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Forbidden Wine
Star-crossed lovers from the very first!
Bree thought there was no way Health Durant would ever consider her worthy of his love. To begin with, he was old enough to be her father, while she was barely nineteen.
Secondly, Heath was rich, sophisticated, worldly Bree thought miserably of her childhood in one foster home after another and the parents she hardly remembered.
But these were minor points compared to the fact that he thought little Ben, abandoned by Bree's irresponsible sister into her care, was her own illegitimate baby. He probably had a pretty clear opinion of her morals!
190 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
February 5, 2019
May/December, huge misunderstanding, vintage like whoa.
Heroine’s sister has a baby with her guitarist boyfriend. Neither is interested in the baby. When heroine shows up at their apartment after an alarming letter from her sister, she finds the baby alone in his crib. Mommy and daddy have skipped town for the next gig and heroine is left with the baby.
A friend of the couple shows up and tries to rape the heroine. That ugly scene is broken up by the hero, father of the sister’s boyfriend. Yup. Here’s hot grandpa – at age 37.
Heroine immediately lets him think she is the mother of the baby, so he won’t take him away from her. Hero tells her to pack up and come home with him to Brisbane.
Hero’s housekeeper thinks the baby is the hero’s and the heroine is his mistress. So does everyone else heroine meets – including all the guys who hit on her – and yet another wannabe rapist. Hero is jealous of all of them and feels driven to kiss and maul the heroine himself – and then feels guilty because this is his son’s baby mama.
Now before LS can go all Anne Mather on us, we find out that the hero is not the guitarist’s father. His was a shot gun wedding to a woman who slept around. They stayed married, though. Then she conveniently died in a car accident. Hero never got along with his “son” because he was never home while building up his business.
When the heroine runs away with the baby (after stealing $200 from the hero’s desk), hero tracks her down. He knows all about her sister now. Both parents are willing to give up their parental rights, so they can adopt the little shaver after they are married. Heroine is thrilled with this and equally thrilled the housekeeper is on holiday so they can start the deflowering right away.
Besides all the men who can’t keep their hands to themselves there are a few more vintage touches I should note. The hero has a wannbe OW who outfits the heroine in clothes from her boutique. The heroine vows to be a great mom to the baby and then leaves him with the housekeeper so she can go to parties and on dates with all of the OMs. There’s also lots of slut shaming from the wannbe OMs and the tortured hero as imagines her having sex with not just his son, but scores of others – even though she has that air of innocence. LOL Pick a lane, hero.
Anyway – if you want to read about a would-be grandpa with an 19 year-old. This is for you.
Heroine’s sister has a baby with her guitarist boyfriend. Neither is interested in the baby. When heroine shows up at their apartment after an alarming letter from her sister, she finds the baby alone in his crib. Mommy and daddy have skipped town for the next gig and heroine is left with the baby.
A friend of the couple shows up and tries to rape the heroine. That ugly scene is broken up by the hero, father of the sister’s boyfriend. Yup. Here’s hot grandpa – at age 37.
Heroine immediately lets him think she is the mother of the baby, so he won’t take him away from her. Hero tells her to pack up and come home with him to Brisbane.
Hero’s housekeeper thinks the baby is the hero’s and the heroine is his mistress. So does everyone else heroine meets – including all the guys who hit on her – and yet another wannabe rapist. Hero is jealous of all of them and feels driven to kiss and maul the heroine himself – and then feels guilty because this is his son’s baby mama.
Now before LS can go all Anne Mather on us, we find out that the hero is not the guitarist’s father. His was a shot gun wedding to a woman who slept around. They stayed married, though. Then she conveniently died in a car accident. Hero never got along with his “son” because he was never home while building up his business.
When the heroine runs away with the baby (after stealing $200 from the hero’s desk), hero tracks her down. He knows all about her sister now. Both parents are willing to give up their parental rights, so they can adopt the little shaver after they are married. Heroine is thrilled with this and equally thrilled the housekeeper is on holiday so they can start the deflowering right away.
