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Tangle of Torment
She was marrying the wrong man.Dan was the kind of man every girl dreamed of - handsome and loving, with all the makings of a good husband and father. And if Ian Drake hadn't come into her life, Maggie would have married Dan happily.But Ian had watched her in action, lost in the joy of creating exciting, dynamic ad campaigns. He was the only man she'd ever met who understood her striving ambition, her burning passion for achievement. Theirs was a compelling affinity.Ian Drake was Maggie's other half ...so why did he resist their obvious attraction?
191 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
2 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
About the author
Emma Darcy
640 books327 followersEmma Darcy is the pseudonym created by the married writing team of Wendy (1940-2020) and Frank Brennan (1936-1995). Their life journey has taken as many twists and turns as the characters in their stories, whose international popularity has resulted in over sixty-million book sales. With more than a hundred titles, Emma Darcy appeared regularly on the Waldenbooks bestseller lists in the U.S.A. and in the Nielson BookScan Top 100 chart in the U.K.
Wendy was born 28 November 1940 in Australia. Her sister was the novelist Maureen Mary (Miranda Lee). Her father was a country school teacher and brilliant sportsman. Her mother was a talented dressmaker. She obtained an Honours degree in Latin and initially worked as a high school English/French teacher. She married Frank Brennan, an Australian businessman born in 1936. She changed careers to computer programming before marriage and motherhood settled her into a community life. She was reputedly the first woman computer programmer in the southern hemisphere.
As voracious readers, the step to writing their own books seemed a natural progression and the challenge of creating exciting stories was soon highly addictive. They were published since 1983. In 1993, for the Emma Darcy pseudonym's 10th anniversary, they created the "Emma Darcy Award Contest" to encourage authors to finish their manuscripts. After the death of Frank Brennan in 1995, Wendy wrotes books on her own. She lived in a beachside property on the central coast of New South Wales, and liked to travel extensively to research settings and increase her experience of places and people.
Wendy Brennan passed away on December 21, 2020. She is survived by her children, grandchildren, and sister, writer Miranda Lee.
Wendy was born 28 November 1940 in Australia. Her sister was the novelist Maureen Mary (Miranda Lee). Her father was a country school teacher and brilliant sportsman. Her mother was a talented dressmaker. She obtained an Honours degree in Latin and initially worked as a high school English/French teacher. She married Frank Brennan, an Australian businessman born in 1936. She changed careers to computer programming before marriage and motherhood settled her into a community life. She was reputedly the first woman computer programmer in the southern hemisphere.
As voracious readers, the step to writing their own books seemed a natural progression and the challenge of creating exciting stories was soon highly addictive. They were published since 1983. In 1993, for the Emma Darcy pseudonym's 10th anniversary, they created the "Emma Darcy Award Contest" to encourage authors to finish their manuscripts. After the death of Frank Brennan in 1995, Wendy wrotes books on her own. She lived in a beachside property on the central coast of New South Wales, and liked to travel extensively to research settings and increase her experience of places and people.
Wendy Brennan passed away on December 21, 2020. She is survived by her children, grandchildren, and sister, writer Miranda Lee.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 20, 2024
Maggie, a 25 year old very beautiful and dynamic advertising agent, was living and working in the city, but she was from the country where she was engaged to a Doctor.
When she met her new boss, Ian, she felt something she could not quite understand.
He was handsome and exuded power.
He was engaged to a hairdresser named Pat.
As time went by, Maggie's physical awareness of Ian increased and she had the feeling he was feeling the same for her, but she was getting married in a few months and so was he.
Ian had described Pat as the nicest woman he' ever met. She satisfied his requirements, he said.
One day he'd kissed Maggie in his office. Afterwards he told her to overlook his stupidity.
That weekend Maggie went back home and broke off her engagement despite her fiancee's strong objections and she also steered clear of Ian at the office.
But days later it happened again. They were in each other's arms kissing passionately and just as the last time, he rejected her afterwards.
"You are a very desirable woman but l don't want you, Maggie. I choose to control my life and l don't want you disordering it. I am going to marry Pat."
At the company's Christmas party Ian was accompanied by his fiancee Pat.
He introduced her to Maggie.
Pat was kind and friendly and Maggie liked her.
Maggie had too much to drink that night and the couple drove her home.
He sent Pat home in the car and went upstairs with Maggie as he reckoned she needed help.
In the apartment they kissed again passionately. Those two could not help it when left alone in a room.
Maggie told him she loved him. He said it was just mindless passion. He was going to marry Pat, he said, and expected to have a very pleasant life with her and if the time came that Pat left him, he shall regret her going very much, but it would not destroy him.
Reading between the lines, l knew there was some past trauma.
A few days later, Maggie had a visit from Pat.
"What happened the night of the Christmas party, Maggie? He said you needed him, it suggests an intimacy between you. He swears it's not so, but you are a beautiful woman, Maggie, clever, talented, a lot of things l am not..."
"He loves you Pat. He doesn't love or want me. You are his woman. "
"That's what he says, but there was pain on his face that night. You don't feel pain for someone who means nothing to you. I love him, Maggie, but l always sensed that he held part of himself back. You love him don't you?"
"He loves you. "
"I won't share him, Maggie. "
"He wouldn't expect you to. Ian controls his life. "
That night Ian knocked on Maggie's door. He told her that Pat broke their engagement and that Maggie was the reason.
He was drowning his sorrows in a bottle of brandy and suddenly he couldn't keep away from Maggie.
He wanted her when he did not want to feel that way.
They made love. For Maggie was the first time.
Later he told her that it was just this once and maybe it would set him free of Maggie.
She told him she loved him.
"Love is a trap. You get sucked in by all the promises of love and you grow dependent thinking love will last for ever. Then it disappears and you are left crippled because you are given too much of yourself away. I will not come back, Maggie, it would torment us both. "
On Sunday Maggie knocked on his door determined to plead with him, but :
"The other night was a mistake, Maggie. I don't want you complicating my life. I don't want what you are offering, Maggie, so leave me alone. I'd take Pat back if she'd have me. I don't want you and your love. Do you hear me?"
Time went by. One day Maggie happened to meet Pat at the shopping centre.
Pat told her that she'd visited Ian in order to apologise and accept him again.
Only he'd changed his mind.
He was sorry, he said, but there was no point getting back together because Maggie would always lie between them.
Pat told Maggie that Ian was brought up in a welfare institution.
He was deserted by his mother at the age of two. He was fostered out and at the age of eight he was deserted by his foster parents.
Now Maggie knew the reason Ian was behaving in such a fashion.
He was deserted by his foster parents which he loved and that had to have been a traumatic shock to him, that he had then rejected everyone, choosing not to become emotionally involved with people.
So Maggie was knocking on his door again but her efforts to reason with him did not work.
"Don't hang on Maggie. It's over. I am sorry, but you have to go."
"You say it's over for you Ian, but it's not for me. I hope you remember the pain you felt when your foster parents made their clean break. That's what l feel now. The only difference is that you have no reason at all for turning your back on the love we could have shared. It would have been kinder if you'd never looked my way, never made love to me. Just as it would have been kinder if that foster couple had never taken you into their home. I won't let you ignore my grief, Ian. Every time you see me at work, you'll know the torment of loneliness you've condemned me to."
She left then, her words hanging over him. His control had been shaken but it would take time for the words to corrode the defence wall he had built against her. There was nothing more she could do but wait and hope.
When she met her new boss, Ian, she felt something she could not quite understand.
He was handsome and exuded power.
He was engaged to a hairdresser named Pat.
As time went by, Maggie's physical awareness of Ian increased and she had the feeling he was feeling the same for her, but she was getting married in a few months and so was he.
Ian had described Pat as the nicest woman he' ever met. She satisfied his requirements, he said.
One day he'd kissed Maggie in his office. Afterwards he told her to overlook his stupidity.
That weekend Maggie went back home and broke off her engagement despite her fiancee's strong objections and she also steered clear of Ian at the office.
But days later it happened again. They were in each other's arms kissing passionately and just as the last time, he rejected her afterwards.
"You are a very desirable woman but l don't want you, Maggie. I choose to control my life and l don't want you disordering it. I am going to marry Pat."
At the company's Christmas party Ian was accompanied by his fiancee Pat.
He introduced her to Maggie.
Pat was kind and friendly and Maggie liked her.
Maggie had too much to drink that night and the couple drove her home.
He sent Pat home in the car and went upstairs with Maggie as he reckoned she needed help.
In the apartment they kissed again passionately. Those two could not help it when left alone in a room.
Maggie told him she loved him. He said it was just mindless passion. He was going to marry Pat, he said, and expected to have a very pleasant life with her and if the time came that Pat left him, he shall regret her going very much, but it would not destroy him.
Reading between the lines, l knew there was some past trauma.
A few days later, Maggie had a visit from Pat.
"What happened the night of the Christmas party, Maggie? He said you needed him, it suggests an intimacy between you. He swears it's not so, but you are a beautiful woman, Maggie, clever, talented, a lot of things l am not..."
"He loves you Pat. He doesn't love or want me. You are his woman. "
"That's what he says, but there was pain on his face that night. You don't feel pain for someone who means nothing to you. I love him, Maggie, but l always sensed that he held part of himself back. You love him don't you?"
"He loves you. "
"I won't share him, Maggie. "
"He wouldn't expect you to. Ian controls his life. "
That night Ian knocked on Maggie's door. He told her that Pat broke their engagement and that Maggie was the reason.
He was drowning his sorrows in a bottle of brandy and suddenly he couldn't keep away from Maggie.
He wanted her when he did not want to feel that way.
They made love. For Maggie was the first time.
Later he told her that it was just this once and maybe it would set him free of Maggie.
She told him she loved him.
"Love is a trap. You get sucked in by all the promises of love and you grow dependent thinking love will last for ever. Then it disappears and you are left crippled because you are given too much of yourself away. I will not come back, Maggie, it would torment us both. "
On Sunday Maggie knocked on his door determined to plead with him, but :
"The other night was a mistake, Maggie. I don't want you complicating my life. I don't want what you are offering, Maggie, so leave me alone. I'd take Pat back if she'd have me. I don't want you and your love. Do you hear me?"
Time went by. One day Maggie happened to meet Pat at the shopping centre.
Pat told her that she'd visited Ian in order to apologise and accept him again.
Only he'd changed his mind.
He was sorry, he said, but there was no point getting back together because Maggie would always lie between them.
Pat told Maggie that Ian was brought up in a welfare institution.
He was deserted by his mother at the age of two. He was fostered out and at the age of eight he was deserted by his foster parents.
Now Maggie knew the reason Ian was behaving in such a fashion.
He was deserted by his foster parents which he loved and that had to have been a traumatic shock to him, that he had then rejected everyone, choosing not to become emotionally involved with people.
So Maggie was knocking on his door again but her efforts to reason with him did not work.
"Don't hang on Maggie. It's over. I am sorry, but you have to go."
"You say it's over for you Ian, but it's not for me. I hope you remember the pain you felt when your foster parents made their clean break. That's what l feel now. The only difference is that you have no reason at all for turning your back on the love we could have shared. It would have been kinder if you'd never looked my way, never made love to me. Just as it would have been kinder if that foster couple had never taken you into their home. I won't let you ignore my grief, Ian. Every time you see me at work, you'll know the torment of loneliness you've condemned me to."
She left then, her words hanging over him. His control had been shaken but it would take time for the words to corrode the defence wall he had built against her. There was nothing more she could do but wait and hope.
February 5, 2017
This book disturbed me not so much for the agressive h chasing the H after he breaks his engagement, but for the scene where the ex-fiance the h dumps comes over to her house and beats her severely. The H was really not worth having except for a fling IMO, but the h was determined and she got her man.
What outraged me even in my teen years first reading this was that NOTHING happened to the ex-fiance and she was hurt pretty badly. I think ED thought the beating would make up for the sorta unladylike aggression the h used in pursuing the H. I wanted the H or the h's mum to hunt the ex down and introduce him to the skillet in an uncomfortable location. Sadly that did not happen, but the HEA is okay. This book is a great example of the really strong h's ED can produce, just don't look at the guys in it so much.
What outraged me even in my teen years first reading this was that NOTHING happened to the ex-fiance and she was hurt pretty badly. I think ED thought the beating would make up for the sorta unladylike aggression the h used in pursuing the H. I wanted the H or the h's mum to hunt the ex down and introduce him to the skillet in an uncomfortable location. Sadly that did not happen, but the HEA is okay. This book is a great example of the really strong h's ED can produce, just don't look at the guys in it so much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2018
As Naksed would say, “Barftastic!” Boogenhagen and Naksed give much more comprehensive reviews of this.
Knowing it was a train wreck minimizes the rant. What it doesn’t minimize is how realistic it was in terms of women in the workplace, career v baby, parental expectations, etc. I found it depressingly realistic in terms of its misogyny and the maternal dynamics.
I can’t say not to read this as too many things read true for the era, but if you are looking for romance… RUN.. Better as a reflection of an era gone by.
The heroine is, what’s the word I’m searching for? Oh yeah, a bitch and it’s all about her. She’s a total bitch to pretty much every man she meets including and most importantly her cock-blocked fiancee.
She’s a twenty-five year old hot-shot advertising wunderbabe, and the dynamics of the advertising agency where she works is a joke. She singlehandedly creates a campaign and shows it to the client without showing it to the new alpha boss. Nope. In real life she would have had a creative partner and had to go through AT LEAST two layers of ad management before showing it to the client.
The anachronisms abound that are right in line with the era, early 1980’s.
The heroine about being engaged.
I’m twenty-five years old and if I don't marry Dan, who will I ever marry?
Her friend that’s a lowly secretary…
’It’s all right for you—you've got your man. Here am I still hunting.' She sighed and pulled a wry face. 'Maybe some day I'll get lucky.
The couple talking about their respective fiancées.
Pat is, I think, the nicest woman I've ever met, a very giving person, very human in the best sense of the word. The words were slow and measured as if he was reminding himself of her quality. Maggie darted a glance at him, but his expression was shuttered. The eyes he turned on her gave nothing away. One black eyebrow rose fractionally.
'And your fiance?'
Maggie was confused by a welter of emotions she could not begin to identify. 'Dan is . . . he's a gynaecologist.’
The mother’s obsession…
My The mother..She was still a very handsome woman…Fay Tarrington's one obsession was to see her daughter happily married. Dan Barlow had been the answer to her prayers.
The OTT cliche gay guy sop
I'll dig out my tux and come all formal and dignified. Why, just for you, Maggie, I'll pretend I'm almost straight. It appeals to my sense of the ridiculous.'
'I think I'm catching the mood,' Maggie grinned at him. 'We'll put everyone else in the shade. Right?'
'Right!' he agreed with smug satisfaction, wriggling his fingers at her as she waved him goodbye.
The H’s idea of romance. Lucky, lucky Pat who deserves a decent H.
'Yes, I said that. I do love Pat, in a quiet, reasoned way. She's a good woman and I'm going to marry her. She'll be the kind of wife I want, and I'll provide her with every comfort her heart desires. I expect to have a very pleasant life with her. And if the time comes that Pat is discontented and wants
something or someone else, I shall regret her going, very much. But it will not destroy me.'
The H to the h after sex AND after his fiancee dumps him because she has self-respect.
'The other night was a mistake, Maggie, and I don't intend to repeat it. I don't want you complicating my life, distorting the shape I've chosen to make of it. I don't think I can speak more clearly than that,' he stated. with cool precision.
The h's reaction to the H at any given time.
The couple have all the emotional and sexual connection as Lady Penelope and anybody in the Thunderbirds.
Thunderbirds are Go!
f>
Knowing it was a train wreck minimizes the rant. What it doesn’t minimize is how realistic it was in terms of women in the workplace, career v baby, parental expectations, etc. I found it depressingly realistic in terms of its misogyny and the maternal dynamics.
I can’t say not to read this as too many things read true for the era, but if you are looking for romance… RUN.. Better as a reflection of an era gone by.
The heroine is, what’s the word I’m searching for? Oh yeah, a bitch and it’s all about her. She’s a total bitch to pretty much every man she meets including and most importantly her cock-blocked fiancee.
She’s a twenty-five year old hot-shot advertising wunderbabe, and the dynamics of the advertising agency where she works is a joke. She singlehandedly creates a campaign and shows it to the client without showing it to the new alpha boss. Nope. In real life she would have had a creative partner and had to go through AT LEAST two layers of ad management before showing it to the client.
The anachronisms abound that are right in line with the era, early 1980’s.
The heroine about being engaged.
I’m twenty-five years old and if I don't marry Dan, who will I ever marry?
Her friend that’s a lowly secretary…
’It’s all right for you—you've got your man. Here am I still hunting.' She sighed and pulled a wry face. 'Maybe some day I'll get lucky.
The couple talking about their respective fiancées.
Pat is, I think, the nicest woman I've ever met, a very giving person, very human in the best sense of the word. The words were slow and measured as if he was reminding himself of her quality. Maggie darted a glance at him, but his expression was shuttered. The eyes he turned on her gave nothing away. One black eyebrow rose fractionally.
'And your fiance?'
Maggie was confused by a welter of emotions she could not begin to identify. 'Dan is . . . he's a gynaecologist.’
The mother’s obsession…
The OTT cliche gay guy sop
I'll dig out my tux and come all formal and dignified. Why, just for you, Maggie, I'll pretend I'm almost straight. It appeals to my sense of the ridiculous.'
'I think I'm catching the mood,' Maggie grinned at him. 'We'll put everyone else in the shade. Right?'
'Right!' he agreed with smug satisfaction, wriggling his fingers at her as she waved him goodbye.
The H’s idea of romance. Lucky, lucky Pat who deserves a decent H.
'Yes, I said that. I do love Pat, in a quiet, reasoned way. She's a good woman and I'm going to marry her. She'll be the kind of wife I want, and I'll provide her with every comfort her heart desires. I expect to have a very pleasant life with her. And if the time comes that Pat is discontented and wants
something or someone else, I shall regret her going, very much. But it will not destroy me.'
The H to the h after sex AND after his fiancee dumps him because she has self-respect.
'The other night was a mistake, Maggie, and I don't intend to repeat it. I don't want you complicating my life, distorting the shape I've chosen to make of it. I don't think I can speak more clearly than that,' he stated. with cool precision.
The h's reaction to the H at any given time.
The couple have all the emotional and sexual connection as Lady Penelope and anybody in the Thunderbirds.
Thunderbirds are Go!
f>
March 20, 2025
A Tangle of Torment was truly what I endured reading Emma Darcy's horrible, Gloriously Bad Hall of Fame Winner of the Year, Epic Trainwreck of a romance book, starring two big, fat, cheating protagonists with psychotic personalities. The crazy stalking heroine makes infamous bunny-boiling psychos like Fatal Attraction's Alex Forrest look like a rank amateur.
The hero, I can't even.
I wouldn't touch this book with a ten foot bargepole and covered in a Hazmat suit if I were you, but if you are in the mood for a train wreck of epic proportions, step right ahead onto the tracks. I wish you joy of it :)
The hero, I can't even.
I wouldn't touch this book with a ten foot bargepole and covered in a Hazmat suit if I were you, but if you are in the mood for a train wreck of epic proportions, step right ahead onto the tracks. I wish you joy of it :)
avoid
April 8, 2018Read Vintage's 2-star review of Tangle of Torment by Emma Darcy
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Oh, on top of that, he gets his assistant to call her when she merely fainted.
BUT rushes to her after he does the math and realises the fainting was due to pregnancy.
And goes from I’ll never ever marry someone like YOU to let’s get married for the sake of the kid.
Oh no! It’s eternal love, it wasn’t about his custody of the baby at all! Nah, not at all.
Mom? What exactly did you put in this tea???
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Oh, on top of that, he gets his assistant to call her when she merely fainted.
BUT rushes to her after he does the math and realises the fainting was due to pregnancy.
And goes from I’ll never ever marry someone like YOU to let’s get married for the sake of the kid.
Oh no! It’s eternal love, it wasn’t about his custody of the baby at all! Nah, not at all.
Mom? What exactly did you put in this tea???
August 22, 2015
I lost interest quickly in both of them. Not worth even a review.
I would not recommend.
I would not recommend.
October 25, 2020
3 1/2 Stars ~ Returning to work after a month's medical leave, Maggie finds massive changes at the advertising firm. Not only does she have a new boss, Ian Drake, but a colleague with less skill than her own is promoted above her. Determined to speak her mind on the changes, Maggie is surprised when Ian listens to her beef, and concedes to her demands that no one is her boss except him and to her pay increase with bonus earnings. Maggie's talent in advertising is legend, and Ian knows he has to keep her happy because the firm can't afford to lose her. What neither had bargained for was their immediate connection, both with an intense physical attraction and with a unique bonding of the minds.
Maggie is engaged to a doctor and Ian is engaged to a lovely woman that Maggie likes very much. Ian flatly rejects any possible personal relationship, insisting he loves his fiancee. Maggie can't say the same, for every moment with her fiance, Dan, only proves that he's not the man for her, and so she breaks her engagement. She accepts Ian's rejection until she learns that he too broke off his engagement. With nothing to lose, Maggie goes after him, but not even a magical night in his arms can break his determination to not become involved with her.
While Ian is able to just walk away from the magic they could share, Maggie is not. She can't comprehend how he can just turn off his emotions and reject her, and then she learns about the rejection he'd felt as a child when the foster parents he'd come to love had up and moved out of the country, leaving him behind. Determined to reach out to that lost little boy, Maggie tracks Ian down. Her efforts to breach his control only reaffirms his rejection, and Maggie tries one final time to shake his resolve.
This second book by Emma Darcy was originally published in the early 80's. It's not often that we have a heroine that actively stalks a hero. Once Ian's free from his fiancee, Maggie doesn't hesitate to do some chasing. She was sure she could wear him down, and he was brutally determined to remain in control of his own destiny. Ian comes off as harsh and unfeeling; and fortunately the glimpses we're given of his internal turmoil and pain, allow him to be redeemable. Maggie's has a brilliant mind and a talent for advertising, her career means a lot to her. At their first meeting, Maggie had told Ian she'd been considering opening her own ad agency, so I was rather surprised that once Maggie had accepted that Ian would never open to her, that she chose to stay working for him. Once Ian realizes how wrong he's been shutting Maggie out, he does a bit of a grovel, which of course, brings Maggie back into his arms. By today's standards there are a few unPC moments, but having been Maggie's age when this book was written, I can attest that they suit the times. It's a rollercoaster ride from start to finish for these two.
He knew how she felt and she knew he knew. It was the most incredible sense of togetherness Maggie had ever experienced. It was like champagne in her blood, sparkling, heady, and far more intoxicating than the wine they drank with their meal.
Maggie is engaged to a doctor and Ian is engaged to a lovely woman that Maggie likes very much. Ian flatly rejects any possible personal relationship, insisting he loves his fiancee. Maggie can't say the same, for every moment with her fiance, Dan, only proves that he's not the man for her, and so she breaks her engagement. She accepts Ian's rejection until she learns that he too broke off his engagement. With nothing to lose, Maggie goes after him, but not even a magical night in his arms can break his determination to not become involved with her.
Maggie stroked his smooth, muscular body in soft wonderment, believing in that moment that it would always be hers to touch, feel, hold in her arms and know it as she knew it now. She turned her face to his and whispered, 'I love you.'
Ian sighed and ran his hand gently over her soft, warm contours. 'That wasn't love, Maggie. It was possession. Don't give it any other name. Why didn't you tell me you were a virgin?'
'I love you,' she repeated, giving him the only answer she had.
He shook his head restlessly. 'You burden me with that too. I didn't want to be your first lover. I thought... Oh, hell and damnation! What am I to do with you?' he demanded with a touch of desperation.
'Love me,' she whispered, kissing the corners of his mouth and snuggling closer, hugging him to her.
He stroked her hair as he spoke with dry mockery. 'Love is a trap. You get sucked in by all the shining promises of love and you grow dependent, thinking love will last for ever. Then it disappears and you're left crippled because you've given too much of yourself away. Don't put love on me, Maggie. I won't wear it.'
While Ian is able to just walk away from the magic they could share, Maggie is not. She can't comprehend how he can just turn off his emotions and reject her, and then she learns about the rejection he'd felt as a child when the foster parents he'd come to love had up and moved out of the country, leaving him behind. Determined to reach out to that lost little boy, Maggie tracks Ian down. Her efforts to breach his control only reaffirms his rejection, and Maggie tries one final time to shake his resolve.
His expression was as unyielding as stone. She took a deep breath and spoke with all the emotion in her heart.
'You say it's over for you, Ian, but it's not for me. I hope you remember the pain and the bewilderment and the bereftness you felt when your foster-parents made their clean break. That's what I feel now. The only difference is that you have no reason at all for turning your back on the love we could have shared. You simply chose to, deliberately, cruelly, . and callously. I don't know how you can live with that.'
She paused, but he did not answer her. The tanned skin had paled to sallow and shock registered in every taut line of his face. A savage little triumph burst across Maggie's brain. She had jolted him all right.
Then his lips moved stiffly, as if by an effort of will. 'No.' It was only an explosion of breath, barely a croak. He swallowed and his eyes were stricken with guilt. 'I'm not like them ... I didn't mean to ...'
She ignored the agonised protest, as relentless in her purpose as he had been in his. 'It would have been kinder if you'd never looked my way, never spoken to me, never made love to me. Just as it would have been kinder if that English couple had never taken you into their home. You let me taste your love and then you took it away. You chose to shut me out. But I won't let you ignore my grief, Ian. I won't speak of it again, but every time you see me at work, you'll know the torment of loneliness you've condemned me to.' She left him then, her words hanging over him like a mediaeval curse.
This second book by Emma Darcy was originally published in the early 80's. It's not often that we have a heroine that actively stalks a hero. Once Ian's free from his fiancee, Maggie doesn't hesitate to do some chasing. She was sure she could wear him down, and he was brutally determined to remain in control of his own destiny. Ian comes off as harsh and unfeeling; and fortunately the glimpses we're given of his internal turmoil and pain, allow him to be redeemable. Maggie's has a brilliant mind and a talent for advertising, her career means a lot to her. At their first meeting, Maggie had told Ian she'd been considering opening her own ad agency, so I was rather surprised that once Maggie had accepted that Ian would never open to her, that she chose to stay working for him. Once Ian realizes how wrong he's been shutting Maggie out, he does a bit of a grovel, which of course, brings Maggie back into his arms. By today's standards there are a few unPC moments, but having been Maggie's age when this book was written, I can attest that they suit the times. It's a rollercoaster ride from start to finish for these two.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 29, 2014
i cud not like this one as maggie was so pathetic! ian was rude, outrageous and rejected her brutally. yet, she was back for more! he was determined to marry pat and blew in a temper when the engagement was broken. maggie still pursued him relentlessly! she had no self-respect and was so desperate i was disgusted!
November 22, 2021
She was marrying the wrong man.
Dan was the kind of man every girl dreamed of - handsome and loving, with all the makings of a good husband and father. And if Ian Drake hadn't come into her life, Maggie would have married Dan happily.
But Ian had watched her in action, lost in the joy of creating exciting, dynamic ad campaigns. He was the only man she'd ever met who understood her striving ambition, her burning passion for achievement. Theirs was a compelling affinity.
Ian Drake was Maggie's other half ...so why did he resist their obvious attraction
Dan was the kind of man every girl dreamed of - handsome and loving, with all the makings of a good husband and father. And if Ian Drake hadn't come into her life, Maggie would have married Dan happily.
But Ian had watched her in action, lost in the joy of creating exciting, dynamic ad campaigns. He was the only man she'd ever met who understood her striving ambition, her burning passion for achievement. Theirs was a compelling affinity.
Ian Drake was Maggie's other half ...so why did he resist their obvious attraction
May 2, 2013
Stakerific heroine! That's something! :/
The book started off well, but took a downturn somewhere mid-way.
The Hero was a non-hero for me, the heroine a masochist!
But yeah, the book is pretty different for a harlequin and not entirely bad, so two stars it is!
Those who want to may try at their own risk. Would not recommend!
The book started off well, but took a downturn somewhere mid-way.
The Hero was a non-hero for me, the heroine a masochist!
But yeah, the book is pretty different for a harlequin and not entirely bad, so two stars it is!
Those who want to may try at their own risk. Would not recommend!
April 5, 2022
A 3.5 would be more accurate.
Heavy duty emotional train wreck , this one. The story doesn't let up on its high octane emotional outbursts from start to end ! In fact, it was draining, to just read the story from start to end !
Maggie is a genius ad film maker. She is obsessed with her craft, excels at it, and gets a huge kick from the creative highs it gives her! My kind of girl, I'd say !!!!!!!!!! What a refreshing change to see a woman with a compelling profession !
She is quite suitably engaged to a hot shot doctor. Good looking couple, good marriage to look forward to, ticks all the right boxes. He doesn't quite get her professional eccentricities, but he is willing to be indulgent. #$#^$&@$
In comes trouble, in the form of Ian Drake, the hero, her new boss. The only other fellow in the whole wide world who 'understands' Maggie's creative genius, and appreciates it. Because its quite the same with him you see.
So there is a zing between the two during their initial professional encounters. Highly stimulating, sexually charged. They skirt around each other for a while but the zing gets the better of them. Mild flirting starts, but Ian always pulls back after a temporary slip of his icy control.
He is also engaged you see, to a simple sweet OW. He doesn't want a compelling love relationship, he just wants a placid life partner, no upheavals, no major emotional demands, no cosmic CONNECTION n stuff.
Very soon Maggie admits to herself that her engagement is a farce, it won't work out. So she breaks up with her guy. Quite ruthlessly it seems at that stage of the story. Because the doctor fiance has only been a simple sweet accommodating guy until then. So the reader cannot reconcile to Maggie's rude break up with the fellow.
Now starts the trouble. Our fellow Ian refuses to commit emotionally to Maggie. The odd kiss or two happens, but he simply wont let his guard down.
On the night of their office Christmas party, Maggie is sloshed and sulking in a corner because Ian wont take her seriously. Ian brings his fiance along to check up on Maggie. But things go quickly out of control. Maggie is weeping buckets, our fellow is all at sea. He is torn between caring for her and running for cover !!
He does run eventually, after some luvving. This time to his OW, who promptly breaks their engagement seeing how invested Ian is in Maggie !! Now, both are free of their engagements, so HEA, right ? Wrong !!!!!!!
A few days later, things really go out of hand and they cant control their sexual chemistry any more.
So they DO IT, but our man still is in the Hit and Run mode. Nothing has changed at all !!!
Maggie is bewildered. She does some investigating, and figures out his abandoned orphan childhood sob story. Quite tragic, but is it enough to shape a man's character to this extent? I'll take that premise with a pinch of salt ;)
Anyway, Maggie is preggers by now. And she is devastated, this mess with Ian is eating into her. So she makes a final desperate cry to him. Tells him he is abandoning her , just like how his foster parents abandoned him when he was a child. That barb hits home, but not immediately.
He does come looking for her after his defenses are all smashed. Maggie's mummy is taking care of her disraught daughter. Another emotional tear jerker scene followed by a HEA. Phew, it couldn't have come sooner !!!! I was exhausted !
Maggie gets her man, after a real long, relentless fight. I hope he turns out to be worth it all. But there was no epilogue you see. So I can only assume ...
Heavy duty emotional train wreck , this one. The story doesn't let up on its high octane emotional outbursts from start to end ! In fact, it was draining, to just read the story from start to end !
Maggie is a genius ad film maker. She is obsessed with her craft, excels at it, and gets a huge kick from the creative highs it gives her! My kind of girl, I'd say !!!!!!!!!! What a refreshing change to see a woman with a compelling profession !
She is quite suitably engaged to a hot shot doctor. Good looking couple, good marriage to look forward to, ticks all the right boxes. He doesn't quite get her professional eccentricities, but he is willing to be indulgent. #$#^$&@$
In comes trouble, in the form of Ian Drake, the hero, her new boss. The only other fellow in the whole wide world who 'understands' Maggie's creative genius, and appreciates it. Because its quite the same with him you see.
So there is a zing between the two during their initial professional encounters. Highly stimulating, sexually charged. They skirt around each other for a while but the zing gets the better of them. Mild flirting starts, but Ian always pulls back after a temporary slip of his icy control.
He is also engaged you see, to a simple sweet OW. He doesn't want a compelling love relationship, he just wants a placid life partner, no upheavals, no major emotional demands, no cosmic CONNECTION n stuff.
Very soon Maggie admits to herself that her engagement is a farce, it won't work out. So she breaks up with her guy. Quite ruthlessly it seems at that stage of the story. Because the doctor fiance has only been a simple sweet accommodating guy until then. So the reader cannot reconcile to Maggie's rude break up with the fellow.
Now starts the trouble. Our fellow Ian refuses to commit emotionally to Maggie. The odd kiss or two happens, but he simply wont let his guard down.
On the night of their office Christmas party, Maggie is sloshed and sulking in a corner because Ian wont take her seriously. Ian brings his fiance along to check up on Maggie. But things go quickly out of control. Maggie is weeping buckets, our fellow is all at sea. He is torn between caring for her and running for cover !!
He does run eventually, after some luvving. This time to his OW, who promptly breaks their engagement seeing how invested Ian is in Maggie !! Now, both are free of their engagements, so HEA, right ? Wrong !!!!!!!
A few days later, things really go out of hand and they cant control their sexual chemistry any more.
So they DO IT, but our man still is in the Hit and Run mode. Nothing has changed at all !!!
Maggie is bewildered. She does some investigating, and figures out his abandoned orphan childhood sob story. Quite tragic, but is it enough to shape a man's character to this extent? I'll take that premise with a pinch of salt ;)
Anyway, Maggie is preggers by now. And she is devastated, this mess with Ian is eating into her. So she makes a final desperate cry to him. Tells him he is abandoning her , just like how his foster parents abandoned him when he was a child. That barb hits home, but not immediately.
He does come looking for her after his defenses are all smashed. Maggie's mummy is taking care of her disraught daughter. Another emotional tear jerker scene followed by a HEA. Phew, it couldn't have come sooner !!!! I was exhausted !
Maggie gets her man, after a real long, relentless fight. I hope he turns out to be worth it all. But there was no epilogue you see. So I can only assume ...
July 2, 2015
i remember reading this book. one of the most novel that i hate. and i hate the heroine. she's just hv no pride, or so whatever you guys wants to justify her action. she basically chasing after the hero who already engage and have fiancee!! she's throwing herself again n again n again, even thought the hero didnt want her, but ofc, the hero felt some kind of "lust" attraction to her, but he already had his own plan by marrying his fiancee. but this girl, this -i wanna slap her soo hard- heroine, chasing after him and had no shame or not even considering that he already hav a girl he wants to married. at this point, i saw the heroine like the OW that i hate soo freaking much.
but it's just me.
but it's just me.
February 25, 2013
Any book that`s a bit different goes with my approval,mostly! Well here we have Maggie,our heroine is engaged and could`ve been HEA if she haven`t met Ian Drake who`s her new boss and is engaged as well. They are both strong and competent and they understand how other ticks. Maggie knows she can`t settle for Dan now she felt connection with Drake but he won`t leave Pat who`s nice and sedate person to be with h because they`re too much alike and like two piranhas they`ll destroy each other. It`s all very human,emotional,not too glittery though we have big money, parties,etc, heroine gets drunk, hero behaves cowardly,runs scared... but it`s satisfactory read.
April 28, 2025
The H was ok even though he was callous at times. The story was engaging. But for me the whole thing became cringe when the h made excuses & blamed herself for the beating that her Ex gave her when she revealed to him that she was pregnant by the H, her justifying that physical abuse by saying she made him (the Ex) angry just made me angry.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2025
Nostalgic.
August 20, 2025
Lavoro e Passione (titolo in Italiano)
May 19, 2020
I'm torn between giving this one star or two stars.
One star reasons:
Two star reasons:
- The angst! So angsty - all that unfulfilled want and desires, and spark between the pair!
- The fantastic depiction of the h being so capable, forward-thinking and so kickarse at work. Shame that that didn't translate into her personal life.
One star reasons:
Two star reasons:
- The angst! So angsty - all that unfulfilled want and desires, and spark between the pair!
- The fantastic depiction of the h being so capable, forward-thinking and so kickarse at work. Shame that that didn't translate into her personal life.
September 25, 2016
I placed high expectations on this book, but in the end it really pissed me off. The poor heroine is surrounded by an immature jerk (her boss), a revolting molester (her colleague) and a psycho would-be rapist (her fiancé). What a wonderful trio! The hero didn't deserve to be forgiven that easily by the heroine. He treated her badly and ignored her for the majority of the book. And what should I say about her fiancé who assaulted and almost raped her after finding out she was expecting a child from another man? Avoid.
Want to read
August 10, 2011I know what you are thinking. Why is this man holding a romance novel? Well I'm building a library at home & think that I should have some of these books. A nice lady friend may read it one day. Also I went to school with one of Emma Darcy's sons, so out of respect I have a few of her books as well. Regards Tim
June 14, 2011
this was one of darcy's first books, back in the early 80's, and i do think herolder books were good. of course, it's a bit dated, but overall the story and characters were believable, especially for the time
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