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Had We Never Loved
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187 pages, Paperback
Published December 31, 1984
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
February 15, 2016
Heroine and hero were married 5 years ago in spite of all the machinations and protests from OW and the MIL from Hell. OW frames her on her wedding night by having OW's brother unveil his wedding gift which was a naked painting of the heroine. The hero is irate that his sweet bride actually posed for this painting and to make matters worse evil brother admits to having slept with the heroine. Hero is all pissed off that someone else got there first and whispered in her ear (during their wedding dance) that she wasn't good enough for the likes of him and the only place he would ever sleep with her was in a stack of hay full of dung. Heroine gets pissed off and leaves. (The first rational thing she did.)
Of course none of it is true. She could have stuck around and proved that her v-card was still in tact, but decided against staying with a man that didn't trust her. (The second rational thing she did.)
The book opens with her return to the town and the hero fishing her out of icy waters. This had potential, but the heroine was too accepting of a man who had some serious issues. To make matters worse, when he does finally admit to being the worst kind of ass, she says oh "darling it wasn't your fault".
This could have gone from 1 star to 5 stars, if she had only made him pay a serious price for his lousy actions. The sparks between them were kind of fun, but the hero always came out on top and that also bugged me.
I would recommend passing on this one. It is not worth the investment of time.
Of course none of it is true. She could have stuck around and proved that her v-card was still in tact, but decided against staying with a man that didn't trust her. (The second rational thing she did.)
The book opens with her return to the town and the hero fishing her out of icy waters. This had potential, but the heroine was too accepting of a man who had some serious issues. To make matters worse, when he does finally admit to being the worst kind of ass, she says oh "darling it wasn't your fault".
This could have gone from 1 star to 5 stars, if she had only made him pay a serious price for his lousy actions. The sparks between them were kind of fun, but the hero always came out on top and that also bugged me.
I would recommend passing on this one. It is not worth the investment of time.
November 30, 2015
Re Had We Never Loved - JM doesn't have the greatest H's, they are usually enigmatic, remote and keep you guessing right to the end of the book - in fact there is never H pov with JM, and they usually act like the world's biggest jerks and so it is easy to hate them. What saves JM and makes the books eminently readable, (even with poor quality H's,) and why you believe the HEA is because her h's are a riot and hysterically funny.
They are definitely typical HP h's, innocent, sweet, virginal and kind - but they all have snark, they all have common sense and they all manage to give their H a really, really hard time - they don't always win, but they go down fighting, and their verbal agility is usually a grand thing to read.
This h is no exception, but the H took a while to tolerate and I confess, I usually only believe the HEA with JM cause the h wants it so much, although I do usually think the H will be marginally okay and probably won't cheat or anything like that - I am also reasonably sure that no matter how much the h does love the H, if he behaves badly in the future, she wouldn't hesitate to leave even after the HEA. With JM, faith in the H is not necessary - the h's are the ones I have confidence in, cause they aren't doormats, even when coerced they usually manage to make the situation more tolerable for themselves, usually haranguing the H into behaving better while they do it.
This one starts with the H pulling the h from his Highland loch after she overturns her canoe and got caught in the tide. He is a minor Highland lord with an intimidating Scottish fortress overlooking his glen. It turns out that he is also the h's husband. They have been married for five years but have never had a wedding night or lived together, as the h did what all HP h's do when they break a nail, hear their H is maybe flirting with another woman from the local corner store owner, or (as in this case,) during her first dance with her new husband, gets called a skanky witch that the H wouldn't sleep with unless it was a shag in the midden straw and he was drunk and desperate-- she runs off.
The H has always been the local lord, and the h a village girl that came to live there when her parents died and her uncle took her in. The H's mum actually moved the woman she wanted the H to marry into the family fortress as a girl, the girl's family are rich distant relations and the H did some teenage experimenting with the woman, but when the h got older the H fell totally in love with her and pretty much shadowed her around until she was 18 and then he married her.
The OW, not liking the fact that the H she had always been told would be her property married someone else, (who was basically a peasant in her view), gets her alcoholic younger brother to paint a nude portrait with the h's face as a wedding present, and tell the H that he and the h had been getting their groove on together. This was right after the wedding. The H loses his mind, has a very violent temper tantrum and the h, scared witless, gets some clothes together and sneaks off into the night.
The h is woefully ignorant about sex and virginity, (this book is a subtle mocking of the medieval marriage/virginity bloody sheet trope). She doesn't think she has any way to prove the alkie brother wrong and the H is scarily mad to the point of violence, so she leaves town and gets herself a job to a fortune teller. More importantly, the h is furious that he won't even listen to her, she figures if he can believe a lie so easily he isn't worth sticking around for and she isn't going to put up with years of abuse and condemnation and violence because he can't sort out a vicious woman's ploys from reality.
Five years on and the h returns as her employer has rented the lodge to the fortress from the H, she is there to get things set up and the H has to rescue her from drowning in a red French bikini. The years have not mellowed the H at all, and when she passes out, he puts her in the legendary fortress Room with a big window that previous lords have thrown captives out - the H tells the h that 300 years earlier he would have thrown her out the window, with a net below to keep her from dying but causing enough damage that no one would ever look at her. This doesn't reassure the h much, so she verbally battles him into taking her back to the house she has rented.
The H asks her out for dinner and later that night he kidnaps her, the OW has shown up and he needs a chaperon. He takes the h back to his home, makes her stay in the same room as him at night with a claymore between them on the bed and they continue to argue over her virginity for the next few days. The h finally has enough and goes back to her home, the H then moves in with her after the OW brings her alkie brother back to taunt the H with his and the h's supposed affair. The H seems to want them to work their marriage out - he won't divorce her and she still loves him, but won't stay with a man who won't believe her and won't be condescended to by him either.