Besides all the men who can’t keep their hands to themselves there are a few more vintage touches I should note. The hero has a wannbe OW who outfits the heroine in clothes from her boutique. The heroine vows to be a great mom to the baby and then leaves him with the housekeeper so she can go to parties and on dates with all of the OMs. There’s also lots of slut shaming from the wannbe OMs and the tortured hero as imagines her having sex with not just his son, but scores of others – even though she has that air of innocence. LOL Pick a lane, hero.
Anyway – if you want to read about a would-be grandpa with an 19 year-old. This is for you.
April 4, 2016
This was a potential 4 stars book but the ending dint quite live upto the promise.
June 16, 2013
Wonderful, clean, May-Dec romance between a 37 y/o grandpa & 19 y/o virgin who has the thankless job of taking care of nephew after hero's son & heroine's flighty sista do a runner. GR8, believable chemistry despite such a huge age discrepancy. U could tell it's ol skool when heroine puts nephew on her lap in hero's car after he becomes her knight in rusty armor from near-rape. Can't get away w/ that nowadays w/ strict child safety law. H/h badly wanna scratch each otha's itch but she's scared he'd find out that he's the 1st customer to evah crash her pearly gates of heaven & that she's not the baby momma. Throughout the book, every dude w/ a flexible, expandable hose in their downstairs dining area seems to wanna dip their wick in her adjustable torch holder, 'cuz her face & guileless innocence just scream "molest me !", which tweaks hero's jealous streak to no end.
July 6, 2017
Liked it a little better the second time. Fun trope of the older man who thinks he's falling in love with his son's baby mama but really she is the child's aunt.
Fun little story. At least the large age difference here was addressed. Liked the totally in love hero.
Fun little story. At least the large age difference here was addressed. Liked the totally in love hero.
June 13, 2020
"Forbidden Wine" was a gripping and passionate love-story about the young beauty Bree Ransome whose sister dumps her own baby into Bree`s poor hands.Bree`s life changes when the forceful Heath Durant takes over her life and declares himself the grandfather of the baby,also not knowing that Bree is in fact the childs aunt and not his mother.
I could easily see where the author was coming from when she wrote this story.She writes lively in a way that vivid images always appear in her every scenes.Heath was delicious and the chemistry between him and Bree was mindblowing.They couldn`t resist each other,and i found it fun how mad Heath got with the attentions Bree got from other men.I found the little baby Ben so cute that i wanted to hug him myself,gosh what a bitch the mother and father was for leaving the baby like that!
I could easily see where the author was coming from when she wrote this story.She writes lively in a way that vivid images always appear in her every scenes.Heath was delicious and the chemistry between him and Bree was mindblowing.They couldn`t resist each other,and i found it fun how mad Heath got with the attentions Bree got from other men.I found the little baby Ben so cute that i wanted to hug him myself,gosh what a bitch the mother and father was for leaving the baby like that!
November 10, 2018
This wine really shouldn't have been forbidden, since it turned out to be grape juice.
December 10, 2019
Hero was like a Bear with a thorn in his paw. I liked his brooding, protective and jealous self. Heroine was a doormat. I didn’t like some of her behavior. Loved the plot and epilogue was severely missed. I would’ve liked happy ending for hero and Reece.
Recommended.
Recommended.
September 20, 2012
This novel was familiar to other stories of read but just as great, if not better. I enjoyed how many morals and values the heroine had. How she took care of her nephew when her sister abandoned him. I liked the hero as well, he was genuine but a bit of a brooding man, due to his past.
June 14, 2013
LOved it!Heroine 19, raised in foster homes, she's had a tough life but is in many ways innocent. Her sister on the other hand is irresponsible and leaves her baby for the heroine to raise. When someone attacks her, the hero comes to the rescue. Turns out the hero is her nephew's grandfather and thinks the heroine is the mother, scared of losing the baby she doesn't correct him and he takes her to his home. Hero is 37 and widowed though his marriage was never happy. The heroine could be very naive but their attraction and clearly burgeoning love didn't feel skivvy to me. I couldn't keep myself from reading, wish there was an epilogue.
June 16, 2014
This would have been 4 but alas there was no sex but you could really feel the sexual tension it was hot! I normally don't like females who are too gaga over their man but this theme worked in this book so I really enjoyed this book! 3.5 stars!
February 5, 2020
First time I read anything by this author discovered her by chance and this was delightful book to read. This was May/December love story with chemistry so intense and it was perfect vintage novel. Highly recommend and keeper for sure.
February 19, 2013
I read this one all the way back in 1983, and I must say it stood the test of time.
September 26, 2015
What would have made this 5 stars is a confrontation with the sister and son. Or even some sex would have been nice but they had a lot of passion so that part was ok. Loved it. She was too good to be true. Honestly!!!
October 11, 2025
Fun read. The main characters can’t keep their hands off each other which also made for a quite steamy read. I really liked it. Couldn’t put it down and will certainly re-read.
To the couple of funny bits. We have: (slight spoilers follow)
A. A young guy (not the hero thank goodness) deliver this line. “Relax! I’ve never in my life raped a woman” I burst out laughing! Congratulations, man! What an accomplishment! I’m in love with you already!
B. The heroine who needed to be hit on the head with a stick. If you don’t want to have sex my dear maybe don’t plaster yourself on a guy, kissing him and grinding against him. But THE PRICELESS moment, the BEST of all stupid heroines till now was this:
She’s making out with him in the park. And say ‘she’ cause she did initiate it. So they’re making out. In public. On the grass. Her shirt is unbuttoned or whatever. His is too. She unbuckles his belt and ‘moves her hand lower’ or something. She’s been eyeing that ‘lower’ part of him a while now. He stops her hand and says:
H: ‘I want you so much baby blah blah. Let’s go!’
h: ‘Where?’
H: There’s a motel a bit further down.
h: A... motel? How dare you? How... how could you even... *bursts out crying*
Yes yes my dear. Such a asshole to suggest a motel after you unbuttoned his pants and grabbed his hem hem in the park. That was such a romantic gesture and all he can think of is sex! Men are pigs!
To the couple of funny bits. We have: (slight spoilers follow)
A. A young guy (not the hero thank goodness) deliver this line. “Relax! I’ve never in my life raped a woman” I burst out laughing! Congratulations, man! What an accomplishment! I’m in love with you already!
B. The heroine who needed to be hit on the head with a stick. If you don’t want to have sex my dear maybe don’t plaster yourself on a guy, kissing him and grinding against him. But THE PRICELESS moment, the BEST of all stupid heroines till now was this:
She’s making out with him in the park. And say ‘she’ cause she did initiate it. So they’re making out. In public. On the grass. Her shirt is unbuttoned or whatever. His is too. She unbuckles his belt and ‘moves her hand lower’ or something. She’s been eyeing that ‘lower’ part of him a while now. He stops her hand and says:
H: ‘I want you so much baby blah blah. Let’s go!’
h: ‘Where?’
H: There’s a motel a bit further down.
h: A... motel? How dare you? How... how could you even... *bursts out crying*
Yes yes my dear. Such a asshole to suggest a motel after you unbuttoned his pants and grabbed his hem hem in the park. That was such a romantic gesture and all he can think of is sex! Men are pigs!
February 9, 2019
Love the angsty drama of this one. It lost a star because it so needed an epilogue and a bit more on how Heath found out about the deception.
October 14, 2019
Bree thought there was no way Health Durant would ever consider her worthy of his love. To begin with, he was old enough to be her father, while she was barely nineteen.
Secondly, Heath was rich, sophisticated, worldly Bree thought miserably of her childhood in one foster home after another and the parents she hardly remembered.
But these were minor points compared to the fact that he thought little Ben, abandoned by Bree's irresponsible sister into her care, was her own illegitimate baby. He probably had a pretty clear opinion of her morals!
Secondly, Heath was rich, sophisticated, worldly Bree thought miserably of her childhood in one foster home after another and the parents she hardly remembered.
But these were minor points compared to the fact that he thought little Ben, abandoned by Bree's irresponsible sister into her care, was her own illegitimate baby. He probably had a pretty clear opinion of her morals!
April 29, 2021
A classical Harlequin Presents that stands the test of time. A little light on character development,which is consistent with this type of romance. The H and h engage in some heated clinches but it is a clean romance for those who prefer less erotic writing.
July 4, 2013
I. HATE. DECEPTION!!!
May 1, 2023
3.5 heh. Like a prototype KU Daddy kink from the days of preserved virginity. Not surprised little 19 year old Bree, orphaned, multiply fostered, abandoned by her worldly wiser younger sister (who is the actual mother of abandoned perfectly behaved baby Ben)was susceptible to Heath 's nearly 40 silver foxiness. Many are the pandemic era days where frankly we'd all like to wilt around a sugar daddy's hacienda being expertly kissed and caressed and not having to bother our pretty little heads about a thing. Extra special KU vibes with the H believing her to be his son's girlfriend and mother of his grandson. A lot of unbridled "I'm jealous as hell and I hate myself for lusting after a girl young enough to be my daughter" energy. A lot of pashing, as the Australians used to say on Neighbours. She's very much a wet lettuce but then I'm pretty sure I I wouldn't be putting up much of a fight either. First read by this author, will seek out others.
June 13, 2013
it was amazing how every male was after the heroine.clearly she was a great beauty, it made me have a big lol. nice book though quite an oldie n dats where it lost 2 stars 4 me. but then it was written in older times. don't miss it though..a very light n very enjoyable read
March 10, 2025
Bree's irresponsible and selfish sister, Briony, abandoned her son to go with her lover, Reece (The boy's father!) to work with a musical travelling band! Bree didn't believe it at first, but she had to take care of little adorable Ben whom she loved like a real son. She tried desperatelyto find a job. Unfortunately, a nasty incident with filthy Max Turner, Reece's older friend, resulted in Heath Durant rescuing her. What shocked her besides the incident is that Duarnt was Reece's father and demanded that she and little Ben come to live with him till he finds his son!
I though the romantic feelings were too hasty and exaggerated. Also, if Bree's deception of claiming to be Ben's actual mother instead of her sister was discovered earlier, I would have liked the story a little more. I just did not stomache that a father would desire his son's lover - albiet knowing at the end as a reader that he was not his son! Disgusting and twisted for my liking.
I though the romantic feelings were too hasty and exaggerated. Also, if Bree's deception of claiming to be Ben's actual mother instead of her sister was discovered earlier, I would have liked the story a little more. I just did not stomache that a father would desire his son's lover - albiet knowing at the end as a reader that he was not his son! Disgusting and twisted for my liking.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 3, 2021
C'est un peu le mariage du printemps et de la fin de l'été, mais c'est un livre intéressant, qui nous divertit (enfin, qui m'a divertie !). 150 pages, c'est court mais suffisant pour éprouver des émotions.
March 18, 2018
<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3 Loved it so very much. It was well written and beautifully. Characters, storyline and relationships perfectly. Just wonderful.
Read
December 20, 2019The ending was not convincing.
Read
October 7, 2022Super May-Dec (19-37) with h marrying her sister's father in law aka H (who is also the grandfather to her sister's new illegy baby)
April 25, 2024
Lindo casal, um H maravilhoso e uma doce h que cuida do sobrinho abandonado pela irmã e cunhado irresponsáveis. Eu amo esse casal ❤️ perfeito.
February 19, 2022
I think the fact that this is the first HP I ever read clouds my judgement, because I still remember how I loved it the first time I read it.
Great book, wonderful memories. I love the way the age gap is actually addressed in this book and the hero is protective yet alpha.
Great book, wonderful memories. I love the way the age gap is actually addressed in this book and the hero is protective yet alpha.
August 17, 2016
3.5 stars. Liked reading it very much.
August 31, 2014
A Harlequin written in 1983. My blood sugar is probably 999
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews