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The Gift Of Loving by Patricia Wilson released on Apr 24, 1992 is available now for purchase.
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First published January 1, 1991
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About the author
Patricia Wilson
240 books180 followersPatricia Wilson (1929 – 2010) was a best-selling writer of 53 romance novels for the Mills & Boon publisher from 1986 to 2004. She placed her novels primarily in England, Spain or France.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
March 13, 2025
__"When I kissed you before, I did not find you repulsive and that convinced me that you would do very well for a temporary wife."
__"You've missed out one small detail," Lucy snapped, red-faced but now furious. "I find YOU repulsive!"
Patricia Wilson's exquisite The Gift of Loving is testament to the fact that, while Harlequin romances may repetitively use similar tropes, they can still feel fresh, entertaining and novel when executed with flare. I cannot think of another marriage-by-blackmail scheme that was quite so inventive and clever and laugh-out-loud funny. Guy, the aristocratic French hero, is quite ruthless without becoming cruel. Lucinda , the "unsophisticated" English country bumpkin manages to thwart him at every turn. T
__"If you are beginning to__" His anger was barely contained but the room was filled with people, many of them looking across at the 'happy' couple, and Lucy looked straight at Guy with defiance right at the surface.
__"If I am beginning to misbehave, you'll shake me?" She enquired crisply. "Go ahead. It will bring some life into the party. I'm bored out of my mind."
For a second, he stared into her wide blue eyes and then he relaxed, his lips quirking.
__"Little wretch," he murmured softly. "Mon Dieu! You are not as easy to manage as I imagined at first. "
In the second half of the book, we see their relationship grow from contentious to a tentative friendship, before eventually concluding into quite a swoon worthy love declaration.
"Once you said that you were without talent, in fact you repeated it frequently. You have tamed a dragon, brought joy to a rather grim household, but most of all you have given me happiness I never dreamed of. You have the gift of loving, and I love you so deeply that I cannot ever think of anything else."
Even the nasty OW who, as usual, gets off scot-free, didn't ruin things because the heroine went toe to toe with her and set her down several times.
A very entertaining read highly recommended for Harlequin fans.
__"You've missed out one small detail," Lucy snapped, red-faced but now furious. "I find YOU repulsive!"
Patricia Wilson's exquisite The Gift of Loving is testament to the fact that, while Harlequin romances may repetitively use similar tropes, they can still feel fresh, entertaining and novel when executed with flare. I cannot think of another marriage-by-blackmail scheme that was quite so inventive and clever and laugh-out-loud funny. Guy, the aristocratic French hero, is quite ruthless without becoming cruel. Lucinda , the "unsophisticated" English country bumpkin manages to thwart him at every turn. T
__"If you are beginning to__" His anger was barely contained but the room was filled with people, many of them looking across at the 'happy' couple, and Lucy looked straight at Guy with defiance right at the surface.
__"If I am beginning to misbehave, you'll shake me?" She enquired crisply. "Go ahead. It will bring some life into the party. I'm bored out of my mind."
For a second, he stared into her wide blue eyes and then he relaxed, his lips quirking.
__"Little wretch," he murmured softly. "Mon Dieu! You are not as easy to manage as I imagined at first. "
In the second half of the book, we see their relationship grow from contentious to a tentative friendship, before eventually concluding into quite a swoon worthy love declaration.
"Once you said that you were without talent, in fact you repeated it frequently. You have tamed a dragon, brought joy to a rather grim household, but most of all you have given me happiness I never dreamed of. You have the gift of loving, and I love you so deeply that I cannot ever think of anything else."
Even the nasty OW who, as usual, gets off scot-free, didn't ruin things because the heroine went toe to toe with her and set her down several times.
A very entertaining read highly recommended for Harlequin fans.
October 12, 2017
Re The Gift of Loving- Patricia Wilson does more cuddly mouse h's with single solitary big French cat predator H's in this one.
This is set in France, in not one but TWO lovely Chateau's - tho the first one with the vast library is freezing- and we get all of our very favorite PWisms. Including:
A cuddlesome h prone to small accidents, thus giving our enraptured but hiding it H a chance to cart and carry her about in the process of rescuing her.
A fairly vain and stupid evil OW, who is obviously no threat to the h, but the h has to fret about it anyways, in the most adorable way of course.
Lot of witty banter between the H and h as he is Mr. Mocking Bossy Boots and she is Miss Intransigent but Cute With It.
A very Obsessed and Possessive H who WILL NOT be denied in his overall takeover and permanent occupation of the h.
So the h is the unwitting dupe for her larcenous rare book purveyor aunt when the book opens. The h comes from a family of fairly useless artistic dabbling parents, who home schooled her and then relied on her common sense and caretaking abilities and her ability to do office work to support them until they died. The h repeatedly is told she is insignificant because she has no talent, but as this is a bona fide HP h in HPlandia, we all know that if the H is ever indisposed and can't run his Business Empire, this h will be in the office and running every thing in apple pie style just like a BOSS .
But before we get to that part, the h has to get taken advantage of by her supposedly history researcher and writer aunt and swept off to France. The aunt tells the h that she is to be her assistant and help her write her histories and the h, wanting a chance to see something of the world, quickly agrees to go even tho she thinks her aunt's books are quite terrible.
The aunt soon inveigles a cushy invite to the Comte H's grand but cold Gothic Chateau and the h, who doesn't like this H AT ALL, is soon being cosseted with cozy shawls, bedroom fires and the H's personal carrying about service when she falls off a wall onto him and then trips over her feet after a roofie kiss by the H.
The h's aunt is at her most charmingly disparaging of the h to the H and his stepmother, but all that comes to a halt when the H first asks the h to marry him for a year or so in a MOC to provide him with an heir. The h will get the title of Comtesse', a divorce and lots of money, the only catch is she will have to leave her son with the H and she staunchly and angrily refuses. The H then catches the aunt stealing a very rare book that she hid in the h's luggage and he tells the h she either marries him, gives him a son and then a divorce, or it is prison and stripped cotton for her and her dubious aunt.
The h reluctantly agrees to marry as we all move to the H's livable Chateau, (the Gothic one is just for the library and because it is a useful storage shed,) while the aunt is banished to the mists of bad relative HPlandia and the h gets the requisite Parisian makeover with clothes. There is an engagement dinner where we meet the OW and the h has to deliver a verbal set down or two. Then the h makes a valiant attempt at escape from her sorry, unwanted fate after many funny arguments with the H that always end in roofie kisses. Unfortunately the florist guy that she gets a ride with rats her out to the H and he manages to foil the great escape attempt.
Then we have the wedding and the honeymoon in Sicily and of course the h succumbs to the H's magick lurve mojo when the roofie kisses go too far. The h soon finds herself preggers and mopey and having vivid imaginings that the H loves the evil OW. Especially when the OW comes to visit the H in his study.
The H, for his part, has to wander around alone and suffering because the h repeatedly assures him she despises him and he can't stand to be tormented at home by his longing for the h. When the baby boy is born a bit early cause the h had to demonstrate her h worthiness by rescuing a small drowning boy, the H does his best to make the h stay for longer than the agreed upon time.
We also find out that the h would have been a brilliant Floral Designer when she does the florals for a big dinner party, so she does have artistic talent. The h also wins over all the servants and the H's stepmother. But the h is tired of beating her head against the unmovable wall of an H in love with another woman, so sadly she prepares herself to let her son go and get on with her life.
The H has objections to this of course and in the declaration of his undying love he claims in suitably tortured utterances that he will haunt the h, follow her everywhere, fight the divorce and drag her back by her hair if she ever dares try to leave him. He never wanted the OW, she is vain and silly and he never even dated her, he only loves the h and has ever since she fell off the wall and onto him.
There is a few more pages of heartfelt H declarations and the h can now freely admit she loves him madly back. We leave the happy couple revisiting Sicily for a second honeymoon, happily lurvin it up for another pink sparkly PW HEA.
I liked this one. It has all the standard PW tropes and the h is a worthy opponent for the sarcastically funny and elusive H. If cuddly h's and bossy, but nice H's are your thing, you can do far, far worse for an HPlandia outing.
This is set in France, in not one but TWO lovely Chateau's - tho the first one with the vast library is freezing- and we get all of our very favorite PWisms. Including:
A cuddlesome h prone to small accidents, thus giving our enraptured but hiding it H a chance to cart and carry her about in the process of rescuing her.
A fairly vain and stupid evil OW, who is obviously no threat to the h, but the h has to fret about it anyways, in the most adorable way of course.
Lot of witty banter between the H and h as he is Mr. Mocking Bossy Boots and she is Miss Intransigent but Cute With It.
A very Obsessed and Possessive H who WILL NOT be denied in his overall takeover and permanent occupation of the h.
So the h is the unwitting dupe for her larcenous rare book purveyor aunt when the book opens. The h comes from a family of fairly useless artistic dabbling parents, who home schooled her and then relied on her common sense and caretaking abilities and her ability to do office work to support them until they died. The h repeatedly is told she is insignificant because she has no talent, but as this is a bona fide HP h in HPlandia, we all know that if the H is ever indisposed and can't run his Business Empire, this h will be in the office and running every thing in apple pie style just like a BOSS .
But before we get to that part, the h has to get taken advantage of by her supposedly history researcher and writer aunt and swept off to France. The aunt tells the h that she is to be her assistant and help her write her histories and the h, wanting a chance to see something of the world, quickly agrees to go even tho she thinks her aunt's books are quite terrible.
The aunt soon inveigles a cushy invite to the Comte H's grand but cold Gothic Chateau and the h, who doesn't like this H AT ALL, is soon being cosseted with cozy shawls, bedroom fires and the H's personal carrying about service when she falls off a wall onto him and then trips over her feet after a roofie kiss by the H.
The h's aunt is at her most charmingly disparaging of the h to the H and his stepmother, but all that comes to a halt when the H first asks the h to marry him for a year or so in a MOC to provide him with an heir. The h will get the title of Comtesse', a divorce and lots of money, the only catch is she will have to leave her son with the H and she staunchly and angrily refuses. The H then catches the aunt stealing a very rare book that she hid in the h's luggage and he tells the h she either marries him, gives him a son and then a divorce, or it is prison and stripped cotton for her and her dubious aunt.
The h reluctantly agrees to marry as we all move to the H's livable Chateau, (the Gothic one is just for the library and because it is a useful storage shed,) while the aunt is banished to the mists of bad relative HPlandia and the h gets the requisite Parisian makeover with clothes. There is an engagement dinner where we meet the OW and the h has to deliver a verbal set down or two. Then the h makes a valiant attempt at escape from her sorry, unwanted fate after many funny arguments with the H that always end in roofie kisses. Unfortunately the florist guy that she gets a ride with rats her out to the H and he manages to foil the great escape attempt.
Then we have the wedding and the honeymoon in Sicily and of course the h succumbs to the H's magick lurve mojo when the roofie kisses go too far. The h soon finds herself preggers and mopey and having vivid imaginings that the H loves the evil OW. Especially when the OW comes to visit the H in his study.
The H, for his part, has to wander around alone and suffering because the h repeatedly assures him she despises him and he can't stand to be tormented at home by his longing for the h. When the baby boy is born a bit early cause the h had to demonstrate her h worthiness by rescuing a small drowning boy, the H does his best to make the h stay for longer than the agreed upon time.
We also find out that the h would have been a brilliant Floral Designer when she does the florals for a big dinner party, so she does have artistic talent. The h also wins over all the servants and the H's stepmother. But the h is tired of beating her head against the unmovable wall of an H in love with another woman, so sadly she prepares herself to let her son go and get on with her life.
The H has objections to this of course and in the declaration of his undying love he claims in suitably tortured utterances that he will haunt the h, follow her everywhere, fight the divorce and drag her back by her hair if she ever dares try to leave him. He never wanted the OW, she is vain and silly and he never even dated her, he only loves the h and has ever since she fell off the wall and onto him.
There is a few more pages of heartfelt H declarations and the h can now freely admit she loves him madly back. We leave the happy couple revisiting Sicily for a second honeymoon, happily lurvin it up for another pink sparkly PW HEA.
I liked this one. It has all the standard PW tropes and the h is a worthy opponent for the sarcastically funny and elusive H. If cuddly h's and bossy, but nice H's are your thing, you can do far, far worse for an HPlandia outing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2025
Awww. Sweet blackmail story of a besotted hero and the little "mouse" heroine. Now "sweet blackmail?" What the heck?
Hero is a rich French Aristocrat with a bunch of servants, chateaus, and rare books. The heroine's aunt has been scamming his fellow aristocrats out of the books by pretending to write their family history. Hero decides to set up a sting operation by opening his cold fortress chateau and letting the aunt full reign to his library. Heroine has no idea what's going on and the hero quickly decides she is not part of the scam - and that he wants her as the mother of his child.
When a rare book is found in the heroine's suitcase, the hero gives the ultimatum - prison or marriage. The heroine chooses marriage, of course. The aunt disappears into the mist and the heroine adjusts to life as a countess -which involves a makeover, new clothes, a lavish wedding, a lovely honeymoon, a lovely chateau outside of Paris, a pregnancy - and a pesky OW.
The fun in the first half is figuring out what the aunt is up to and when the hero is going to spring. The fun in the second half is watching the heroine adjust and the hero fight his feelings. They're adorable together.
Hero is a rich French Aristocrat with a bunch of servants, chateaus, and rare books. The heroine's aunt has been scamming his fellow aristocrats out of the books by pretending to write their family history. Hero decides to set up a sting operation by opening his cold fortress chateau and letting the aunt full reign to his library. Heroine has no idea what's going on and the hero quickly decides she is not part of the scam - and that he wants her as the mother of his child.
When a rare book is found in the heroine's suitcase, the hero gives the ultimatum - prison or marriage. The heroine chooses marriage, of course. The aunt disappears into the mist and the heroine adjusts to life as a countess -which involves a makeover, new clothes, a lavish wedding, a lovely honeymoon, a lovely chateau outside of Paris, a pregnancy - and a pesky OW.
The fun in the first half is figuring out what the aunt is up to and when the hero is going to spring. The fun in the second half is watching the heroine adjust and the hero fight his feelings. They're adorable together.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 29, 2019
His arms closed tightly round her, his lips caressing her face. 'Oh, Lucy,' he groaned, 'if you had only known even then how much I loved you, so much unhappiness could have been prevented.'
Yes but you should have told her!
Yes but you should have told her!
March 23, 2021
Lucy is one of PW's "captured" heroines, and the one with the titular "gift of loving." Raised by hippie parents, Lucy is the sort of unworldly, kind of goofy, and very innocent heroines that PW writes so well, overwhelmed by and clashing with the very dominant and ruthless hero from the very start. He has the ability to make her angry and break her out of the extreme shyness that is her usual state, and they have an immediate and intense physical reaction to one another. She's completely unable to resist him, and it's pretty clear he's equally besotted from the get-go and struggling furiously throughout the entire story to break free of her unwitting bewitchment.
I've just read like 20 Betty Neels books in a row (you deal with pandemics in your way and I'll deal in mine ;-)), so very likely as a result, this seemed like PW's take on a classic BN MoC story, with PW twists of blackmail, hot sex, and pregnancy.
I really liked this angsty, preposterous Cinderella story, mainly because of the heroine (I always like PW's quirky, vulnerable heroines). The ruthless, often amusingly hot-headed hero worked for me because I imagined him as a sort of French Ricky Ricardo, losing his temper easily but briefly, and swinging wildly between treating the heroine with cool aloofness and raging passion that she succumbs to without many defenses against him or her own feelings. They're both a nice change from the usual Harley MCs--a good match since they are both a little crazy.
I am surprised that so many reviewers gave the hero a pass because he really does behave badly.
There are some laugh out loud moments in this book, because PW can be really funny, but the angst is at max levels for a lot of it. It's clear that the hero is equally caught and that the whole pretext for marriage was really because he had to have her, but he fights so hard , first against his own feelings and later against revealing his feelings because he thinks they're unrequited, that he really does put her through the wringer. I think this would have worked better if he'd been around more for the pregnancy--his treatment of her comes off as too callous, and her emotional trauma is too much for the easy resolution of the HEA ending.
Nonetheless, somehow PW pulled it off for me--particularly because I like a good angsty read with great heat. This is one of my favorites by her. PW has a unique ability to mix funny with angsty, too, and to write daffy, fey but likable heroines and hot alpha heroes. This one is really well done if you can buy that the hero was dealing his own intense feelings and the mutual Big Misunderstanding conflict between them and, having come to terms with them, will spend his life making it up to the heroine. So I believed the hard-won HEA in this one and would recommend it if you can tolerate asshat heroes and a hefty dose of mutual misconceptions.
I've just read like 20 Betty Neels books in a row (you deal with pandemics in your way and I'll deal in mine ;-)), so very likely as a result, this seemed like PW's take on a classic BN MoC story, with PW twists of blackmail, hot sex, and pregnancy.
I really liked this angsty, preposterous Cinderella story, mainly because of the heroine (I always like PW's quirky, vulnerable heroines). The ruthless, often amusingly hot-headed hero worked for me because I imagined him as a sort of French Ricky Ricardo, losing his temper easily but briefly, and swinging wildly between treating the heroine with cool aloofness and raging passion that she succumbs to without many defenses against him or her own feelings. They're both a nice change from the usual Harley MCs--a good match since they are both a little crazy.
I am surprised that so many reviewers gave the hero a pass because he really does behave badly.
There are some laugh out loud moments in this book, because PW can be really funny, but the angst is at max levels for a lot of it. It's clear that the hero is equally caught and that the whole pretext for marriage was really because he had to have her, but he fights so hard , first against his own feelings and later against revealing his feelings because he thinks they're unrequited, that he really does put her through the wringer. I think this would have worked better if he'd been around more for the pregnancy--his treatment of her comes off as too callous, and her emotional trauma is too much for the easy resolution of the HEA ending.
Nonetheless, somehow PW pulled it off for me--particularly because I like a good angsty read with great heat. This is one of my favorites by her. PW has a unique ability to mix funny with angsty, too, and to write daffy, fey but likable heroines and hot alpha heroes. This one is really well done if you can buy that the hero was dealing his own intense feelings and the mutual Big Misunderstanding conflict between them and, having come to terms with them, will spend his life making it up to the heroine. So I believed the hard-won HEA in this one and would recommend it if you can tolerate asshat heroes and a hefty dose of mutual misconceptions.
March 13, 2017
The fact this was written in 1991 and not 1971 is pretty unbelievable. A 4 star starter that dribbled down to 3 stars.
What we have here is A Mouse that Roars meets Rebecca. Lucy is serving as her aunt's secretary/servant. Just like the second, nameless Mrs de Winter, she has to pick up the letters at the front desk of their hotel. Nice touch. Lucy essentially raised herself as her self-involved parents dabbled in the arts and left little Lucy to herself. Not having any real working skills, she's excited to help her aunt with her books about the French aristocracy even though her aunt is pretty much a talentless hack. Aunt is brash and unctuous and reminds me of a cross between Mrs. Upson in
and the evil mother in This Property is Condemned.. Lucy is no martyr and does some internal eye rolls of her own. In fact she is one of the few people in the book that actually has their head on straight. For a while at least.
Auntie sets her sight on a lurking French Comte for her next historical. Lucy senses he has something up his sleeve. Smart girl. Not going to give the conflict away, but it culminates in the Count blackmailing Lucy into a MOC and having his baby which she will leave with him. Lucy is extremely funny in her attempts to dodge the Count even trying to escape in a delivery truck.
Doesn't work as she ends up married to him. They consummate the wedding, and apparently she lost any sense of self, backbone, or sass along with her virginity. He, in turn, goes from alternating being an insulting asshat and an amused Gallic charmer into settling down as the insulting asshat.
The first half of the book was wonderful. Lucy is a sassy, intelligent and composed heroine and gives the hero a good run for his money in verbal sparring. The second half turned more angsty that I would have preferred with both characters falling into I'm going into the garden and eat worms trope.
What we have here is A Mouse that Roars meets Rebecca. Lucy is serving as her aunt's secretary/servant. Just like the second, nameless Mrs de Winter, she has to pick up the letters at the front desk of their hotel. Nice touch. Lucy essentially raised herself as her self-involved parents dabbled in the arts and left little Lucy to herself. Not having any real working skills, she's excited to help her aunt with her books about the French aristocracy even though her aunt is pretty much a talentless hack. Aunt is brash and unctuous and reminds me of a cross between Mrs. Upson in
and the evil mother in This Property is Condemned.. Lucy is no martyr and does some internal eye rolls of her own. In fact she is one of the few people in the book that actually has their head on straight. For a while at least. Auntie sets her sight on a lurking French Comte for her next historical. Lucy senses he has something up his sleeve. Smart girl. Not going to give the conflict away, but it culminates in the Count blackmailing Lucy into a MOC and having his baby which she will leave with him. Lucy is extremely funny in her attempts to dodge the Count even trying to escape in a delivery truck.
Doesn't work as she ends up married to him. They consummate the wedding, and apparently she lost any sense of self, backbone, or sass along with her virginity. He, in turn, goes from alternating being an insulting asshat and an amused Gallic charmer into settling down as the insulting asshat.
The first half of the book was wonderful. Lucy is a sassy, intelligent and composed heroine and gives the hero a good run for his money in verbal sparring. The second half turned more angsty that I would have preferred with both characters falling into I'm going into the garden and eat worms trope.
August 4, 2017
3.5 star, I was going to round down, but then I had the misfortune of picking up Steel Tiger by Kay Thorpe, and almost gave this one a five star.
However, I really can't do that since this stupid idiot spends one-third of the book avoiding his wife because he feels cross between guilty, mad, helpless and aroused, so there was a HUGE lack of chemistry!
We have few references here:
Naksed's Review
Diana's Review
StM's Review
Vintage's Review
So not much to add there.
Couple of personal notes:
- Absolutely honourable hero, if you can look past the blackmail. NO rape, not even forceful seduction. Everything was consensual. He knew she was virgin, and he did everything with care. He was actually prepared to wait on the wedding night, he had no plans to consummate the marriage on that night and not until he declared his love and declared his intentions.
- He loved her through the whole book. He was just scared that if tell her after the first night, she'll reject him. But that doesn't mean he treated her as a whore. He treated her like the countess she is.
- She indeed had no talents apart from as he pointed out making his house home, Which means she was a wonderful mistress to the house. I am not cut out to be a housewife, or a career wife, however if somebody is, it actually IS a talent. She was clearly and ideal hostess without even trying, without any proper upbringing and training the OW had.
- the OW had a serious dog in manger attitude. She knew H cared shit for her, but she had to suggest she was a running candidate for the countess just because she can. which she never was! The heroine couldn't care less, but in real life this sort of thing start marital problem. And she doesn't even want Guy!!!! she just doesn't want Lucy to be happy! she wants Lucy to feel second best!! Clearly THIS selfishness and vanity is the reason Guy didn't want the woman, but I wish Lucy told Guy about that conversation and I wish there was verbal smackdown for her! I felt Guy seriously liked the OW's husband as a friend and felt genuinely sorry for him, and he indeed is a nice guy, had to help someone in need!
- I just FLOVE a book when the guy goes, ILY first followed by "I KNOW you don't love me, i DON'T deserve your love, just stay and I'll try to earn a little of your affection in time"!!!!!
However, I really can't do that since this stupid idiot spends one-third of the book avoiding his wife because he feels cross between guilty, mad, helpless and aroused, so there was a HUGE lack of chemistry!
We have few references here:
Naksed's Review
Diana's Review
StM's Review
Vintage's Review
So not much to add there.
Couple of personal notes:
- Absolutely honourable hero, if you can look past the blackmail. NO rape, not even forceful seduction. Everything was consensual. He knew she was virgin, and he did everything with care. He was actually prepared to wait on the wedding night, he had no plans to consummate the marriage on that night and not until he declared his love and declared his intentions.
- He loved her through the whole book. He was just scared that if tell her after the first night, she'll reject him. But that doesn't mean he treated her as a whore. He treated her like the countess she is.
- She indeed had no talents apart from as he pointed out making his house home, Which means she was a wonderful mistress to the house. I am not cut out to be a housewife, or a career wife, however if somebody is, it actually IS a talent. She was clearly and ideal hostess without even trying, without any proper upbringing and training the OW had.
- the OW had a serious dog in manger attitude. She knew H cared shit for her, but she had to suggest she was a running candidate for the countess just because she can. which she never was! The heroine couldn't care less, but in real life this sort of thing start marital problem. And she doesn't even want Guy!!!! she just doesn't want Lucy to be happy! she wants Lucy to feel second best!! Clearly THIS selfishness and vanity is the reason Guy didn't want the woman, but I wish Lucy told Guy about that conversation and I wish there was verbal smackdown for her! I felt Guy seriously liked the OW's husband as a friend and felt genuinely sorry for him, and he indeed is a nice guy, had to help someone in need!
- I just FLOVE a book when the guy goes, ILY first followed by "I KNOW you don't love me, i DON'T deserve your love, just stay and I'll try to earn a little of your affection in time"!!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2015
A young woman is blackmailed into marriage once her aunt frames her for the theft of an extremely expensive and rare book. The hero decides to offer marriage as a way out, as long as she agrees to provide an heir within 18 months.
This was different from your normal HP revenge tropes. The poor hero never stood a chance against a "tiny, mouse of a girl".
This also had a lovely ending. My one gripe against vintage Harley's is that they end too fast and I often feel cheated.
Not here, this had a delightful ending.
This was different from your normal HP revenge tropes. The poor hero never stood a chance against a "tiny, mouse of a girl".
This also had a lovely ending. My one gripe against vintage Harley's is that they end too fast and I often feel cheated.
Not here, this had a delightful ending.
February 15, 2022
Gotta love a book where the "mousy" h tells the H she would like to throw an anvil at him.
Edited on re-reading because there is a really nicely done moment:
Edited on re-reading because there is a really nicely done moment:
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 11, 2016
Lucy is accompanying her aunt Wanda to France. Wanda has decided she needs typing and someone to talk to over breakfast, and Lucy fits the bill. Lucy is an orphan mouse with no skills, and Wanda convinces French aristos to let her stay in their chateaux and write books about their family history.
Lucy's not quite sure how she does it. She's too nice to tell her aunt, but the books are awful.
Wanda has set her sights on Guy Chabrol, financier and count. Guy gets a load of Lucy, and invites the two of them to his chateau.
I'm really jealous of this set up and want to live in a world where I could just show up and get invited to stay at someone's chateau and mess around in their library, as if this was a completely normal thing.
And there's a nice symmetry here. This book was published in 1991, the same year Disney's Beauty and the Beast. You wouldn't go far wrong imagining Guy's chateau to be like the Beast's but with grumpy human servants rather than happy singing household items.
Guy also had his stepmother along. She's nice enough and generally there to be pleasant and useful.
Lucy, who is so drab and just crying out for a makeover, is singularly talented at tripping and falling off things. She's failed to read the big neon 'Your aunt's a crook' signs. She does manage to get snarky at Guy when he's being arrogant so she isn't a complete pushover. Guy finds these qualities terribly attractive and proposes.
Naturally, he goes for the baby deal. He will marry Lucy, impregnate her, and divorce her once the heir is weened. She can flutter about the world being a wealthy comtesse, won't that be fun? This whole plan will take 12-18 months max.
They will also go be married at a Guy's nice chateau. That will make the servants happy, and it has pretty gardens and is close to Paris, but I don't know. I liked the library chateau and wanted them to stay there and be miserable and cold and gothic.
Lucy isn't keen on the marriage plan, but is blackmailed into it.
This one is fun, but fell into a bit of a tired groove after the early excitement over the library. Guy delivers on the passionate kisses and underlying misery over his stupid deal, but he spends a lot of the last third of the book avoiding Lucy. They did spark off each other quite nicely at times, but it was a bit blander than other Wilson couples.
When the other woman shows up, she's also pretty bland. The entire romance Lucy spins around her and Guy must have been baby brain, because there was zero observable chemistry.
What made me a little annoyed is the emphasis that Lucy was good for nothing, so it made sense to turn her into an aristo. Her big moment is floral arrangement. I like flowers and I'm sure she was very creative at it, and it was really sweet the way Guy was so impressed by flowers but still: it's a little underwhelming.
However, even though the romantic plot resolves itself within a very hurried few final pages, there were some decent emotional grabs: Lucy's pain as she tried to face the separation from her son, and from Guy, that she was sure he would demand was subtle but a good pay off. And Guy really was quite satisfyingly tortured for being an idiot.
Not Wilson's best, but still entertaining.
Lucy's not quite sure how she does it. She's too nice to tell her aunt, but the books are awful.
Wanda has set her sights on Guy Chabrol, financier and count. Guy gets a load of Lucy, and invites the two of them to his chateau.
I'm really jealous of this set up and want to live in a world where I could just show up and get invited to stay at someone's chateau and mess around in their library, as if this was a completely normal thing.
And there's a nice symmetry here. This book was published in 1991, the same year Disney's Beauty and the Beast. You wouldn't go far wrong imagining Guy's chateau to be like the Beast's but with grumpy human servants rather than happy singing household items.
Guy also had his stepmother along. She's nice enough and generally there to be pleasant and useful.
Lucy, who is so drab and just crying out for a makeover, is singularly talented at tripping and falling off things. She's failed to read the big neon 'Your aunt's a crook' signs. She does manage to get snarky at Guy when he's being arrogant so she isn't a complete pushover. Guy finds these qualities terribly attractive and proposes.
Naturally, he goes for the baby deal. He will marry Lucy, impregnate her, and divorce her once the heir is weened. She can flutter about the world being a wealthy comtesse, won't that be fun? This whole plan will take 12-18 months max.
They will also go be married at a Guy's nice chateau. That will make the servants happy, and it has pretty gardens and is close to Paris, but I don't know. I liked the library chateau and wanted them to stay there and be miserable and cold and gothic.
Lucy isn't keen on the marriage plan, but is blackmailed into it.
This one is fun, but fell into a bit of a tired groove after the early excitement over the library. Guy delivers on the passionate kisses and underlying misery over his stupid deal, but he spends a lot of the last third of the book avoiding Lucy. They did spark off each other quite nicely at times, but it was a bit blander than other Wilson couples.
When the other woman shows up, she's also pretty bland. The entire romance Lucy spins around her and Guy must have been baby brain, because there was zero observable chemistry.
What made me a little annoyed is the emphasis that Lucy was good for nothing, so it made sense to turn her into an aristo. Her big moment is floral arrangement. I like flowers and I'm sure she was very creative at it, and it was really sweet the way Guy was so impressed by flowers but still: it's a little underwhelming.
However, even though the romantic plot resolves itself within a very hurried few final pages, there were some decent emotional grabs: Lucy's pain as she tried to face the separation from her son, and from Guy, that she was sure he would demand was subtle but a good pay off. And Guy really was quite satisfyingly tortured for being an idiot.
Not Wilson's best, but still entertaining.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2015
Our heroine Lucy is a companion-secretary to her aunt. She is also a very young, naive, free spirited woman a kind of a hippie. She meets our hero Guy at a luxurious hotel. Hero is an aristocrat, a count with a Chateau and everything.
At this point book becomes gothic. Hero invites Lucy and her aunt to his castle in an effort to frame her aunt who is a thief. Guy blackmails Lucy into a temporary marriage that he assures her will end after she gives him an heir. She accepts, tries to escape but naturally she eventually falls in love with him.
Angst ensues as she believes her love is not wanted and that Guy is in love with a married woman. Besides Guy told her he never wanted a real wife and as soon as their baby arrives they will get a divorce. Lucy feels very conflicted. On one hand she is happy about her pregnancy but on the other hand she is not ready to say goodbye to Guy yet.
I adored this book. It was emotional, angsty and both H/h were extremely likable. I liked how the book didn't end with Lucy's pregnancy. Their relationship developed and changed over time so it felt very real to me. Their HEA was so well written and heartwarming. I have to thank Jasbell76 for making me read this author again.
At this point book becomes gothic. Hero invites Lucy and her aunt to his castle in an effort to frame her aunt who is a thief. Guy blackmails Lucy into a temporary marriage that he assures her will end after she gives him an heir. She accepts, tries to escape but naturally she eventually falls in love with him.
Angst ensues as she believes her love is not wanted and that Guy is in love with a married woman. Besides Guy told her he never wanted a real wife and as soon as their baby arrives they will get a divorce. Lucy feels very conflicted. On one hand she is happy about her pregnancy but on the other hand she is not ready to say goodbye to Guy yet.
I adored this book. It was emotional, angsty and both H/h were extremely likable. I liked how the book didn't end with Lucy's pregnancy. Their relationship developed and changed over time so it felt very real to me. Their HEA was so well written and heartwarming. I have to thank Jasbell76 for making me read this author again.
February 19, 2021
Patricia Wilson used a common trope here, but she could flesh it out that made it more emotional, passionate, and heartwarming! The chemistry between them radiated off the pages! And as I've said before, I love seeing a couple of fights because it shows passion, and this book was no exception. I enjoyed the snarky banter between Guy and Lucy. And I loved being able to see their progress and see them grow both as individuals and as a couple. It was obvious that behind their snarky remarks and cold behavior, they both love each other. Though this is an older HP, and you don't get the hero POV, you can still feel so much intensity emanates off Guy!
January 6, 2019
"The Gift Of Loving" is the story of Lucy and Guy.
This is the odd love story of a mousy heroine and a roaring hero.
Our heroine Lucy grew up with artist parents-and ended up taking care of them until they passed away, sacrificing her life for them. When her last relative, Aunt Wanda, who writes scandalous books about French aristocracies asks Lucy to accompany her to Comte de Chauvrais's estate for "research", Lucy agrees.
However, the Comte's eyes seem to follow her wherever she goes. And soon her aunt's real motives are revealed..
I can divide this book into 1st and 2nd half.
The first half has a really under-confident and jumpy heroine who is too naive for her own good, a pushover governed by her emotions and easily chastised. She ends up with an overbearing hero who blackmails her to get what he wants, and wants to change everything about her- something that she cannot even protest to. Its a wuss marrying an overbearing ahole.
The second half is where the fun really begins. We have this crazy marriage between two very volatile and moody individuals, who refuse to communicate and instead prefer slamming doors.
If not for the intense angst in the last 3/4th of the book where the heroine finally starts feeling the pain of her impending departure, the tears start flowing and my rating goes up, because let's admit it, I love my angsty reads.
A dysfunctional story with a heroine who needed a backbone, a hero who needed some lessons in anger management and tact, and a sweet ending.
Safe
3/5
This is the odd love story of a mousy heroine and a roaring hero.
Our heroine Lucy grew up with artist parents-and ended up taking care of them until they passed away, sacrificing her life for them. When her last relative, Aunt Wanda, who writes scandalous books about French aristocracies asks Lucy to accompany her to Comte de Chauvrais's estate for "research", Lucy agrees.
However, the Comte's eyes seem to follow her wherever she goes. And soon her aunt's real motives are revealed..
I can divide this book into 1st and 2nd half.
The first half has a really under-confident and jumpy heroine who is too naive for her own good, a pushover governed by her emotions and easily chastised. She ends up with an overbearing hero who blackmails her to get what he wants, and wants to change everything about her- something that she cannot even protest to. Its a wuss marrying an overbearing ahole.
The second half is where the fun really begins. We have this crazy marriage between two very volatile and moody individuals, who refuse to communicate and instead prefer slamming doors.
If not for the intense angst in the last 3/4th of the book where the heroine finally starts feeling the pain of her impending departure, the tears start flowing and my rating goes up, because let's admit it, I love my angsty reads.
A dysfunctional story with a heroine who needed a backbone, a hero who needed some lessons in anger management and tact, and a sweet ending.
Safe
3/5
March 6, 2017
I usually hate it when the heroine is under-educated, poor, prospect-less, and entangled in criminal activities... but awwwww this heroine was such a sweet, transparent, wall-climbing mouse that I couldn't help liking her! Patricia Wilson has written a few forgettable stories, but this one reminded me all over again why I adore her.
The very French, steely-eyed, aristocratic Hero entraps her neatly into a marriage of convenience and spends the rest of the book barely veiling his passion for her. He's not really cruel to her at all, he just won't let her escape him. And really, it's not like she has anywhere to run to. Very passionate bedroom scenes, not in an explicit way but in a he's-totally-head-over-heels-for-her way, which is even sexier. I love the way he's so caring and considerate of her all throughout!
Lucy is adorable. If I had to nitpick, she latched onto the delusion that he loved the "OW" with barely any basis at all, a look and she must have been the great love of his life, *roll eyes*. Other than that, and perhaps a blindness to think ahead about how it would actually feel to abandon her baby, I liked her.
Fun read, very passionate, a good choice for re-reading in the future!
The very French, steely-eyed, aristocratic Hero entraps her neatly into a marriage of convenience and spends the rest of the book barely veiling his passion for her. He's not really cruel to her at all, he just won't let her escape him. And really, it's not like she has anywhere to run to. Very passionate bedroom scenes, not in an explicit way but in a he's-totally-head-over-heels-for-her way, which is even sexier. I love the way he's so caring and considerate of her all throughout!
Lucy is adorable. If I had to nitpick, she latched onto the delusion that he loved the "OW" with barely any basis at all, a look and she must have been the great love of his life, *roll eyes*. Other than that, and perhaps a blindness to think ahead about how it would actually feel to abandon her baby, I liked her.
Fun read, very passionate, a good choice for re-reading in the future!
October 31, 2020
Φόρτιση στο έπακρο!
Μια ηρωίδα πραγματικά ιδιαίτερη, αθώα, χωρις στον ήλιο μοίρα και συχρόνως περήφανη.
Ο ήρωας πέρα για πέρα σνομπ! Όσο ψυχρός και απλησίαστος φαινόταν,στο τέλος με διέλυσε , τραβωντας το χαλί κάτω απο τα πόδια μου!
Δεν ξέρω αν το εχω ξαναγράψει μου αρέσουν τρελά οι σκοτεινοί ήρωες που τα δίνουν όλα στο τέλος!
Έτσι και σε αυτή την ιστορία μέχρι τις τελευταίες σελιδες δεν ξέρεις που πατάς!
Ο εκρηκτικός του επίλογος φέρνει τα πανω κάτω.Τόσο δυνατά συναισθήματα που κάνουν την ένταση αφόρητη.
Θα σε σκοτώσει ο αποχωρισμος;
Εσύ με σκοτώνεις καθημερινά!Πεθαίνω αναζητώντας ενα ψίχουλο αγάπης που δεν υπάρχει!
Όταν φύγεις θα σ'ακολουθήσω!Θα σε καταδιώκω παντού,θα είμαι πίσω σου κάθε φορά που θα γυρίζεις το κεφάλι!Θα πολεμήσω το διαζύγιο!Θα σε σύρω πίσω έστω και δεμένη χειροπόδαρα!
Το ποντικάκι όπως την αποκαλούσε κατάφερε να δαμάσει τον δράκο και να του κλέψει μυαλό, καρδιά, ψυχή!
Πείτε μου τώρα τι μπορείς να πιάσεις μετά απο αυτό;Ότι και να πιάσεις είναι καμμένο!
Μια ηρωίδα πραγματικά ιδιαίτερη, αθώα, χωρις στον ήλιο μοίρα και συχρόνως περήφανη.
Ο ήρωας πέρα για πέρα σνομπ! Όσο ψυχρός και απλησίαστος φαινόταν,στο τέλος με διέλυσε , τραβωντας το χαλί κάτω απο τα πόδια μου!
Δεν ξέρω αν το εχω ξαναγράψει μου αρέσουν τρελά οι σκοτεινοί ήρωες που τα δίνουν όλα στο τέλος!
Έτσι και σε αυτή την ιστορία μέχρι τις τελευταίες σελιδες δεν ξέρεις που πατάς!
Ο εκρηκτικός του επίλογος φέρνει τα πανω κάτω.Τόσο δυνατά συναισθήματα που κάνουν την ένταση αφόρητη.
Θα σε σκοτώσει ο αποχωρισμος;
Εσύ με σκοτώνεις καθημερινά!Πεθαίνω αναζητώντας ενα ψίχουλο αγάπης που δεν υπάρχει!
Όταν φύγεις θα σ'ακολουθήσω!Θα σε καταδιώκω παντού,θα είμαι πίσω σου κάθε φορά που θα γυρίζεις το κεφάλι!Θα πολεμήσω το διαζύγιο!Θα σε σύρω πίσω έστω και δεμένη χειροπόδαρα!
Το ποντικάκι όπως την αποκαλούσε κατάφερε να δαμάσει τον δράκο και να του κλέψει μυαλό, καρδιά, ψυχή!
Πείτε μου τώρα τι μπορείς να πιάσεις μετά απο αυτό;Ότι και να πιάσεις είναι καμμένο!
August 1, 2020
This book felt older than it was. It was written in 1991 but felt like an early 1970s story. Sort of dreamy. It took place over a year and so much more happened than in more modern books. The hero was a bit of a ninny about how long he hid his feelings but it made fg or some great angst. Just well written, fun and eminently readable on the whole. Interesting characters, even a stepmother who was not a hateful bitch. You could tell all along how all in the hero was. A fun ride.
July 20, 2023
Gothic French chateau vibes FTW.
April 25, 2020
I enjoyed this story as I liked both the hero and heroine and felt them fall in love.
At first Lucy seems as she is described 'a mouse' and she hasn't had much of a life so far. She's 23 and the hero, Guy is 34. He's a French Count that her descpicable Aunt has set her sights on...all is revealed earlier in the book but after the revelation, he has decided Lucy will bear his heir. He will marry her of course but it will only be for about 18 months then she can leave him and their son (he is adamant she will bear him a son)and return to England with a title and a lot of money.
It's obvious that they both have feelings for each other but of course they don't tell each other until the end but I enjoyed how Lucy grew a backbone, especially when dealing with an ex of Guy's. I liked that Guy wasn't an overbearing hero who treated the heroine like crap!
A good read.
At first Lucy seems as she is described 'a mouse' and she hasn't had much of a life so far. She's 23 and the hero, Guy is 34. He's a French Count that her descpicable Aunt has set her sights on...all is revealed earlier in the book but after the revelation, he has decided Lucy will bear his heir. He will marry her of course but it will only be for about 18 months then she can leave him and their son (he is adamant she will bear him a son)and return to England with a title and a lot of money.
It's obvious that they both have feelings for each other but of course they don't tell each other until the end but I enjoyed how Lucy grew a backbone, especially when dealing with an ex of Guy's. I liked that Guy wasn't an overbearing hero who treated the heroine like crap!
A good read.
February 11, 2012
What a gothic tale! One, only a twenty year old HP could produce. Thievery, blackmail and coercion feature prominiently in this volume, along with a brooding Monsieur le Comte and a drafty, centuries old chateau.
March 23, 2016
It was very easy to figure out what the aunt was upto from the very start. I didn't expect one of the terms of the blackmail by Monsieur le Comte. His attitude reminded me of a few alpha man in Greek Harley's of the same time period.
February 12, 2021
Lucy didn't trust Guy an inch
The Comte de Chauvrais was the rudest and most insensitive man she had ever met.
What had possessed her Aunt Wanda to accept an invitation to stay at his chateau? And why was he so interested in them? The whole affair made Lucy nervous.
Especially when Guy claimed love did not exist--that it was merely a respectable cover for desire. Suddenly Lucy was strangely afraid she'd never be able to escape from the trap he had set--and the desire he aroused in her.
The Comte de Chauvrais was the rudest and most insensitive man she had ever met.
What had possessed her Aunt Wanda to accept an invitation to stay at his chateau? And why was he so interested in them? The whole affair made Lucy nervous.
Especially when Guy claimed love did not exist--that it was merely a respectable cover for desire. Suddenly Lucy was strangely afraid she'd never be able to escape from the trap he had set--and the desire he aroused in her.
July 21, 2018
Patricia Wilson is a good writer.
September 22, 2017
Guy, Comte de Chauvrais traps Lucy's aunt when the aunt attempts to steal from him as she has done to a number of Guy's friends. In return for allowing Aunt Wanda to escape prison, he forces Lucy to marry him and produce an heir.
Of course Lucy is an innocent, but it doesn't seem to make Guy any more considerate of her feelings. This is an old-school HQP with an alpha male who doesn't seem to have any tenderness in him. The consummation wasn't quite forced since she had agreed to the conditions of the marriage, but he really didn't make it easy for her. He continually made fun of her, but she gave as good as she got, too.
The development of the relationship was not smooth and I wish he had been honest with her about how he felt about her, but I loved the passage when he told her how much he loved her.
Of course Lucy is an innocent, but it doesn't seem to make Guy any more considerate of her feelings. This is an old-school HQP with an alpha male who doesn't seem to have any tenderness in him. The consummation wasn't quite forced since she had agreed to the conditions of the marriage, but he really didn't make it easy for her. He continually made fun of her, but she gave as good as she got, too.
The development of the relationship was not smooth and I wish he had been honest with her about how he felt about her, but I loved the passage when he told her how much he loved her.
June 30, 2018
I really like this story! It has all the intrigue, drama, grand settings, angst and romance of the 80s/90s but luckily, without the abusive hero and bitchy slappy heroine! This is a 1992 book.
The book spans a long time but the plot was suitably developed. I really felt for Lucy the mouse...and Guy was assholey only because he couldn't handle the love he felt, and the untenable position he'd put himself into by forcing Lucy to marry him...Hoist by his own petard? or just a desperate man trying to do whatever to hold on to the woman he loved...by means fair or foul.
It's surprisingly steamy and sexy! I wish Guy had not gone away so much physically and emotionally after the honeymoon. ..Love mousey Lucy's smart mouth comments to Guy and miserable Michelle...some were really funny!
The book spans a long time but the plot was suitably developed. I really felt for Lucy the mouse...and Guy was assholey only because he couldn't handle the love he felt, and the untenable position he'd put himself into by forcing Lucy to marry him...Hoist by his own petard? or just a desperate man trying to do whatever to hold on to the woman he loved...by means fair or foul.
It's surprisingly steamy and sexy! I wish Guy had not gone away so much physically and emotionally after the honeymoon. ..Love mousey Lucy's smart mouth comments to Guy and miserable Michelle...some were really funny!
October 23, 2015
Ok. But didn't really do much for me.
December 7, 2016
Star Rating: ★★½☆☆
March 25, 2019
3.5 stars
March 20, 2020
Bit of a gothic tale. Not wholly believable.
May 26, 2020
3.5 stars
April 29, 2021
I loved the first half of the book much more than the second. The first half was very gothic with a mysterious, menacing Count with some sort of hidden agenda, sinister servants and a huge, creepy draughty castle. Oooh, so delicious. It was unclear who was trapping whom and then his nefarious plans were revealed (cue diabolical, evil laughter).
The whole 'Count falls for the sweet, unworldly ingenue' has been done before (for example, Bram Stoker) which made the whole thing lots of fun in an HP romance.
In the second half the heroine got seriously annoying and my sympathies were with the Count. I could not understand what he saw in her - she was constantly screeching, railing, bitter, full of self-pity, saying stupid things. It got on my nerves.
Five star start but a mediocre second half.
The whole 'Count falls for the sweet, unworldly ingenue' has been done before (for example, Bram Stoker) which made the whole thing lots of fun in an HP romance.
In the second half the heroine got seriously annoying and my sympathies were with the Count. I could not understand what he saw in her - she was constantly screeching, railing, bitter, full of self-pity, saying stupid things. It got on my nerves.
Five star start but a mediocre second half.
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