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Beloved Rake
A marriage of convenience … with an unexpected price ...
Serra Costalos refuses to be trapped in an arranged Greek marriage. Then she meets Englishman Dick Morgan, who must marry to claim an inheritance. But Dick wants a wife in name only—no love, no ties. Their deal is simple – Serra has her freedom and Dick gets his fortune. But neither of them is prepared for what comes next!
Anne Hampson was one of the most-loved and bestselling romance authors for over three decades. Now her books are being made available as ebooks for the very first time. This classic romance is perfect for fans of Penny Jordan, Sharon Kendrick, Carole Mortimer, Charlotte Lamb and Anne Mather.
Serra Costalos refuses to be trapped in an arranged Greek marriage. Then she meets Englishman Dick Morgan, who must marry to claim an inheritance. But Dick wants a wife in name only—no love, no ties. Their deal is simple – Serra has her freedom and Dick gets his fortune. But neither of them is prepared for what comes next!
Anne Hampson was one of the most-loved and bestselling romance authors for over three decades. Now her books are being made available as ebooks for the very first time. This classic romance is perfect for fans of Penny Jordan, Sharon Kendrick, Carole Mortimer, Charlotte Lamb and Anne Mather.
194 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1972
2 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
About the author
Anne Hampson
150 books153 followersAnne Hampson was born on 28 November 1928 in England. At age six she had two ambitions: to teach and to write. Poverty after WWI deprived her of an education and at 14 she was making Marks & Spencer's blouses at one shilling (5p) each.
She retired when she married. Later, when her marriage broke up, she was homeless with £40 in her purse. She went back to the rag trade and lived in a tiny caravan. But she never forgot her two ambitions, and when Manchester University decided to trial older women she applied, and three years later had achieved one ambition, so set her thoughts on number two.
In 1969, her first novel, Eternal Summer, was accepted five days from posting and she soon had a contract for 12 more. From the caravan she went to a small stately home, drove a Mercedes and sailed on the QE2. From the first book, came over 125 more written for Mills & Boon, Harlequin and Silhouette. Alan Boon (the Boon of Mills & Boon) and she came up with the title for 'Harlequin Presents' over lunch at the Ritz. She suggested to Alan that they have a historical series. He told her to write one - it was done in a month, entitled Eleanor and the Marquis under the pseudonym Jane Wilby. She has the distinction of being number one in Harlequin Presents, Masquerade and Silhouette. Many of "Presents" have been reprinted many times (some as many as 16) and are now fetching up to $55, being classed as "rare" books.
She has had 3 awards, one at the World Trade Centre where she received a standing ovation from her American fans, who had come from many states just to meet her.
She was retired, but in 2005 she wrote two romance and crime novels, both of which were published by Severn House.
She passed away on 25 September 2014. She has been written her autobiography, entitled Fate Was My Friend.
She retired when she married. Later, when her marriage broke up, she was homeless with £40 in her purse. She went back to the rag trade and lived in a tiny caravan. But she never forgot her two ambitions, and when Manchester University decided to trial older women she applied, and three years later had achieved one ambition, so set her thoughts on number two.
In 1969, her first novel, Eternal Summer, was accepted five days from posting and she soon had a contract for 12 more. From the caravan she went to a small stately home, drove a Mercedes and sailed on the QE2. From the first book, came over 125 more written for Mills & Boon, Harlequin and Silhouette. Alan Boon (the Boon of Mills & Boon) and she came up with the title for 'Harlequin Presents' over lunch at the Ritz. She suggested to Alan that they have a historical series. He told her to write one - it was done in a month, entitled Eleanor and the Marquis under the pseudonym Jane Wilby. She has the distinction of being number one in Harlequin Presents, Masquerade and Silhouette. Many of "Presents" have been reprinted many times (some as many as 16) and are now fetching up to $55, being classed as "rare" books.
She has had 3 awards, one at the World Trade Centre where she received a standing ovation from her American fans, who had come from many states just to meet her.
She was retired, but in 2005 she wrote two romance and crime novels, both of which were published by Severn House.
She passed away on 25 September 2014. She has been written her autobiography, entitled Fate Was My Friend.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
January 24, 2026
This book was written in the 1970's but reading Anne Hampson's view of social customs, institutions and women's rights and freedoms in Greece and especially Athens, you would think this book was written in the 1870's.
All those references on a girl NOT BEEN ALLOWED to talk to a man who wasn't a relative, or step out of the house unaccompanied, or flirt, or fall in love and choose a husband, or get a college education and have a career, the idea that once married her life would be all about having babies, associate only with other women, and spend her free time embroidering while her husband would be carousing with his friends and keep a mistress, or not been allowed to complain and demand her rights, or having an opinion and voice it, ARE FALSE.
