Words of Silk

by Sandra Brown, Erin St. Claire (Pseudonym)

Laney McLeod's chance encounter in a Manhattan elevator leads to a one-night stand with a wealthy playboy -- but a few months later he's back with shocking news, as irresistible as ever.

Laney's life changes the minute she gets stuck in an elevator in Manhattan -- and relies on a handsome stranger named Deke Sargent to help her fight her claustrophobia. When the power comes back on, the two find themselves in a passionate embrace that leads to a single night together. Shocked by her own recklessness, Laney disappears the next morning.

Months later, she receives an even greater Deke shows up with an astounding announcement. Unable to forget the chemistry between them, but afraid that she's just another notch on this wealthy playboy's bedpost, Laney must face an even deeper fear . . . or forever lose the one man she can't resist.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Fiction, Audiobook, Harlequin, Chick Lit

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Sandra Brown is the author of more than sixty New York Times bestsellers, including STING (2016), FRICTION (2015), MEAN STREAK (2014), DEADLINE(2013), & LOW PRESSURE (2012), LETHAL (2011).

Brown began her writing career in 1981 and since then has published over seventy novels, bringing the number of copies of her books in print worldwide to upwards of eighty million. Her work has been translated into over thirty languages.

In 2009 Brown detoured from romantic suspense to write, Rainwater, a much acclaimed, powerfully moving historical fiction story about honor and sacrifice during the Great Depression.

Brown was given an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Texas Christian University. She was named Thriller Master for 2008, the top award given by the International Thriller Writer’s Association. Other awards and commendations include the 2007 Texas Medal of Arts Award for Literature and the Romance Writers of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Reviews

[peachygirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A couple of chapters into the book, I had to check if the author was indeed Sandra Brown. There was no OTT violence, no unbelievable plot twist and most of all, no spine chilling suspense. It was, hard to believe, quite happy in a very un-SB-like way.
This was a gloriously happy story of a 20 something woman and a persistent man bulldozing his way into her life to give her everything she's ever wanted. Since it's set in the 80s, I had to overlook quite a few ridiculous elements but this was a super quick, sweet read guaranteeing a fun afternoon.

[Mo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoy reading older books ... sometimes! This one is definitely stuck in a time warp. But I kept going ... I wasn't expecting it to improve and it didn't. I know I have said it before but it is hard to believe that the SB who writes such great books today is one and the same who wrote drivel like this ...

The hero was a silver-haired "older" man (he was forty-two ... yeah, feckin ancient, he was)!!


The heroine was a bit whiney, a bit annoying. Didn't know a good thing when it was staring her in the face. Then again, he was a bit of a pushy, arrogant arse.


I admit I did skim quite a bit ... not much brainpower needed for this one.

[Laurie (barksbooks) · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was originally written back in the 80's and it shows. The heroine, a naive kindergarten teacher, manages to land herself in an elevator during a blackout with a handsome older guy. She has a fit of the vapors and he ends up carrying her back to his apartment where he thinks it would be a grand idea to soothe her with some brandy and some good lovin'. Naive, innocent and virginal our brilliant heroine ends up downing two drinks and begging this stranger to have sex. She wakes up conveniently forgetting everything and scurries away while he's showering (or something ~ my mind was wandering a bit I'm afraid). And of course she ends up preggers.

This all happens in the opening chapters and what follows only serves to annoy and irritate me further. Shall I go on? [spoilers may abound so be warned:] Our "hero" manages to track down our heroine several months later through some stealthy detective work and quickly insinuates his way into her life. He shows up at her place of employment and declares himself to be her no-longer-estranged husband (she lied because, I guess back in the 80's it was taboo to be a single mom & a kindergarten teacher without getting fired?). This charmer then moves himself into her home and completely takes over, even going so far as to psychoanalyze her after knowing her all of a few days. But you know what's even more irritating than the lack of any sort of emotional connection between these two? This guy rubs her belly and calls the kid "skooter". That just drove me absolutely nuts. What kind of guy calls an unborn baby "skooter"? She puts up the token resistance but then he touches her and, ooooh, ahhhhh, all thoughts of fighting are over and the sex begins anew. Ick. Who is this creep and who the hell does he think he is?

Anyway, it's time to wrap this up. All sex, no relationship = an irritated me.

[Geo Just Reading My Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

O poveste de dragoste dulce, drăguță și plină de speranță!
O până de curent neașteptată dă peste cap viețile lui Deke și Laney, cei doi oameni care se aflau în lift în acel moment.
O noapte de pasiune fulgerătoare este urmată de dispariția abruptă a lui Laney din viața lui Deke.
O tânără liniștită, plină de temeri și angoase, învăluită în tristețe, Laney este un personaj feminin aparte. Are de luptat nu doar cu șocul aflării veștii că a rămas însărcinată în acea noapte, ci și cu traumele unui trecut steril, dureros și lipsit de iubire. Crescută de o mamă rece, care nu-și arăta emoțiile, părăsită de tată, tânăra este convinsă că iubirea e plină de pericole. Deși o fire deschisă și caldă față de copiii a căror învățătoare este, Laney este singură, fără o viață socială, mulțumită de existența ei.
Asta până când Deke reapare ca o furrtună în viața ei, i-o dă complet peste cap și nu se lasă îndepărtat. Parcă intră buldozerul în viața ei, așa de masivă este schimbarea. De la un moment la altul, existența ei devine plină de agitație, temeri și dorințe, schimbări neașteptate. Deke este hotărât să o facă a lui, dar are de depus eforturi colosale pentru a o face să aibă încredere în el.
Iar peste toate acestea, sentimentele care iau naștere între ei sunt de neoprit. Cei doi se trezesc că se îndrăgostesc unul de celălalt, se cunosc mai bine, Ba chiar reușesc să se căsătorească într-un loc idilic: în salonul de spital, când tânăra este pe punctul de a naște.
Aici au parte de o surpriză neașteptată, tânăra naște gemeni.
O lectură deosebită, plină de iubire și speranță, de intervenția destinului pentru a uni două suflete înstrăinate.

[*TANYA* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, super cheesy

Ay caramba, this was super cheesy. I love Sandra but every now and then the women in her books are very exasperating!!!

[Stephanie E · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't understand why everyone disliked this book...I thought it was a cute, quick read. It is quite dated (Brassiere and manhood!), but I thought it flowed OK.

[Mahlet · Rating 1 out of 5]

This definitely reads like a book first published in 1984. The body part descriptions in the sex scenes were so awful, "fleecy delta" and "fanny" being the worst, that you almost wish someone was reading with you so you could laugh together. I also didn't enjoy reading about a school teacher that thinks she'll lose her job for having a child out of wedlock, so she pretends to be married. Add to that the "hero" who sleeps with her when she's intoxicated *I don't care if she pleaded for it* without a condom, then spies on her, and basically just barges in on her life. The way he just moved into her home was a little creepy, too. When he started his rants about how things were going to be with "his" baby and delivered an ultimatum in that regard, he made my blood boil. Oh sure, they fall in love. But I just couldn't fall in love with them. I barely finished this one.

[♥ℳelody · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pretty sure this was my first read with a hero in his 40's. I picked this up from my local Goodwill ages ago because of the whole "strangers stuck in the dark together" premise like Hearts in Darkness by Laura Kaye. But this was written in 1984 with a 16 year age gap with a much older hero constantly saying things like "you were begging me for it". Hello Creepy Town. Too bad because he was a silver fox. lol I keep forgetting or not realizing how certain things were considered taboo or scandalous back in the 80's. Including an unmarried pregnant woman or how a forward woman is considered a "Modern Woman". Hmmph.

[fulano]

I wouldn’t recommend this honestly, I enjoyed reading this for its hilarity but it’s very dated. Both offensive and problematic. I can’t remember what exactly the content and trigger warnings are part of this but it’s unchallenged regarding sexism, non-consent, fatphobia, derogatory comments, etc...

[TinaNoir · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why do I do this to myself? I tell myself "Self, don't do it. Don't go back and read 80s harlequin romances. They will not hold up and they will make you mad-sad."

But do I listen to myself? Yes. Right after I finish one and get mad-sad at it. Vowing never to go back again. But then it is like giving birth, you forget the pain and do it again.

This book was so full of all the Things: Virgin heroine who is not as bright as she should be as a professional woman in her late 20s. A rich arrogant stalky hero who barges into her life and takes over. A secret baby. A romantic conflict that consists mostly of the heroine saying "I don't want you" even thought she really, really, really does. Sigh.

The only reason it gets two stars instead of one is because there are at least some moments of good story hidden under all that and, well, it doesn't quite reach the low bar of really bad that Aftershocks did in my re-read of it this year.

[Lucy Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

just so you know this book is really enchanted to me. about a woman who feels that she doesn't deserve any kind of love. and a man that comes to her life proves that she is wrong.

I like one of the man's line, 'are you bothered with me entering your life? because you have to know if it's you entering mine, I'd be so damn happy.' hmmm yeah close like that. hehe.

[Catheryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

These older contemporary romances books are always a favorite.

This one did get frustrating with the push/pull but I still enjoyed it. Its a pretty fast read and a sweet story. I did get why she was reluctant, her past gets explained. So I didn't mind the push/pull so much.

I'm not sure I would recommend this one to anyone who enjoys the modern contemporary romances.

[Tracy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow. This was really awful. Hated both of the main characters. I know this book was written a long time ago and I have read many old books that have stood the test of time but this was just awful. The story was bad, the characters were about as deep as a puddle and it robbed me if time I will never get back. So so bad, and I like Sandra Brown. But don't do it. Pass this book up, take a detour, spend time alphabatizing you spices, scrub a toilet, but don't read this book.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is all the hope about this book was one of the best books I have read in a good wile.
Sweet funny sexy and everything a woman could pod ugly want from a guy.
He doted on her he did thing that I wish some guys would do for thee wife's.
Awesome from start to finish.
Top notch Sandra Brown so glad I read this one.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

First romance novel I've ever read and will always remain a favourite.
Perfect for any easy, warm read. Love, love, love it.
Sandra Brown is a brilliant writer.

[Skittles Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

This title is dedicated to the MMC who has a honeyed tongue and should seriously be canonised by the torch he’s carrying for a woman he’d only met for less than a day. The events in this story are too incredible to be believable. One, the hero, Deke, a New York successful lawyer, spent one night with our heroine, Laney, whom he met in an elevator and comforted after her having a panic attack. He brought her to his apartment, started kissing her as a form of comfort, made her drink alcohol, and later Laney became too inhibited and actually slept with him. This single encounter is the basis for their relationship.

Fast forward and we find our heroine pregnant and living alone. Enters our hero who sweeps her off her feet with his bullish and determined ways and sweet silken words. Again, too incredible to actually be true. Deke started pursuing Laney relentlessly, bulldozing into her life and actually telling her that they were together or else. Laney gave in. Personally I also don’t understand the hot and cold feelings the heroine was undergoing, maybe because her situation was not revealed until on the later part of the story.

Not bad but not her best work. 2.75 stars rounded off.

[Anne Sawyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

War ganz okay, aber die Story wird wohl wieder schnell aus meinen Kopf verschwinden 😅

[atomickitten · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 shiny stars

This is one vintage goodness.
And I freaking loved it!

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oldies can be good, or they can be bad. This one falls somewhere between. It is obviously dated and, in this case, it's a little hard to ignore that. I didn't hate the story, but it is not all that good. I used it to clean the house and make dinner while listening to the audio. A great narration by Karen Ziemba added greatly to a story that wasn't that good.

Laney McLeod found herself trapped in an elevator in Manhattan and has a major panic attack. The other passenger in the car, Deke Sargent, takes her to his apartment after they are freed and takes care of her, very, very good care. Laney sneaks out the next morning and disappears.

Deke was blindsided by what he and Laney shared. He has never felt like this about anyone ever before and decides he has to find her again. In his search he discovers Laney's secret. Laney is not happy to see him again and really wishes he would just go away, but Deke is not easily deterred. All he has to do is convince her to marry him and that may be a tough job when Laney is afraid, so afraid even with the undeniable passion between them.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

Als ich die Inhaltsangabe das erste Mal las, dachte ich, mich erwarte eine Geschichte über eine taffe New Yorkerin, die in Intrigen und Versuchungen gerät, gewürzt mit einer Prise Erotik, doch anscheinend habe ich das Glück immer die gleichen öden Bücher dieses Genres zu ergattern.
Und damit meine ich, dass es in die gleichen Fettnäpfchen wie twilight und Shades of Grey fällt.
So ist die Protagonistin laut Erzählung eine wunderschöne Frau, mit Kurven und einem wunderschönen Körper, während Er ein reicher und gut aussehender Mann ist, der sich alles kaufen kann und seine eigene Firma leitet.
Was dem ganzen allerdings noch die Krone aufsetzt: Diese verhängnisvolle Nacht mit Deke, war nämlich die Erste, die sie je mit einem Mann verbracht hatte.
Die liebe Laney war nämlich noch mit ihren verdammten 27! Jahren eine Jungfrau. Und wenn sie doch so toll aussieht, kaufe ich das der Autorin nicht ab.
Jedenfalls kommt es, wie es kommen muss und die Gute wird auch noch schwanger, wobei der Erzeuger gleich den tollen Einfall hat, das uneheliche Kind Scooter zu nennen. Vielleicht merkt man, dass ich von den Namen in diesem Buch nicht gerade angetan bin...
Der Stil der Autorin hat mich nicht angesprochen, weil es einfach zu viele Aneinanderreihungen gab á la 'sie tat dies, machte das, dieses noch, das, jenes.' und das alleine war schon nervig zu lesen, aber da der Plot nach dem erneuten Auftauchen von Deke nicht gerade an Spannung gewann, sondern sich irgendwann in einem ewigen Kreis aus 'Ich liebe ihn, ich darf ihn nicht lieben, das hier ist alles nicht okay, aber man denke doch an das Kind!' selbst drangsalierte und Deke ganz nebenbei Laneys Leben mit tollen Geschenken bereicherte, konnte ich es nicht mehr aushalten und habe das Buch nach 150 Seiten abgebrochen.
Wobei mir eigentlich nur noch 100 Seiten bis zum Ende gefehlt hätten.
Aber sowas plattes und langweiliges habe ich echt lange nicht mehr gelesen.

[Sofia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read several of Sandra Brown novels. And I already knew that I didn't enjoy her first romance stories. I hadn't realized before I bought it that this book was originally published in the 80's.
So It is outdated but it is also a weird plot. The author has matured a lot since she wrote this and I wished she had revised this one to improve it.
I can't even go into details without spoiling to enumerate the absurdities of this story. I just don't feel like going into details but unless you like cheesy and easy read romance plot with a twisted almost creepy and irrational story, do yourself a favor and skip this one. You will not lose anything and you will not damage Sandra image in your eyes.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incomparabilul talent al Sandrei Brown străluceşte într-o proză puternică şi seducătoare. O capodoperă de proză fierbinte… Ea redă totul: pasiune, răzbunare, numeroase secrete întunecate din trecut şi o poveste de dragoste tulburătoare.
O carte perfecta pentru o zi toridă de vara. Usor de citit, nimic pretențios, romantic in stilul caracteristic al Sandrei Brown. De mult n-am mai citit ceva scris de ea... dar cred ca in vacanta ce urmează sigur voi mai devora câteva. I-am dat 4 stele.

[Ginger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Typical mid 1980s romance. I definitely rolled my eyes a lot.
Much prefer this author’s romantic suspense novels.

[Judy Churchill · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet story with a happy ending. Not much substance.

[Rabia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes. It’s dated.
Yes. It’s cliche.
Yes. It’s not usual Sandra Brown style.
Yes. That era was filled with this kind of books.

And yeah. This still stands out.

[Aarann · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was nothing to write home about with this one, but I didn't feel like I was wasting my time either. It's a classic strangers-have-a-baby trope with an Old Skool feel. I'm not sure when it was originally published but based on Deke's alpha male prodding, I'd guess sometime in the mid-eighties (checked after typing that and I hit it right on the head -- 1984 -- yay me!). Deke was appropriately "I Am Manly Bulldozer -- Want Baby and Woman" while Laney did the corresponding, "I'd fight you, but, oh, my emotions are sooooo emotional."

To its credit, it handled the characters pretty believably. Deke managed the oh-so-difficult task of being an 80s romance novel hero without being a) verbally, emotionally, or physically abusive; b) AAAAANGRY all the time; or c) broody. He had (dare I say it?) a sense of humor. He laughed. He communicated. When Laney bothered to communicate her own emotions, he listened and did his best to respond. He did, of course, refuse to back down from completely bulldozing over her wishes because he was, after all, an 80s romance hero, but you could tell he was actually paying attention and cared about her concerns. His feelings toward her were too close to insta-love for my taste, but... eh... I'll live. I was also a little irritated by several of the throw-aways regarding his career as a highly paid defense attorney (I chose to believe that he primarily represented wealthy white collar criminals and that simply wasn't mentioned) who could somehow manage to adequately represent his clients from a completely different state (supposedly his practice was being successfully run long-distance in the 80s with all the attendant technological limitations by "assistants") and about eleventy-billion trial postponements. Sure... That stuff flies...

Also, the strangers-to-parents trope doesn't work for me the way it once did. I always find myself thinking about things like, A new relationship is hard enough -- how are you going to add a kid into this successfully? and, You've never lived with this person before! What if he bites his toenails? What if she leaves her tampon box out on the bathroom counter? What if he snores? What if she hogs the covers? HOW DO YOU PEOPLE EXPECT TO LIVE LIKE THIS?!

But it's a romance novel. That's how I'm going to explain all this away. It's a romance novel. A genre I love dearly but is not always well known for its attention to real life.

A fun read, but not one I think I'd revisit.

[Alarice · Rating 1 out of 5]

"He flung back the sheet and got up. She grew pale at the sight of all his male power."
If that line gets you going then have at this book!

If you're like me you look at that line and laugh. I started this book a bit naively, and for some reason didn't know going in that it was an erotica romance. Usually these books aren't on my favorite lists, but I decided that I have the book now and I would give it a go. However, I just couldn't make it past a fourth of the way through.

This book seems to be written by someone tries to use every bizarre romantic phrase in the book. Anyone who calls a penis "his manhood" deserves a good laugh at. This book has that phrase in it repeatedly along with every other cliche romantic phrase you can think of. Also, the plot line is pretty rapey. Firefox is instructing me that "rapey" isn't a word, but certainly Firefox hasn't read this book or it would see how "rapey" is a perfectly used adjective. The woman gets stuck in an elevator for maybe (literally) two minutes? The only signs of anxiety that the reader can pick up on is her odd ability to suddenly not be able to talk or move. The man stuck in the elevator with her somehow senses she is anxious (because she isn't talking) and starts to remove her clothing. Yes you read that right.

Then he treats her like a fragile little doll (which VERY sadly she turns into) and takes her back to his place to....I'm not sure that wasn't really discussed. He immediately gives her brandy, which adds to the rapey vibe, and starts to get physical with her. She reciprocates, he notices she is drunk, and she throws herself at him. He can't resist because men apparently have absolutely no power over themselves. She wakes up and doesn't remember anything and starts to get mad at him.

Maybe there is a perfectly innocent explanation to all of this, but I stopped reading right there. That plot line is ridiculous and not even remotely appealing for me to continue reading. There are plenty of other weird things about this book that I didn't mention. An example of which is the man's last name as Sargent which has an oddly military "he is a man's man" feel to it and that feeling is extremely overdone throughout the whole novel.

Don't waste your time with this one.

[Teresa · Rating 1 out of 5]

'A classic love story' - I love how all of Sandra Brown's love novels have this description even though it isn't necessarily true. From the word go, as the reader you immediately know what 'words of silk' is about, it is a light read of love and sex. However, for something that's supposed to keep you hot and bothered (as well as giving false hope of true love :D) the novel false short of its premise. It lacks any substance and the love scenes are none too hot - and this is such a surprise for me as Brown's other books (including her romance novels) are usually very entertaining and hot. I'm not just judging the book just because its supposed to be nothing serious but light and fluffy - I expected it from the very beginning, it's just that I am a huge Sandra Brown fan and usually her novels are so entertaining, romantic and sexy in which gives me hopeless dreams of achieving the same (yet highly unrealistic) fairytale ending of her protagonists, I felt she just wasn't trying.
This was a big disappointment for me, don't even bother - but do try her other novels instead.

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Words of Silk is a fairly decent early offering by Sandra Brown. It was originally published under her pseudonym, Erin St. Claire It is a bit dated in its attitudes toward unwed pregnant mothers. I know it was the times, but it was still. Nowadays, if a kindergarten teacher became pregnant while unmarried, she wouldn't fear losing her job over it. The love scenes were steamy, yet the terminology is laughable. My advice? Just remember the year it was written and go with it.

I was prepared to hate Deke. It seems that he took liberties with a drunk Laney, but as the story progresses, you find out that she remembers everything that happened that night and she was a willing participant. I actually liked Deke. Yes, he does bulldoze his way into Laney's life, but he recognizes that he needs to do that in order to break down her steel walls that she has around her. I was rooting for him and loved the way he wooed her.

[★¸. • * ° * ༺*Blanka*༺*°°*•.¸. ♥★ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt like I was stuck in the 50's and not the 80's...
I would think one night stands were a bit more common in the 80's..
The story line was just such an old setting jeez, and the heroine was so naive... at first she comes of as this biatch in the elevator, then you feel bad because she is crying... but so dang on unrealistic too...

She is 27 and a virgin? Goes on vacation, meets a man has a one nighter, runs while screaming rape? Ends up pregnant while all life she thought she couldn't have children? And now she is having twins? And he is filthy rich on top of it? Please life is not a fairy tale!
It lacked in substance.