The h eventually runs into the alkie brother and he explains that he really did mean the portrait as a harmless wedding present. He was imitating a Titian Venus painting and ironically, used the OW's body as the model. So essentially the H has been raving all these years about his ex-gf's naked body in the offending portrait. The OW gave him a lot of money to go party with when he lied about sleeping with the h, she is offering him more now, to persuade the h to go off with him again. The h isn't buying what he is selling, so she goes back to try and settle things with the H.
The OW shows up and tells the h that the H needs the OW's money to keep his home, the h doesn't really react to the OW but decides she needs to sneak off again cause she has just about had enough. She decides to hike 9 nine miles in rugged terrain in four hours (which caused me to really respect her endurance, that is a super hiking feat) to the next big road junction so no one can stop her from getting away. Only she runs into a really bad storm, (but in a testimony to her super hiking skillz, which I envy,) she manages to make it to a small hut on the heath even after falling down the side of a mountain and having to claw her way back up in a furious storm.
The H eventually finds her, decides he is going to make their marriage work cause he still loves her, and they finally consummate their marriage. He then figures out that the brother lied, also realizes that the brother had a drink problem even then that the OW used to put a spike into the marriage, and he apologizes for being an overbearing jerk.
He tells the h that he never wanted the OW for wife, he isn't the kind of man that can be bought, and while he isn't rich - he can afford a wife. He lost his mind at the wedding because he knew the h was too young really for marriage, but she was working at a hotel and guys could have hit on her and he would have lost her to a younger man and was too jealous and too in love to chance it. So when the alkie brother pulled his little stunt he over-reacted and he avows to spend the rest of his life making up for it, but he isn't letting her go. The h is overjoyed, avows true love forevah in return and HEA.
This one isn't too bad. I really believed he wanted the h and felt he really did not encourage the OW, she was the type that had to have her own way no matter what and a black hole implosion wouldn't have put her off. So tho the H is rather doubtful as a real wonderful sensitive new age kinda guy, I did believe him by the end --plus he is one of the few H's in HPlandia with red hair and the h had been in love and hurting all this time, so I was happy she was happy and that makes this one pretty okay.
They are definitely typical HP h's, innocent, sweet, virginal and kind - but they all have snark, they all have common sense and they all manage to give their H a really, really hard time - they don't always win, but they go down fighting, and their verbal agility is usually a grand thing to read.
This h is no exception, but the H took a while to tolerate and I confess, I usually only believe the HEA with JM cause the h wants it so much, although I do usually think the H will be marginally okay and probably won't cheat or anything like that - I am also reasonably sure that no matter how much the h does love the H, if he behaves badly in the future, she wouldn't hesitate to leave even after the HEA. With JM, faith in the H is not necessary - the h's are the ones I have confidence in, cause they aren't doormats, even when coerced they usually manage to make the situation more tolerable for themselves, usually haranguing the H into behaving better while they do it.
This one starts with the H pulling the h from his Highland loch after she overturns her canoe and got caught in the tide. He is a minor Highland lord with an intimidating Scottish fortress overlooking his glen. It turns out that he is also the h's husband. They have been married for five years but have never had a wedding night or lived together, as the h did what all HP h's do when they break a nail, hear their H is maybe flirting with another woman from the local corner store owner, or (as in this case,) during her first dance with her new husband, gets called a skanky witch that the H wouldn't sleep with unless it was a shag in the midden straw and he was drunk and desperate-- she runs off.
The H has always been the local lord, and the h a village girl that came to live there when her parents died and her uncle took her in. The H's mum actually moved the woman she wanted the H to marry into the family fortress as a girl, the girl's family are rich distant relations and the H did some teenage experimenting with the woman, but when the h got older the H fell totally in love with her and pretty much shadowed her around until she was 18 and then he married her.
The OW, not liking the fact that the H she had always been told would be her property married someone else, (who was basically a peasant in her view), gets her alcoholic younger brother to paint a nude portrait with the h's face as a wedding present, and tell the H that he and the h had been getting their groove on together. This was right after the wedding. The H loses his mind, has a very violent temper tantrum and the h, scared witless, gets some clothes together and sneaks off into the night.
The h is woefully ignorant about sex and virginity, (this book is a subtle mocking of the medieval marriage/virginity bloody sheet trope). She doesn't think she has any way to prove the alkie brother wrong and the H is scarily mad to the point of violence, so she leaves town and gets herself a job to a fortune teller. More importantly, the h is furious that he won't even listen to her, she figures if he can believe a lie so easily he isn't worth sticking around for and she isn't going to put up with years of abuse and condemnation and violence because he can't sort out a vicious woman's ploys from reality.
Five years on and the h returns as her employer has rented the lodge to the fortress from the H, she is there to get things set up and the H has to rescue her from drowning in a red French bikini. The years have not mellowed the H at all, and when she passes out, he puts her in the legendary fortress Room with a big window that previous lords have thrown captives out - the H tells the h that 300 years earlier he would have thrown her out the window, with a net below to keep her from dying but causing enough damage that no one would ever look at her. This doesn't reassure the h much, so she verbally battles him into taking her back to the house she has rented.
The H asks her out for dinner and later that night he kidnaps her, the OW has shown up and he needs a chaperon. He takes the h back to his home, makes her stay in the same room as him at night with a claymore between them on the bed and they continue to argue over her virginity for the next few days. The h finally has enough and goes back to her home, the H then moves in with her after the OW brings her alkie brother back to taunt the H with his and the h's supposed affair. The H seems to want them to work their marriage out - he won't divorce her and she still loves him, but won't stay with a man who won't believe her and won't be condescended to by him either.
The h eventually runs into the alkie brother and he explains that he really did mean the portrait as a harmless wedding present. He was imitating a Titian Venus painting and ironically, used the OW's body as the model. So essentially the H has been raving all these years about his ex-gf's naked body in the offending portrait. The OW gave him a lot of money to go party with when he lied about sleeping with the h, she is offering him more now, to persuade the h to go off with him again. The h isn't buying what he is selling, so she goes back to try and settle things with the H.
The OW shows up and tells the h that the H needs the OW's money to keep his home, the h doesn't really react to the OW but decides she needs to sneak off again cause she has just about had enough. She decides to hike 9 nine miles in rugged terrain in four hours (which caused me to really respect her endurance, that is a super hiking feat) to the next big road junction so no one can stop her from getting away. Only she runs into a really bad storm, (but in a testimony to her super hiking skillz, which I envy,) she manages to make it to a small hut on the heath even after falling down the side of a mountain and having to claw her way back up in a furious storm.
The H eventually finds her, decides he is going to make their marriage work cause he still loves her, and they finally consummate their marriage. He then figures out that the brother lied, also realizes that the brother had a drink problem even then that the OW used to put a spike into the marriage, and he apologizes for being an overbearing jerk.
He tells the h that he never wanted the OW for wife, he isn't the kind of man that can be bought, and while he isn't rich - he can afford a wife. He lost his mind at the wedding because he knew the h was too young really for marriage, but she was working at a hotel and guys could have hit on her and he would have lost her to a younger man and was too jealous and too in love to chance it. So when the alkie brother pulled his little stunt he over-reacted and he avows to spend the rest of his life making up for it, but he isn't letting her go. The h is overjoyed, avows true love forevah in return and HEA.
This one isn't too bad. I really believed he wanted the h and felt he really did not encourage the OW, she was the type that had to have her own way no matter what and a black hole implosion wouldn't have put her off. So tho the H is rather doubtful as a real wonderful sensitive new age kinda guy, I did believe him by the end --plus he is one of the few H's in HPlandia with red hair and the h had been in love and hurting all this time, so I was happy she was happy and that makes this one pretty okay.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 30, 2016
Oy.
Oy!Old skool.
Old school idjit. The H is given a portrait of his bride where she is au naturel at the wedding. He doesn't believe her denials so.... five years later.
She has a spine of steel and doesn't bother to try and explain...if he's so stupid and distrustful that's his problem.
Toss in a wicked OW that never quite gets the upper hand despite trying again and again. Yeah, hold hard against the evil-doers, Ms. Murrey!
Would have been three stars except the hero only believes the h's innocence after they have sex. Jerk. Minimal apology.
Oy!Old skool.
Old school idjit. The H is given a portrait of his bride where she is au naturel at the wedding. He doesn't believe her denials so.... five years later.
She has a spine of steel and doesn't bother to try and explain...if he's so stupid and distrustful that's his problem.
Toss in a wicked OW that never quite gets the upper hand despite trying again and again. Yeah, hold hard against the evil-doers, Ms. Murrey!
Would have been three stars except the hero only believes the h's innocence after they have sex. Jerk. Minimal apology.
August 11, 2021
Do you ever start writing a review and then realize upon reflection of the story that you are actually pissed off and getting angrier at the moment? I mean I didn’t necessarily feel this way while reading it, but now that I am trying to write my thoughts down I have decided that the H really needed to feel some pain. Sometimes I felt like his attitude was too flippant. SPOILERS….SPOILERS….SPOILERS 🛑 NOW IF YOU DON’T WANT PLOT INFORMATION!
Here is my first warning: the H is not celibate during their 5 years apart and in many stories, I can sluff this off. In this story it made me knock off a star. Why was this different for me? Well, to me it was just one more confirmation that he did not love her as much as she loved him. Of course the first time we see his lack of love was on his wedding day to the 18/19 year old h. Here is the h reminding him of that day:
“Wife!' She gave a shrill trill of high, almost hysterical laughter. 'That's a laugh! Who was it wouldn't dirty his hands with a slut like me? Who said I'd defile his bed? Who was it told me the only place he'd have me was in the straw?
Sadly, no it was not satan it was our hero. He was another one of those heroes that added 2 plus 2 and got 100. He has known the heroine forever. Supposedly she gives up her virginity to someone that sounds like a caricature of an alcoholic Ichabod Crane, and poses for a naked portrait. Seriously? I mean I think he was keeping pretty close tabs on the h and I think he would have caught on if she was doing the nasty with someone. Instead of hashing this out, he lets the h go to her bedroom to repent while he whoops it up on the dance floor with the evil ow ON HIS WEDDING NIGHT!!!
The h sneaks away and although our H says he tried looking for her, it was like she disappeared without a trace. Ok, so our H surprisingly wasn’t rich and there was no World Wide Web when this story was written so I will give him a little credit, but after the initial time looking for her, did he ever try again. He was just content to stay married(well I guess since he said this to our h when she asked about his celibacy….
'Five years is a long time, mo creadh and I never took vows of chastity.'
Now I am not educated in the words of the traditional Scottish wedding vows, but here in America we have lines that say something like love and cherish, for better or worse, oh and forsaking all others(come to find out the author wrote a book with this title and that H is even a bigger cheater). Hmm, that pretty much says that you are taking a vow of chastity when it comes to others. Our hero only seem to catch the line about death do us part, as he is unwilling to give a divorce, or in this case it could have been annulled.
Now its five years later and he is still throwing up her slut status to her face. Our h is like yeah, whatever at this point. She doesn’t even try to change his mind.
Seriously, I wish she would go all Darth Vader on his ass. I mean she isn’t a doormat, and she refuses to give into temptation, but the love of her life needs some suffering.
He did save her life from drowning, but then took away his sweater making her walk in her bikini freezing cold, barefoot over stones into his house. He is not adverse to picking her up at any other time in this book and carrying her away, but this time his hands were full of fish. (Ahh true love!) He kidnaps her to stay at his home while the viper ow is there. She gets to listen to them relive old times like “kissing” cousins. The H confirms that he and the ow like to experiment in their youth.(*cough…manwhore!)However, the ow always knew the score. Let’s just say I wouldn’t want to get caught in a game of monopoly with the ow because she would gladly play it for days on end to see who is the winner and she wouldn’t concede defeat.
I mean once again we have an evil ow who keeps biding her time(like 20years!!!)despite the fact that the H has been married the last 5 years. She must not be planning on giving the laird a little bairn, because her eggs aren’t getting any fresher! She has no problem using her weak brother in her evil machinations. I think the h said it best to the hero when she said it might have been better …….
'If Archie'd been born the girl and Sheena, the boy,' she murmured, meeting his eyes squarely. 'A girl can get away with being inadequate—some men seem to like them better that way—if they can't cope.
Basically the ow throws money at the brother for him to do her bidding….he will lie when drunk, which is most of the time. She controls the purse strings, as the father realized early on that it was his daughter “who wore the pants(kilt?). The ow has no love for her brother in fact she says he will most likely be dead in a couple of years.
Linnet felt something very like hate rise in her throat—it was bitter enough for hate. 'That's your own brother you're talking about so casually. Don't you care what happens to him?'
Sheena looked at her blandly. 'Not much. As a brother, he's something of an embarrassment, an expensive embarrassment. You should have been sensible and taken what I offered. Now, if he drinks himself to death—in a way, it'll be your fault, not mine. You wouldn't be able to stop him but you might have delayed the end—he was always a fool about you.'
Well at least our H shows some heart by wanting to work on their relationship with quips like this:
The friendliness vanished. 'No, Linnet. You haven't been listening. We, you and I are on a salvage operation—we haven't much, but we're going to find out if it's enough.'
You've changed your tune.'
With reason, mo creadh.' He turned her to face him and there was no cruelty in his hands.'What we had, part of it is still there after five years. It's only the physical side, I admit, but it hasn't died for either of us, has it. You still want me and I still want you so we'll make that do until we grow together or . . .' He gave her a mocking grin, 'Starvation doesn't seem to have killed it, so that's not the remedy . . .'
He talks of want, and the physical part. He makes no mention of love. Linnet has never wavered in her love for him. She has never looked at another man. She is a 25 year old virgin and likely to remain so. She left because he showed a lack of love and trust. Now he wants her to accept the relationship on lust alone.
I think one of the better scenes in the book happens when the ow says her brother the om is coming to stay. The h calls her out on her lies. Basically letting her know that she has her number. Then the H comes on the scene and he is like that creep isn’t staying here. (I mean he does still believe that the creep slept with his wife) There is a moment between the h and H where one can see the camaraderie they once shared.
The om ends up staying at the house and the h has these thoughts:
How had anybody ever made Piers imagine she'd preferred this weedy, colourless man to him? Archie was a drunk, a gambler and as weak as water—there was no substance to him. Piers followed the direction of her gaze with hard, unforgiving eyes.
Really? Piers still doesn’t see how ridiculous it would be for her to have an affair with this guy. Which tells me again , he couldn’t have loved her much to think she would end up with a guy like that.
I think the last 70 pages of the book were done quite well. The H is constantly doing what he can to keep the h in his vicinity keeping close tabs on her. He doesn’t want to risk her running again, and he has good reason to be afraid that she may do that.
Our h really does have a strong personality. She has a little bit of a martyr complex, but for the most part she speaks her mind and doesn’t hold back. She has a couple of really good speeches in the last 70 pages. She only messes up once when she lets the ow get in her head about the H needing a wealthy wife as he is pretty destitute. This causes the h to run away, but this time to give the H a chance for a life free of debt. He finds her right away, and that leads us to the last chapter which is longer than most.
In the last chapter, the H does the impossible and makes me believe that he really truly loves the h, although it pisses me off that he still didn’t believe in her innocence until he took her innocence.
I am happy that the h is happy. She deserves it. I also believe that the H will be doing some penance for a long time to come.
This is between 2-4 ⭐️ stars as a read goes. I think it gets 1 star for the very strong heroine. 1 star for a satisfying ending. 1 star for a pretty decent story. Oh, and my brain got to read it with a Scottish brogue! Also, shout out to Boogenhagen’s review as she does an excellent job on the heroine’s fine character and the plot information!
Here is my first warning: the H is not celibate during their 5 years apart and in many stories, I can sluff this off. In this story it made me knock off a star. Why was this different for me? Well, to me it was just one more confirmation that he did not love her as much as she loved him. Of course the first time we see his lack of love was on his wedding day to the 18/19 year old h. Here is the h reminding him of that day:
“Wife!' She gave a shrill trill of high, almost hysterical laughter. 'That's a laugh! Who was it wouldn't dirty his hands with a slut like me? Who said I'd defile his bed? Who was it told me the only place he'd have me was in the straw?
Sadly, no it was not satan it was our hero. He was another one of those heroes that added 2 plus 2 and got 100. He has known the heroine forever. Supposedly she gives up her virginity to someone that sounds like a caricature of an alcoholic Ichabod Crane, and poses for a naked portrait. Seriously? I mean I think he was keeping pretty close tabs on the h and I think he would have caught on if she was doing the nasty with someone. Instead of hashing this out, he lets the h go to her bedroom to repent while he whoops it up on the dance floor with the evil ow ON HIS WEDDING NIGHT!!!
The h sneaks away and although our H says he tried looking for her, it was like she disappeared without a trace. Ok, so our H surprisingly wasn’t rich and there was no World Wide Web when this story was written so I will give him a little credit, but after the initial time looking for her, did he ever try again. He was just content to stay married(well I guess since he said this to our h when she asked about his celibacy….
'Five years is a long time, mo creadh and I never took vows of chastity.'
Now I am not educated in the words of the traditional Scottish wedding vows, but here in America we have lines that say something like love and cherish, for better or worse, oh and forsaking all others(come to find out the author wrote a book with this title and that H is even a bigger cheater). Hmm, that pretty much says that you are taking a vow of chastity when it comes to others. Our hero only seem to catch the line about death do us part, as he is unwilling to give a divorce, or in this case it could have been annulled.
Now its five years later and he is still throwing up her slut status to her face. Our h is like yeah, whatever at this point. She doesn’t even try to change his mind.
Seriously, I wish she would go all Darth Vader on his ass. I mean she isn’t a doormat, and she refuses to give into temptation, but the love of her life needs some suffering.
He did save her life from drowning, but then took away his sweater making her walk in her bikini freezing cold, barefoot over stones into his house. He is not adverse to picking her up at any other time in this book and carrying her away, but this time his hands were full of fish. (Ahh true love!) He kidnaps her to stay at his home while the viper ow is there. She gets to listen to them relive old times like “kissing” cousins. The H confirms that he and the ow like to experiment in their youth.(*cough…manwhore!)However, the ow always knew the score. Let’s just say I wouldn’t want to get caught in a game of monopoly with the ow because she would gladly play it for days on end to see who is the winner and she wouldn’t concede defeat.
I mean once again we have an evil ow who keeps biding her time(like 20years!!!)despite the fact that the H has been married the last 5 years. She must not be planning on giving the laird a little bairn, because her eggs aren’t getting any fresher! She has no problem using her weak brother in her evil machinations. I think the h said it best to the hero when she said it might have been better …….
'If Archie'd been born the girl and Sheena, the boy,' she murmured, meeting his eyes squarely. 'A girl can get away with being inadequate—some men seem to like them better that way—if they can't cope.
Basically the ow throws money at the brother for him to do her bidding….he will lie when drunk, which is most of the time. She controls the purse strings, as the father realized early on that it was his daughter “who wore the pants(kilt?). The ow has no love for her brother in fact she says he will most likely be dead in a couple of years.
Linnet felt something very like hate rise in her throat—it was bitter enough for hate. 'That's your own brother you're talking about so casually. Don't you care what happens to him?'
Sheena looked at her blandly. 'Not much. As a brother, he's something of an embarrassment, an expensive embarrassment. You should have been sensible and taken what I offered. Now, if he drinks himself to death—in a way, it'll be your fault, not mine. You wouldn't be able to stop him but you might have delayed the end—he was always a fool about you.'
Well at least our H shows some heart by wanting to work on their relationship with quips like this:
The friendliness vanished. 'No, Linnet. You haven't been listening. We, you and I are on a salvage operation—we haven't much, but we're going to find out if it's enough.'
You've changed your tune.'
With reason, mo creadh.' He turned her to face him and there was no cruelty in his hands.'What we had, part of it is still there after five years. It's only the physical side, I admit, but it hasn't died for either of us, has it. You still want me and I still want you so we'll make that do until we grow together or . . .' He gave her a mocking grin, 'Starvation doesn't seem to have killed it, so that's not the remedy . . .'
He talks of want, and the physical part. He makes no mention of love. Linnet has never wavered in her love for him. She has never looked at another man. She is a 25 year old virgin and likely to remain so. She left because he showed a lack of love and trust. Now he wants her to accept the relationship on lust alone.
I think one of the better scenes in the book happens when the ow says her brother the om is coming to stay. The h calls her out on her lies. Basically letting her know that she has her number. Then the H comes on the scene and he is like that creep isn’t staying here. (I mean he does still believe that the creep slept with his wife) There is a moment between the h and H where one can see the camaraderie they once shared.
The om ends up staying at the house and the h has these thoughts:
How had anybody ever made Piers imagine she'd preferred this weedy, colourless man to him? Archie was a drunk, a gambler and as weak as water—there was no substance to him. Piers followed the direction of her gaze with hard, unforgiving eyes.
Really? Piers still doesn’t see how ridiculous it would be for her to have an affair with this guy. Which tells me again , he couldn’t have loved her much to think she would end up with a guy like that.
I think the last 70 pages of the book were done quite well. The H is constantly doing what he can to keep the h in his vicinity keeping close tabs on her. He doesn’t want to risk her running again, and he has good reason to be afraid that she may do that.
Our h really does have a strong personality. She has a little bit of a martyr complex, but for the most part she speaks her mind and doesn’t hold back. She has a couple of really good speeches in the last 70 pages. She only messes up once when she lets the ow get in her head about the H needing a wealthy wife as he is pretty destitute. This causes the h to run away, but this time to give the H a chance for a life free of debt. He finds her right away, and that leads us to the last chapter which is longer than most.
In the last chapter, the H does the impossible and makes me believe that he really truly loves the h, although it pisses me off that he still didn’t believe in her innocence until he took her innocence.
I am happy that the h is happy. She deserves it. I also believe that the H will be doing some penance for a long time to come.
This is between 2-4 ⭐️ stars as a read goes. I think it gets 1 star for the very strong heroine. 1 star for a satisfying ending. 1 star for a pretty decent story. Oh, and my brain got to read it with a Scottish brogue! Also, shout out to Boogenhagen’s review as she does an excellent job on the heroine’s fine character and the plot information!
September 11, 2020
I visited my parents over Labor Day Weekend and raided my mom’s older Harlequins, so I’ve got a box of these bad boys to enjoy. This is vintage HP, so I’m giving it some wiggle room, because 1985 was a long time ago, and methods change. This one doesn’t have great reviews, and I’m guessing the style might have something to do with it. The book is completely from Linnet’s POV, and the descriptions/interactions are not standard/normal which made for a dull/different experience. For example, Piers is described as having a hawklike face, and his magic member as a slender birch trunk… neither screams sexy or seems desirable. Or, (Sheena) the wannabe OW’s attempts at snark come off like a passive aggressive unapproving grandma. Even the plot device for the split is out there.
Linnet (24) has loved Piers (32) forever, and thought her dreams were coming true when he asked her to marry him. Unfortunately, those dreams went up in flames with the arrival of the wedding gift from Sheena’s brother… a naked portrait of Linnet!! After having her first dance with her new husband whisper shouting that she's a whore in her ear… she runs for the hills.
The book opens 5 years later, with Piers fishing Linnet from the Loch in her scandalous red french-cut silk bikini. She’s pretty feisty and definitely the star of the show. Many have said Piers is cruel, and he is a grouch, but he’s got nothing on the HP H’s from the past 20 years, so if you read soapy-smut… you’ll be fine. Personally, I thought he came off as a broody grumpy 30-yr old grandpa (maybe him and Sheena were perfect for each other) with his stick up his butt.
Bottom Line- I haven’t read a ton of these really old ones, so I’m not sure if the style is typical, but it felt tamer, with much less drama. If you don’t have a box of your mom’s HP books 😊 you can also find the pdf on Scribd.
Linnet (24) has loved Piers (32) forever, and thought her dreams were coming true when he asked her to marry him. Unfortunately, those dreams went up in flames with the arrival of the wedding gift from Sheena’s brother… a naked portrait of Linnet!! After having her first dance with her new husband whisper shouting that she's a whore in her ear… she runs for the hills.
The book opens 5 years later, with Piers fishing Linnet from the Loch in her scandalous red french-cut silk bikini. She’s pretty feisty and definitely the star of the show. Many have said Piers is cruel, and he is a grouch, but he’s got nothing on the HP H’s from the past 20 years, so if you read soapy-smut… you’ll be fine. Personally, I thought he came off as a broody grumpy 30-yr old grandpa (maybe him and Sheena were perfect for each other) with his stick up his butt.
Bottom Line- I haven’t read a ton of these really old ones, so I’m not sure if the style is typical, but it felt tamer, with much less drama. If you don’t have a box of your mom’s HP books 😊 you can also find the pdf on Scribd.
October 31, 2020
I loved the heroine; even if she was silly, she was a very proud and clever ninny. (Yeah, it is an oxymoron but hey, this is HPlandia. Lol)
May 4, 2022
I only liked that the story was set in Scotland.
And the hero wore a kilt.
But he was an a**hole all the same.
He was much older than the heroine, married her, then evil ow with evil junkie om showed him a painting that evil om made of a naked woman, and then told him the heroine was evil om's lover.
The hero was furious and didn't want heroine any more.
She left.
Years later she came back with her employer and the hero was a nasty jerk for all the book and didn't believe her until he had proof she was a virgin.
And he wasn't celibate during their separation, the awful sob.
Nope.
Where is the love here?
He married against his relatives' will and afterwards it took only a evil trick to send her away, and he doesn't want her any more when she came back.
Evil ow was there all the time, and she also had an affair with hero before he met the heroine, and they are cousins.
Yeah, right. The freaks.
So, no, I didn't enjoy this book at all, I only liked the location.
The title should we, we had never loved.
And the hero wore a kilt.
But he was an a**hole all the same.
He was much older than the heroine, married her, then evil ow with evil junkie om showed him a painting that evil om made of a naked woman, and then told him the heroine was evil om's lover.
The hero was furious and didn't want heroine any more.
She left.
Years later she came back with her employer and the hero was a nasty jerk for all the book and didn't believe her until he had proof she was a virgin.
And he wasn't celibate during their separation, the awful sob.
Nope.
Where is the love here?
He married against his relatives' will and afterwards it took only a evil trick to send her away, and he doesn't want her any more when she came back.
Evil ow was there all the time, and she also had an affair with hero before he met the heroine, and they are cousins.
Yeah, right. The freaks.
So, no, I didn't enjoy this book at all, I only liked the location.
The title should we, we had never loved.
May 21, 2016
Linnet had loved Piers since she was a child, when she grew into a teenager and adult Piers set his attentions on her. Even though Piers was quite a lot older than Linnet, he loved her and in turn against his families wishes, he married her.
Sheena has always wanted to marry Piers and her brother Archie is easily manipulated into helping her. When Piers went against his families wishes and married Linnet instead of her, it was time for revenge.
When Linnet was accused of sleeping with Sheena's brother Archie, Piers looked at her with disgust He didn't believe or trust her. She couldn't bare to see the contempt in his eyes, so in turn, she ran away on their wedding night.
Five years later Linnet is back in the village and when Piers saves her from a drowning incident, he wants to keep her. So he tells her that she must stay with him in his glen. Linnet is confused and Sheena is harassing her more and more daily to leave Piers but Linnet loves Piers fiercely and refuses to give up.
Until Sheena tells her something that changes her mind, she doesn't want to trap Piers, she wants to have him make his own choices, so she runs away again. Piers is onto Linnet, he knows that she has ran again and this time, he isn't letting her go.
The book was okay, once again nothing special about it unless you count the fact it's a Scottish Highlanderish type book. I can't say I was all that impressed but I didn't hate it. I wished they would of confronted Sheena at the end, it would of made a perfect ending but they didn't, so it kind of killed the book for me personally.
Sheena has always wanted to marry Piers and her brother Archie is easily manipulated into helping her. When Piers went against his families wishes and married Linnet instead of her, it was time for revenge.
When Linnet was accused of sleeping with Sheena's brother Archie, Piers looked at her with disgust He didn't believe or trust her. She couldn't bare to see the contempt in his eyes, so in turn, she ran away on their wedding night.
Five years later Linnet is back in the village and when Piers saves her from a drowning incident, he wants to keep her. So he tells her that she must stay with him in his glen. Linnet is confused and Sheena is harassing her more and more daily to leave Piers but Linnet loves Piers fiercely and refuses to give up.
Until Sheena tells her something that changes her mind, she doesn't want to trap Piers, she wants to have him make his own choices, so she runs away again. Piers is onto Linnet, he knows that she has ran again and this time, he isn't letting her go.
The book was okay, once again nothing special about it unless you count the fact it's a Scottish Highlanderish type book. I can't say I was all that impressed but I didn't hate it. I wished they would of confronted Sheena at the end, it would of made a perfect ending but they didn't, so it kind of killed the book for me personally.
October 29, 2011
Read if you are turned on by men in kilts who show you no teensy weensy concern even after fishing you half-dead out of a loch THEN sadistically asks for his woolen sweater back to make you traipse around his house in nothing but your undies though he must know you’re in shock after your ordeal.
The first chapter alone turned me off this guy but I kept on because I wanted to see what great injury he had thought he suffered from the girl to reject her on their wedding night. And it was nothing but a portrait of the girl naked. He threw her out because he thought she had slept with the artist. He said he wouldn’t dirty his hands and defile his bed with a slut like her. Lame. And he further said he would only have her in the straw. Double lame.
The weird part is she was just as savage as he was… kicking, scratching, constantly running away, shoeless. She was no wimpering miss even when she was bundled in a rug, trussed up with a belt and kidnapped like the maiden of yore by a marauding barbarian. But she was a dolt for tolerating such accusations without whacking him with the claymore he had deposited in the middle of their bed or poking him with the dirk he had offered her too.
I’d rather go scot-free.
The first chapter alone turned me off this guy but I kept on because I wanted to see what great injury he had thought he suffered from the girl to reject her on their wedding night. And it was nothing but a portrait of the girl naked. He threw her out because he thought she had slept with the artist. He said he wouldn’t dirty his hands and defile his bed with a slut like her. Lame. And he further said he would only have her in the straw. Double lame.
The weird part is she was just as savage as he was… kicking, scratching, constantly running away, shoeless. She was no wimpering miss even when she was bundled in a rug, trussed up with a belt and kidnapped like the maiden of yore by a marauding barbarian. But she was a dolt for tolerating such accusations without whacking him with the claymore he had deposited in the middle of their bed or poking him with the dirk he had offered her too.
I’d rather go scot-free.
April 11, 2012
No one else seems to have liked this one, but I did. I haven't read much highlander/Scottish stuff, so it was a little disconcerting at first (I thought it was a creepy form of baby talk when the heroine started referring to the hero as "Himself," as in "Himself did this"). I thought the characters were kind of fun -- yes they argued a lot, but they were both pretty equal and it made sense because of their fiery personalities. I didn't think they were going to stop the verbal sparring even after the HEA -- it was just part of their relationship. Anyway, mostly I liked this because it was a good level of emotional tension and underneath the arguing you could tell by the hero's actions that he had never stopped loving the heroine. So, I'm going against the crowd with 4 stars for this one.
Also, even though usually I like traditional names (I don't care really in HPs, but for my own kids at least), I kind of loved the name Linnet. It might have been a mix of liking the name and the character, but whatever it was, I thought it was really pretty.
Also, even though usually I like traditional names (I don't care really in HPs, but for my own kids at least), I kind of loved the name Linnet. It might have been a mix of liking the name and the character, but whatever it was, I thought it was really pretty.
June 8, 2021
She'd run out on Piers right after the wedding
Against his family's wishes, Piers had married Linnet instead of his wealthy cousin Sheena. Their love had seemed invincible until the arrival of a certain wedding present that had prompted Piers to accuse Linnet of carrying on with Sheena's brother.
Nothing had changed much in five years. Pier's desire for Linnet was as strong as ever--but not as potent as his belief in her guilt...
To reclaim Linnet's love, Piers would have to believe in her innocence, or beter still, love her... no matter what!
Against his family's wishes, Piers had married Linnet instead of his wealthy cousin Sheena. Their love had seemed invincible until the arrival of a certain wedding present that had prompted Piers to accuse Linnet of carrying on with Sheena's brother.
Nothing had changed much in five years. Pier's desire for Linnet was as strong as ever--but not as potent as his belief in her guilt...
To reclaim Linnet's love, Piers would have to believe in her innocence, or beter still, love her... no matter what!
May 12, 2024
I have been on a major Harley kick, largely attributed to my recent discovery of open library, which means that I can sneakily read Harlies that are not on Kindle on my iPhone - cannot begin to describe the joy it gives me to not have to schlep a paperback around (not to mention that I can surreptitiously read on line at shops, while my family is trying to talk to me, etc). I read Harleys almost exclusively for the OW drama, the angst - they don't do it like they used to! But, many of the heroines are sort of simpering so it was an incredibly pleasant surprise to find this author, this book, and this heroine. The heroine is independent, no doormat at all, and very likeable. The book itself is hilarious - hero and heroine are equally matched and jab at each other in very funnily insulting ways. Heroine is wrongfully accused of cheating, which lead to a 5 year separation, and anyone who enjoys the hero eating crow will enjoy this too (although I could have used with a lengthier grovel, heroine was more forgiving that I would have been).
February 22, 2014
The same type of girl meets guy story; they like each other, things are going well until something or someone comes into the picture to derail them, they work through it and live happily ever after.
March 29, 2021
2.5 stars ⭐️ This did not have enough happening in it. I did like how h resisted the H until practically the end.
March 13, 2025
Had you never loved, maybe you would have been better, happier people! But alas, you did 'love" (and I use that loosely), and it ended up bringing put your worst character traits, especially the H, who really got on my nerves (though the h was no picnic, either)! And to top it off, while Scotland accents can be charming, in this book they were MURDER!!!
One thing that annoys me is all those situations where a misunderstanding happens because someone is so ridiculous that they take things at face value, rather than search for the real story. Too many times, it's the h who's to blame, under the influence of the troublemaking OW, but in this case it's the H who's at fault, and both the OW and her equally troublemaking brother (the OM, so to speak) convince him to thin k the worst of the h, who - ironically - he just married! UNBELIEVABLE!!!
I remember an episode of "The Dick Van Dyke Show", where Laura had posed for an artist fully clothed, but he painted her nude without her permission. When she told Rob he was furious with the artist, but believed Laura when she told him what happened, never accused her of lying or doubted her word.
That's how the H should have been, instead of hurling insults (at their wedding reception, of all places) and paying attention to the OW (a selfish, entitled person whom the H once had a fling with, despite their being cousins, YECK!!!). No wonder the h became a runaway bride!
When you really couldn't care less whether or not the couple get their HEA, you know you're wasting your time reading the book. So, it became a
DNF
One thing that annoys me is all those situations where a misunderstanding happens because someone is so ridiculous that they take things at face value, rather than search for the real story. Too many times, it's the h who's to blame, under the influence of the troublemaking OW, but in this case it's the H who's at fault, and both the OW and her equally troublemaking brother (the OM, so to speak) convince him to thin k the worst of the h, who - ironically - he just married! UNBELIEVABLE!!!
I remember an episode of "The Dick Van Dyke Show", where Laura had posed for an artist fully clothed, but he painted her nude without her permission. When she told Rob he was furious with the artist, but believed Laura when she told him what happened, never accused her of lying or doubted her word.
That's how the H should have been, instead of hurling insults (at their wedding reception, of all places) and paying attention to the OW (a selfish, entitled person whom the H once had a fling with, despite their being cousins, YECK!!!). No wonder the h became a runaway bride!
When you really couldn't care less whether or not the couple get their HEA, you know you're wasting your time reading the book. So, it became a
DNF
May 15, 2024
This story begins with heroine's life flashing before her eyes as she is drowning. It's an economical way to cover a lot of backstory while keeping up the tension. Unfortunately, this neat trick of writing is never replicated because the author choses to substitute bicker-fest for character development.
Heroine is rescued by her estranged husband who terrorizes her all the way back to his castle until she faints. Then she wakes up in the room where their marriage stopped before it started. What happened you asked?
In short, the jealous OW had her brother paint a nude portrait of the heroine as a wedding gift. Hero loses his tiny mind. He thinks the 18 year old heroine had an affair with the alcoholic artist and now he's disgraced forever. Heroine runs away for five years and now she's back.
Boogenhagen has all the details in her comprehensive review. Unless you like constant bickering or just want to marvel at the slut shaming and examples of how not to argue, you'll enjoy her review more. Trust.
Heroine is rescued by her estranged husband who terrorizes her all the way back to his castle until she faints. Then she wakes up in the room where their marriage stopped before it started. What happened you asked?
In short, the jealous OW had her brother paint a nude portrait of the heroine as a wedding gift. Hero loses his tiny mind. He thinks the 18 year old heroine had an affair with the alcoholic artist and now he's disgraced forever. Heroine runs away for five years and now she's back.
Boogenhagen has all the details in her comprehensive review. Unless you like constant bickering or just want to marvel at the slut shaming and examples of how not to argue, you'll enjoy her review more. Trust.
February 27, 2020
This book was certainly a pile of nonsense. Hero is just grabby and threatening the entire book. Our heroine has a backbone then mysteriously does everything the hero wants. Was this all Ruby’s plan? If so why were we not told, we never met her. Hero thought a name painting...of a woman he already slept with was his bride. He doesn’t believe anything she says and dismisses her reasons. He of course is contrite after sleeping with the heroine and knows she didn’t cheat on him. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Would you have believed her after calling her a slut on her wedding day. The other woman? Nothing happened to her.”, just didn’t get the hero. Sigh skip. It’s too much of a mess. I think the author though has a good writing style but this genre does them no favors.
April 11, 2024
2.5 stars???
I was a bit exhausted & let down. The climax just didn’t feel a bit climatic at all. And where was the love?
I’m not one to ever mind the bantering, but man, MCs really needed a break here. Hero once say she talks a lot & I wholeheartedly agrees! Heroine was the type to want the last word for every little thing, just because she can? Again, romance is very minimal: you blink, you miss out. Hero was kind of nonexistent, not a very memorable or interesting man. Heroine had more heart to heart talk with OW & the supposed OM.
I was a bit exhausted & let down. The climax just didn’t feel a bit climatic at all. And where was the love?
I’m not one to ever mind the bantering, but man, MCs really needed a break here. Hero once say she talks a lot & I wholeheartedly agrees! Heroine was the type to want the last word for every little thing, just because she can? Again, romance is very minimal: you blink, you miss out. Hero was kind of nonexistent, not a very memorable or interesting man. Heroine had more heart to heart talk with OW & the supposed OM.
February 13, 2020
The book was written almost 35 years ago but it feels timeless as the h is still the simpering virgin who runs away from marriage without consummation. The H is an idiot who believes in the other woman and her brother more than his wife. Despite all of H's idiocy and cruelty the h fell in love with him when she was 10 years old and marries the much older H as a teenager and 5 years later falls in love with him as soon as he has sex with her!
March 10, 2025
The H was a real a**hole. She should have gotten the marriage annulled and stayed very far away forever. Threats of beating and SA because of a painting? Not even film, a painting. The guy was an idiot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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March 3, 2024Old books
July 5, 2025
Not sure what I read
September 8, 2024
This was apparently a second reading for me though I remembered not one word from my 2021 reading.
This is vintage Harlequin all the way. Angst from start to finish, lack of communication and maturity the cause of their problem, leading to rediscovery, renewed feelings denied or buried along the path to their HEA.
The end was a little quick, no comeuppance for the protagonist, a touch of paranormal.
It was a good story. Reminding me of my teen years when I devoured these books for breakfast, lunch and supper.
This is vintage Harlequin all the way. Angst from start to finish, lack of communication and maturity the cause of their problem, leading to rediscovery, renewed feelings denied or buried along the path to their HEA.
The end was a little quick, no comeuppance for the protagonist, a touch of paranormal.
It was a good story. Reminding me of my teen years when I devoured these books for breakfast, lunch and supper.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews