manservant had been holed up together in that secluded country home, sans t.v. or phones, without even a speculative look at each other? Um hmm.
This was just one of those stories too crazy not to like. No wonder they made a movie out of it. If it wasn't $37, I get it for sure.
This is one of those stories where you ask yourself what in the H.E.double-toothpicks does this heroine find attractive about the hero in order to decide this is the love of her life. He was handsome and had that sexy limp, but this guy was NASTY to her from the get-go. He frenched her and felt her up a couple of times, but the rest of the time he mocked, scoffed, smirked, verbally denigrated and whispered all those other sweet nothings that these heroines find so addictive. Oh! Let's not forget the hairpulling!
The heroine, too, what a winner. She was such a masochist. The hero couldn't hardly say or do anything bad enough for her not to just bat those eyelashes and gaze at him with luuuurv. At one point, I had to go back and reread, because I thought I missed something when one minute he was putting her down and the next she was burning from the sexual heat. Ha ha! He told her numerous times to eff off, but she just came running back for more...and then was surprised when he was hateful and said he didn't want her! Really? When she did finally get a clue, he was like "Whaa? How could you think I don't want you?" I seriously laughed.
If the impossibility of this love match wasn't entertaining enough, you had cheetas, imprisonment, and the H getting massages while butt naked in a secret room in the basement from the beefy bald manservant. I don't know... Six years the H and Bolt the manservant had been holed up together in that secluded country home, sans t.v. or phones, without even a speculative look at each other? Um hmm.
This was just one of those stories too crazy not to like. No wonder they made a movie out of it. If it wasn't $37, I get it for sure.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 17, 2022
Oh, 1974. Your nonsensical cheetah is calling for you. 👀😹
This book had a lot going on while simultaneously nothing much happening. 😅
So, our 22 yr old poor little rich girl is running away from her father and his threatened arranged marriage. This bright one drives her little car in a blizzard and has car problems. Of course. She decides to get out of her car, in the middle of nowhere, and start walking. And is chased by, what she believes to be, a LEOPARD. 👀🙀🤡 Yes, Friends, that title is literal. 🙈
Anyhoo, she’s “rescued” by the mysterious owner of the large cat (actually a Cheetah… not sure why this mattered, but for some reason it was a *thing*). Turns out he’s a famous race car driver who was in a terrible wreck and is now *CRIPPLED* (he has a limp. 🙄) after the h is nice and cozy in his house he informs her that she can’t leave EVER because he doesn’t want the public to know where he lives. 👀. Seems logical. 🤷🏼♀️
So now the h is FURIOUS! Furious, I tell you! 👀 To be shacked up with a devastatingly handsome celebrity during a blizzard. How will she ever go on?
The next 3/4 of the book is basically her hanging out with the H’s “manservant”. They talk and talk and talk. She spends an awful lot of time navel gazing and walking around the house watching the snow and vaguely contemplating escape. The H is MIA, spending a lot of time in his office and in his bed. When he does make an appearance, he’s a surly jerk, then he goes back to wherever he came from. 👀 I mean, it’s really no wonder that the h develops deep feelings for him in the span of a few days. 👀 She, of course, assumes, based on absolutely NOTHING, that he must be *overwhelmingly attracted* to her too. This quote made me laugh out loud (they’ve breathed the same air maybe TWICE by the this time):
”They were enemies, after all, and she ought to feel some pleasure in knowing that fate could strike at him in other ways, but she didn't. All she did feel was a disturbing sense of compassion, and a growing awareness of his undoubted sexual attraction for her.”
🤡🤡🤡 I guess she picked up on that “undoubted” sexual attraction while he did his drive by snarling and disappeared again?? Sure thing, sis. 😬👌🏻
Anyway. This, of course, ends how you’d expect. HEA and all that jazz, but not before he pushes her away because “a sweet young thang shouldn’t be saddled with a fabulously rich devastatingly handsome CRIPPLE” (he limps 🙄).
My favorite scene? The manservant gives the H massages to help with his pain. This manservant is described as a mountain of a man, ala Mr Clean… anywho, the h stumbles in on the H laying naked on his stomach waiting for his massage… and she decides to stand in for the manservant. 👀 Starts messaging him. Like he’s not gonna be able tell the difference between her petite pixie hands and the beast he was expecting. 🤣🤣🤣
”She had guessed Bolt was a masseur and she knew sufficiently much to believe she could emulate him for a while without discovery.”
I just can’t. 🤡
Oh, and the pet Leopard (cheetah)? You know, the namesake of the book? It just magically disappears by the end of the book. Weird. 🤷🏼♀️
BOTTOM LINE? While fun for me to read for the silly nostalgia, it was a bit of a snooze. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no cheating or sharing
- no OW or OM drama
- no dubcon
- h is a 22 yr old virgin
- H is a 34 yr old experienced man
- no sex - a couple Low-detail makeout scenes in the last 20%, but that’s it
This book had a lot going on while simultaneously nothing much happening. 😅
So, our 22 yr old poor little rich girl is running away from her father and his threatened arranged marriage. This bright one drives her little car in a blizzard and has car problems. Of course. She decides to get out of her car, in the middle of nowhere, and start walking. And is chased by, what she believes to be, a LEOPARD. 👀🙀🤡 Yes, Friends, that title is literal. 🙈
Anyhoo, she’s “rescued” by the mysterious owner of the large cat (actually a Cheetah… not sure why this mattered, but for some reason it was a *thing*). Turns out he’s a famous race car driver who was in a terrible wreck and is now *CRIPPLED* (he has a limp. 🙄) after the h is nice and cozy in his house he informs her that she can’t leave EVER because he doesn’t want the public to know where he lives. 👀. Seems logical. 🤷🏼♀️
So now the h is FURIOUS! Furious, I tell you! 👀 To be shacked up with a devastatingly handsome celebrity during a blizzard. How will she ever go on?
The next 3/4 of the book is basically her hanging out with the H’s “manservant”. They talk and talk and talk. She spends an awful lot of time navel gazing and walking around the house watching the snow and vaguely contemplating escape. The H is MIA, spending a lot of time in his office and in his bed. When he does make an appearance, he’s a surly jerk, then he goes back to wherever he came from. 👀 I mean, it’s really no wonder that the h develops deep feelings for him in the span of a few days. 👀 She, of course, assumes, based on absolutely NOTHING, that he must be *overwhelmingly attracted* to her too. This quote made me laugh out loud (they’ve breathed the same air maybe TWICE by the this time):
”They were enemies, after all, and she ought to feel some pleasure in knowing that fate could strike at him in other ways, but she didn't. All she did feel was a disturbing sense of compassion, and a growing awareness of his undoubted sexual attraction for her.”
🤡🤡🤡 I guess she picked up on that “undoubted” sexual attraction while he did his drive by snarling and disappeared again?? Sure thing, sis. 😬👌🏻
Anyway. This, of course, ends how you’d expect. HEA and all that jazz, but not before he pushes her away because “a sweet young thang shouldn’t be saddled with a fabulously rich devastatingly handsome CRIPPLE” (he limps 🙄).
My favorite scene? The manservant gives the H massages to help with his pain. This manservant is described as a mountain of a man, ala Mr Clean… anywho, the h stumbles in on the H laying naked on his stomach waiting for his massage… and she decides to stand in for the manservant. 👀 Starts messaging him. Like he’s not gonna be able tell the difference between her petite pixie hands and the beast he was expecting. 🤣🤣🤣
”She had guessed Bolt was a masseur and she knew sufficiently much to believe she could emulate him for a while without discovery.”
I just can’t. 🤡
Oh, and the pet Leopard (cheetah)? You know, the namesake of the book? It just magically disappears by the end of the book. Weird. 🤷🏼♀️
BOTTOM LINE? While fun for me to read for the silly nostalgia, it was a bit of a snooze. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no cheating or sharing
- no OW or OM drama
- no dubcon
- h is a 22 yr old virgin
- H is a 34 yr old experienced man
- no sex - a couple Low-detail makeout scenes in the last 20%, but that’s it
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2014
Reread on 7/5/14.....just as good the second time.Old school Anne Mather.
December 17, 2019
"Leopard in the Snow" is the story of Helen and Dominic.
A heiress on the run from her controlling father gets lost in a snowstorm, only to come across a leopard and a stranger! Turns out, the leopard is a cheetah, and the man is a missing racecar driver, who soon proceeds to detain her. The h reluctantly stays back, falling in love with the enigmatic man, and striking an unlikely bond with his servant Bolt. Some kisses, denials and drama later, ends in a sweet HEA.
A sorta retelling of Beauty and the Beast, this was a slow burn romance which helped me relax this Tuesday night. I think the most surprising thing for me were the set of pictures in the middle of the book, which soon turned out to be from the movie adaption of this (which I was unaware of)- and certainly helped me put a face to these characters.
The movie can be found here: Imdb-title/tt0077847 and is also available on youtube- watch?v=wDGtEZEa6BU!
Otherwise an average read! And the cover with the blonde adonis..VERY Draco Malfoy 🤣
Safe
2.5/5
A heiress on the run from her controlling father gets lost in a snowstorm, only to come across a leopard and a stranger! Turns out, the leopard is a cheetah, and the man is a missing racecar driver, who soon proceeds to detain her. The h reluctantly stays back, falling in love with the enigmatic man, and striking an unlikely bond with his servant Bolt. Some kisses, denials and drama later, ends in a sweet HEA.
A sorta retelling of Beauty and the Beast, this was a slow burn romance which helped me relax this Tuesday night. I think the most surprising thing for me were the set of pictures in the middle of the book, which soon turned out to be from the movie adaption of this (which I was unaware of)- and certainly helped me put a face to these characters.
The movie can be found here: Imdb-title/tt0077847 and is also available on youtube- watch?v=wDGtEZEa6BU!
Otherwise an average read! And the cover with the blonde adonis..VERY Draco Malfoy 🤣
Safe
2.5/5
January 14, 2016
Well it had a lot of potential and given that this book had a lot of publicity back in its day I expected more from it. My mother had recommended it to me and I am not sorry that I read it just not that good. The writing style was childish and very introspective. I hate when the girl is too in her own head! This was just cute in places and he was such a sexist dinosaur that it made me want to hit something!!! Agh how did we every get here from that!?
January 6, 2018
I thought it'd be crazy, unusual, and exciting when it started out with a girl getting hunted by a cheetah, but it turned out strangely boring. It was unusual enough, with a crippled Hero and all, but somehow the interest just wasn't there. She just kept pushing herself at him and he kept turning her down. She was too immature, also... she literally was effusively declaring, "I love you, I love you," one moment and then barely a paragraph later, "I despise you, I can't believe I let you touch me," etc. How's anyone supposed to take that seriously!
October 11, 2025
It was a pleasant read. 3.5 :)
June 26, 2021
First of all, not her trying to outrun a whole cheetah lmfaoo
I don’t blame her though I’d probably do the same if i managed to even move and not just sink to the ground and die on the spot from fear.
Anyway, this started off exciting but kinda got boring and I continued reading just to finish it and not for enjoyment anymore. Plus it was hard to believe how fast she fell in love with him, but at the same time not hard to believe because i thought he was verrry sexy, and his limp and the fact that he owned a cheetah even made him even more sexy to me.
Plus there’s a certain je ne sais quoi about Keir Dullea (the actor who plays the hero in the movie) that’s just soooo
I meannn look at him!
The story kinda disappointed but that’s okay i’m gonna watch the movie and see if it’s any better.
I don’t blame her though I’d probably do the same if i managed to even move and not just sink to the ground and die on the spot from fear.
Anyway, this started off exciting but kinda got boring and I continued reading just to finish it and not for enjoyment anymore. Plus it was hard to believe how fast she fell in love with him, but at the same time not hard to believe because i thought he was verrry sexy, and his limp and the fact that he owned a cheetah even made him even more sexy to me.
Plus there’s a certain je ne sais quoi about Keir Dullea (the actor who plays the hero in the movie) that’s just soooo
I meannn look at him!
The story kinda disappointed but that’s okay i’m gonna watch the movie and see if it’s any better.
February 27, 2023
Back in the 70s my Mom started subscribing to Harlequin Romances and I would read some of them. Anne Mather's books were favorites and this one must have stood out as I kept a copy- not of the 1974 original but of the '78 movie tie-in reprint ...although the original is probably boxed up somewhere (Mom ultimately had thousands of romance paperbacks). I think I liked this one because of its overtones of Beauty and the Beast and maybe a touch of The Sheik. At that time in my life it felt wildly romantic. I had been so excited to see it would be made into a movie, but sadly I recall that the movie failed to bring that romance to life.
Current reread was pleasant but had nowhere near the impact of that first reading. Still love the setting, love Bolt, the manservant, but didn't find the hero as swoon-worthy as my younger self did.
Current reread was pleasant but had nowhere near the impact of that first reading. Still love the setting, love Bolt, the manservant, but didn't find the hero as swoon-worthy as my younger self did.
June 17, 2024
I just don’t understand what attracted her to him, Stockholm Syndrome maybe!
April 12, 2014
awesome one! i loved it! very light conventional romance but it works!it's a top recipe. so basically, dominic is a living recluse after a dreadful accident while he was a famous car racer. lil helen has run away from home as her papa wanted her 2 marry a man she did not love. she becomes trapped in snow, in a blizzard n dats where she come across the leopard, sheba n flew in hysterics. dats how dominic found her n decided 2 sequestrate her in his house less she shud reveal him 2 the media/2 other people. he's arrogant, pompous n downright nasty 2 her but she can't help falling 4him. she has no shame whatsoever in taking the 1st step. she's like all over him, kissing him, giving him a massage unaware LOL. n having declarations of love at most inopportune moments. just bcoz a man wants 2 get in ur skirts, u dunt go crying "i love u"! stupid girl! n stupidly enough, dominic, it seemed, fell in love wid her naivety n spoiled persona lol !
June 9, 2021
Helen felt a sense of hopelessness... Rebelling against her father's attempts to run her life, Helen James fled London. But she found herself in even deeper trouble when a blizzard forced her to accept the aid of Dominic Lyall, a man who would do anything to protect his privacy. Virtually held prisoner in his isolated country house, Helen struggled to escape... but of what value was freedom if her heart was captive to a man who didn't want her love?
May 21, 2021
Harmony old style che si lascia leggere, senza infamia e senza lode.
Purtroppo la protagonista l'avrei presa a schiaffi e trascinata nella neve, ma per fortuna la controparte maschile meritava e mi ha fatto passare il momentaneo raptus violento.
Promosso con la sufficienza.
Purtroppo la protagonista l'avrei presa a schiaffi e trascinata nella neve, ma per fortuna la controparte maschile meritava e mi ha fatto passare il momentaneo raptus violento.
Promosso con la sufficienza.
February 5, 2016
this was my favourite author way back then :) read em and soaked them up and even went to see this in the movies.
February 7, 2024
È chiaramente un romanzo dal gusto del 1974.
Ogni tanto dovevo ricordarmi che no, non ci sono i navigatori, non usava mettersi le cinture di sicurezza, non esistono gli airbag e bisogna cercare le persone con l'elenco telefonico ed è più comune farsi un bagno rispetto a una doccia. Però c'è la lavastoviglie!
Helen è un tipino che prende iniziativa ma è molto attenta alle convenzioni sociali e a cosa ci si aspetta da una signorina (i cambi d'abito per cena <3) e quindi tende sempre ad essere comandata a servire. Questo non vuol dire che si fa mettere i piedi in testa e non fa quel che le pare, è solo molto diverso il modo in cui naviga questo mondo. Sa rispondere e quando vuole sapere una cosa prova a persuadere (ma si fa anche convincere).
Dominic è il bel tenebroso brusco che non-si-merita-nulla e vuole soffrire per il complesso del martirio.
Enemy to lovers, i momenti di intimità sono pochi, casti e tenerelli (kudos a lui che fa lo sforzo di fermarsi).
Affascinanti in generale i dialoghi, nonostante i puntini di sospensioni e le allusioni che ora non si farebbero.
Ogni tanto dovevo ricordarmi che no, non ci sono i navigatori, non usava mettersi le cinture di sicurezza, non esistono gli airbag e bisogna cercare le persone con l'elenco telefonico ed è più comune farsi un bagno rispetto a una doccia. Però c'è la lavastoviglie!
Helen è un tipino che prende iniziativa ma è molto attenta alle convenzioni sociali e a cosa ci si aspetta da una signorina (i cambi d'abito per cena <3) e quindi tende sempre ad essere comandata a servire. Questo non vuol dire che si fa mettere i piedi in testa e non fa quel che le pare, è solo molto diverso il modo in cui naviga questo mondo. Sa rispondere e quando vuole sapere una cosa prova a persuadere (ma si fa anche convincere).
Dominic è il bel tenebroso brusco che non-si-merita-nulla e vuole soffrire per il complesso del martirio.
Enemy to lovers, i momenti di intimità sono pochi, casti e tenerelli (kudos a lui che fa lo sforzo di fermarsi).
Affascinanti in generale i dialoghi, nonostante i puntini di sospensioni e le allusioni che ora non si farebbero.
March 12, 2024
Bare 3, as I've only read for the first time so don't have any rosy nostalgia about it. I thought this was kind of canon and assumed it must be a cut above the usual because a film was made based on it...but apparently not? Nothing to raise it above any other HP of the era apart from an interesting title (lovely leopard, once you'd had your scene, where did you go?). Anyhow crippled ex racing driver H Dominic and his manservant (not a euphemism) Bolt holed up in a Lakeland mansion and fairly childish little rich girl Helen do very little together for nearly 200 pages. I wish I'd done a list of the Hs fashion, it was gobsmackingly hysterical. Everything from leather trousers to black silk to double denim and a lovely fringed cream suede waistcoat. Throw in some sideburns a la Noddy Holder from Slade and I'm afraid he scored a near zero on my lustometer.
March 9, 2014
It had so much potential !! I liked the plot .. liked it a lot unfortunately it never delivered any of the emotion and depth it could have had !!
Dominic was a horrible hero .. but that was the whole point .. he's lonely .. he's angry .. he's bitter .. he could have brought so much emotions to the book , Helen was nice .. she had guts and knew how to use them but she also lacked depth. The relationship between Dominic and Helen mainly revolved around Dominic being cruel and cold while Helen tries to take a bite out of him and then secretly eye eat him ... that's it ... no really that's it. Everything we learn about Dominic's past is done through Bolt .. which is really unforgivable .. first because Bolt had no right to tell Helen anything and second because Dominic was supposed to be the one to open up to Helen not just because it's his story to tell but also because she's the one he was supposed to be falling for and opening up to her had to be part of the package .. their relationship was supposed to develop .. with Dominic opening up a little by little and with them slowly falling in love having both their horrible moments and their sweet ones .. but all we got was horrible moments .. I am literally trying to remember a single pleasant conversation between Dominic and Helen and the only thing that comes to mind is the ending ... the "I love you" confession from Helen earlier in the book caught me completely off guard .. I couldn't even understand how and when that happened .. the book was too short but it could have worked if the two main characters actually got close .. there was no deep conversations .. no revelations of any kind .. no opening up .. it was all Dominic being nasty and Helen crying about it then getting Bolt to tell her Dominic's secrets. The whole thing ended up being really bad because nothing ever happened .. no one really fell in love .. no one's life was changed .. everything was just shoved there at the end of the book .. I never felt like they knew , trusted or even understood each other .. they never even smiled to one another .. it was a stiff and a very cold relationship.
I wanted to see a broken man get back to life not watch him drag the heroine along in his bitterly ever after. A frustrating read because it could have been so much more than that.
Dominic was a horrible hero .. but that was the whole point .. he's lonely .. he's angry .. he's bitter .. he could have brought so much emotions to the book , Helen was nice .. she had guts and knew how to use them but she also lacked depth. The relationship between Dominic and Helen mainly revolved around Dominic being cruel and cold while Helen tries to take a bite out of him and then secretly eye eat him ... that's it ... no really that's it. Everything we learn about Dominic's past is done through Bolt .. which is really unforgivable .. first because Bolt had no right to tell Helen anything and second because Dominic was supposed to be the one to open up to Helen not just because it's his story to tell but also because she's the one he was supposed to be falling for and opening up to her had to be part of the package .. their relationship was supposed to develop .. with Dominic opening up a little by little and with them slowly falling in love having both their horrible moments and their sweet ones .. but all we got was horrible moments .. I am literally trying to remember a single pleasant conversation between Dominic and Helen and the only thing that comes to mind is the ending ... the "I love you" confession from Helen earlier in the book caught me completely off guard .. I couldn't even understand how and when that happened .. the book was too short but it could have worked if the two main characters actually got close .. there was no deep conversations .. no revelations of any kind .. no opening up .. it was all Dominic being nasty and Helen crying about it then getting Bolt to tell her Dominic's secrets. The whole thing ended up being really bad because nothing ever happened .. no one really fell in love .. no one's life was changed .. everything was just shoved there at the end of the book .. I never felt like they knew , trusted or even understood each other .. they never even smiled to one another .. it was a stiff and a very cold relationship.
I wanted to see a broken man get back to life not watch him drag the heroine along in his bitterly ever after. A frustrating read because it could have been so much more than that.
July 10, 2015
Yes I know this is a Mills and Boons, but I don't really care. I've always loved Anne Mather, because she always somehow managed to just lift her writing out of the prosaic romance conventions and be a lyrical and interesting writer. You won't find any truly groundbreaking story lines in this novel, but what you will find is a very enjoyable and interesting read. The characters, despite being limited by Mills and Boons conventions, are likeable and not too trite. The main female character manages to be spunky and strong willed, and the lead male character is suitably mysterious and handsome. All in all, this novel shows why Mather has enjoyed so much success as a romance novelist.
May 17, 2016
I think I gave high reviews years ago lol but anyhow review from 2006: I bought this old book from Amazon because I was originally searching for Movies adapted from Harlequin romance novels and this was one of them. I figured let me read the book first and if I like it then I'll buy the movie version.
Well, I liked the book and it was an easy read. At first I wasn't sure if the attraction between Helen and Dominic was too fast or came out of nowhere but thinking about it now, I guess if he was that handsome and they are alone in the house well, ya know! All in all I enjoyed the book. I think I will actually purchase that movie version!
Well, I liked the book and it was an easy read. At first I wasn't sure if the attraction between Helen and Dominic was too fast or came out of nowhere but thinking about it now, I guess if he was that handsome and they are alone in the house well, ya know! All in all I enjoyed the book. I think I will actually purchase that movie version!
December 24, 2017
47- صحراء الثلج- آن ميثر - روايات عبير القديمة
الملخص
ارادت هيلين ان تفكر في الوضع العائلي الذي تعيشه منذ زواج ابيها بايزابيل ثورب مما جعله طموحا واضاف الى ثروته ثروة جديدة, ارادت ان تخرج من الطوق المضروب حولها وان ترى من بعيد شروط ارتباطها بمايكل فراملي والمستقبل المتوقع لهما كما اراده والدها الا ان هروبها ادى بها الى الضياع في صحراء من الثلج وبالتالي الوقوع بين ايدي رجل محطم جسديا يدعى دومينيك لايول... كان بطل سباق سيارات ووقع له حادث واختفى....وبرغم معاملته القاسية لها تحبه, لكنه يطلب منها الرحيل والعودة الى لندن فهل تنسى هيلين دومينيك لايول بسهولة وتعود الى وتيرة حياتها الاجتماعية, ام تهرع اليه في المستشفى حيث ينتظر عملية جراحية حاسمة ؟
الملخص
ارادت هيلين ان تفكر في الوضع العائلي الذي تعيشه منذ زواج ابيها بايزابيل ثورب مما جعله طموحا واضاف الى ثروته ثروة جديدة, ارادت ان تخرج من الطوق المضروب حولها وان ترى من بعيد شروط ارتباطها بمايكل فراملي والمستقبل المتوقع لهما كما اراده والدها الا ان هروبها ادى بها الى الضياع في صحراء من الثلج وبالتالي الوقوع بين ايدي رجل محطم جسديا يدعى دومينيك لايول... كان بطل سباق سيارات ووقع له حادث واختفى....وبرغم معاملته القاسية لها تحبه, لكنه يطلب منها الرحيل والعودة الى لندن فهل تنسى هيلين دومينيك لايول بسهولة وتعود الى وتيرة حياتها الاجتماعية, ام تهرع اليه في المستشفى حيث ينتظر عملية جراحية حاسمة ؟
January 9, 2019
Mills and Boon
187 pages
Mills and Boon
Helen rebelling againts her father's attempts, fled only to find herself stuck in the middle of nowhere.
Rescued by Dominic Lyall who will only protect own privacy in his isolated country house.
While trying to get back on the road, she found herself struggling just to find out her heart was captive to the man who didn't want her love.
187 pages
Mills and Boon
Helen rebelling againts her father's attempts, fled only to find herself stuck in the middle of nowhere.
Rescued by Dominic Lyall who will only protect own privacy in his isolated country house.
While trying to get back on the road, she found herself struggling just to find out her heart was captive to the man who didn't want her love.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2014
I think there was a leopard in this book so that the author could title this book Leopard in the Snow. This book was actually kinda lame and the only mildly interesting part was Bolt, the manservant who looked like Mr. Clean. The heroine was boring, the hero wasn't much better.
May 31, 2017
Omg, if you loved this book, you should watch the movie. It is a freakin' gem, I tell you. This title is a classic, and whereas I enjoyed it, I didn't love it. If you consider yourself a Harlequin reader and you haven't read this one, go ahead and check it off your list.
April 4, 2020
SPOILER: Its really a Cheetah!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2020
This was my very first romance book that I read, what I like to refer to as my coming of age book - before that it was Nancy Drew, etc etc. My mother passed it down to me. Oh my, what a wonderful adventure. It furthered my love of reading and brought forth many many years of moments escaping with books. Anne Mather will forever be remembered to me for this book .
August 10, 2025
Firstly, thank you Joan for this copy, I can see that it is well loved and I hope you know I will continue to look after it for as long as I can.
It’s not even a leopard!!!
These women love to blurt out “I love you” in 100 pages.
It’s not even a leopard!!!
These women love to blurt out “I love you” in 100 pages.
November 18, 2018
Il mio harmony preferito
March 24, 2019
I really love and enjoy this story. Specially the massaging part!😁
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 6, 2019
I think it will be boring story. Woman meets man, hate, love, and weds. But, Anne Mather could bring fantastic plot and make the twist. I can read it twice with no doubt.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews