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The Dominant Male
"He knows what he wants"
Rhiannon was happily engaged to Bobby, who only offered her friendship and security. She thought she didn't want or need anything else--until she met Gabriel Stone.
He had the name of an angel, but the reputation of a sinner--and he was determined to unleash the suppressed passion he sensed in Rhiannon. She told herself that all she felt for this dominant male was sexual attraction--but then, to her horror, she realized she'd fallen in love..
Rhiannon was happily engaged to Bobby, who only offered her friendship and security. She thought she didn't want or need anything else--until she met Gabriel Stone.
He had the name of an angel, but the reputation of a sinner--and he was determined to unleash the suppressed passion he sensed in Rhiannon. She told herself that all she felt for this dominant male was sexual attraction--but then, to her horror, she realized she'd fallen in love..
189 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 10, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 23, 2010
Well, this was certainly a dramatic book, Harlequin Presents-style. At times, it seemed over the top. The hero Gabriel would say the most outrageous things, and it seemed to make Rhiannon equally angry and burning with lust. I didn't know whether to laugh or say, WTH. But this book ended up sneaking in on me. Underneath the brash, uber-dominant hero's demeanor is a man who is in love, and has a master plan to get his woman, even if he has to steal her away from her fiance.
Rhiannon had a very traumatic experience with her last boyfriend, which made her bury her nascent sexuality. With Bobby, her fiance, it was easy to maintain a platonic relationship, since he's in cold storage with all his Mommy Issues. But Gabriel Stone is larger than life. He's a "Dominant Man" who calls to the intensely female part of her, the part that wants to be submissive. I was pretty surprised when I found out what Rhiannon's dark secret was. Not something I expected to read in an older HP book.
To be honest, I had a few eye-rolling moments with all the Dominant/Submissive stuff. At the same time, I was pretty surprised to see this in a Harlequin Presents that's at least ten years old, probably older. That part kind of missed the boat with me. But I liked the devotion and love that Gabriel showed for Rhiannon. I liked their bantering too (eye-rolling moments included). It was pretty sexy, if I may say so. Good book. I hope to read more of Sarah Holland's books. She has a very lively style that definitely kept me entertained with this quick read--it only took me about 1.5 hours to finish it.
Rhiannon had a very traumatic experience with her last boyfriend, which made her bury her nascent sexuality. With Bobby, her fiance, it was easy to maintain a platonic relationship, since he's in cold storage with all his Mommy Issues. But Gabriel Stone is larger than life. He's a "Dominant Man" who calls to the intensely female part of her, the part that wants to be submissive. I was pretty surprised when I found out what Rhiannon's dark secret was. Not something I expected to read in an older HP book.
To be honest, I had a few eye-rolling moments with all the Dominant/Submissive stuff. At the same time, I was pretty surprised to see this in a Harlequin Presents that's at least ten years old, probably older. That part kind of missed the boat with me. But I liked the devotion and love that Gabriel showed for Rhiannon. I liked their bantering too (eye-rolling moments included). It was pretty sexy, if I may say so. Good book. I hope to read more of Sarah Holland's books. She has a very lively style that definitely kept me entertained with this quick read--it only took me about 1.5 hours to finish it.
December 27, 2022
"The Dominant Male" is a very sexy and enthralling harlequin romance that just swooned me away into fairyland. I was so torn up with being fascinated, shocked and laughing out loud when it came to the irresistible Gabriel Stone who refused a no for an answer. I mean this man was literally a sex walking god in touch with his romantic beliefs which gets resurrected when he meets the beautiful gypsy Rhiannon at a charity event. He blatantly reveals his sexual interest in her and refuses to let her off the hook even when she tells him off or that she is engaged to another man. Gabriel is a force of his own, and like Rhiannnon i found him totally delectable. Ahhhhh
I must admit that i don`t find cold heroes that much alluring anymore, therefore Gabriel`s passionate pursuit of his heroine totally made my heart beat faster. The way he destroyed all the obstacles standing in his way of getting her. Sarah Holland made a keeper out of this one, Rhiannon stood no chance in resisting Gabriel, and she knew it.
I must admit that i don`t find cold heroes that much alluring anymore, therefore Gabriel`s passionate pursuit of his heroine totally made my heart beat faster. The way he destroyed all the obstacles standing in his way of getting her. Sarah Holland made a keeper out of this one, Rhiannon stood no chance in resisting Gabriel, and she knew it.
July 4, 2020
He could easily either break down the door or come in through the back-alley and the French windows. If he got her alone, she'd never resist him. She was too crazy about him.
"The Dominant Male" is the story of Rhiannon and Gabriel.
Insane and enjoyable!
This is the story of the heroine's sexual awakening. Devastated by a past affair, she is now engaged to a sedate man, who treats her more like a friend and a sister. That is when the hero enters her life. Not only does he arouse wild lust in her, he also refuses to accept her denial of her passions. How he coaxes the very reluctant woman out of her shell- while she is equally horny for him forms the story.
Crazy jealous hero and heroine! For once, we saw an heroine who was as attracted to the hero as he was to her. There is some OW/ OM drama, with their exes but nothing beats their lust for each other. After looooads of reluctance, truth is finally acknowledged and we get their long awaited happy ending.
Totally enjoyed it.
Safe for me
4/5
"The Dominant Male" is the story of Rhiannon and Gabriel.
Insane and enjoyable!
This is the story of the heroine's sexual awakening. Devastated by a past affair, she is now engaged to a sedate man, who treats her more like a friend and a sister. That is when the hero enters her life. Not only does he arouse wild lust in her, he also refuses to accept her denial of her passions. How he coaxes the very reluctant woman out of her shell- while she is equally horny for him forms the story.
Crazy jealous hero and heroine! For once, we saw an heroine who was as attracted to the hero as he was to her. There is some OW/ OM drama, with their exes but nothing beats their lust for each other. After looooads of reluctance, truth is finally acknowledged and we get their long awaited happy ending.
Totally enjoyed it.
Safe for me
4/5
January 28, 2013
Ok, so if your grandmother wants to read 50 Shades (and hasn't already) give her this book instead.
January 23, 2022
~ “I’ve decided that I want you now, and that means there’ll be no stopping me. Within the month you’ll be my woman, my lover - and this phoney engagement will be a thing of the past.” ~
The h is engaged to the OM when she meets the H. The h was hurt in the past by another man. She doesn’t want to experience that again and that’s why she chooses to be safe with the OM, who doesn’t want to make love to her. She’s not a virgin anymore but it wasn’t rape with that other (first) man, she says. The story is about her trying to resist the relentlessly pursuing H.
I was really enjoying reading this because the H is such an alpha male, so dominant, so powerful, so sexy, and he swept me off my feet.
I was feeling like being in a romantic dream. Thinking this may be one of the best HP’s that I have ever read and that I would probably like to read it again. Falling in love with the alpha male H.
Even the h being a slimy, nasty hypocrite, cheating on her fiancé with the H, and after that she thinks her fiancé is despicable because her fiancé is mad that he found her naked with the H and because he doesn’t want to talk to her and he doesn’t want to remain friends with her, even her selfish crap didn’t wake me up from this awesome, romantic dream.
But then near the end, when she told him her secret, that ruined it all for me. Her secret destroyed the dream. Why, oh why, did the writer do that to this story. Why. Why. Why.
Now I just want to forget about this book.
The h is engaged to the OM when she meets the H. The h was hurt in the past by another man. She doesn’t want to experience that again and that’s why she chooses to be safe with the OM, who doesn’t want to make love to her. She’s not a virgin anymore but it wasn’t rape with that other (first) man, she says. The story is about her trying to resist the relentlessly pursuing H.
I was really enjoying reading this because the H is such an alpha male, so dominant, so powerful, so sexy, and he swept me off my feet.
I was feeling like being in a romantic dream. Thinking this may be one of the best HP’s that I have ever read and that I would probably like to read it again. Falling in love with the alpha male H.
Even the h being a slimy, nasty hypocrite, cheating on her fiancé with the H, and after that she thinks her fiancé is despicable because her fiancé is mad that he found her naked with the H and because he doesn’t want to talk to her and he doesn’t want to remain friends with her, even her selfish crap didn’t wake me up from this awesome, romantic dream.
But then near the end, when she told him her secret, that ruined it all for me. Her secret destroyed the dream. Why, oh why, did the writer do that to this story. Why. Why. Why.
Now I just want to forget about this book.
November 21, 2019
Gabriel Stone is one of those heroes we just love to hate on, but ugh, he ended up charming me, anyway, even though he is a self-proclaimed “proud chauvinist” and sexually harasses the heroine at every opportunity. If Gabriel Stone were an IRL character, he’d be one of the powerful men being currently brought down by the #Metoo movement and it’d be a shame because by the end of the book, he’d presumably become a reformed rake and going to be living a happily ever after with the heroine and in twenty-five years, have a handful of grown kids and touring the Caribbean with heroine in their giant yacht or something. But because he has to face all his accusers accrued over years of being a sexually harassing chauvinist pig, he’d probably lose a bunch of his money and the numerous court cases would put a strain on his marriage, and Rhiannon and the children would probably leave him. Good thing Gabriel Stone is not a real-life person!
Rhiannon is engaged to Bobby Pratt (perfect name for an asshole second banana) when she meets Gabriel Stone at a charity function where she’s dressed as some offensive Romani stereotype fortune teller, reading tarot cards for the guests. Rhiannon has a gift of the second sight and the cards tell her Gabriel Stone is trouble. The second the man enters her tent and touches her, Rhiannon’s life is turned upside-down. She had never felt such intense sexual attraction with anyone before and that’s a big, bright red flag because she’s engaged to be married and her relationship with Bobby Pratt is pretty chaste. Gabriel Stone wants her and won’t take no for answer, insisting she will become his, no matter what. He even donates one thousand pounds to the charity without blinking. To prove that their interaction means nothing her, Rhiannon rushes over to Bobby to seek affection, kissing him in front of polite society, but her fiancé is horrified as usual, as he believes public displays of affection are disgusting.
Meanwhile, Rhiannon’s troubles with Gabriel Stone are just starting. She works as a creative director at a successful ad agency and GS has just approached her company to take over the advertising for his very exclusive and expensive watch (exclusively for men) brand. The catch: he wants Rhiannon to do the project. Rhiannon doesn’t want to do it, of course, because she doesn’t want anything more to do with GS, but GS is in cahoots with her boss and is threatening to get her fired. GS also has blackmail material on her: years ago, the company almost lost a major account due to Rhiannon’s naivete, but her quick thinking also saved it. Her boss never knew about the cause of the leak that almost cost them the account and GS is threatening to tell him all about it if Rhiannon won’t work with him. All together now: what a dick! GS invites Rhiannon to his house for dinner and sends her an outfit for her to wear, which is a slave harem girl costume. Rhiannon is outraged, so she puts on her most professional outfit and brings her portfolio to go to GS’s dinner party. As it turns out, the costume was a test to see if Rhiannon would actually do it and she didn’t, so she passed! At dinner, GS shows her a giant painting in his dining room of a beautiful woman lying prostrate at a man’s feet, looking seductive and submissive, yet triumphant at the same time. GS tells Rhiannon that the woman is his idea of a perfect mate and that someday, he intends Rhiannon to be this woman for him.
HALT!! SPOILERS BELOW!!! IMPORTANT PLOT POINTS AND WHATNOT REVEALED!!
Rhiannon is supremely attracted to Gabriel because he’s very dominant and take-charge and this appeals to the secret sexually submissive in her, but she’s ashamed of it because of a very bad experience when she was younger, which is why she sought a prig like Bobby Pratt, with whom she has been in a sexless, affectionless relationship for five years. She was involved with a man called Jack Ratchett (another aptly named character) who got annoyed with her for being so prudish that he manipulated her and tied her up, then played with her. She didn’t have an orgasm or anything, but the experience of being so helpless while being tied up sexually excited her and she was afraid she was some kind of sexual deviant for feeling that way. It made her feel dirty, so she went the complete opposite direction in an effort to cleanse herself, but ultimately, her womanly passions will not be denied and her body cries out for GS, even though she knows he might lead to her downfall. Of course, Bobby accuses her of being the Whore of Babylon and with the help of his mother, makes Rhiannon feel like the sluttiest, most slatternly, dirtiest slag in all of London, so she tries even harder to stay away from GS.
GS, for all of his faults, actually thinks the world of Rhiannon’s talents. He genuinely admires her work as a creative director of a successful advertising agency and backs her all the way in a male-dominated field. The slogan for the watch that Rhiannon comes up with is: “For the man who controls everything, even in time” and the chauvinistic muckity-mucks at Gabriel’s company love it. The men at the board meeting tell her that it’s obvious there must be a chauvinist in her life that she loves, for that is the only way she could produce such an ad, and that is how she realizes that she must love GS, indeed. LOL. Sure, he’s a domineering, arrogant, chauvinistic pig, but at least he actually respects her as a person and doesn’t think she’s a loose-moraled slutbag whore who spreads her shit around town like it’s the nineties and she’s Sharon Stone or something, for having sexual feelings and desires like a normal person.
Gabriel Stone is really the quintessential Harlequin Presents Hero™. He’s wealthy, arrogant, cocksure, and ridiculously handsome. The thing is, he knows it and is self-aware, which is his special charm. I especially enjoyed this exchange:
Rhiannon is engaged to Bobby Pratt (perfect name for an asshole second banana) when she meets Gabriel Stone at a charity function where she’s dressed as some offensive Romani stereotype fortune teller, reading tarot cards for the guests. Rhiannon has a gift of the second sight and the cards tell her Gabriel Stone is trouble. The second the man enters her tent and touches her, Rhiannon’s life is turned upside-down. She had never felt such intense sexual attraction with anyone before and that’s a big, bright red flag because she’s engaged to be married and her relationship with Bobby Pratt is pretty chaste. Gabriel Stone wants her and won’t take no for answer, insisting she will become his, no matter what. He even donates one thousand pounds to the charity without blinking. To prove that their interaction means nothing her, Rhiannon rushes over to Bobby to seek affection, kissing him in front of polite society, but her fiancé is horrified as usual, as he believes public displays of affection are disgusting.
Meanwhile, Rhiannon’s troubles with Gabriel Stone are just starting. She works as a creative director at a successful ad agency and GS has just approached her company to take over the advertising for his very exclusive and expensive watch (exclusively for men) brand. The catch: he wants Rhiannon to do the project. Rhiannon doesn’t want to do it, of course, because she doesn’t want anything more to do with GS, but GS is in cahoots with her boss and is threatening to get her fired. GS also has blackmail material on her: years ago, the company almost lost a major account due to Rhiannon’s naivete, but her quick thinking also saved it. Her boss never knew about the cause of the leak that almost cost them the account and GS is threatening to tell him all about it if Rhiannon won’t work with him. All together now: what a dick! GS invites Rhiannon to his house for dinner and sends her an outfit for her to wear, which is a slave harem girl costume. Rhiannon is outraged, so she puts on her most professional outfit and brings her portfolio to go to GS’s dinner party. As it turns out, the costume was a test to see if Rhiannon would actually do it and she didn’t, so she passed! At dinner, GS shows her a giant painting in his dining room of a beautiful woman lying prostrate at a man’s feet, looking seductive and submissive, yet triumphant at the same time. GS tells Rhiannon that the woman is his idea of a perfect mate and that someday, he intends Rhiannon to be this woman for him.
HALT!! SPOILERS BELOW!!! IMPORTANT PLOT POINTS AND WHATNOT REVEALED!!
Rhiannon is supremely attracted to Gabriel because he’s very dominant and take-charge and this appeals to the secret sexually submissive in her, but she’s ashamed of it because of a very bad experience when she was younger, which is why she sought a prig like Bobby Pratt, with whom she has been in a sexless, affectionless relationship for five years. She was involved with a man called Jack Ratchett (another aptly named character) who got annoyed with her for being so prudish that he manipulated her and tied her up, then played with her. She didn’t have an orgasm or anything, but the experience of being so helpless while being tied up sexually excited her and she was afraid she was some kind of sexual deviant for feeling that way. It made her feel dirty, so she went the complete opposite direction in an effort to cleanse herself, but ultimately, her womanly passions will not be denied and her body cries out for GS, even though she knows he might lead to her downfall. Of course, Bobby accuses her of being the Whore of Babylon and with the help of his mother, makes Rhiannon feel like the sluttiest, most slatternly, dirtiest slag in all of London, so she tries even harder to stay away from GS.
GS, for all of his faults, actually thinks the world of Rhiannon’s talents. He genuinely admires her work as a creative director of a successful advertising agency and backs her all the way in a male-dominated field. The slogan for the watch that Rhiannon comes up with is: “For the man who controls everything, even in time” and the chauvinistic muckity-mucks at Gabriel’s company love it. The men at the board meeting tell her that it’s obvious there must be a chauvinist in her life that she loves, for that is the only way she could produce such an ad, and that is how she realizes that she must love GS, indeed. LOL. Sure, he’s a domineering, arrogant, chauvinistic pig, but at least he actually respects her as a person and doesn’t think she’s a loose-moraled slutbag whore who spreads her shit around town like it’s the nineties and she’s Sharon Stone or something, for having sexual feelings and desires like a normal person.
Gabriel Stone is really the quintessential Harlequin Presents Hero™. He’s wealthy, arrogant, cocksure, and ridiculously handsome. The thing is, he knows it and is self-aware, which is his special charm. I especially enjoyed this exchange:
She kissed him, whispering, "I love everything you are."That’s just so classic Gabriel. He does a lot of objectionable things in this book that’ll make you want to beat him with a cartoony over-sized mallet, but there’s just something about him that’s kind of adorable. He does seem to genuinely want and admire Rhiannon and compared to the other scum-suckers in Rhiannon’s life, he really is a prince. Which is not saying much, to be honest. There is something that bothered me, which might bother some of you as well: Rhiannon, after some token protests, doesn’t hesitate to full-on make out with Gabriel even though she is in a relationship with Bobby the whole time. Is it because she doesn’t see him as a man? I know Bobby is a dillweed and a prat, but Rhiannon cheats on him, so this makes her a Cheating Heroine. Based on my Harlequin Morality Scale™, it’s a bad thing, but… what do you guys think?
"Ditto," he murmured huskily, kissing her.
December 4, 2013
Totally reminded me why I took a break from reading older HPs.
From the very beginning it was....
"I hate you!"
"I hate you!"
"I hate you!"
"I hate you! You're a monster!"
"I hate you!"
"I hate you!"
Then 94% into the book it changes to....
"I love you, I can't live without you! Take me to the bedroom for some sexytimes!"
Gah.
From the very beginning it was....
"I hate you!"
"I hate you!"
"I hate you!"
"I hate you! You're a monster!"
"I hate you!"
"I hate you!"
Then 94% into the book it changes to....
"I love you, I can't live without you! Take me to the bedroom for some sexytimes!"
Gah.
January 12, 2023
Nice title, nice cover, dreadfully callow and hammy book. Way too overt to have the necessary tension. I was predisposed to liking the H, Gabriel Stone (Gabriel Byrne is an old favourite and the cover male had the right vibe) but he lacked subtlety so his Dom assertions were all a bit too Andrew Tate. Rhiannon, the h in a 5 year sexless engagement with OM, was bizarre. Her first sexual experience involved a bit of BDSM and because she'd enjoyed it she thought there was something terribly wrong with her hence Bobby the Bonerless fiance. There was an unconvincing OW and a touch of blackmail by the H. I ended up skimming. I applaud the final messaging: "Darling we're all human. We all have strange and sometimes forbidden desires. Sex is a natural reflection of every colour of the soul." I just wasn't that impressed with the delivery.
February 22, 2017
I’m a spoiler. Not because I want to discourage/encourage anyone in reading this book. I just want to write the highlights for me to remember by in the future. (There are really instances when I forgot about the story and I don’t want to waste my time in re-reading books that have bad plots.)
Haaaaaa???!! That's what I always asked when I read through the end.
I don't get why h is so jealous with H's ex when infact h is the one cheating. She should have told her fiance at the very start that she wanted to end things or what before she jumped to H's machinations. Arrrrgghh..! And blame it to the fiance's mother - blah blah blah. h cheated period - she should not blame it to her fiance about her sexless relationship (because SHE was the one who wanted her relationship with Bobby the fiance, a sexless one gahh!).
And oh H? I'm not pretty sure but are you sure that h will not leave you in the future? If she cheated on her fiance (with you) well... if she meets another specimen who is better in BDSM lifestyle than you (I'm not even sure if you are into BDSM) then bye bye H!
I think I would want to read Bobby's story in the future. I like the ones with a puritanical H but a god when it comes to bed-scenes hahahaha!
I just can't get over the fact that the fiance walked on H and h in their lovemaking session...er... foreplay rather. It's just AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH....!!
January 22, 2021
Απορώ με τις υψηλές βαθμολογίες!Άρχισα να αναρωτιέμαι,αν διάβασα άλλο βιβλίο,όχι αυτό διάβασα!Ανιαρό και επαναλαμβανόμενο !Μια υστερική αναποφάσιστη ηρωίδα που δεν ήξερε πραγματικά τι της γινόταν ! Για τον αρραβωνιαστικό της ειδικά αρχισα να σκέφτομαι ότι κατέβηκε απο τον Αρη!Η πλοκή του βιβλίου ανύπαρκτη και γελοία, χωρίς καμία αληθοφάνεια !Οι διάλογοι που έβλεπα συνεχώς μπροστά μου Φύγει!Σε μισώ! Φύγε!Σε μισώ! Ρηχά συναισθήματα και εμβάθυνση χαρακτήρων μηδαμινή!Πλήρης απογοήτευση ,(έτσι εξηγείται που το "σβαρνίζω "" τόσες μέρες χωρίς να έχω τη διάθεση να το τελειώσω)απο μια συγγραφέα που έδωσε εξαιρετικά δείγματα δουλειάς.Το 2 αστεράκια μπήκαν μόνο και μόνο για την υπομονή του ήρωα , όσο για τη δική μου ;
Στάθηκα large στη βαθμολογία έτοιμη να πατήσω το 1 ήμουν !
Στάθηκα large στη βαθμολογία έτοιμη να πατήσω το 1 ήμουν !
April 4, 2011
bad title but enjoyable
Basic story line: girl meets powerful multi millionaire and there is immediate sizzle. She is engaged to a big wet wimp who is allergic to sex. Heroine had had a disturbing experience when she lost her virginity, in that it was particularly painful, her partner then tied her up which she feels bad about because she enjoyed it but immediately afterwards he dumped her leaving her with a huge hang up about sex.
The hero is also into dominance which the heroine finds herself falling for almost at once. this is done on an emotional level and there are no explicit sex scenes in this respect.
there are the typical misunderstandings featured in these books.
towards the end of the book the hero explains that that the heroine's desires don't make her a bad person etc and this is fairly risky material for a M&B novel which was published in 1996.
Anyway a guilty pleasure...
Basic story line: girl meets powerful multi millionaire and there is immediate sizzle. She is engaged to a big wet wimp who is allergic to sex. Heroine had had a disturbing experience when she lost her virginity, in that it was particularly painful, her partner then tied her up which she feels bad about because she enjoyed it but immediately afterwards he dumped her leaving her with a huge hang up about sex.
The hero is also into dominance which the heroine finds herself falling for almost at once. this is done on an emotional level and there are no explicit sex scenes in this respect.
there are the typical misunderstandings featured in these books.
towards the end of the book the hero explains that that the heroine's desires don't make her a bad person etc and this is fairly risky material for a M&B novel which was published in 1996.
Anyway a guilty pleasure...
November 25, 2014
Could be better. I was expecting a ruthless Hero but, well, let's just say he's not really that charming. But overall I enjoyed the plot and the style of writing. Again, it could be so much better than this.
Look forward to read other book by this author.
Look forward to read other book by this author.
August 31, 2020
A primeira vez que li, achei bem romântico, hoje peguei pra ver algumas páginas e me deu vergonha. A escrita é bem simplória (apesar de ser mais bem escrito que muitos sucessos de hoje em dia), mas o pior de tudo é o machismo. Um retrato da época, talvez (não sei o ano que foi escrito), mas o machismo é extremo! Um homem que deseja dar ordens em mulheres e que não aceita um não como resposta (chega a ameaçar a moça, dizendo que ela pode perder o emprego) e uma mulher que aceita ser subjugada "por amor", sinceramente não aguento.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2024
Started off well, then got messier and messier. I actually got more annoyed with the wishy washy heroine in this one. Also surprised to find an HP dipping its toe into mild, awkward mentions of BDSM (seriously, so embarrassing!) as well as what appeared to be the suggestion of the fiancé possibly being gay.
Read this because I just found out the author is Charlotte Lamb’s daughter! I had no idea.
Read this because I just found out the author is Charlotte Lamb’s daughter! I had no idea.
June 17, 2021
This book could have been perfect but the author fumbled the bag. The h was a hypocritical pick-me who did not deserve the H. Everything happened too fast it was kinda hard to believe. I don't know about love but I am pretty sure they are just in lust. The added existence of a fiancé coupled with the h's childishness and indecisiveness also just ruined it for me. Ugh.
October 12, 2019
He knows what he wants"
Rhiannon was happily engaged to Bobby, who only offered her friendship and security. She thought she didn't want or need anything else--until she met Gabriel Stone.
He had the name of an angel, but the reputation of a sinner--and he was determined to unleash the suppressed passion he sensed in Rhiannon. She told herself that all she felt for this dominant male was sexual attraction--but then, to her horror, she realized she'd fallen in love.
Rhiannon was happily engaged to Bobby, who only offered her friendship and security. She thought she didn't want or need anything else--until she met Gabriel Stone.
He had the name of an angel, but the reputation of a sinner--and he was determined to unleash the suppressed passion he sensed in Rhiannon. She told herself that all she felt for this dominant male was sexual attraction--but then, to her horror, she realized she'd fallen in love.
June 1, 2023
3.5(?)...mostly rounding up because I think it deserves a higher average rating than it's got. I have mixed feelings about this book, but it certainly made me think and I enjoyed reading it. Overall I think it had unfulfilled potential -- it could have gone in more interesting directions but it ended with a trite "of course I could never enjoy sex with a man outside of a committed relationship leading to marriage" / "I respect you because you didn't have sex with me even though we both wanted it" resolution. May write a longer review later.
Edit: I'm still thinking about this book. What's interesting is in the contrast it (like many other romance novels) sets up between the OM, who is shown to be an unsuitable partner for the heroine, and the hero, who of course is the opposite. The heroine has been in a staid and unsatisfying relationship with the OM for several years, with both of them professing their intent to marry but putting off the wedding. They agreed to not have sex before marriage and there's no real attraction between them. Meanwhile, the h/h have strong chemistry as soon as they meet; he actively pursues her for sex and she thinks repeatedly about how difficult it is to resist him.
Eventually the heroine decides to break it off with the OM because she's no longer interested in a sexless life, but the OM puts it down to her being a silly woman and refuses to listen. Then we have another attempted seduction scene in which the h/h have a discussion about how she's afraid of her own sexuality, but it's really normal and healthy and there's nothing wrong with two people who are attracted to each other acting on that attraction. She's convinced and they're going to have sex, but then they get interrupted by the OM. She goes to talk to see the OM and we find out that he isn't just diffident about sex, he actively hates it and he hates women who want/enjoy sex. So one of the big differences between the hero and the OM is that the hero embraces and celebrates the heroine's sexuality (in particular in the context of their shared d/s kink) while the OM derides it.
But all of this is undermined by the final scene in which they discuss her past (a humiliating sexual experience that left her ashamed of her desires and wanting to hide from them), declare their love for each other and get engaged. The hero again asserts that there's nothing wrong with her desire for sexual submission, but this time frames it as something that should only be explored in a committed relationship -- marriage or engagement (presumably between a heterosexual couple, but luckily Holland doesn't explicitly say so). And like many a Harlequin Presents hero before him, his respect for her grew when she turned him down -- as though that steamy-but-interrupted scene had never taken place. Meanwhile the heroine decides that the reason her past experience wasn't fully enjoyable (she didn't have an orgasm, and she felt bad about herself afterwards) was that her ex had no intention of a serious relationship and they weren't in love. So basically, Holland pointed out how regressive some of the messages of HP romance are, but then reinforced them in the resolution.
Edit: I'm still thinking about this book. What's interesting is in the contrast it (like many other romance novels) sets up between the OM, who is shown to be an unsuitable partner for the heroine, and the hero, who of course is the opposite. The heroine has been in a staid and unsatisfying relationship with the OM for several years, with both of them professing their intent to marry but putting off the wedding. They agreed to not have sex before marriage and there's no real attraction between them. Meanwhile, the h/h have strong chemistry as soon as they meet; he actively pursues her for sex and she thinks repeatedly about how difficult it is to resist him.
Eventually the heroine decides to break it off with the OM because she's no longer interested in a sexless life, but the OM puts it down to her being a silly woman and refuses to listen. Then we have another attempted seduction scene in which the h/h have a discussion about how she's afraid of her own sexuality, but it's really normal and healthy and there's nothing wrong with two people who are attracted to each other acting on that attraction. She's convinced and they're going to have sex, but then they get interrupted by the OM. She goes to talk to see the OM and we find out that he isn't just diffident about sex, he actively hates it and he hates women who want/enjoy sex. So one of the big differences between the hero and the OM is that the hero embraces and celebrates the heroine's sexuality (in particular in the context of their shared d/s kink) while the OM derides it.
But all of this is undermined by the final scene in which they discuss her past (a humiliating sexual experience that left her ashamed of her desires and wanting to hide from them), declare their love for each other and get engaged. The hero again asserts that there's nothing wrong with her desire for sexual submission, but this time frames it as something that should only be explored in a committed relationship -- marriage or engagement (presumably between a heterosexual couple, but luckily Holland doesn't explicitly say so). And like many a Harlequin Presents hero before him, his respect for her grew when she turned him down -- as though that steamy-but-interrupted scene had never taken place. Meanwhile the heroine decides that the reason her past experience wasn't fully enjoyable (she didn't have an orgasm, and she felt bad about herself afterwards) was that her ex had no intention of a serious relationship and they weren't in love. So basically, Holland pointed out how regressive some of the messages of HP romance are, but then reinforced them in the resolution.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2015
excellent. my only beef was with the heroine not telling her "fiancee" right away that she had sexy thoughts about another man. no matter how she rationalized it, the fact that Bobby caught them almost in the act cannot be excused or rationalized. Not cool, Rhiannon, not cool. The hero was to die for.
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April 8, 2016best forever
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 18, 2017
This was one of the first Harlequin Romances I read. I absolutely fell in love with it at that time. That was almost 12 years ago. So I re read it a couple of days and I swear to god I wanted to just shoot the hero and heroine!! They both were so so so annoying and immature!
I am actually relived to find myself disliking this book. If I were to still like this type of weird hate u but love me story, I would shoot myself.
I am actually relived to find myself disliking this book. If I were to still like this type of weird hate u but love me story, I would shoot myself.
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December 24, 2017"He knows what he wants"
Rhiannon was happily engaged to Bobby, who only offered her friendship and security. She thought she didn't want or need anything else--until she met Gabriel Stone.
He had the name of an angel, but the reputation of a sinner--and he was determined to unleash the suppressed passion he sensed in Rhiannon. She told herself that all she felt for this dominant male was sexual attraction--but then, to her horror, she realized she'd fallen in love..
Rhiannon was happily engaged to Bobby, who only offered her friendship and security. She thought she didn't want or need anything else--until she met Gabriel Stone.
He had the name of an angel, but the reputation of a sinner--and he was determined to unleash the suppressed passion he sensed in Rhiannon. She told herself that all she felt for this dominant male was sexual attraction--but then, to her horror, she realized she'd fallen in love..
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