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Loveknot
Sophie thought marriage was for the birds!
When she saw her boss, Alexander Paget, jilted at the altar, Sophie's heart bled for him. But she didn't appreciate the rush of interest the ex-bridegroom soon showed in her.
Sophie refused to become a balm for Alexander's wounded ego. She'd already had it with men, caring for her brothers and widowed father. And now she wanted to escape from domesticity--and from Alexander.
Yet Sophie rather enjoyed the novel sensation of being chased by the man who'd previously ignored her as a woman. Besides, anyone nicknamed Alexander the Great naturally boasted irresistible powers of persuasion!
When she saw her boss, Alexander Paget, jilted at the altar, Sophie's heart bled for him. But she didn't appreciate the rush of interest the ex-bridegroom soon showed in her.
Sophie refused to become a balm for Alexander's wounded ego. She'd already had it with men, caring for her brothers and widowed father. And now she wanted to escape from domesticity--and from Alexander.
Yet Sophie rather enjoyed the novel sensation of being chased by the man who'd previously ignored her as a woman. Besides, anyone nicknamed Alexander the Great naturally boasted irresistible powers of persuasion!
192 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1988
10 people are currently reading
159 people want to read
About the author
Catherine George
443 books73 followersDeirdre Matthews was born in a village on the Welsh-English border, where the public library featured largely in her life. Her mother, who looked upon literature as a basic necessity of life, fervently encouraged her passion for reading, little knowing it would one day motivate her daughter into writing her first novel.
At 18, she met a future Engineer, who had set in a pendant a gold sovereign, that his grandmother put in his hand when he was born, and she have never taken off since. After their marriage he swept her off to Brazil, where he worked as Chief Engineer of a large gold-mining operation in the mountains of Minas Gerais, a setting which later provided a very popular background for several of her early novels. Nine happy years passed there before the question of their small son's education decided their return to Britain. Not long afterward a daughter was born, and for a time she lived a fulfilled life as a wife and mother who always made time to read, especially in the bath!
Her husband's job took him abroad again, to Portugal, West Africa, and various countries of the Middle East, but this time she stayed home with the family. And spent a lot of lonely evenings in between the reunions when her husband came home on leave. "Instead of reading other people's novels all the time," he suggested one day, "why not have a shot at writing one yourself?" So she did.
But first she took a creative writing course. Encouraged by the other students' enthusiasm for her contributions, she decided to try her hand at romance, and read countless Mills & Boon novels as research before writing one herself. Her first novel was accepted in 1982 as Catherine George, which Romantic Times voted best of its genre for that year, along with more than sixty written since.
These days son and daughter have fled the nest, but they return with loving regularity to where she and her husband back for good from his travels live, with Prince, the most recent Labrador, in a house built at the end of Victoria's reign in four acres of garden on the cliffs between the beautiful Wye Valley and the River Severn.
At 18, she met a future Engineer, who had set in a pendant a gold sovereign, that his grandmother put in his hand when he was born, and she have never taken off since. After their marriage he swept her off to Brazil, where he worked as Chief Engineer of a large gold-mining operation in the mountains of Minas Gerais, a setting which later provided a very popular background for several of her early novels. Nine happy years passed there before the question of their small son's education decided their return to Britain. Not long afterward a daughter was born, and for a time she lived a fulfilled life as a wife and mother who always made time to read, especially in the bath!
Her husband's job took him abroad again, to Portugal, West Africa, and various countries of the Middle East, but this time she stayed home with the family. And spent a lot of lonely evenings in between the reunions when her husband came home on leave. "Instead of reading other people's novels all the time," he suggested one day, "why not have a shot at writing one yourself?" So she did.
But first she took a creative writing course. Encouraged by the other students' enthusiasm for her contributions, she decided to try her hand at romance, and read countless Mills & Boon novels as research before writing one herself. Her first novel was accepted in 1982 as Catherine George, which Romantic Times voted best of its genre for that year, along with more than sixty written since.
These days son and daughter have fled the nest, but they return with loving regularity to where she and her husband back for good from his travels live, with Prince, the most recent Labrador, in a house built at the end of Victoria's reign in four acres of garden on the cliffs between the beautiful Wye Valley and the River Severn.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 14, 2017
Re Loveknot - CG is starting to develop her Pennington and Pennington Country series with this one. Not that it is related to any of her other books, but certain elements are going to be a making a lot of appearances further on in CG's writing.
There will be small English Midland Market towns, a whole host of interrelated characters with intertwined plots and a lot of excursions to the local pub, usually called the George (CG may have had a seekrit wish for pub tending,) or the Unicorn. There will be lots of intense scenes and conversations in these pubs and more than one h will find herself employment in them. This book is the true start of CG's later mini sagas.
I must confess I also think CG spent a lot of time watching EastEnders or Coronation Street too, but whatever her inspiration, the world she builds is usually pretty charming and if you like an English Midland Romance Cozy, CG is the author for you.
This one starts with the H being jilted at the altar. He was hoping to marry a local glamour girl who got offered a chance to make it big in America at the last minute, and pretty much left him standing in front of a roomful of guests with no bride in sight. The h, who is the H's secretary due to some complicated family maneuverings that happened after her mother died and she stepped up to run the house and her brothers, actually starts to feel a bit of compassion for the H's plight.
These two have know each other for over 20 years, his Aunt was her mum's best friend and the Aunt has long been in love with the h's doctor father. The h has been fine playing little mother to her brothers and their endless feedings and washings and running her dad's house, but she is getting restless and wants to get her own little nest and her own life.
To make moves in that direction, her grandma is moving into a care home and happens to know of a tiny cottage the h can take over in the next town. Her grandma also happens to know of an employment vacancy which will get the h out of the H's office. He only looks at her as part of the furniture anyways and since nepotism was heavily involved in her getting hired, the h is thinking she can make a brand new start. She has had it with domesticity and endless cleaning and cooking and living by other people's dictates, she is going to go out on her own and love every minute of it.
The H, after his non-wedding, takes himself off on his pre-booked honeymoon alone. When he returns, he suddenly develops a keen interest in the h. She is rather dubious about it, cause mainly she thinks he wants to pick up the plain girl to soothe his wounded ego, and she probably is not wrong in that estimation.
Plus the h has held a long grudge against the H, he bullied her about her looks pretty unmercifully when she was younger and sadly the after effects are still there to be seen. The h doesn't think she is anything but average. She dates a boring guy she has dated for years, for companionship mainly, cause this h has no intention of getting married and submersing herself in yet more tedious domesticity with the added burden of having to dutifully exercise the lurve club mojo on a regular basis on top of the drudge work.
When she turns her resignation in to the H, he suddenly takes big notice and the roofie kisses are on. In the process of decorating the cottage she is moving into, she and the H become closer friends, tho she makes him promise to leave the amour conversations until after her father and his aunt have their wedding.
By the time the wedding rolls around, the h, after several very sharp H set-downs questioning his motives, consents to date him. She also winds up taking a job in his subsidiary office, after the original job she planned on fell through. Then she and the H start decorating HIS house he recently purchased and get even cosier. The h and H have a big parting of the ways tho, when he refuses to take her to bed when she gives him the green light, citing too much family disapproval if he does so without putting a ring on it.
The h gets her first taste of physical frustration and the H isn't doing much better, the H relents and asks the h to reiterate her boudoir offer. Right before she can do so, the H's ex who jilted him shows up and the H looks like a love struck puppy all over again. The h leaves in frustration and then we get the inevitable OW warning off scene a few paragraphs later. This h is no pushover tho, and she carves up an OW roast with a side of kick OW hiney on the side. The H starts calling her and leaving notes demanding to see her, but the h is in a tiff cause the OW claimed to be engaged to the H again, and she gets a job working the bar at the local pub to keep her out of her house in the evenings when the H might show up.
This not knowing where the h is drives the H nuts. He shows up late at her house right as she is coming off her pub shift and forced seduction gets interrupted by a collapsing window. It was sorta funny, but the h winds up in hospital getting stitches while the H is prostrating himself in remorse. (So now we know, there is nothing like dodging flying glass shards to cut off the typical arrogant HP H's towering libido and this is only example of virtue saved by collapsing window in all of HPlandia.)
The H, in the midst of his abject remorse, remarks that he and the h are going to marry. The h is not down with that AT ALL, she calmly informs him that she is happy to lurve it up on the passionate shores of purple physicality, but she doesn't have to marry anyone to do that and she won't.
The H finally gets the hint and it leads to his best line in the book, ""You mean I'm OK for a quick session in bed, but otherwise on my bike!" Ding Ding Ding! - Give the man a gold star. This h is only holding out for the Tower of Power rides.
The H sulks off pouting, cause his magnanimous offer to the little lodestone he grabbed when he lost his meteorite has been completely rejected. (Poor H, If he had only mentioned some actual love in all the proposing, the h might have given a different answer. I felt a little sorry for his arrogant, demanding, I will settle for less self. Needless to say this H has a remarkable talent for saying the most awkward backhanded compliments that the h takes as insults in all of HPlandia. It was kinda fun to read and wait to see what foot he would shove in his mouth next.)
The h goes back to her father's house whilst she recovers and the H goes out of his way to be perfectly distant. The h is getting more frustrated and finally is able to move back to her own home. She still doesn't want to marry the H tho and so when he calls to demand she go out to dinner with him, she has already booked herself a night serving at the pub.
The h is working and getting hit on by a drunk guy when the H shows up and carries her off. He takes her to his newly decorated house and proposes again. The h offers to be his mistress instead, and I have to admit her version of love on the sly sounded a lot more fun. She was all about the sneaking off weekends to exotic locales and seekrit lurverly rendezvous and he was all about the marrying and cooking his breakfast bit things. He says he loves her and admits that the cottage, her losing the first job and all that followed was all manipulated by him. In his own imitation of Alexander the Great, (the H's name too,) he cut the Gordian knot of the h's life by arranging things behind the scenes.
The cottage was his, he only lent it out to her temporarily, plus he bribed the man she was supposed to work for with the promise of a lot of business if he found someone else. The h loses her temper and says fine, since the H is determined to run her life anyways, she gives in. She will marry him because she figures even if she refuses, he will just keep manipulating anyways.
The H is mad that she is very apathetic about the whole thing and sweeps her off to his boudoir of purple bliss. After the lurve club mojo takes effect the h agrees to marry him and the H is happy with that for the HEA, but interestingly she NEVER tells him she loves him. Other people tell her she does, but that didn't cut too much ice with her, she tends to agree and just do her own thing usually. She mainly thinks he is good in bed and she might marry him to keep him there for a while. Which does lead me to wonder if he is going to be standing alone in front of another altar when they finally get around to the wedding ceremony.
I must also confess, I don't like the H or the h's family in this book. They were all waaay too interfering and pushy and I was really hoping the H would take the mistress with the dirty weekends option, this h srsly needed some sneaking around romance fun.
However this h all by herself makes the book an extra good time in HPlandia. I really think CG was pushing the boundaries here, cause there is NO guarantee that the h is actually going to make it to the wedding. She doesn't admit to love and she is really all about the bed bouncing, but I liked her for it.
I think we only get the token marriage proposal acceptance at the end cause that is the HP rules for living. With Loveknot, CG did a great plot twist on the sweet girl next door trope and while the rest of the characters should be read with a shot or six of the Captain, this h is a true find and a real HPlandia rarity, the lady has a backbone and does her best to use it.
There will be small English Midland Market towns, a whole host of interrelated characters with intertwined plots and a lot of excursions to the local pub, usually called the George (CG may have had a seekrit wish for pub tending,) or the Unicorn. There will be lots of intense scenes and conversations in these pubs and more than one h will find herself employment in them. This book is the true start of CG's later mini sagas.
I must confess I also think CG spent a lot of time watching EastEnders or Coronation Street too, but whatever her inspiration, the world she builds is usually pretty charming and if you like an English Midland Romance Cozy, CG is the author for you.
This one starts with the H being jilted at the altar. He was hoping to marry a local glamour girl who got offered a chance to make it big in America at the last minute, and pretty much left him standing in front of a roomful of guests with no bride in sight. The h, who is the H's secretary due to some complicated family maneuverings that happened after her mother died and she stepped up to run the house and her brothers, actually starts to feel a bit of compassion for the H's plight.
These two have know each other for over 20 years, his Aunt was her mum's best friend and the Aunt has long been in love with the h's doctor father. The h has been fine playing little mother to her brothers and their endless feedings and washings and running her dad's house, but she is getting restless and wants to get her own little nest and her own life.
To make moves in that direction, her grandma is moving into a care home and happens to know of a tiny cottage the h can take over in the next town. Her grandma also happens to know of an employment vacancy which will get the h out of the H's office. He only looks at her as part of the furniture anyways and since nepotism was heavily involved in her getting hired, the h is thinking she can make a brand new start. She has had it with domesticity and endless cleaning and cooking and living by other people's dictates, she is going to go out on her own and love every minute of it.
The H, after his non-wedding, takes himself off on his pre-booked honeymoon alone. When he returns, he suddenly develops a keen interest in the h. She is rather dubious about it, cause mainly she thinks he wants to pick up the plain girl to soothe his wounded ego, and she probably is not wrong in that estimation.
Plus the h has held a long grudge against the H, he bullied her about her looks pretty unmercifully when she was younger and sadly the after effects are still there to be seen. The h doesn't think she is anything but average. She dates a boring guy she has dated for years, for companionship mainly, cause this h has no intention of getting married and submersing herself in yet more tedious domesticity with the added burden of having to dutifully exercise the lurve club mojo on a regular basis on top of the drudge work.
When she turns her resignation in to the H, he suddenly takes big notice and the roofie kisses are on. In the process of decorating the cottage she is moving into, she and the H become closer friends, tho she makes him promise to leave the amour conversations until after her father and his aunt have their wedding.
By the time the wedding rolls around, the h, after several very sharp H set-downs questioning his motives, consents to date him. She also winds up taking a job in his subsidiary office, after the original job she planned on fell through. Then she and the H start decorating HIS house he recently purchased and get even cosier. The h and H have a big parting of the ways tho, when he refuses to take her to bed when she gives him the green light, citing too much family disapproval if he does so without putting a ring on it.
The h gets her first taste of physical frustration and the H isn't doing much better, the H relents and asks the h to reiterate her boudoir offer. Right before she can do so, the H's ex who jilted him shows up and the H looks like a love struck puppy all over again. The h leaves in frustration and then we get the inevitable OW warning off scene a few paragraphs later. This h is no pushover tho, and she carves up an OW roast with a side of kick OW hiney on the side. The H starts calling her and leaving notes demanding to see her, but the h is in a tiff cause the OW claimed to be engaged to the H again, and she gets a job working the bar at the local pub to keep her out of her house in the evenings when the H might show up.
This not knowing where the h is drives the H nuts. He shows up late at her house right as she is coming off her pub shift and forced seduction gets interrupted by a collapsing window. It was sorta funny, but the h winds up in hospital getting stitches while the H is prostrating himself in remorse. (So now we know, there is nothing like dodging flying glass shards to cut off the typical arrogant HP H's towering libido and this is only example of virtue saved by collapsing window in all of HPlandia.)
The H, in the midst of his abject remorse, remarks that he and the h are going to marry. The h is not down with that AT ALL, she calmly informs him that she is happy to lurve it up on the passionate shores of purple physicality, but she doesn't have to marry anyone to do that and she won't.
The H finally gets the hint and it leads to his best line in the book, ""You mean I'm OK for a quick session in bed, but otherwise on my bike!" Ding Ding Ding! - Give the man a gold star. This h is only holding out for the Tower of Power rides.
The H sulks off pouting, cause his magnanimous offer to the little lodestone he grabbed when he lost his meteorite has been completely rejected. (Poor H, If he had only mentioned some actual love in all the proposing, the h might have given a different answer. I felt a little sorry for his arrogant, demanding, I will settle for less self. Needless to say this H has a remarkable talent for saying the most awkward backhanded compliments that the h takes as insults in all of HPlandia. It was kinda fun to read and wait to see what foot he would shove in his mouth next.)
The h goes back to her father's house whilst she recovers and the H goes out of his way to be perfectly distant. The h is getting more frustrated and finally is able to move back to her own home. She still doesn't want to marry the H tho and so when he calls to demand she go out to dinner with him, she has already booked herself a night serving at the pub.
The h is working and getting hit on by a drunk guy when the H shows up and carries her off. He takes her to his newly decorated house and proposes again. The h offers to be his mistress instead, and I have to admit her version of love on the sly sounded a lot more fun. She was all about the sneaking off weekends to exotic locales and seekrit lurverly rendezvous and he was all about the marrying and cooking his breakfast bit things. He says he loves her and admits that the cottage, her losing the first job and all that followed was all manipulated by him. In his own imitation of Alexander the Great, (the H's name too,) he cut the Gordian knot of the h's life by arranging things behind the scenes.
The cottage was his, he only lent it out to her temporarily, plus he bribed the man she was supposed to work for with the promise of a lot of business if he found someone else. The h loses her temper and says fine, since the H is determined to run her life anyways, she gives in. She will marry him because she figures even if she refuses, he will just keep manipulating anyways.
The H is mad that she is very apathetic about the whole thing and sweeps her off to his boudoir of purple bliss. After the lurve club mojo takes effect the h agrees to marry him and the H is happy with that for the HEA, but interestingly she NEVER tells him she loves him. Other people tell her she does, but that didn't cut too much ice with her, she tends to agree and just do her own thing usually. She mainly thinks he is good in bed and she might marry him to keep him there for a while. Which does lead me to wonder if he is going to be standing alone in front of another altar when they finally get around to the wedding ceremony.
I must also confess, I don't like the H or the h's family in this book. They were all waaay too interfering and pushy and I was really hoping the H would take the mistress with the dirty weekends option, this h srsly needed some sneaking around romance fun.
However this h all by herself makes the book an extra good time in HPlandia. I really think CG was pushing the boundaries here, cause there is NO guarantee that the h is actually going to make it to the wedding. She doesn't admit to love and she is really all about the bed bouncing, but I liked her for it.
I think we only get the token marriage proposal acceptance at the end cause that is the HP rules for living. With Loveknot, CG did a great plot twist on the sweet girl next door trope and while the rest of the characters should be read with a shot or six of the Captain, this h is a true find and a real HPlandia rarity, the lady has a backbone and does her best to use it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 6, 2024
The story opens with the very embarrassing jilting of the H at the altar by the typical Harlequin villainous OW, a vapid, superficial and selfish fashion model who decides to hightail it to La-La-Land instead of settling down in a cozy little corner of the English countryside with the H.
After the H returns from his solo "honeymoon" in Greece, he starts to hit on the h, his longstanding assistant who he had never ever looked at as a woman before, just a convenience to the running of his office. h naturally thinks H is on the rebound and looking for the comfortable, safe choice of his longtime secretary and family friend after his pride took a hit being rejected by the woman of his dreams. I do believe she hit the bull’s eye.
Hero’s idea of courtship of the heroine is to make brutally honest comments, such as the heroine not being "beautiful" like the OW, but still having a lot of attractive traits. In another instance, he compared his infatuation to the OW like a meteorite hitting him while the heroine is more like a "lodestar", offering a smooth, constant glow. Added to the fact that the heroine casually mentions he used to make fun of her weight when she was a plump kid, which really seemed to have affected her self-esteem, and all his machinations to run her life unbeknownst to her, he just did not leave a really good impression on me overall.
Now, for some of the stuff that I enjoyed in the book. The heroine told off the OW quite nicely and the hero got really embarrassed by the heroine pointing out his poor taste in women.
I also liked the heroine's adamant wish NOT to get married for the convenience of the hero, because she had already spent her entire life catering to her ungrateful dad and brothers as housekeeper-den-mother-martyr and she was tired of sewing nameplates on school uniforms and hurling thousands of kilos of food into endless abysses passing as male stomachs. I was happy she held out on him until he said ILY and even then, was quite content to offer the alternative of being his mistress.
Finally, there was a quasi forced seduction scene that was interrupted by, of all things, an exploding window that fell on top of the heroine. That was a first, for me, and I must say, it was quite hilarious.
After the H returns from his solo "honeymoon" in Greece, he starts to hit on the h, his longstanding assistant who he had never ever looked at as a woman before, just a convenience to the running of his office. h naturally thinks H is on the rebound and looking for the comfortable, safe choice of his longtime secretary and family friend after his pride took a hit being rejected by the woman of his dreams. I do believe she hit the bull’s eye.
Hero’s idea of courtship of the heroine is to make brutally honest comments, such as the heroine not being "beautiful" like the OW, but still having a lot of attractive traits. In another instance, he compared his infatuation to the OW like a meteorite hitting him while the heroine is more like a "lodestar", offering a smooth, constant glow. Added to the fact that the heroine casually mentions he used to make fun of her weight when she was a plump kid, which really seemed to have affected her self-esteem, and all his machinations to run her life unbeknownst to her, he just did not leave a really good impression on me overall.
Now, for some of the stuff that I enjoyed in the book. The heroine told off the OW quite nicely and the hero got really embarrassed by the heroine pointing out his poor taste in women.
I also liked the heroine's adamant wish NOT to get married for the convenience of the hero, because she had already spent her entire life catering to her ungrateful dad and brothers as housekeeper-den-mother-martyr and she was tired of sewing nameplates on school uniforms and hurling thousands of kilos of food into endless abysses passing as male stomachs. I was happy she held out on him until he said ILY and even then, was quite content to offer the alternative of being his mistress.
Finally, there was a quasi forced seduction scene that was interrupted by, of all things, an exploding window that fell on top of the heroine. That was a first, for me, and I must say, it was quite hilarious.
September 30, 2017
I mean Mother won’t live for ever, and you’ve never shown any signs of marrying anyone else.
This awesome proposal comes from the anemic other man, not the H, but it’s too good to pass up especially since he adds the extra inducement of what great company the h will be for his mother.
Loveknot starts out v-e-r-y slowly as the H is ditched at the altar by his vapid fiancee for a modeling job in the States. H and h (Alexander and Sophie) have known each other forever as not only is she his secretary, but they are destined to be step-siblings . However the momentum builds as Alexander begins to see Sophie as some other than just a girl on the periphery.
Sophie wants no part of marriage as she has taken care of her father and twin brothers since her mother died. Now that he’s remarrying all she wants to do is move to her tiny stone cottage and have blessed peace from cooking, cleaning and ironing. Who can blame her? The lure of electric sex with Alexander just doesn’t have the same allure.
Finally Sophie offers sex up to Alexander who refuses as it would be dishonorable to betray her family’s trust. What’s a girl to do? They meet up again where she’s about to make another offer when who swans in? Yep, the evil OW, ex-fiancee.
Sophie leaves but has a scathingly brilliant smackdown with the OW later. An epic smackdown and that one scene makes the book worth reading if nothing else.
Eventually Alexander overcomes his honor and Sophie succumbs to passion. In an ironic turnaround Sophie agrees to marriage as apparently the sex WILL be compensation for the drudgery she anticipates. Alexander must truly love her as he promises to get a housekeeper and to cook on occasion. Not exactly high romance or angst but like I said, Anglophilic.
Three stars for the evil OW smackdown scene as well as some wonderful anglophile details: stone cottages, afternoon tea, wool everything, questionable instant coffee, a pub with optics, anchovy toast and a Mercedes roadster.
This awesome proposal comes from the anemic other man, not the H, but it’s too good to pass up especially since he adds the extra inducement of what great company the h will be for his mother.
Loveknot starts out v-e-r-y slowly as the H is ditched at the altar by his vapid fiancee for a modeling job in the States. H and h (Alexander and Sophie) have known each other forever as not only is she his secretary, but they are destined to be step-siblings . However the momentum builds as Alexander begins to see Sophie as some other than just a girl on the periphery.
Sophie wants no part of marriage as she has taken care of her father and twin brothers since her mother died. Now that he’s remarrying all she wants to do is move to her tiny stone cottage and have blessed peace from cooking, cleaning and ironing. Who can blame her? The lure of electric sex with Alexander just doesn’t have the same allure.
Finally Sophie offers sex up to Alexander who refuses as it would be dishonorable to betray her family’s trust. What’s a girl to do? They meet up again where she’s about to make another offer when who swans in? Yep, the evil OW, ex-fiancee.
Sophie leaves but has a scathingly brilliant smackdown with the OW later. An epic smackdown and that one scene makes the book worth reading if nothing else.
Eventually Alexander overcomes his honor and Sophie succumbs to passion. In an ironic turnaround Sophie agrees to marriage as apparently the sex WILL be compensation for the drudgery she anticipates. Alexander must truly love her as he promises to get a housekeeper and to cook on occasion. Not exactly high romance or angst but like I said, Anglophilic.
Three stars for the evil OW smackdown scene as well as some wonderful anglophile details: stone cottages, afternoon tea, wool everything, questionable instant coffee, a pub with optics, anchovy toast and a Mercedes roadster.
February 17, 2015
I'm always intrigued by how much less dated the older Harlequin Presents are than the ones published in the 21st century. The heroine of this slightly subversive romance resists marriage almost to the last page, because she's so fed up with being the caregiver for her siblings and doesn't want to have anything to do with domesticity. She offers to be the hero's mistress, which sends him into gales of laughter over the ridiculous outdated concept. It's a pleasure to read an HP that has all the narrative intensity without being over the top ridiculous.
March 23, 2022
Pleasant and undemanding.
May 4, 2018
3 stars solely for heroine.
Hero is a piece of trash loser.
I can DEFINITELY see heroine leaving him at the altar or divorcing him at a more convenient time.
There is NO way in hell she wants kids and I think hero pretty much signed his death warrant when the declared they'd have children.
She NEVER for a moment even to herself admitted she loved him! Not a single monologue let alone declaration! *giggles excitedly* THAT is saying something! She REALLY just wanted his *cough* overused *cough* body! She knows he's a tosser! HE knows he's a tosser so he desperately wants to put a ring on it 😂😂😂😂! It's painful to watch!
His type WAS the supermodel, just like he suggested. Except it turns out she's out of his reach so he decides to settle for a more "stable" kind! He pull some poetic shit that interprets like the OW was burning fire and heroine a warm steady glow but all I read was the OW was a bright star, heroine a bedside lamp! So NO! NOT A FUCKING COMPLIMENT ! (more than half a year later, STILL NOT a compliment)
It's really more like he was settling for what was more easily acquirable. He was SETTLING.
But to be honest heroine is WAY way above his league. She would never settle. Never be anyone's second best.
She meant what she said. She only said yes because she gave up, if she said no, he'll go ahead and manipulate everything in her life just like he's been doing to get his way. Not because she cares about his love. Definitely not because she loves him.
Hero genuinely thought heroine wasn't attractive enough. He thought after his supermodel ex heroine would fall on his feet the moment he crooks his finger.
But heroine made him jump through the hoops and NEVER ever gave anything more than sexual attention, and I think that's why he rejected the OW at the end as well. Because suddenly she was the pursuer, and he lost ALL the appeal, whereas with the heroine, HE is pursuing, relentlessly, and without any success at that. So the thrill of chase is very much fresh with the heroine. With the OW, not so much. There is no charm or mysteries left with her even with her being a beautiful supermodel.
Am I supposed to respect this sorry ass of human?
Well thankfully heroine can hold her own!
There's an epic OW smack down.
Hero says ILY.
Heroine never does and by the look of it never will.
Hero is a piece of trash loser.
I can DEFINITELY see heroine leaving him at the altar or divorcing him at a more convenient time.
There is NO way in hell she wants kids and I think hero pretty much signed his death warrant when the declared they'd have children.
She NEVER for a moment even to herself admitted she loved him! Not a single monologue let alone declaration! *giggles excitedly* THAT is saying something! She REALLY just wanted his *cough* overused *cough* body! She knows he's a tosser! HE knows he's a tosser so he desperately wants to put a ring on it 😂😂😂😂! It's painful to watch!
His type WAS the supermodel, just like he suggested. Except it turns out she's out of his reach so he decides to settle for a more "stable" kind! He pull some poetic shit that interprets like the OW was burning fire and heroine a warm steady glow but all I read was the OW was a bright star, heroine a bedside lamp! So NO! NOT A FUCKING COMPLIMENT ! (more than half a year later, STILL NOT a compliment)
It's really more like he was settling for what was more easily acquirable. He was SETTLING.
But to be honest heroine is WAY way above his league. She would never settle. Never be anyone's second best.
She meant what she said. She only said yes because she gave up, if she said no, he'll go ahead and manipulate everything in her life just like he's been doing to get his way. Not because she cares about his love. Definitely not because she loves him.
Hero genuinely thought heroine wasn't attractive enough. He thought after his supermodel ex heroine would fall on his feet the moment he crooks his finger.
But heroine made him jump through the hoops and NEVER ever gave anything more than sexual attention, and I think that's why he rejected the OW at the end as well. Because suddenly she was the pursuer, and he lost ALL the appeal, whereas with the heroine, HE is pursuing, relentlessly, and without any success at that. So the thrill of chase is very much fresh with the heroine. With the OW, not so much. There is no charm or mysteries left with her even with her being a beautiful supermodel.
Am I supposed to respect this sorry ass of human?
Well thankfully heroine can hold her own!
There's an epic OW smack down.
Hero says ILY.
Heroine never does and by the look of it never will.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2021
She has also needed skilleting.
October 27, 2017
If I could have given this negative stars, I would have.
Sophie was the family doormat for years, but once her twin brothers leave for school & her father decides to get married, she is determined to live her own life on her own terms.
Alexander, son of her stepmother-to-be, is jilted at the altar and all of a sudden "discovers" that he "loves" Sophie and *he* is determined to marry her.
The entire book is taken up with Sophie trying to assert her independence and literally *everyone* working against her! Eventually she finds out that Alexander has been pulling her strings the entire story and is going to force her to marry him, no matter what. In fact, at the end, he rapes her (NO means NO), and all of a sudden she decides that she loves him and will give up her dreams of being her own person. In return, the so-called hero "makes concessions" such as hiring "someone to help you with the housework you detest so much" and then talks about the children they will have (she was most emphatic before that she *didn't* want children!)
I realize this was "old school" HP, but it was as if the author was trying to make this as offensive as possible.
Sophie was the family doormat for years, but once her twin brothers leave for school & her father decides to get married, she is determined to live her own life on her own terms.
Alexander, son of her stepmother-to-be, is jilted at the altar and all of a sudden "discovers" that he "loves" Sophie and *he* is determined to marry her.
The entire book is taken up with Sophie trying to assert her independence and literally *everyone* working against her! Eventually she finds out that Alexander has been pulling her strings the entire story and is going to force her to marry him, no matter what. In fact, at the end, he rapes her (NO means NO), and all of a sudden she decides that she loves him and will give up her dreams of being her own person. In return, the so-called hero "makes concessions" such as hiring "someone to help you with the housework you detest so much" and then talks about the children they will have (she was most emphatic before that she *didn't* want children!)
I realize this was "old school" HP, but it was as if the author was trying to make this as offensive as possible.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2019
Sophie thought marriage was for the birds!
When she saw her boss, Alexander Paget, jilted at the altar, Sophie's heart bled for him. But she didn't appreciate the rush of interest the ex-bridegroom soon showed in her.
Sophie refused to become a balm for Alexander's wounded ego. She'd already had it with men, caring for her brothers and widowed father. And now she wanted to escape from domesticity--and from Alexander.
Yet Sophie rather enjoyed the novel sensation of being chased by the man who'd previously ignored her as a woman. Besides, anyone nicknamed Alexander the Great naturally boasted irresistible powers of persuasion! (
When she saw her boss, Alexander Paget, jilted at the altar, Sophie's heart bled for him. But she didn't appreciate the rush of interest the ex-bridegroom soon showed in her.
Sophie refused to become a balm for Alexander's wounded ego. She'd already had it with men, caring for her brothers and widowed father. And now she wanted to escape from domesticity--and from Alexander.
Yet Sophie rather enjoyed the novel sensation of being chased by the man who'd previously ignored her as a woman. Besides, anyone nicknamed Alexander the Great naturally boasted irresistible powers of persuasion! (
November 13, 2012
I actually quite enjoyed this. I thought the hero was bright and funny. She had a real quirky sense of humor but had a backbone too. The hero seemed a bit fake to me at the start, I was thinking 'rebound' for a while but afterwards it was pretty damn perfect.
May 29, 2021
حقيقة الرواية رااااائعة
حبكة القصة خرافية
مختلفة عن أغلب الروايات التي قرأتها
في العادة أحداث الروايات تتكلم عن البطلة ومشاعرها لكن فيه هذه الرواية للبطل النصيب الأكبر من الاهتمام
أنصح بقراءتها بشدة
قرأت الرواية باللغة العربية ولكن بالإنجليزية أفضل
حبكة القصة خرافية
مختلفة عن أغلب الروايات التي قرأتها
في العادة أحداث الروايات تتكلم عن البطلة ومشاعرها لكن فيه هذه الرواية للبطل النصيب الأكبر من الاهتمام
أنصح بقراءتها بشدة
قرأت الرواية باللغة العربية ولكن بالإنجليزية أفضل
May 25, 2024
That was nothing much going on in this one. Skip it entirely.
June 1, 2024
They grew up together as their mothers were friends. She is his secretary. He gets left at the altar and then recognizes that he was just infatuated with his jilter but really loves her.
June 22, 2012
This one was good but not that good like the last one I read. It did have it's moments but of course they fell in love at the very end which frustrates me. Other then that if you like that sort of book then this is the book for you.
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