I am not saying that all these things never did occur at all in Greece in the 70's, l am sure they did occur at some extent in a remote village or island with some people with backward ideas, but this wasn't the mainstream.
There is a gross exaggeration in this book.
Apart from this l have to say l really enjoyed this book. The heroine was delightful and adorable and made me laugh. This is the funniest Harlequin l ever read!
Greek native heroine, Serra 18, married an Englishman, Dirk 28, who she met while wandering at the Acropolis after she had run away from home to avoid an arranged marriage situation.
He married her so he could inherit his father's fortune who was an English aristocrat.
The idea was that with this marriage the heroine would get out of the clutches of her strict father and live in England free to do as she pleases and enjoy herself after a lifetime of restrictions.
The Hero was to continue his life as a bachelor and continue to have girlfriends.
A marriage of convenience and a white one. There were no feelings involved on either side. Needless to say things did not go according to the plan.
The book needed an epilogue for me to believe that the Hero was indeed reformed at the end.
Three and a half stars.
Another book l read a long time ago and now reposting as l am currently too busy to read. I hope my next review would be of a book l have just read.
All those references on a girl NOT BEEN ALLOWED to talk to a man who wasn't a relative, or step out of the house unaccompanied, or flirt, or fall in love and choose a husband, or get a college education and have a career, the idea that once married her life would be all about having babies, associate only with other women, and spend her free time embroidering while her husband would be carousing with his friends and keep a mistress, or not been allowed to complain and demand her rights, or having an opinion and voice it, ARE FALSE.
I am not saying that all these things never did occur at all in Greece in the 70's, l am sure they did occur at some extent in a remote village or island with some people with backward ideas, but this wasn't the mainstream.
There is a gross exaggeration in this book.
Apart from this l have to say l really enjoyed this book. The heroine was delightful and adorable and made me laugh. This is the funniest Harlequin l ever read!
Greek native heroine, Serra 18, married an Englishman, Dirk 28, who she met while wandering at the Acropolis after she had run away from home to avoid an arranged marriage situation.
He married her so he could inherit his father's fortune who was an English aristocrat.
The idea was that with this marriage the heroine would get out of the clutches of her strict father and live in England free to do as she pleases and enjoy herself after a lifetime of restrictions.
The Hero was to continue his life as a bachelor and continue to have girlfriends.
A marriage of convenience and a white one. There were no feelings involved on either side. Needless to say things did not go according to the plan.
The book needed an epilogue for me to believe that the Hero was indeed reformed at the end.
Three and a half stars.
Another book l read a long time ago and now reposting as l am currently too busy to read. I hope my next review would be of a book l have just read.
July 22, 2021
The hero’s bff warns him that he is going to have to develop a sense of humor if he marries the heroine.
Truer words have never been spoken.
This 18-year-old Greek heroine is adorable. She’s pretty and naïve and gets herself into all kinds of scrapes. Her initial scrape is meeting the hero in the first place. Her widowed father is trying to marry her off (for the third time) but she doesn’t like the sound of the candidate’s voice and runs away. Her reasoning: you don’t have to see his face in the dark, but you do have to listen to his voice. (She’s not wrong. )
She winds up at the Acropolis and is having a bit of a panic attack when the English hero and his bff ask her not to move, since it will spoil their photo.
Heroine is intrigued and follows them - which allows her to overhear that the hero must marry in a few months if he wants to inherit the family pile. The hero wants a wife that won’t mind if he goes out with “girlfriends.” Bff informs him that no such submissive wife exists in England. Hero replies that his wife would have the same freedom to do what she wants.
The word 'freedom' is the clarion call to the heroine, and she offers to marry the hero on the spot. The two are taken aback – by the bold offer and by the fact that, in the next breath, the heroine tells them she feels like ‘vomiting.’ Alarmed, they point her to the restrooms and then buy her a cold drink. By the end of the afternoon, the hero decides to marry her.
They marry in Greece and then honeymoon in Beirut, along with the bff. The two guys were going there anyway on their tour, so they add in a hotel room for the heroine – no big deal. Hero tells the heroine to stay in her room while he goes out to a night club. Heroine is restless and ends up going out with a random guy that she met in the hotel lounge. They end up at the same night club as the hero, bff and two blondes. Hero is angry heroine is out with a stranger and heroine is shocked he is at all jealous/concerned. She isn’t jealous of his girlfriends. This is the freedom she’s looking for.
Hero then realizes he’s responsible for her.
There are more scrapes:
*Heroine gets lost in the souk after spending all of the money H gave her.
*Back in England, at the hero’s estate, the heroine falls behind a hidden panel a few minutes before she is supposed to meet her mother-in-law.
*Heroine calls the butler “Mr.”
*Heroine starts to feel lonely, so she decides to put an ad in the paper inquiring if anyone is related to her English mother. She puts the hero’s swanky address in the ad, so all kinds of opportunists reply to the ad and show up at the house – much to the butler’s alarm.
*Hero’s sister finally gets through to the hero that he has to spend time with the heroine. (He’s in London most of the time)
*Heroine learns to drive and ride a horse. Hero spends more and more time with her and they eventually fall in love.
It’s a really cute story with lots of vintage details. If you don’t take the hero’s chauvinistic, entitled remarks at the beginning too seriously, you’ll probably enjoy this. The heroine really made the story, and it’s easy to see why the “rake” finally gave up his womanizing ways.
Truer words have never been spoken.
This 18-year-old Greek heroine is adorable. She’s pretty and naïve and gets herself into all kinds of scrapes. Her initial scrape is meeting the hero in the first place. Her widowed father is trying to marry her off (for the third time) but she doesn’t like the sound of the candidate’s voice and runs away. Her reasoning: you don’t have to see his face in the dark, but you do have to listen to his voice. (She’s not wrong. )
She winds up at the Acropolis and is having a bit of a panic attack when the English hero and his bff ask her not to move, since it will spoil their photo.
Heroine is intrigued and follows them - which allows her to overhear that the hero must marry in a few months if he wants to inherit the family pile. The hero wants a wife that won’t mind if he goes out with “girlfriends.” Bff informs him that no such submissive wife exists in England. Hero replies that his wife would have the same freedom to do what she wants.
The word 'freedom' is the clarion call to the heroine, and she offers to marry the hero on the spot. The two are taken aback – by the bold offer and by the fact that, in the next breath, the heroine tells them she feels like ‘vomiting.’ Alarmed, they point her to the restrooms and then buy her a cold drink. By the end of the afternoon, the hero decides to marry her.
They marry in Greece and then honeymoon in Beirut, along with the bff. The two guys were going there anyway on their tour, so they add in a hotel room for the heroine – no big deal. Hero tells the heroine to stay in her room while he goes out to a night club. Heroine is restless and ends up going out with a random guy that she met in the hotel lounge. They end up at the same night club as the hero, bff and two blondes. Hero is angry heroine is out with a stranger and heroine is shocked he is at all jealous/concerned. She isn’t jealous of his girlfriends. This is the freedom she’s looking for.
Hero then realizes he’s responsible for her.
There are more scrapes:
*Heroine gets lost in the souk after spending all of the money H gave her.
*Back in England, at the hero’s estate, the heroine falls behind a hidden panel a few minutes before she is supposed to meet her mother-in-law.
*Heroine calls the butler “Mr.”
*Heroine starts to feel lonely, so she decides to put an ad in the paper inquiring if anyone is related to her English mother. She puts the hero’s swanky address in the ad, so all kinds of opportunists reply to the ad and show up at the house – much to the butler’s alarm.
*Hero’s sister finally gets through to the hero that he has to spend time with the heroine. (He’s in London most of the time)
*Heroine learns to drive and ride a horse. Hero spends more and more time with her and they eventually fall in love.
It’s a really cute story with lots of vintage details. If you don’t take the hero’s chauvinistic, entitled remarks at the beginning too seriously, you’ll probably enjoy this. The heroine really made the story, and it’s easy to see why the “rake” finally gave up his womanizing ways.
August 7, 2018
This book is hilarious.
Sera, the h, is Greek and keeps turning down the marriages her father arranges for her. Dirk, the H, needs a wife to inherit a fortune.
They meet on the steps of the Acropolis and a deal is made, Dirk will marry Sera and take her to England and she will get to have some fun while Dirk continues his rakish ways.
They marry and Dirk parties, but Sera is stuck on the country estate and gets bored so she puts an add in the paper looking for relatives and all kinds of people crawl out of the woodwork.\
This comes to the attention of Dirk who decides he better start entertaining Sera a bit better before someone steals the silver.
There is some mooning and some angst and then Dirk decides he is in lurve and HEA.
The great part about this book is the little incidents Sera keeps getting into. Dirk really isn't a prize and there is none of his pov, but I did believe he loved her simply cause she was too funny. Good choice for a laugh and from AH of all people.
Sera, the h, is Greek and keeps turning down the marriages her father arranges for her. Dirk, the H, needs a wife to inherit a fortune.
They meet on the steps of the Acropolis and a deal is made, Dirk will marry Sera and take her to England and she will get to have some fun while Dirk continues his rakish ways.
They marry and Dirk parties, but Sera is stuck on the country estate and gets bored so she puts an add in the paper looking for relatives and all kinds of people crawl out of the woodwork.\
This comes to the attention of Dirk who decides he better start entertaining Sera a bit better before someone steals the silver.
There is some mooning and some angst and then Dirk decides he is in lurve and HEA.
The great part about this book is the little incidents Sera keeps getting into. Dirk really isn't a prize and there is none of his pov, but I did believe he loved her simply cause she was too funny. Good choice for a laugh and from AH of all people.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2022
Well, this was just this side of a rom-com.
It reminded me quite a bit of the old regency romances by Clare Darcy and Georgette Heyer.
The H is a "rake"... we get vague references to his fast lifestyle. We assume he's a manwhore, but not quite in those uncouth terms. He marries the h literally for convenience. She's just as content with the arrangement because she wants to spread her wings and leave her oppressive home. She's adorably naive and innocent, but also intelligent and zany, if more than a little madcap and disaster-prone.
The H will "never be tamed"... so we know for sure this ridiculous girl will definitely be his downfall, as we watch her unwittingly charm everyone she comes into contact with.
I know some people will scream "cheating" because it does seem, in fact, that he carries through with his plans to live his life as if he's single, despite the marriage. But the h is only upset about this because she's lonely and bored. She assumes he's doing exactly as she expected and what they had agreed to. And she's hoping to do the same. They haven't even kissed when it looks like he's still out catting-around, so it didn't really feel like cheating to me. They don't know each other or have any sort of relationship at all when all that is going down.
I thought it was fun to watch his family maneuver them towards each other. I like watching him start to warm up to her. I liked that she decided to take off when she thought it was a lost cause. She was plucky, if naive. I liked that he went after her.
Bottom Line? This was pleasant read. Despite the story line, it was surprisingly drama free. It has some fun scenes that had me smiling and feeling nostalgic for super old school Regencies, and like those books, there is very little actual heat in this book. I thought their declarations of love were too abrupt and felt like the H should have groveled more.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- cheating - the MCs have agreed on a marriage of convenience. During the time when they have no feelings for each other, or any physical intimacy at all, it looks as if he continues on as if he's not married. None of this is on page, he's just gone a lot and she assumes that he's off with "girlfriends".... there are several instances where I believe the reader is meant to read between the lines and wonder if that is actually the case. I felt like his actual lack of fidelity was ambiguous.
- no sharing
- OW drama - the H was supposed to marry a different woman. We hear about her, but only meet her once. She's rude and the h puts her in her place... the H doesn't like her at all, but he uses her to make the h jealous by dancing with her at a party.
- OM drama - the h stumbles into a several different scenes with OM - this enrages and exasperates the H
- h is a 18 yr old virgin
- the H is about 10 years older, and a manwhore or "rake" - very little detail is actually given as to his sexual past. It's all very circumspect.
- there is no sex in the pages of this book. Just a few very tame kisses. 😕
It reminded me quite a bit of the old regency romances by Clare Darcy and Georgette Heyer.
The H is a "rake"... we get vague references to his fast lifestyle. We assume he's a manwhore, but not quite in those uncouth terms. He marries the h literally for convenience. She's just as content with the arrangement because she wants to spread her wings and leave her oppressive home. She's adorably naive and innocent, but also intelligent and zany, if more than a little madcap and disaster-prone.
The H will "never be tamed"... so we know for sure this ridiculous girl will definitely be his downfall, as we watch her unwittingly charm everyone she comes into contact with.
I know some people will scream "cheating" because it does seem, in fact, that he carries through with his plans to live his life as if he's single, despite the marriage. But the h is only upset about this because she's lonely and bored. She assumes he's doing exactly as she expected and what they had agreed to. And she's hoping to do the same. They haven't even kissed when it looks like he's still out catting-around, so it didn't really feel like cheating to me. They don't know each other or have any sort of relationship at all when all that is going down.
I thought it was fun to watch his family maneuver them towards each other. I like watching him start to warm up to her. I liked that she decided to take off when she thought it was a lost cause. She was plucky, if naive. I liked that he went after her.
Bottom Line? This was pleasant read. Despite the story line, it was surprisingly drama free. It has some fun scenes that had me smiling and feeling nostalgic for super old school Regencies, and like those books, there is very little actual heat in this book. I thought their declarations of love were too abrupt and felt like the H should have groveled more.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- cheating - the MCs have agreed on a marriage of convenience. During the time when they have no feelings for each other, or any physical intimacy at all, it looks as if he continues on as if he's not married. None of this is on page, he's just gone a lot and she assumes that he's off with "girlfriends".... there are several instances where I believe the reader is meant to read between the lines and wonder if that is actually the case. I felt like his actual lack of fidelity was ambiguous.
- no sharing
- OW drama - the H was supposed to marry a different woman. We hear about her, but only meet her once. She's rude and the h puts her in her place... the H doesn't like her at all, but he uses her to make the h jealous by dancing with her at a party.
- OM drama - the h stumbles into a several different scenes with OM - this enrages and exasperates the H
- h is a 18 yr old virgin
- the H is about 10 years older, and a manwhore or "rake" - very little detail is actually given as to his sexual past. It's all very circumspect.
- there is no sex in the pages of this book. Just a few very tame kisses. 😕
October 30, 2016
meh. The Hero certainly left a lot to be desired. The heroine on the other hand had the guts to stand up to her family, but lost that gumption when she landed in England.
August 7, 2018
For you to enjoy this book, you'll need to be fine with the idea that the H is a womanizer who marries the h (an MOC) so he can continue to hoor it up. And hoor it up he does, which can be distasteful in more realistic books. In this case, though, it's all very lightly done: Since the h doesn't have any romantic feelings for the H, she's fine with that. Meanwhile, she has escapade after escapade, much to the exasperation of her husband, who tends to reproach her because she PROMISED she'd be no trouble at all.
Ultimately, of course, things change and you see that the H is actually becoming more and more traditional in his viewpoints, even though he fights it very hard (dear old dad was a womanizer, so he's following the family tradition, you see). Ultimately, though, he can't fight the ditzy, sweet charm of the naive, and exquisitely beautiful (Hampson's protective coloration for her extremely dim heroines) h.
Ultimately, of course, things change and you see that the H is actually becoming more and more traditional in his viewpoints, even though he fights it very hard (dear old dad was a womanizer, so he's following the family tradition, you see). Ultimately, though, he can't fight the ditzy, sweet charm of the naive, and exquisitely beautiful (Hampson's protective coloration for her extremely dim heroines) h.
July 10, 2015
4 Stars for the funny and amusing story-line. Loved Serra and the scrapes she got into.
3 Stars for the abrupt ending and having no clue why he suddenly realized his love for her.
3 Stars for the abrupt ending and having no clue why he suddenly realized his love for her.
August 22, 2018
Why they didn’t consummate their marriage?
August 10, 2017
Serra starts out as naive, then stupid; then she suddenly becomes intelligent, then witty and then funny. And I was left with the impression that the impromptu transformation was rather forced and only for the benefit of the readers, though the enhancement in her personality did not seem believable to me.
She runs away from home with money equivalent to "three English pounds". She goes away with complete strangers to a pub and she's called "highly intelligent".
Later, after she gets married, she chats up with another stranger and agrees to go out with him. Was I to believe she's really that naive? So she goes to a night club with the stranger and gets drunk....yep, this book is definitely a guide to ruin your life by incessant stupidity.
Also, she's a very cunning woman, she says that she is a conservative Greek whenever it is convenient and whenever it is not she's English. There's no way I'm going to believe she's a naive little girl.
There are a few hilarious episodes in the book, but then again judging from how fast the hero went through a change of heart to realize what a true gem his wife is, I couldn't bring myself to give it more than two stars.
She runs away from home with money equivalent to "three English pounds". She goes away with complete strangers to a pub and she's called "highly intelligent".
Later, after she gets married, she chats up with another stranger and agrees to go out with him. Was I to believe she's really that naive? So she goes to a night club with the stranger and gets drunk....yep, this book is definitely a guide to ruin your life by incessant stupidity.
Also, she's a very cunning woman, she says that she is a conservative Greek whenever it is convenient and whenever it is not she's English. There's no way I'm going to believe she's a naive little girl.
There are a few hilarious episodes in the book, but then again judging from how fast the hero went through a change of heart to realize what a true gem his wife is, I couldn't bring myself to give it more than two stars.
July 3, 2025
Did you ever read a book when you were a teenager that lived in your imagination as a very good book and then you read it decades later and realize that it is so so bad? Welcome to Beloved Rake.
February 24, 2019
Odd little story that was somewhat amusing, Serra lives in Greece with her father, her mother who was English is dead. Serra’s father is trying to arrange a marriage for her to a man she’s never met and doesn’t know. So she runs away, she meets two Englishmen in the village and as one of these men needs a wife to get his inheritance she marries him. I found it difficult to get my head around that. What was the difference between the arranged marriage to a stranger her father wanted, and the stranger she ended up marrying. None of it made any sense.
June 5, 2021
2.5 stars
I wavered between thinking the heroine was sweet, naive and cute or thinking she was TSTL. Her child-like innocence was endearing in parts, but in other parts was really grating because she seemed insanely dimwitted.
The hero was equally stupid. Who marries someone they have only just met. He deserved getting such simple-minded wife.
I can only imagine they will end up having really thick children given the combination of stupid genes.
Still the story was harmless, no angst and sometimes amusing.
I wavered between thinking the heroine was sweet, naive and cute or thinking she was TSTL. Her child-like innocence was endearing in parts, but in other parts was really grating because she seemed insanely dimwitted.
The hero was equally stupid. Who marries someone they have only just met. He deserved getting such simple-minded wife.
I can only imagine they will end up having really thick children given the combination of stupid genes.
Still the story was harmless, no angst and sometimes amusing.
November 12, 2013
This was one of the funniest book ive read in a long time. The heroine is so naive but so adorably cute. The hero was kinda ehh for me. Its really not clear when he fell for her, it just got sprung on the readers at the end. The romance is lacking but it's a fun book and a short read.
April 9, 2017
Rating: 3 stars.
The novel was a bit lack lustre and I felt that the ending was so abrupt. Serra was gone for two months with no word from her husband and she gave in so easily.
The novel was a bit lack lustre and I felt that the ending was so abrupt. Serra was gone for two months with no word from her husband and she gave in so easily.
May 23, 2013
hilarious one it was too much fun..a keeper definitely. loved both dirk n serra..they complemented each other
May 12, 2024
Well 3.5 enjoyable stars rounded up.
It's 1971 when women libbers were still seen as ball busting sluts. Serra is an 18 year old sheltered Greek girl whose mother had been English. She longs to choose her own husband but her father wants to force her to marry a boy of his choice... sight unseen. So she runs off like a ninny with no suitcase or money. Serendipity has her meet Charles and his good looking, super wealthy, 28 year old friend Dirk.
Dirk is a 'good time guy' who doesn't want to give up his feckless ways and settle down. Yet he must marry in a few months because of his father's will. Everyone thinks he will marry Clarice a long time acquaintance from a similarly snobby wealthy family. But he loathes the idea.
So here are two people in need of a spouse but neither wants to settle down.
They marry quickly and quietly and off they go with Charles to Lebanon for their honeymoon. This is Lebanon a few years before the civil war that destroyed so much of it. Back when it was likened to Paris as a romantic place to see and enjoy.
Serra having been so sheltered has very little street smarts. So she tends to get into one scape after another and Dirk is obliged to come to her rescue. He'll get all angry but doesn't hold grudges so forgiveness and a sense of humour aren't long to follow his peak. It was really sweet.
They go to his home in England and Serra finds herself stranded in a huge mansion outside a small village and bored to tears. Her nebulous dreams of having fun as a young woman not tethered to a man are dying a slow death. One thing that bothered me is that she is left like that for 2 months and neither his mother or sister think to visit her or show her around. AH suggests that Jenny (the sister) stays away on purpose to force her brother to spend time with his new wife. But it's still kinda mean to treat her like part of an experiment. I mean, we all know Dirk isn't going to willingly spend time with her at this point. Because that wasn't their agreement when they married. She is to not be a clingy wife. So I never really warmed up to his sister and mother. I though they were just as selfish as him.
After another fiasco ensues from her trying to find long lost relatives of her mother, the sister finally steps up. She talks Dirk into spending 3 days a week with his wife. And of course he starts to fall for her. I think he was already falling for her a bit before that but he's stubborn.
Once Dirk realizes he's getting too attached, he starts to fight it. He becomes moody and quiet and Serra is afraid he's become unhappy with her. So she goes to visit her father in Greece, for weeks and weeks.
Of course Dirk can only hold out so long before he follows her to Greece and confesses his love.
I wasn't going to read this one because of his flagrant cheating, but some of the other reviews convinced me to give it a try. And I just couldn't put it down once I started ; )
I think what saves it from dissatisfaction of other cheating books, is that neither Serra or Dirk wanted to be tied down. Neither was in love or even infatuated with the other till they'd gotten to know each other better. And misunderstandings aren't left to fester because both are quite happy to say exactly what they are thinking. And as Jenny points out, it's only a matter of time before Serra finds a 'boy-friend' the same way he has 'girl-friends'. This of course gives him pause.
Safety is not good but not in your face either.
It's 1971 when women libbers were still seen as ball busting sluts. Serra is an 18 year old sheltered Greek girl whose mother had been English. She longs to choose her own husband but her father wants to force her to marry a boy of his choice... sight unseen. So she runs off like a ninny with no suitcase or money. Serendipity has her meet Charles and his good looking, super wealthy, 28 year old friend Dirk.
Dirk is a 'good time guy' who doesn't want to give up his feckless ways and settle down. Yet he must marry in a few months because of his father's will. Everyone thinks he will marry Clarice a long time acquaintance from a similarly snobby wealthy family. But he loathes the idea.
So here are two people in need of a spouse but neither wants to settle down.
They marry quickly and quietly and off they go with Charles to Lebanon for their honeymoon. This is Lebanon a few years before the civil war that destroyed so much of it. Back when it was likened to Paris as a romantic place to see and enjoy.
Serra having been so sheltered has very little street smarts. So she tends to get into one scape after another and Dirk is obliged to come to her rescue. He'll get all angry but doesn't hold grudges so forgiveness and a sense of humour aren't long to follow his peak. It was really sweet.
They go to his home in England and Serra finds herself stranded in a huge mansion outside a small village and bored to tears. Her nebulous dreams of having fun as a young woman not tethered to a man are dying a slow death. One thing that bothered me is that she is left like that for 2 months and neither his mother or sister think to visit her or show her around. AH suggests that Jenny (the sister) stays away on purpose to force her brother to spend time with his new wife. But it's still kinda mean to treat her like part of an experiment. I mean, we all know Dirk isn't going to willingly spend time with her at this point. Because that wasn't their agreement when they married. She is to not be a clingy wife. So I never really warmed up to his sister and mother. I though they were just as selfish as him.
After another fiasco ensues from her trying to find long lost relatives of her mother, the sister finally steps up. She talks Dirk into spending 3 days a week with his wife. And of course he starts to fall for her. I think he was already falling for her a bit before that but he's stubborn.
Once Dirk realizes he's getting too attached, he starts to fight it. He becomes moody and quiet and Serra is afraid he's become unhappy with her. So she goes to visit her father in Greece, for weeks and weeks.
Of course Dirk can only hold out so long before he follows her to Greece and confesses his love.
I wasn't going to read this one because of his flagrant cheating, but some of the other reviews convinced me to give it a try. And I just couldn't put it down once I started ; )
I think what saves it from dissatisfaction of other cheating books, is that neither Serra or Dirk wanted to be tied down. Neither was in love or even infatuated with the other till they'd gotten to know each other better. And misunderstandings aren't left to fester because both are quite happy to say exactly what they are thinking. And as Jenny points out, it's only a matter of time before Serra finds a 'boy-friend' the same way he has 'girl-friends'. This of course gives him pause.
Safety is not good but not in your face either.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 14, 2026
**2 1/2 stars**
Every so often I have a hankering to read an old Harlequin Romance. I read a review of this one from 1980 and this was described as the “funniest ever” and many other reviewers concurred. For its time, it probably was. It wasn’t until the 90s that really funny authors like Jennifer Crusie and Jayne Ann Krentz became part of the usual lineup in category romances and Harlequin and other lines started to lean into the comedy part of romantic comedy. When this was written, Harlequin (or Mills and Boon) were the only game in town and they hadn’t branched out from straight romance yet. Not to say humor never made an appearance ever.
Serra, our heroine, is a young Greek woman who is about to have her marriage arranged to someone who turns her off. She runs away and sure enough soon meets attractive Englishman Dirk and his nice friend. He needs to marry to get ahold of his inheritance and Serra likes the idea of marrying a Brit (she is half British herself). She has always wanted to go to England where she can “be free” and out from under the strict confines of Greek society and the control of her father and grandmother. I will interject here that Hampson’s portrayal of Greek society is spurious at best even considering the time this one was written. I took it all with a grain of salt. There are a lot of sweeping statements like, “In Greece we trust everybody…people are honest”, “In Greece, a girl must never be seen with a man before her marriage…” or they will be ruined irreparably. Apparently Greek wives back in the late 1970s never left the house and embroidered all day, and all marriages were arranged. Could be true-ish. I don’t know.
Serra is very sweet, unworldly and naive. Most of the humor stems from Dirk assuming she knows the basics of living in the modern world and has a grain of sense. Well, she doesn’t and Dirk has to come to her rescue whenever she gets into a pickle. And not with any good grace either. In some ways it reminded me of Friday's Child by Georgette Heyer. His friend is much nicer and more understanding. She has no problem with him behaving as if he is still a bachelor as she intends to have a few boyfriends herself. The book has a slow start. The author apparently did a lot of research into the sights and other attractions in Greece and Lebanon and she was determined to make use of her knowledge. If you know what I mean. Things pick up considerably when they get to England and Serra has to deal with Dirk’s mother, sister, and butler as well as English customs and ways of doing things. Things come to a head when she starts to look for some of her relatives on her mother’s side and goes about it in the most dunderheaded way possible. Unexpected (by Serra only) consequences occur. Aaaaaand it’s Dirk to the rescue again. By the end, Serra wins over Dirk’s family and Dirk, who decides a real marriage, love included, will be best for all concerned. The Butler remains not a fan.
https://rebekahsreadingsandwatchings....
Every so often I have a hankering to read an old Harlequin Romance. I read a review of this one from 1980 and this was described as the “funniest ever” and many other reviewers concurred. For its time, it probably was. It wasn’t until the 90s that really funny authors like Jennifer Crusie and Jayne Ann Krentz became part of the usual lineup in category romances and Harlequin and other lines started to lean into the comedy part of romantic comedy. When this was written, Harlequin (or Mills and Boon) were the only game in town and they hadn’t branched out from straight romance yet. Not to say humor never made an appearance ever.
Serra, our heroine, is a young Greek woman who is about to have her marriage arranged to someone who turns her off. She runs away and sure enough soon meets attractive Englishman Dirk and his nice friend. He needs to marry to get ahold of his inheritance and Serra likes the idea of marrying a Brit (she is half British herself). She has always wanted to go to England where she can “be free” and out from under the strict confines of Greek society and the control of her father and grandmother. I will interject here that Hampson’s portrayal of Greek society is spurious at best even considering the time this one was written. I took it all with a grain of salt. There are a lot of sweeping statements like, “In Greece we trust everybody…people are honest”, “In Greece, a girl must never be seen with a man before her marriage…” or they will be ruined irreparably. Apparently Greek wives back in the late 1970s never left the house and embroidered all day, and all marriages were arranged. Could be true-ish. I don’t know.
Serra is very sweet, unworldly and naive. Most of the humor stems from Dirk assuming she knows the basics of living in the modern world and has a grain of sense. Well, she doesn’t and Dirk has to come to her rescue whenever she gets into a pickle. And not with any good grace either. In some ways it reminded me of Friday's Child by Georgette Heyer. His friend is much nicer and more understanding. She has no problem with him behaving as if he is still a bachelor as she intends to have a few boyfriends herself. The book has a slow start. The author apparently did a lot of research into the sights and other attractions in Greece and Lebanon and she was determined to make use of her knowledge. If you know what I mean. Things pick up considerably when they get to England and Serra has to deal with Dirk’s mother, sister, and butler as well as English customs and ways of doing things. Things come to a head when she starts to look for some of her relatives on her mother’s side and goes about it in the most dunderheaded way possible. Unexpected (by Serra only) consequences occur. Aaaaaand it’s Dirk to the rescue again. By the end, Serra wins over Dirk’s family and Dirk, who decides a real marriage, love included, will be best for all concerned. The Butler remains not a fan.
https://rebekahsreadingsandwatchings....
April 15, 2023
This book should have been called The Cheating Sleazy Bastard Rake! I know she married him and knew he had girlfriends and was going to sleep around on her but he had such a set of double standards. I felt for the heroine. She was sheltered and young and so naive. It broke my heart. I really thought he would change after they were married but no he continued to cat around all through to th end of the book. She left so he would be happy and after three or so weeks he comes to get her and says I realized I loved you just yesterday. Omg. I have never wanted someone to die so badly. He deserved nothing and his declaration of love felt off. He probably screwed his way through all of the women he knew and decided to settle for now. I would never ever ever trust him again and I would make sure he gets an std test done immediatamente!! And perhaps bleach should be thrown on him. Just a gross pig of a man! The heroine needed boogenhagens big black skillet and I needed two glasses of scotch after this disaster. I need to re-read an old favorite to wash this scum from my brain! Just sad! Yuck!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
pback-to-read
October 5, 2021Although she had spent all her life in Greece, young Serra Costalos was only half Greek -- and she couldn't endure the thought of the cold-blooded, arranged Greek marriage that was all that was in store for her.
In fact, she had already run away from home when, quite by chance, she met the English-man Dirk Morgan and discovered that he was looking for a wife. But a wife with a difference. Dirk had to marry in order to inherit a fortune, and, as he was a self-confessed rake and had no intention of changing his ways, he wanted a wife who would leave him alone and not make a nuisance of herself.
So Serra and Dirk married. But neither of them got what they expected.
In fact, she had already run away from home when, quite by chance, she met the English-man Dirk Morgan and discovered that he was looking for a wife. But a wife with a difference. Dirk had to marry in order to inherit a fortune, and, as he was a self-confessed rake and had no intention of changing his ways, he wanted a wife who would leave him alone and not make a nuisance of herself.
So Serra and Dirk married. But neither of them got what they expected.
July 3, 2019
Typical mills and boon. Easy read that requires no thinking. Relaxing
December 21, 2021
Heroine was too naive and it grated
January 17, 2022
Vintage. But cute and really enjoyable
April 5, 2024
Fabulous, funny heroine. She was too good for him I think.
no-fcking-ways
September 21, 2024Cheater H.
July 29, 2012
Cute novel, another one that ended very suddenly. I was confused how a husband could treat his wife that way and then suddenly want to be with her forever but such is life.
October 11, 2018
I liked this story and loved this cover.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews