Not Even for Love

by Sandra Brown, Erin St. Claire

Jordan Hadlock seems to have it all: a great job and Helmut Eckherdt, a rich industrialist intent on marrying her -- even though she hasn't said yes. What more could she want? A clap of thunder and a pounding on her door soon give her an answer. Reeves Grant appears seeking shelter from a sudden downpour, but the real storm is inside Jordan and the passion they share. He disappears the next morning and then Jordan receives two more shocks. Helmut publicly announces they're to be wed -- at the very same moment she spies Reeves snapping pictures of her new "fiance." Now Jordan is moving toward the alter with a man she likes but doesn't love, while Reeves is often only inches away. And Jordan Hadlock has to choose between a man who wants her to be his wife and one who wants her to be his lover.

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

200 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

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

[*TANYA* · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled. Struggled to finish this book. It's saving grace was how quick short read this was. Lol

[Geo Just Reading My Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Ce-și dorește inima” este o poveste de dragoste ușoară, frumoasă, plină de emoție. O lectură relaxantă.
Jordan este vânzătoare într-o librărie cu cărți în limba engleză din Elveția. Într-o noapte cu o furtună năprasnică, pe ușa librăriei pătrunde Reeves, un bărbat cu care tânăra petrece o noapte de pasiune. Iar a doua zi dimineață acesta a și plecat.
Nu prea departe. Se dovedește că este fotograful angajat să îi facă niște poze celui mai bogat om din Europa, prietenul ei Helmut.
Autoarea Sandra Brown a creat o acțiune simplă, unde cei doi eroi sunt în centrul tuturor întâmplărilor.
Helmut anunță public logodna lor, iar Jordan nu se simte în stare să îl refuze în fața prietenilor lui. Dar Reeves crede că a fost mințit de tânără cu o noapte în urmă... iar această neînțelegere pare a crea o mulțime de probleme de comunicare între ei. Ba mai mult, din lipsa comunicării, cei doi ajung să se rănească unul pe celălalt. Și doar din dorința de a-și proteja inima.
O întreagă încâlceală de întâmplări care mai de care mai încurcate, din care tinerii noștri nu reușesc să iasă.
Jordan tot amână să rupă logodna cu Helmut, fiind speriată de sentimentele bruște pe care le are pentru Reeves, de rănile unui trecut dureros. Pe de altă parte, Reeves este gelos, iar gelozia îl face să o jignească pe Jordan.
Destinul aproape că îi desparte, fiind cât pe ce să își rateze șansa la fericire.
Noroc cu un înger păzitor pe nume Helmut...

[Mo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know I said even her bad books are good ... not always. Bit too cheesy. Bit too predictable. Actually, it had the same theme as the last one I read by her. American lady, a little older. Involved with a rich man but it's complicated. A third party shows up. There is instant attraction. Things get hot and heavy fast... blah, blah, blah. You can guess the rest.




I am in between finding a good book to read to weeding out these ones for my friends.

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This has to be one of the dumbest books I have ever read ... A woman owns a bookstore and has an apartment upstairs over the bookstore. A bad storm comes. The bookstore is closed but a strange man the woman does not know is beating on the door to her bookstore. She unlocks and opens the bookstore door for this man. He comes in and appreciates the kindness of getting out of the rain. Storm gets worse and knocks out the phone and electricity. Light up the candles. The woman offers to let the man spend the night in her apartment!!! Keep in mind she only met this man an hour ago. The man is going to sleep on the couch. The woman goes into her bedroom and starts getting ready for bed. The man knocks on her bedroom door and then enters. Grabs the woman and well, they end up between the sheets. Afterwards, the woman tells the man that she is a widow. Her husband was killed in a car wreck a few years ago and she has not been with a man since. Advance forward 24 hours ... The woman goes to a fancy gala with her fiance and runs into the strange man that was knocking on her door the night before!!! And then the woman tells the man she previously spent the night with that she has not slept with her finance!!!! OMG!!! Could this book get any less real!!! Don't even waste your time on it.

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wonder what women would be like if they stopped reading novels that enforced the machismo controlling asshole guy who gets what he wants and gets pissed off when the submissive woman doesn't comply? Is this really what women want? Even so, I need a trashy novel every now and then. But where are the trashy novels that feature empowered women???

[NiteReader · Rating 1 out of 5]

So pointless.
Skip it.

[Bona Caballero · Rating 2 out of 5]

Otra genérica que publicó Sandra Brown en los años ochenta. Este Silhouette Desire n.º 7 salió en julio de 1982, con el seudónimo de Erin St. Claire. En español Harlequin la publicó en 1987 con el título de «Ni siquiera por amor».
Jordan Hadlock es una quiosquera en Lucerna (Suiza) pero como es heroína browniana, viste de Dior. Tiene un rollo con Reeves Grant. Luego si te he visto no me acuerdo, porque está comprometida con otro. O tal vez no. No se sabe. Esta muchacha es una marioneta que se limita a «no decir que no». El tópico sería un triángulo amoroso, una mujer dividida entre el sofisticado millonario (europeo) y el sensual macizorro (estadounidense). Lo mejor, las escenas de senderismo por las montañas suizas. Me gusto tibiamente en el pasado (6/10), aunque cuando la leí la última vez lo dejé en dos estrellas. Hay cosas que, simplemente, no resisten el paso del tiempo.
Crítica más amplia, en mi blog.

[Catheryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could the conflict of this story be wrapped up in one conversation.. yes

Did it bother me... no

I really did enjoy this story. Might be one of my favorite older titles from Sandra Brown. The romance was sweet and forbidden. I liked that, despite the his frustration that she was engaged to another man, they had a sweet playfulness between the two of them. Normally, I dislike when there is cheating especially if she could break off the relationship in one conversation. But for some reason, it didn't bother me in this story.

Overall, a sweet story without too much drama.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast-paced and entertaining romance.

[Elena · Rating 2 out of 5]

2*


2* Solely for the chemistry between the two main characters > otherwise, this is a 1* book! Everything is ridiculous: the characters are stupid, the plot is non-existent, the conflicts made up just to keep the "plot" appear existent...

A few things confused me... She just took in a complete stranger... then she slept with that same stranger... then she "remembered" her fiance and though she should tell stranger that she is engaged but realized that "it's none of his business"... THEN she thinks she wasn't fair to fiance (umm, it's called cheating not unfairness!) and finally we find out she still hasn't even slept with fiance or officially agreed to marry him (but he assumed this!)!!

Then she goes on to tell everyone EXCEPT her fiancé that their engagement is not going to happen!! WHILE WEARING A 6 KARAT DIAMOND!! What is wrong with this woman?!?!? She is engaged to a guy she DOES NOT PLAN ON MARRYING?! But she is too "polite" to tell him this!?!? (In reality she would be called a gold-digger, using him for his fame and money, but not in this book!! In this book we are supposed to feel bad for her?!?!?!)

As the book progresses, she keeps playing hooky with the photographer right in front of the fiancé's nose and we are still supposed to feel bad for this chick! I get that the fiancé is an as*hole (kinda snobby and bossy, nothing major) but she doesnt have the guts to break up - but has no problem cheating?!?!?

I was extremely annoyed when she freaks out when her engagement becomes public and tells everyone EXCEPT her fiancé that it's not going to happen!!

In the end - she honestly deserves to LOSE BOTH GUYS! Not have them both vie for her affection!

[Skittles Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sexist, misogynistic hero and a passive, doormat-like heroine who seems to have the correct ideals but fails miserable in their execution.

Reeves Grant is a world famous photojournalist who trots around the globe to take pictures of the latest stories- and he crashed into Jordan’s quiet life in Sweden one stormy night. Due to their intense attraction (supposedly, but honestly it felt rushed), they succumbed to a night of passion- one of which I might add, where Jordan explicitly said no initially but was ignored. Then they are thrown into a love triangle between them and a handsome billionaire (of course) Helmut, who is simply smitten with Jordan, but who also treats her like an airhead woman who has no say for herself and her choices.

I gobbled books like these in high school and thought them romantic. Now after reading more books throughout the years, my mind has somewhat opened more to the better ways a man can be a man. Number one of which is respecting a woman’s boundaries and speech.

There are still elements to this book which I love- the old school nostalgia it brings to me, making me remember long forgotten times. But otherwise it’s an average read. My personal bias boosted this up to 3 stars, when in fact it’s around 2.

[Rebecca Lyman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an older book (I believe it was originally published in 1982 so it's almost 40 years old) so I was interested to see how well it help up to the test of time. And I have to say that I personally don't think it held up very well. Jordan as a heroine was so polar opposite from what we see in heroines today. She was very weak-willed and she slept with a complete stranger while practically engaged to another man, and then couldn't stand her ground and tell one man yes or no through the rest of the book. I can't say that I really enjoyed this one, though it is quite outdated to be fair.

[Shaun · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m usually a fan of Sandra Brown’s books but this story fell flat. There was no plot and character development was nonexistent as well. The deceit was unnecessary and, as is often the case in stories like this, was brushed aside as being unimportant. I was disappointed in this read

[Judy Churchill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet love story.

[Tara Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book to sit on the dock of the bay and read!!

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Sandra Brown books but this one was a bit predictable and kinda cheesy. I'm still a big fan and will always continue reading her books! 😃

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another beautiful story of romance and a bit revenge from Sandra Brown. It's a good read.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this quick read. Just a feel good book.

[Dee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh... this was my first read of Sandra Brown, and I have heard a lot of her stories are corny in a good way, but this was definitely not my cup of tea. I may be a lesbian, I still enjoy a straight romance from time to time, but this... is not it. Woman works in a bookstore and lives upstairs, and willingly lets a complete stranger enter her home... they make love.... she's suddenly engaged to a Swiss billionaire?? It was really ridiculous from the jump. I give this 2 stars because the sweeter moments of Jordan and Reeves' romance was pretty cute. But really, that was the only redeeming factor. Only reason I finished it was to see if she broke off the engagement or not. Seriously. The ending is also ridiculous, with Reeves randomly busting back in one day to... tell her they are getting married? So... the same thing that happened with Helmut... except it's some crazy newfound "love" with a man she knew for a very short time. The out of the blue "have our baby" at the end almost made me gag. Unnecessary in my opinion, that was gross.

[Janet Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of Sandra Brown's early, pure romance novels. Set in colorful Lucerne, Switzerland, the story doesn't have the complexity of the author's more recent books. It, however, is better than some reviews give it here.
There are, basically, only three characters. Reeves Grant, a photojournalist of note, meets the love of his life in young Jordan Hadlock during a storm. The two share a passionate night together before he discovers that billionaire Helmut Eckhert has claimed Jordan as his own.
Jordan struggles with how to extricate herself from an unwanted engagement while Reeves thinks she has betrayed him.
These three characters are well developed in a fairly good story. It is, to me, worth the read.

[ceecee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Sandra Brown's book, Not Even for Love. I really do enjoy her books, but this one wasn't one of my favorites. I enjoy reading about independent women, which this book had, but I'm not a fan of reading about women who take any kind of abuse, even verbal abuse from men. I understand how misunderstanding drove the characters apart while at the same time their underlying love kept thrusting them together. However, I wish the author could have made the female lead character a little more stronger in character.

Still this book was a great read.

[Dolores of Course · Rating 2 out of 5]

I first thought that Sandra Brown had used a ghostwriter for this one. It's a real clunker from the silly plot to the poorly written dialogue. While the publishing date here says 2004, the book was actually written in 1982 and was her fifth published work. I had to look it up because the quality of this one really bothered me. If you are a die hard fan, it might be worth the time to see how far her writing style evolved over the decades. If you aren't a fan, grab a book from the last decade or so.

[Kathleen A. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I usually enjoy Sandra Brown's books. This one was too unbelievable. It starts off with a single bookshop keeper alone at home when a male stranger bangs on her door during a storm. She opens the door (no one would do that) invites him in and lo and behold then end up in bed. Fast forward to four days later and she has fallen madly in love with him.............and of course him with her. Way too unbelievable.

[ANGELIA · Rating 1 out of 5]

Iu won't bother reviewing, as the other reviewers pretty much said it all. I'll just add that, even if this were a good story, the author ruined it by having the H and h have sex the night they meet. I don't care if we're talking about soulmates finding each other, because while I'm all for true love I still don't believe they should get naked that fast!

How about a few dates first???

I'm sure the hookup crowd won't agree, but that's their misfortune.

[CANDEN333 · Rating 4 out of 5]

So back in this books birth year, 1982, I’m sure it was a smash hit!
Very vintage in all of its ideas! Like a 80’s soap opera plot! I’m not sure how much one is able to appreciate this book unless you lived back then! This would definitely be my mother’s way of thinking!
So if you like the oldies read it! It’s pretty steamy for a classic!

[Christine Jalili · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book.

This is an older book and I loved re reading it. Loved the chemistry between Reeves and Jordan. But she’s engaged? How can he still resist her. She doesn’t want to hurt Helmet but she’s falling for Reeves. Glad they finally got their happy ever after. I recommend this book.

[Tricia Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favorite Sandra Brown novel, but the story is fast-paced and entertaining. When you're supposed to marry a wealthy gentleman but don't really love him, problems arise especially when a handsome photojournalist enters the picture. A little predictable, but fun.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this such a long time ago, but was recently thinking about it because the setting of Lucerne, Switzerland seemed so magical that I actually planned a trip there. I highly recommend a visit to Lucerne!

[Rebecca Florig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a sucker for Sandra Brown. This was a short. Ok and incredibly easy read! I loved the love story and the twists throughout and the only thing I disliked is that the love story WOULD NEVER HAPPEN! Haha but still nice to dream!

[jo anna fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Sandra Brown

I can always count on Ms. Brown for a rewarding interesting story. Lovely description s of a lovely setting for this one. A heart warming love story with strong human relations Excellent