TIME WAS RUNNING OUT ...Shane McKittrick wanted to hire a woman to be his wife and bear his child. Karen Muir, driven by her love for him and sure that she could win his love before the time limit on their marriage had expired, overruled his objections and became his wife.But her willingness to accept his strange bargain only convinced Shane that she was like all other women --- scheming and greedy. By night, passion flamed between them --- passion that even Shane could not deny; but by day, Shane's anger grew ever stronger.Then came the day when Karen knew beyond doubt that she to have Shane's child, and suddenly she was in a race against time --- a race she had no hope of winning.
The Open Library copy says 99 cents on the cover and believe me, it's worth every penny for all of the tropes and angst. These characters *suffer* for their love.
The hero, at 31, has still never forgiven his mommy for running off when he was ten, so he broods in the family mansion on the Monterrey Peninsula while raking in millions in his boat building business. Since he can trust no woman, but still needs an heir to pass down the mansion and the business to, he devises a trope-tastic scheme.
Marry a stranger, have sex with stranger to provide a baby, pay off stranger to divorce and leave forever. Keep baby with hired help.
Enter 18 year-old orphaned heroine who must be one hot cup of coffee because both the hero and the lawyer fall for her as soon as they meet her. Our heroine has no idea, of course, and immediately falls for the H and keeps wondering why pushes her away when she is so comfortable snuggling up next to him.
Heroine is supposedly smart enough to get into Vassar, but just can't interpret the hero's actions:
He doesn't give her the marriage job at first. Instead, he brings her to his mansion as a guest to catalog books. (Evil housekeeper puts her with the servants and hero hits ceiling) He takes her on outings. He takes care of all of her debts when her family's house burns down. He plans a huge white wedding. He introduces her to all of his friends. He backs off sex when she is afraid. He wrecks his car when distracted by grief, after he tried to break off their unconsummated marriage. He only gives in after he has a concussion and heroine is rubbing up against him. He wants her to end her pregnancy when she is nauseous because he can't stand to see her suffer. He stays away because he loves her so much. He looks everywhere for the heroine when she runs away. He eventually finds out the OW scheming and fires the evil housekeeper.
LOL - this author put this guy through his paces and our sweet, innocent heroine just wants to smooth the lines of his face and then says the wrong thing, setting him off again.
Hero is drama king and heroine is clueless, but boy are they entertaining to watch. The California coast is a nice backdrop - sunny one minute, foggy the next - sort of like their relationship.
The wealthy Hero had trust issues caused by his mother's abandonment of him. The 18 year old heroine recently became an orphan, her house burned down and she ended up penniless.
The Hero wanted an heir but did not want to get married (trust issues). He hired the heroine who was down on her luck to marry him and give him a child. They would then divorce and some years later she would hand the child to him. The heroine agreed as she was in love with him and hoped that at some point he would come to love her too.
There was a serpent in the Hero's mansion in the form of the housekeeper who was conspiring with the OW against the heroine. When the heroine was in the last month of her pregnancy the OW told her that she was aware all along of the agreement as the Hero and herself had planned the whole thing. She said when the baby was born the heroine would be sent on her way and the Hero and the OW would marry and raise the baby together.
The heroine run away after that but the Hero found her after the birth of the baby. He was in love with her from the beginning. He'd already fired the housekeeper and sent the OW away.
Amazing oldie by an unknown author. Hero hires heroine to become his wife and give him a son then get divorced and turn her child over to him. Heroine falls in love with hero but an evil other woman and his mother issues almost ruin their marriage. I love the older man/younger woman theme. Heroine is only 18 years old and she is naive and virginal. Hero is reluctant to fall in love but you can tell he cares deeply for Karen. I loved it that he fired the evil housekeeper. The angst was great and I couldn't stop reading. Very entertaining vintage Harlequin!
Supremely silly yet satisfying marriage of convenience story between a poor little orphan waif and a rich, woman-hating, mommy-issues hero. There is the requisite smitten OM (hero's best friend), a Mrs. Danvers type housekeeper, and a bitchy OW to round it off.
After the poor waif's house burns down, she falls into the clutches of the tycoon hero, who proposes a marriage of convenience: She will have a roof over her head again, and he will get the son he always wanted. She can stay there to raise the kid for eight years then he will kick her out LOL. Charming! The heroine agrees because...well...it's a Harlequin world?
It isn't long before the heroine falls in love and gets pregnant, in that order. The hero suddenly turns to ice and demands an abortion (!!!). The hero's seeming cruelty, combined with the shenanigans of the witchy housekeeper and the bitchy OW, cause the pregnant heroine to run away in distress. The hero, naturally, runs after her and eventually reunites with her and their adorable baby daughter.
The hero's declaration at the conclusion made up for all his preceding asshattery but the well-deserved tell-offs to the two evil witches happens off-page so I didn't get enough comeuppance, as usual. Still, a good HEA for this over-the-top campfest. The hero was totally smitten from Day One but he fought his feelings (mommy issues). His reasoning for demanding an abortion: heroine was so sick during the first weeks of pregnancy that he was afraid she was too frail and the pregnancy or birth would kill her. He was putting the heroine before the baby, which the heroine calls "flattering." Oh god, these two dumbasses were made for each other. One can only hope h and H will hire a competent nanny to raise the little girl or these two are liable to throw the baby out with the bathwater!!!
This scraped to a three stars and has everything but the kitchen sink: evil OW, evil housekeeper, lughead for a hero, cute OM that should be the hero, dead Mommy dearest that ruined the H for all women, a car accident, a runaway pregnant woman...
There is a hint of Rebecca in this with the incredibly young, incredibly short (4' 11" I kid you not) heroine and the evil Mrs. Danvers like housekeeper.
The H needs a wife of convenience so he can get his heir without any romantic entanglements. He can't marry one of his "own kind" because he could never get rid of her cause he's so connected and wealthy. Yeah, uh huh. So, he marries the orphan tiny h and gets feelings that he hates.
The book is all over the place. The heroine manages to toss a couple of zingers at the evil OW, but fails to do the one thing she should have done. FIRE THE HOUSEKEEPER! Doesn't say much for the romance when the driving thought is when and if the housekeeper will get fired.
I gave this three but it should probably have been two. I hated the hero. He treated the heroine like crap. I really liked Mark the wannabe OM for he was far nicer and I think he should have been the hero. I have this in paperback and it used to be one of my favorites but maybe I am just sick of heroes that treat the heroines like crap. And I am not even sure he was celibate. Audrey the truly evil OW was in his life at the same time. He brought her to the house to stay after the heroine was there. He went out on a date with her after the heroine was living at his house. I just didn't like him ever, not even at the end, and I really hated the Housekeeper who was a conspirator with the OW. I am glad she had a girl too. If my husband had brought any of his previous girlfriends of which there were many to our house for a dinner party or to stay the night, I would be in a starring role in an episode of Snapped and he would be presumed dead, missing a vital body part and buried in a shallow grave outside of Denver somewhere. I can't believe I ever read stories like this and liked them. This was just a train wreck and I couldn't look away. I may have to go change the stars again. Or not.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
4.5 stars (not 5 for a couple of reasons - one: she kisses OM at the beginning, which is a big no-no for me. 2nd was the writing of the book - it seemed a bit off. The overall vibe and feel wasn't the sort you want from a romance novel. There was too much of reality, I suppose, and too many icky details which ruined it, specifics like she is supposed to divorce him right away after giving him a child, and can only keep her child until he's 8.)
Otherwise, it packed a punch of angst, with the sweetest most naive h (even if she was a bit too young), and a sweet hold-cold blowing H.
This was pretty good. The H was one of those "I'll never let a woman control me" bozos and they are tiresome with all the pushing away and inexplicable behavior.
"Temporary Bride" is the story of Karen and Shane.
This May-December romance has the businessman H advertising for a young unattached female for mysterious reasons. The 18 year old h responds, but is "rejected" when the H sees her- and later hires her as a book-keeper instead. Due to the machiavellianisms of his housekeeper, she somehow ends up being treated like a servant until the H finds and puts an end to it. He also seems to be insanely jealous of her budding relationship with his lawyer. Soon the h realizes the truth- he needs a temporary wife who will provide him with a heir and then sod off- and that she wants to be that woman! The H is VERY reluctant to accept her proposal, but her desperation, his perception and their mutual lust leads to a marriage. But with the h getting pregnant soon after their wedding, is the relationship near its end?
Very angsty romance with a lot of back and forth, running away/chases, drama, abandonment, bitchy OW/housekeepers, smitten OM, supposed betrayals, pushing away, grovel and a uber sweet HEA. I cried a bucket yet ended this read with a smile!
Sadly my review disappeared cuz GR’s acting up again and crashing on me. Easy reading and kinda boring for a re-read. If you can overlook a few things and hang in for a while the book picks up to some angst. I had some gripes and couldn’t connect with the MCs so I had to downgrade my initial rating.
The h is on her own after her father’s death and needs a job pronto. There is an opening with a vague job description and she makes it to the interview hoping to hear back from them. Instead of getting a call, she gets the interviewer along with another man, the H, show up at her door. Awkwarddd.
The h is totally okay with two strange men showing up and invites them in and serves beverages and makes small talk. So I had a huge problem with this. Despite her virginal reticence, the h is quite forward and okay with being tossed between these 2 men. She quickly gets the job and agrees to go stay with the H for this new job.
The H agrees to pick her up and drive her to his house. Now she’s hoisted between these 2 men while otw to his house. She trustingly decides to use the other guy’s shoulder for a quick nap and not the H’s and the H doesn’t like that.
The h is showed about the mansion and shown her rooms by an evil housekeeper. The H is oblivious to all this and almost starts to like the h. Tbh their relationship seems platonic cuz they talk too much and agree on many things. I didn’t feel any romance or angst was lost between the MCs. Then there is also the other guy who also likes the h but he has to loose cuz obv he’s poorer.
My biggest issue with the h was her comfort being friends with stranger men and then starting a relationship with another. There wasn’t anything quite teen like about her while she was only eighteen.
Eventually there’s a quick MOC and the h is preggers. She’s sent packing by the H for the dumbest of all reasons in the history of HP. The H grovels later and there’s HEA. Like I said this wasn’t too high on the hot meter and the h ruined this for me.
From a very young heroine (18 Years) to older Hero (32Years)... A cute OM, Evil OW, Evil Housekeeper, Friendly Maid, Accidents, Pregnancy, I don't do love to I don't trust women, destitute heroine, rich hero, A very beautiful mansion, Jealousy, protectiveness, and the list go on... It has everything...
The heroine is ok, a bit immature but come on she is just 18. The hero was a jerk but very smitten with our heroine. The book is full of drama and in the end, I feel like they do deserve each other. A happy ending with a baby girl.
Арлекинфест продължава. Историята тук е толкова нелепа, че чак е сладка. По-типична е за исторически любовен роман, там поне би имало някаква логика. Но пък кой търси истинска логика в Арлекин? Продължава да ми харесва фактът, че лудите бабки от 80-те и 90-те не използват нито един вулгаризъм, нито един! И речниците им са Енциклопедия Британика в сравнение с днешните им крайно глупави, ограничени (и откъм видове пикантерии, и откъм изказ) и нуждаещи се от много сапун за пране на речника посестрими.
Wonderful oldie by an unknown author (at least for me!). Older man/younger woman theme. Only complaint would be the rather abrupt ending, but I find this to be common among the older books. Will plan to track down a few more by this author.
I thought it was written in 50s but it was better than I expected. I liked both MCs. Of course they were silly as they should be(if they were not there would be no angst) but their silliness was understandable. Heroine was so young and inexperienced and hero was a man. Lol
I like both the H and the h. She’s sweet and innocent. He is a nice guy from the moment they met. I liked the first half of the book better than the second part because after the wedding they both acted silly. Four stars.
The story started very promissing but in the sort run it completely lose its charm and reasoning. Still didn't need to force yourself to complete because writing is good so you reach the end even if you don't want.
Shane McKittrick wanted to hire a woman to be his wife and bear his child. Karen Muir, driven by her love for him and sure that she could win his love before the time limit on their marriage had expired, overruled his objections and became his wife.
But her willingness to accept his strange bargain only convinced Shane that she was like all other women --- scheming and greedy. By night, passion flamed between them --- passion that even Shane could not deny; but by day, Shane's anger grew ever stronger.
Then came the day when Karen knew beyond doubt that she to have Shane's child, and suddenly she was in a race against time --- a race she had no hope of winning
I've never read stuff from this author until today and I have to say I love her writing style. I will most definitely be looking out for this author in the future. I loved how the novel was written, the emotional context, everything was pretty darn great.
This book was a train wreck at best and a ridiculous parody at worst. I couldn’t take any of the characters and their actions seriously. It definitely didn’t have the angsty emotional hold like Michelle Reid or Lucy Monroe books neither the dedicated storytelling like Jeanie Lucas and Ema Darcy books. It was what you call a middle aged woman’s afternoon scribble.
Every paragraph was making me say “seriously?” “You got to be joking” while rolling my eyes at the h and H’s immature antics. It was also borderline pedophilic. The h is supposed to be this teenage sunshine who looks like a 14 year old and is 4’11” and dresses up like a 12 year old. She’s so naive that she cuddles and sleep on strange men’s laps and gives goodnight kisses that are not sexual to 30+ year old men. And every male in her vicinity has hots for her because She’s oh so innocent and sweet. Yeah, no thanks.
This author is a pass for me now. I don’t know what I will do with the rest of the books I had saved of her.
In some ways this is a coming of age story. Growing and maturing, however I’m not sure if it was Karen or Shane who needed to grow up (actually both of them had some growing up to do)
In typical Harlequin’s of this era, the MMC was portrayed as a selfish jerk. It did not take long for me to realize he had deep feelings for the FMC but was running scared.
There was lots of drama and angst, a truly hateful OW and the OM who was more protective about our FMC wanting her happiness even if it did not include him.
It was nice to see a FMC who despite being young was not a doormat.
I would have liked the fireworks and comeuppance of the OW and her helper to have been in book and not just spoken about.
The HEA was sweet.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
It was a sweet and really nice read. I liked both Shane & Karen. It was evident from the very beginning that Shane was crazy about Karen. The way he can't see her with other man, the way he wanted to take care of her, how he was troubled when she is frightened of him on their wedding night, how he decides to annul the marriage just for her, how he crashes his car bcz he couldn't leave her. It was all so good to read. I wanted more of these two...😭 The lawyer was sweet. He liked Karen but never tried anything evil. Karen was very young for Shane but, I could tell how deeply in love these two were.. I would have loved to read more about these two...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Couldn’t get into it. I didn’t like that she was 4’11, weigh 90 pounds & an 18 years old looking like a 15 years old. I have nothing against those attributes, for I am not much taller than 4’11 & I have no problem with May-Dec romance but you must admit, all that going on at once for the heroine is a little putting off. I just can’t imagine seeing heroine as an adult but a child. It doesn’t help that the hero keep referring her as a child too. There was a scene in the book when the heroine was dressing up/putting on makeup & she thought that she didn’t look like an adult but a child trying to play an adult. Whaaaat?! *also writing style was smooth but a bit off like one reviewer said.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This was a fun read. St. Margaret’s did a good summation and I like her description on the Hero as a drama King. The Hero was clearly besotted from the start, only the totally immature heroine failed to see it and was constantly misinterpreting his actions. No wonder he had his temper tantrums.
I have a strange feeling I read this book a long long time ago. I vaguely remember weird details like that the heroine was sooo tiny and that the Hero thought she was a child the first time he sees her,
StMargarets has the perfect review which encapsulates all the dramarama. Only in fiction - surely - can a man that volatile and vacuous run a successful business? The heroine might be stupid (and she really is) but the hero needed to be downgraded and the handsome lawyer (the only one with any basis of reality) should have ended up with the girl. It was entertaining, but it’s like watching teen movies.
Lo letto anni ha quando ero solo una ragazzina. Poi di recente mi è capitato di ritrovare il libro su un sito e lo riacquistato. E uno dei pochi libri harmony ben strutturato e scritto con tanti particolari . La scrittrice è stata molto brava a cogliere i sentimenti dei personaggi, devo dire che malgrado siano passati anni questo piccolo libro mi fa ancora sognare.