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Had fate brought them together?
Philippa Roscoe needed a large sum_ of money and she needed it fast--her father's life depended on it. Wealthy French businessman Alain de Courcy needed a wife--purely for business reasons.
Alain was only too happy to provide Philippa with the funds she required. In exchange he demanded marriage and not just in name only. There was little Philippa could do: she had to agree to his terms.
She hadn't agreed to fall under Alain's charismatic spell. But could Philippa keep herself from falling in love or had this marriage of convenience become a desperate act ... ''
Philippa Roscoe needed a large sum_ of money and she needed it fast--her father's life depended on it. Wealthy French businessman Alain de Courcy needed a wife--purely for business reasons.
Alain was only too happy to provide Philippa with the funds she required. In exchange he demanded marriage and not just in name only. There was little Philippa could do: she had to agree to his terms.
She hadn't agreed to fall under Alain's charismatic spell. But could Philippa keep herself from falling in love or had this marriage of convenience become a desperate act ... ''
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1991
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176 people want to read
About the author
Sara Craven
493 books267 followersAnne Bushell was born on October 1938 in South Devon, England, just before World War II and grew up in a house crammed with books. She was always a voracious reader, some of her all-time favorites books are: "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen, "Middlemarch" by George Eliot, "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë, "Gone With the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell and "The Code of the Woosters" by P. G. Wodehouse.
She worked as journalist at the Paignton Observer, but after her marriage, she moved to the north of England, where she worked as teacher. After she returned to journalism, she joined the Middlesbrough Writers' Group, where she met other romance writer Mildred Grieveson (Anne Mather). She started to wrote romance, and she had her first novel "Garden of Dreams" accepted by Mills & Boon in 1975, she published her work under the pseudonym of Sara Craven. In 2010 she became chairman of the Southern Writers' Conference, and the next year was elected the twenty-six Chairman (2011–2013) of the Romantic Novelists' Association.
Divorced twice, Annie lives in Somerset, South West England, and shares her home with a West Highland white terrier called Bertie Wooster. In her house, she had several thousand books, and an amazing video collection. When she's not writing, she enjoys watching very old films, listening to music, going to the theatre, and eating in good restaurants. She also likes to travel in Europe, to inspire her romances, especially in France, Greece and Italy where many of her novels are set. Since the birth of her twin grandchildren, she is also a regular visitor to New York City, where the little tots live. In 1997, she was the overall winner of the BBC's Mastermind, winning the last final presented by Magnus Magnusson.
She worked as journalist at the Paignton Observer, but after her marriage, she moved to the north of England, where she worked as teacher. After she returned to journalism, she joined the Middlesbrough Writers' Group, where she met other romance writer Mildred Grieveson (Anne Mather). She started to wrote romance, and she had her first novel "Garden of Dreams" accepted by Mills & Boon in 1975, she published her work under the pseudonym of Sara Craven. In 2010 she became chairman of the Southern Writers' Conference, and the next year was elected the twenty-six Chairman (2011–2013) of the Romantic Novelists' Association.
Divorced twice, Annie lives in Somerset, South West England, and shares her home with a West Highland white terrier called Bertie Wooster. In her house, she had several thousand books, and an amazing video collection. When she's not writing, she enjoys watching very old films, listening to music, going to the theatre, and eating in good restaurants. She also likes to travel in Europe, to inspire her romances, especially in France, Greece and Italy where many of her novels are set. Since the birth of her twin grandchildren, she is also a regular visitor to New York City, where the little tots live. In 1997, she was the overall winner of the BBC's Mastermind, winning the last final presented by Magnus Magnusson.
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November 12, 2017
Re Desperate Measures - well if August 1992 was an update on the more relaxed approach to love and loving in HPlandia, October 1992 is back to the old skool with a vengeance.
Classic HP authors use their favorite tropes this month, so gear up for lots of tart shaming, forced kisses and outright rape.
Huge Warning Before Continuing On - The H pretty casually rapes the h on their wedding night and then does so again off page for sometime after. You could say that the h implicitly implies consent after the wedding night debacle, but she clearly doesn't want to participate and is doing so under duress. HPlandia seekrit h body yearnings aside, it is definitely repeated rape and this may not be every one's cuppa. So please skip this if you don't want to know.
This one starts with the 19 yr old h pleading with her former step mother for a loan for her very ill father's desperately needed HP Gold Standard American Cure. The step mother, who dumped the h's formerly wealthy father as soon as he chucked his company directorships, big house and wealthy lifestyle to become a pretty successful artist and gave her an overly generous divorce settlement, refuses on the ground that it would upset her current husband who happens to be the h's father's former business partner.
The h thinks it is really mean of the bovine gold digger to refuse to help, especially since the h's father was generous enough to give her a really large divorce settlement when the BGD went off to start an affair with her father's former friend. The h doesn't say anything tho, she just asks the bovine gold digger to let her know if she thinks of a way the h can earn some quick cash.
The h joking tells herself she should try high end prostitution, but after checking her reflection and seeing an art student in rather artistic thrift shop clothes, she realizes that occupation is probably not open to her and she is too proper to be good at it anyway.
Then the bovine GD calls the h up and wants her to come over right away. Apparently a new proposition for the h has popped up. The proposer turns out to be the H, who started an affair with the wife of one of his huge conglomerate's investors and his jealous uncle is using the H's extra curricular affairs as a way to convince the board of directors that the H is unfit to run the firm and they should put the uncle in the top slot instead.
The alternative to the h marrying the H in return for the money to save her father and eventually, (the h assumes well into the future,) giving the H an heir, is that the H will have to marry the uncle's rather porcine and sallow daughter. The h thinks about it for a bit, gets the H's assurances that he won't rush the physical intimacy and the H assures her that he will probably not trouble her too much as he plans to continue his lady buffet snacking on the side.
The h is initially pretty reluctant to take up the marriage proposal of the H tho, she doesn't like the lifestyle or the clothes and doubts that she will be an adequate hostess. Her main interest is art and she and her father planned on setting up a studio together. The H is very bullyingly persuasive and the h finds herself brow beat into agreeing. The h is relieved to get the money for her dad and insists that he not be told about the marriage, the h will break the news if the treatment works, as she fears that her dad wouldn't go for it if he knew the h was essentially selling herself.
The wildly envious former stepmother then goes all out to get the h the proper clothes and hairstyle and the h is pretty indifferent to the whole process. The h is more concerned about how her father's treatment is going and once the father is on his way, the h and H marry three days later.
Right away the h and H get pulled into a dinner party at the H's uncle's home and one of the first guests to be met is the H's OW and her husband. The uncle obviously wants to start some fertilizer for gossip, but the h steps in and smooths the situation over. Since she had already told the H off for letting his mistress call the H and h's home, she isn't too shocked that all the guests think the h is no match for the beautiful OW.
Tho it is a huge shock to those very same guests that the h is fully conversant in French and understood every catty remark they made. They are also shocked to find that the h isn't some patsy nobody, but the daughter of a famous artist, so they tend to treat her with a little more respect after that.
So the dinner party goes better than the H had a right to expect and in the aftermath, he thinks he will reward the h with a round on his magical poking pike. The h, who understands the terms of the agreement to mean that she is socially supportive and gives the appearance of a devoted wife in public, doesn't see the magical poke pike as any type of reward whatsoever. She firmly refuses the offer of a round of the lurve mojo. So the H rapes her, after she slaps him as he is trying to feel her up and seduce her. Things go decidedly downhill after that and tho the forced lurve pikings continue, the h is not enjoying it.
SC does do the traitorous body of the h bit and for some reason the H seems to be convinced that if the h would just relax and let him seduce her every thing between them would be hunky dory.
(I have to interject here tho, I like SC and I have read her a very long time. But I still get very, very irked that SC uses the h's curiosity and forced arousal to push the line that the h is subconsciously compliant with being raped and that repeated rapes force the h to fall in love with her rapist.
I make allowances because this is old skool HPlandia and really girls back then weren't supposed to enjoy sex unless they absolutely had to, but it isn't right and most readers are well aware of it and do NOT condone the actions of this H.
We tolerate the misogyny because SC writes extremely well and HP voyagers are fully aware of the vagaries of the HP universe. Plus half the fun of traveling in HPlandia is having huge ranty moments about the really bad bits.)
So the H and h settle into a mutually distant private life, with the H absenting himself most of the time and the h decides to take up her art classes with one of her father's friends. No one is very supportive of that, because after all the H is rich and she should be spending all her time glamorizing herself to keep the H's lucrative lifestyle and swanky houses available for herself. The h doesn't care tho, mainly cause the lucrative life and the boring socializing and the catty women aren't really her thing anyways.
The endured piking moments between the H and h come to an end when the h overhears the H and the OW out on the balcony during a dinner party one night and she pretty bluntly tells him she will not be any type of sloppy seconds. The H agrees and the h gets a lock installed on her bedroom door. The h also meets the potential OM, when he saves her from an almost robbery as she is coming out of art class.
More time passes and the H's uncle's daughter manages to corner the h one day and tell the h all about how the OW is soon to be widowed and how everyone is going to laugh when the H divorces the h for the OW. The h, who is very upset and jealous over this bit of info, coolly tells the porcine cousin that she really needs to shop someplace where the clothes might fit her and then starts making escape plans. The h has no intention of being made a laughingstock in front of all of Paris when the H files for divorce to marry his beloved mistress.
The h as been casually seeing the wanna be OM after her art class. She debates pushing him away when he becomes more flirtatious, but she really needs someone with a car. So she lets the OM help her arrange a let on a cottage in the country where she and her father used to stay and she agrees to let him be her model.
The h's father is all cured and will soon be able to take up his painting again and the h figures the timing is perfect. She can leave and get the cottage set up, while working determinedly at developing her painting and the H can get his divorce for his lover and the two of them can amicably part ways.
The OM seems to have other idears than just being the h's friend and giving her a ride, so it is fortunate that the H follows the h and OM to the cottage. (He had detectives following the h.) The H runs the OM off without an ugly scene and then decides to leave himself after the h flinches away from him and he realizes that the h is really, seriously afraid of him. A long line of past sins seem to finally hit him in the face as he starts to accept that the h flat out doesn't like him and doesn't want to be touched by him.
SC messes this up of course, because the h really does want the H, but still it was a nice bit of comeuppance for the H's prior arrogance, cause he looks like he is going to cry when the h rejects him and makes him leave. The H can't leave tho, cause the OM sliced his tires and messed up his car and the parts are going to take a few days to get delivered.
We also find out that the H had hired people to follow the h around mainly because the H found out that the robbery was a set up and the OM was hired by the H's uncle to start rumors that the H's marriage was in trouble and both of them were sleeping with other people.
The H and h are forced to share the tiny cottage and the h soon finds that her painting vastly improves when she uses the H as a model for her work. She figures she can expunge her fascination with him in an orgy of painting and plus the H turns out to be a pretty decent cook as well - always a bonus when you are used to just getting by with beans on toast for dinner.
All this camaraderie and the inclusion of some chess playing after dinner that ends in a big roofie kissing moment soon leads to a closer relationship between the H and h. Eventually the h takes the big leap and seduces the H while she is painting him as he poses nude and does his best to be enticing. They have a big purple fuchsia passion love moment and the h is now ready to really try being married when it is all over, cause she admits she loves the H.
By the time the h manages to gather her spent self up off the art studio floor, the H and his belongings have vanished. Since his car is finally repaired, the h assumes that she was just complacent in her own pump and dump and decides to pack her own belongings up to leave. She can't stay in the cottage, cause she can't bear the memories of the H and the angst factor is very high as the h dramatically rips apart the very good sketches she did of the H and burns them in the fire.
Then the H wanders back in and the h is shocked. She decides to do her own version of the pump and dump speech and tells the H she is done and leaving and he can contact her lawyer. Then she finds the H's clothes dumped all over her room and the H is very sad as he explains that he thought they could really start their marriage now because he loves her and only wants her to be his wife.
The h is flabbergasted and admits she loves him back and now the actually pretty good explanations begin. The first explanation is about the OW, she threw her self at the H well before he met the h and since the H was overwhelmed by the OW's beauty, they had an affair. But the affair ended when the H found out that the OW was paid to seduce the H by his evil uncle. The H did not understand all the gossip about him and the OW cause the OW apparently slept around all the time, but the evil uncle was determined to oust the H and so the H had to propose to the h.
The first time he met the h, he fell in love and in SC's HPlandia the greater the love, the more chance for rape and the H only did it cause he was out of his head with lovesickness over the h. Then he realized that he totally burnt those bridges towards a better relationship between them and eventually realized that he couldn't lurve club his way to a true loving relationship. The H hasn't been sleeping with anyone else from the moment he met the h.
All those nights he was gone he was sleeping in the company apartment alone. But he let the h think he was still seeing the OW because he was hoping it would make her jealous and inspire the "fight for your man" response - which never works in SC's HPlandia cause her h's won't fight, they run off.
Then the H's little ploy backfired, cause the h met the OM and the H was stabbed with a thousand fiery swords cause the h preferred the OM over him. The H even tried to make the h preggers cause he thought she might come to love him eventually if they had children.
Poor H, he really had to suffer for a long time and he thought he got his big chance when the h took off and he could demonstrate his sensitive new age kinda guy qualities by flaunting his nude six pack abs and some really good cooking skillz. Then the h almost threw him out again, so the H threw in the towel and begged.
The h is thrilled she hasn't been cheated on and even more thrilled when they decide to have two weeks of painting and lurve in the cottage and then go get the h's recovered father and set him up at the H's chateau and they will all live happily ever after in love for the big finale.
This is a pretty good story aside from the repeated rape. Unfortunately, that multiple forced sex business kinda lowered the happiness with the whole story for me. I get that the H was desperate, but he wasn't stupid and I don't why he thought forced seductions were going to help his cause any, especially since he made absolutely NO attempts to do anything to woo the h. Most sheltered girls the h's age are going to be rather hesitant to jump on the tower of power with someone they barely know and I thought the h's response was pretty close to what might actually happen.
I kinda hate to say this, but the rape scene was well written. It was easy to see where the H lost his temper and it was even easier to see where the h was trying really hard to defend her person. So while it isn't excusable, the H's overall remorse is believable and that makes it possible to accept the HEA in this old skool HP outing.
Classic HP authors use their favorite tropes this month, so gear up for lots of tart shaming, forced kisses and outright rape.
Huge Warning Before Continuing On - The H pretty casually rapes the h on their wedding night and then does so again off page for sometime after. You could say that the h implicitly implies consent after the wedding night debacle, but she clearly doesn't want to participate and is doing so under duress. HPlandia seekrit h body yearnings aside, it is definitely repeated rape and this may not be every one's cuppa. So please skip this if you don't want to know.
This one starts with the 19 yr old h pleading with her former step mother for a loan for her very ill father's desperately needed HP Gold Standard American Cure. The step mother, who dumped the h's formerly wealthy father as soon as he chucked his company directorships, big house and wealthy lifestyle to become a pretty successful artist and gave her an overly generous divorce settlement, refuses on the ground that it would upset her current husband who happens to be the h's father's former business partner.
The h thinks it is really mean of the bovine gold digger to refuse to help, especially since the h's father was generous enough to give her a really large divorce settlement when the BGD went off to start an affair with her father's former friend. The h doesn't say anything tho, she just asks the bovine gold digger to let her know if she thinks of a way the h can earn some quick cash.
The h joking tells herself she should try high end prostitution, but after checking her reflection and seeing an art student in rather artistic thrift shop clothes, she realizes that occupation is probably not open to her and she is too proper to be good at it anyway.
Then the bovine GD calls the h up and wants her to come over right away. Apparently a new proposition for the h has popped up. The proposer turns out to be the H, who started an affair with the wife of one of his huge conglomerate's investors and his jealous uncle is using the H's extra curricular affairs as a way to convince the board of directors that the H is unfit to run the firm and they should put the uncle in the top slot instead.
The alternative to the h marrying the H in return for the money to save her father and eventually, (the h assumes well into the future,) giving the H an heir, is that the H will have to marry the uncle's rather porcine and sallow daughter. The h thinks about it for a bit, gets the H's assurances that he won't rush the physical intimacy and the H assures her that he will probably not trouble her too much as he plans to continue his lady buffet snacking on the side.
The h is initially pretty reluctant to take up the marriage proposal of the H tho, she doesn't like the lifestyle or the clothes and doubts that she will be an adequate hostess. Her main interest is art and she and her father planned on setting up a studio together. The H is very bullyingly persuasive and the h finds herself brow beat into agreeing. The h is relieved to get the money for her dad and insists that he not be told about the marriage, the h will break the news if the treatment works, as she fears that her dad wouldn't go for it if he knew the h was essentially selling herself.
The wildly envious former stepmother then goes all out to get the h the proper clothes and hairstyle and the h is pretty indifferent to the whole process. The h is more concerned about how her father's treatment is going and once the father is on his way, the h and H marry three days later.
Right away the h and H get pulled into a dinner party at the H's uncle's home and one of the first guests to be met is the H's OW and her husband. The uncle obviously wants to start some fertilizer for gossip, but the h steps in and smooths the situation over. Since she had already told the H off for letting his mistress call the H and h's home, she isn't too shocked that all the guests think the h is no match for the beautiful OW.
Tho it is a huge shock to those very same guests that the h is fully conversant in French and understood every catty remark they made. They are also shocked to find that the h isn't some patsy nobody, but the daughter of a famous artist, so they tend to treat her with a little more respect after that.
So the dinner party goes better than the H had a right to expect and in the aftermath, he thinks he will reward the h with a round on his magical poking pike. The h, who understands the terms of the agreement to mean that she is socially supportive and gives the appearance of a devoted wife in public, doesn't see the magical poke pike as any type of reward whatsoever. She firmly refuses the offer of a round of the lurve mojo. So the H rapes her, after she slaps him as he is trying to feel her up and seduce her. Things go decidedly downhill after that and tho the forced lurve pikings continue, the h is not enjoying it.
SC does do the traitorous body of the h bit and for some reason the H seems to be convinced that if the h would just relax and let him seduce her every thing between them would be hunky dory.
(I have to interject here tho, I like SC and I have read her a very long time. But I still get very, very irked that SC uses the h's curiosity and forced arousal to push the line that the h is subconsciously compliant with being raped and that repeated rapes force the h to fall in love with her rapist.
I make allowances because this is old skool HPlandia and really girls back then weren't supposed to enjoy sex unless they absolutely had to, but it isn't right and most readers are well aware of it and do NOT condone the actions of this H.
We tolerate the misogyny because SC writes extremely well and HP voyagers are fully aware of the vagaries of the HP universe. Plus half the fun of traveling in HPlandia is having huge ranty moments about the really bad bits.)
So the H and h settle into a mutually distant private life, with the H absenting himself most of the time and the h decides to take up her art classes with one of her father's friends. No one is very supportive of that, because after all the H is rich and she should be spending all her time glamorizing herself to keep the H's lucrative lifestyle and swanky houses available for herself. The h doesn't care tho, mainly cause the lucrative life and the boring socializing and the catty women aren't really her thing anyways.
The endured piking moments between the H and h come to an end when the h overhears the H and the OW out on the balcony during a dinner party one night and she pretty bluntly tells him she will not be any type of sloppy seconds. The H agrees and the h gets a lock installed on her bedroom door. The h also meets the potential OM, when he saves her from an almost robbery as she is coming out of art class.
More time passes and the H's uncle's daughter manages to corner the h one day and tell the h all about how the OW is soon to be widowed and how everyone is going to laugh when the H divorces the h for the OW. The h, who is very upset and jealous over this bit of info, coolly tells the porcine cousin that she really needs to shop someplace where the clothes might fit her and then starts making escape plans. The h has no intention of being made a laughingstock in front of all of Paris when the H files for divorce to marry his beloved mistress.
The h as been casually seeing the wanna be OM after her art class. She debates pushing him away when he becomes more flirtatious, but she really needs someone with a car. So she lets the OM help her arrange a let on a cottage in the country where she and her father used to stay and she agrees to let him be her model.
The h's father is all cured and will soon be able to take up his painting again and the h figures the timing is perfect. She can leave and get the cottage set up, while working determinedly at developing her painting and the H can get his divorce for his lover and the two of them can amicably part ways.
The OM seems to have other idears than just being the h's friend and giving her a ride, so it is fortunate that the H follows the h and OM to the cottage. (He had detectives following the h.) The H runs the OM off without an ugly scene and then decides to leave himself after the h flinches away from him and he realizes that the h is really, seriously afraid of him. A long line of past sins seem to finally hit him in the face as he starts to accept that the h flat out doesn't like him and doesn't want to be touched by him.
SC messes this up of course, because the h really does want the H, but still it was a nice bit of comeuppance for the H's prior arrogance, cause he looks like he is going to cry when the h rejects him and makes him leave. The H can't leave tho, cause the OM sliced his tires and messed up his car and the parts are going to take a few days to get delivered.
We also find out that the H had hired people to follow the h around mainly because the H found out that the robbery was a set up and the OM was hired by the H's uncle to start rumors that the H's marriage was in trouble and both of them were sleeping with other people.
The H and h are forced to share the tiny cottage and the h soon finds that her painting vastly improves when she uses the H as a model for her work. She figures she can expunge her fascination with him in an orgy of painting and plus the H turns out to be a pretty decent cook as well - always a bonus when you are used to just getting by with beans on toast for dinner.
All this camaraderie and the inclusion of some chess playing after dinner that ends in a big roofie kissing moment soon leads to a closer relationship between the H and h. Eventually the h takes the big leap and seduces the H while she is painting him as he poses nude and does his best to be enticing. They have a big purple fuchsia passion love moment and the h is now ready to really try being married when it is all over, cause she admits she loves the H.
By the time the h manages to gather her spent self up off the art studio floor, the H and his belongings have vanished. Since his car is finally repaired, the h assumes that she was just complacent in her own pump and dump and decides to pack her own belongings up to leave. She can't stay in the cottage, cause she can't bear the memories of the H and the angst factor is very high as the h dramatically rips apart the very good sketches she did of the H and burns them in the fire.
Then the H wanders back in and the h is shocked. She decides to do her own version of the pump and dump speech and tells the H she is done and leaving and he can contact her lawyer. Then she finds the H's clothes dumped all over her room and the H is very sad as he explains that he thought they could really start their marriage now because he loves her and only wants her to be his wife.
The h is flabbergasted and admits she loves him back and now the actually pretty good explanations begin. The first explanation is about the OW, she threw her self at the H well before he met the h and since the H was overwhelmed by the OW's beauty, they had an affair. But the affair ended when the H found out that the OW was paid to seduce the H by his evil uncle. The H did not understand all the gossip about him and the OW cause the OW apparently slept around all the time, but the evil uncle was determined to oust the H and so the H had to propose to the h.
The first time he met the h, he fell in love and in SC's HPlandia the greater the love, the more chance for rape and the H only did it cause he was out of his head with lovesickness over the h. Then he realized that he totally burnt those bridges towards a better relationship between them and eventually realized that he couldn't lurve club his way to a true loving relationship. The H hasn't been sleeping with anyone else from the moment he met the h.
All those nights he was gone he was sleeping in the company apartment alone. But he let the h think he was still seeing the OW because he was hoping it would make her jealous and inspire the "fight for your man" response - which never works in SC's HPlandia cause her h's won't fight, they run off.
Then the H's little ploy backfired, cause the h met the OM and the H was stabbed with a thousand fiery swords cause the h preferred the OM over him. The H even tried to make the h preggers cause he thought she might come to love him eventually if they had children.
Poor H, he really had to suffer for a long time and he thought he got his big chance when the h took off and he could demonstrate his sensitive new age kinda guy qualities by flaunting his nude six pack abs and some really good cooking skillz. Then the h almost threw him out again, so the H threw in the towel and begged.
The h is thrilled she hasn't been cheated on and even more thrilled when they decide to have two weeks of painting and lurve in the cottage and then go get the h's recovered father and set him up at the H's chateau and they will all live happily ever after in love for the big finale.
This is a pretty good story aside from the repeated rape. Unfortunately, that multiple forced sex business kinda lowered the happiness with the whole story for me. I get that the H was desperate, but he wasn't stupid and I don't why he thought forced seductions were going to help his cause any, especially since he made absolutely NO attempts to do anything to woo the h. Most sheltered girls the h's age are going to be rather hesitant to jump on the tower of power with someone they barely know and I thought the h's response was pretty close to what might actually happen.
I kinda hate to say this, but the rape scene was well written. It was easy to see where the H lost his temper and it was even easier to see where the h was trying really hard to defend her person. So while it isn't excusable, the H's overall remorse is believable and that makes it possible to accept the HEA in this old skool HP outing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 12, 2017
I don't know how Sara Craven manages to make the same old plot fresh, but she does. In this case, it's a MOC. The hero gets respectability in the business community after rumors of his affair with a married woman. The heroine gets life-saving treatment for her father in the States.
The hero makes it clear he wants a marriage for life and he wants children. So, no surprise to the reader since this is SC (and Boogenhagen warned me in her review) the hero rapes her on her wedding night. He apologizes the next day and the H/h put up a good front at a party where the hero's "mistress" is also in attendance. The hero wants to make it up to the heroine by having good sex, but the heroine is not buying it.
After the heroine sees the OW and the H together at yet another party, she requests a lock for her door and the hero gives up trying.
I once read that if you want to understand another person, you should try to draw them. Now my artistic abilities are nil, but even the act of paying attention really does make you see someone in a new way. That was the h's breakthrough.
I do believe the hero when he says he was smitten from their first meeting. It explains (not excuses) the rape on their wedding night and the sophisticated hero's clumsy attempts to have some sort of breakthrough in the bedroom.
I could have told him that cooking for his gal while she works at something she loves is how to win her heart - but hero had to suffer before he hit on what really works.
The hero makes it clear he wants a marriage for life and he wants children. So, no surprise to the reader since this is SC (and Boogenhagen warned me in her review) the hero rapes her on her wedding night. He apologizes the next day and the H/h put up a good front at a party where the hero's "mistress" is also in attendance. The hero wants to make it up to the heroine by having good sex, but the heroine is not buying it.
After the heroine sees the OW and the H together at yet another party, she requests a lock for her door and the hero gives up trying.
I once read that if you want to understand another person, you should try to draw them. Now my artistic abilities are nil, but even the act of paying attention really does make you see someone in a new way. That was the h's breakthrough.
I do believe the hero when he says he was smitten from their first meeting. It explains (not excuses) the rape on their wedding night and the sophisticated hero's clumsy attempts to have some sort of breakthrough in the bedroom.
I could have told him that cooking for his gal while she works at something she loves is how to win her heart - but hero had to suffer before he hit on what really works.
December 29, 2014
Very typical Sara Craven plot and there's nothing wrong with that if you like it.
It can make for a good, delightfully appalling train wreck at times. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this as much as others I've read by her.
My problem was that I didn't like either the hero or the heroine.
I never felt the hero's remorse for his actions and, in this case, his alpha arrogance wasn't something I found sexy. I just wanted to smack him. I never found him sexy. It's hard to put a finger on it, because Craven has written other heroes who were just as bad and worse, but they didn't turn me off like this one.
The heroine was too childish and impulsive. She made commitments and then stomped her feet the entire way. I'm not excusing the hero's wedding night behavior - there is no excuse for his behavior and his refusal to honor his word. However, outside of (and before) that scene, Philippa was very childish and so resentful of the situation that I wanted to smack her too.
Thing was, she wasn't blackmailed or caught up in some misguided revenge plot as is often the case in this type of story. She walked into this thing with open eyes. If she wasn't willing to go along with the MOC, she shouldn't have agreed to it. She could have walked away with no repercussions aside from her father not getting his treatment. That sucks, but it wasn't Alain's responsibility to loan or give her money. It wasn't a situation he had created. He didn't know her or owe her anything when they met.
I understand how Philippa felt she had no choice if she wanted to help her father and she was really pissed about how unfair that was. But, life sucks sometimes and you have to suck it up and accept the responsibility for your own decisions. Yet, she wallowed in self pity and took any opportunity to let Alain know how much she resented the bargain she'd struck. Again I'm not speaking of the wedding night, I'm talking about the fact that from day one, she was against everything. She was pouty about getting a new wardrobe and her hair cut to play the part of a wealthy tycoon's wife. She felt very put upon by all the parties and social obligations she was required to attend. Yes she did play her part when she was in those places, but she never missed a chance to let Alain know how much she resented every second of it.
The side plot about the man who saved her from the mugging made me want to throw my Kindle. Regardless of the ulterior motives of the "rescuer" - she still came out looking like an entitled, self-centered little user. Not to mention a complete idiot.
I have no problem with believing in their HEA though. They were both so annoying they were likely soul mates. They can have each other.
It can make for a good, delightfully appalling train wreck at times. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this as much as others I've read by her.
My problem was that I didn't like either the hero or the heroine.
I never felt the hero's remorse for his actions and, in this case, his alpha arrogance wasn't something I found sexy. I just wanted to smack him. I never found him sexy. It's hard to put a finger on it, because Craven has written other heroes who were just as bad and worse, but they didn't turn me off like this one.
The heroine was too childish and impulsive. She made commitments and then stomped her feet the entire way. I'm not excusing the hero's wedding night behavior - there is no excuse for his behavior and his refusal to honor his word. However, outside of (and before) that scene, Philippa was very childish and so resentful of the situation that I wanted to smack her too.
Thing was, she wasn't blackmailed or caught up in some misguided revenge plot as is often the case in this type of story. She walked into this thing with open eyes. If she wasn't willing to go along with the MOC, she shouldn't have agreed to it. She could have walked away with no repercussions aside from her father not getting his treatment. That sucks, but it wasn't Alain's responsibility to loan or give her money. It wasn't a situation he had created. He didn't know her or owe her anything when they met.
I understand how Philippa felt she had no choice if she wanted to help her father and she was really pissed about how unfair that was. But, life sucks sometimes and you have to suck it up and accept the responsibility for your own decisions. Yet, she wallowed in self pity and took any opportunity to let Alain know how much she resented the bargain she'd struck. Again I'm not speaking of the wedding night, I'm talking about the fact that from day one, she was against everything. She was pouty about getting a new wardrobe and her hair cut to play the part of a wealthy tycoon's wife. She felt very put upon by all the parties and social obligations she was required to attend. Yes she did play her part when she was in those places, but she never missed a chance to let Alain know how much she resented every second of it.
The side plot about the man who saved her from the mugging made me want to throw my Kindle. Regardless of the ulterior motives of the "rescuer" - she still came out looking like an entitled, self-centered little user. Not to mention a complete idiot.
I have no problem with believing in their HEA though. They were both so annoying they were likely soul mates. They can have each other.
April 8, 2012
Philippa Roscoe needs money for expensive medical treatment for her father. Alain de Courcy wants a wife to counter rumours of his involvement with a married woman. He offers to give Philippa the money she requires in exchange for marrying him.
Yes, yes, the plot is silly and clichéd but I'm not one to hold that against a category romance. The problem was, Philippa was an idiot. She agrees to the marriage with the understanding that it will eventually be consummated and is not merely a marriage in name alone. When Alain comes to her bed on their wedding night, Philippa objects strenuously and he rapes her. In the ensuing weeks, Philippa realises that she is attracted to her husband but decides that she must never give in to that attraction. Meanwhile, rumours are still rife regarding Alain and the married woman he has been involved with. Philippa is mugged one day and rescued by the charming Fabrice. She happily hops in his car and lets him drive her home (never mind that he's a complete stranger). The relationship with Fabrice progresses until the fateful day that Philippa decides to run away from Alain. Fabrice offers to go with her and Philippa accepts, reasoning that she can now tell Alain she is leaving him for another man. She has no intention of sleeping with Fabrice but assumes she can handle his amorous advances. Right, because she's so smart and experienced I suppose. Ugh, ugh, ugh. I spent this whole book being irritated with Philippa. This was written in 1992 but reads more like something written in the 70s. Philippa enjoys painting and was studying at art college at the start of the book. After her marriage, she decides to continue studying painting. Alain can't understand why she would want any hobby but learning to please him in bed. Philippa's art teacher can't understand why she wants to keep painting when she has a husband rich enough to support her. Huh? Really odd views to have in something written in the 90s. Anyway, my final verdict is simply give this book a miss. There are certainly worse ones but reading this would be a waste of time.
Yes, yes, the plot is silly and clichéd but I'm not one to hold that against a category romance. The problem was, Philippa was an idiot. She agrees to the marriage with the understanding that it will eventually be consummated and is not merely a marriage in name alone. When Alain comes to her bed on their wedding night, Philippa objects strenuously and he rapes her. In the ensuing weeks, Philippa realises that she is attracted to her husband but decides that she must never give in to that attraction. Meanwhile, rumours are still rife regarding Alain and the married woman he has been involved with. Philippa is mugged one day and rescued by the charming Fabrice. She happily hops in his car and lets him drive her home (never mind that he's a complete stranger). The relationship with Fabrice progresses until the fateful day that Philippa decides to run away from Alain. Fabrice offers to go with her and Philippa accepts, reasoning that she can now tell Alain she is leaving him for another man. She has no intention of sleeping with Fabrice but assumes she can handle his amorous advances. Right, because she's so smart and experienced I suppose. Ugh, ugh, ugh. I spent this whole book being irritated with Philippa. This was written in 1992 but reads more like something written in the 70s. Philippa enjoys painting and was studying at art college at the start of the book. After her marriage, she decides to continue studying painting. Alain can't understand why she would want any hobby but learning to please him in bed. Philippa's art teacher can't understand why she wants to keep painting when she has a husband rich enough to support her. Huh? Really odd views to have in something written in the 90s. Anyway, my final verdict is simply give this book a miss. There are certainly worse ones but reading this would be a waste of time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 19, 2019
Quite corny. The heroine is 19 years old and acts like the teenaged ninny that she is.
The hero should have had more sense, being a lot older, but as a supposedly experienced ladies man lover, he acts like an awkward schoolboy as well.
So many conflicts and misunderstanding that could have been cleared up in 5 minutes but no 🙄
The hero should have had more sense, being a lot older, but as a supposedly experienced ladies man lover, he acts like an awkward schoolboy as well.
So many conflicts and misunderstanding that could have been cleared up in 5 minutes but no 🙄
January 4, 2023
This one was very, very similar to Wife In The Shadows that I read last week. All she did was change the nationality from Italian to French! The story beats were virtually identical except when Philippa ran away to a cottage in the Dordogne (I think), Alain did not turn up as his alter ego (although he was initially pretending to be someone else) but as himself. Anyway, it's your standard virgin/manwhore MOC. I preferred this H and h to the ones in WITS. She's working on her art and towards the end he models nude for her life drawing which was quite a nice scene. If you can get beyond him being called de Courcy (which, for readers of a certain age like me will always conjure that 70s ventriloquist with Nookie Bear) he's suitably frenchly appealing.
May 15, 2020
Had fate brought them together?
Philippa Roscoe needed a large sum_ of money and she needed it fast--her father's life depended on it. Wealthy French businessman Alain de Courcy needed a wife--purely for business reasons.
Alain was only too happy to provide Philippa with the funds she required. In exchange he demanded marriage and not just in name only. There was little Philippa could do: she had to agree to his terms.
She hadn't agreed to fall under Alain's charismatic spell. But could Philippa keep herself from falling in love or had this marriage of convenience become a desperate act
Philippa Roscoe needed a large sum_ of money and she needed it fast--her father's life depended on it. Wealthy French businessman Alain de Courcy needed a wife--purely for business reasons.
Alain was only too happy to provide Philippa with the funds she required. In exchange he demanded marriage and not just in name only. There was little Philippa could do: she had to agree to his terms.
She hadn't agreed to fall under Alain's charismatic spell. But could Philippa keep herself from falling in love or had this marriage of convenience become a desperate act
August 12, 2016
A story of two failing heroes! A heroine who is naive and vindictive and was raped by the hero in her wedding night, and a hero who was rash and wanted to compensate! Overall, it was written well, but the two characters failed to draw my sympathy.
March 11, 2024
The heroine may be one of the stupidest one I've ever read. She's even worse than the heroine from Marriage at a Distance. She made poor decisions, especially with her half-heartedly leading the OM on. And don't even mention the hero! Ugh! I don't care for the so-called "love at first lust sight" thing, but a rape is a rape. I don't get how the could the hero expect the heroine to bow down to his mighty d*ck during their wedding night when he had been distant all the time? They don't even know each other, for God's sake! In Marriage at a Distance, at least hero and heroine started as friends (or mentor/mentee), so I assumed they had had their own get-to-know-you moments, albeit implied.
October 8, 2024
Oh dear, definitely an off day for Sara Craven.
h agrees to marry H in an MOC (but with sex). She's against everything from the get-go even getting a decent haircut and buying new clothes. On the wedding night she says she's not ready and despite having originally planned to seduce her nicely, H gets fed up when she throws champagne in his face and fights him off so - very non-pc - he basically rapes her
The really worrying thing about this book is that she is even worse than he is. She behaves like a complete Ninny and the subplot with the OM is really obviously a set up and she behaves as though she's TSTL.
I gave up just over halfway and merely skipped to the last few pages.
h agrees to marry H in an MOC (but with sex). She's against everything from the get-go even getting a decent haircut and buying new clothes. On the wedding night she says she's not ready and despite having originally planned to seduce her nicely, H gets fed up when she throws champagne in his face and fights him off so - very non-pc - he basically rapes her
The really worrying thing about this book is that she is even worse than he is. She behaves like a complete Ninny and the subplot with the OM is really obviously a set up and she behaves as though she's TSTL.
I gave up just over halfway and merely skipped to the last few pages.
March 30, 2024
"Desperate Measures" is the story of Phillipa and Alain.
Meh.
The heroine needs mother for her father's treatment, and her stepmother fixes her up with the hero. He needs a marriage of convenience, she agrees.
From day one he disregards her wishes and shags her, and most of the book is the heroine being seduced while attempting to find herself.
Extremely underwhelming and his endearments made me nauseated.
Safe
2/5
Meh.
The heroine needs mother for her father's treatment, and her stepmother fixes her up with the hero. He needs a marriage of convenience, she agrees.
From day one he disregards her wishes and shags her, and most of the book is the heroine being seduced while attempting to find herself.
Extremely underwhelming and his endearments made me nauseated.
Safe
2/5
January 17, 2022
Quite choppy, not great. Hero rapes the heroine always negates the entire romance. I wish the hero didn't know what the heroine needed the money, but he knew right from the beginning, so his treatment of her makes no sense. Skip, bad.
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January 5, 2026هل يجب عليها حقا أن تكون مثيرة للشفقة لهذه الدرجة؟!
July 15, 2025
I'm not going to bother to review this because if you want to know what I think of it, read KatieV's review; I couldn't have put in better myself!
April 3, 2023
boogenhagen wrote "Plus half the fun of traveling in HPlandia is having huge ranty moments about the really bad bits," and there's a lot of truth to that. And a goodly bit of the other half is watching authors take an absolutely insane premise and making it work.
Sara Craven is really good at presenting heroines who do something super-stupid or insane in the first few chapters while still convincing me they are believable human beings caught in a difficult situation and making me care about their trials and tribulations, at least for the length of the book. Her heroes are ridiculous and generally jerks and usually the only reason I care about them at all is that the heroine does, but that's true of most romances and not actually a problem.
I'm reading a book on American antebellum literature, Novels, Readers and Reviewers, by Nina Baym, who says, regarding two genres of the time:
The reviewers completely failed to integrate their two types of woman reader, the lovers of domestic and of high-wrought fiction, into one gender. (as I have proposed elsewhere – in Woman’s Fiction [Cornell University Press, 1978] – what might have united the readers of domestic and high-wrought fiction was their deployment of an essentially similar plot, the story of female trials and triumph. The high-pitched agonies of a Southworth or Stephens heroine were intensifications of the quiet sufferings of a Cummins or Warner protagonist, a similarity the rhetorical difference may have obscured for reviewers.)
Most modern romances do not fit nearly into either the nineteenth-century categories of domestic or high-wrought fiction, and can be split into much finer categories, some of which overlap (historicals, regencies, erotic, categories like Mills and Boon/Harlequin or Candelight, etc.). But they, like their predecessors, are all about female trials and triumph. Not everyone is looking for an idiot innocent to triumph over a seemingly heartless male who holds all the cards, socially speaking, but when I am, Sara Craven usually comes through for me.
And, gosh, I'd like to have met her. Any author of "Harlequin Presents" novels with the audacity to take the pseudonym "Sara Craven" had to have been an interesting character.
Sara Craven is really good at presenting heroines who do something super-stupid or insane in the first few chapters while still convincing me they are believable human beings caught in a difficult situation and making me care about their trials and tribulations, at least for the length of the book. Her heroes are ridiculous and generally jerks and usually the only reason I care about them at all is that the heroine does, but that's true of most romances and not actually a problem.
I'm reading a book on American antebellum literature, Novels, Readers and Reviewers, by Nina Baym, who says, regarding two genres of the time:
The reviewers completely failed to integrate their two types of woman reader, the lovers of domestic and of high-wrought fiction, into one gender. (as I have proposed elsewhere – in Woman’s Fiction [Cornell University Press, 1978] – what might have united the readers of domestic and high-wrought fiction was their deployment of an essentially similar plot, the story of female trials and triumph. The high-pitched agonies of a Southworth or Stephens heroine were intensifications of the quiet sufferings of a Cummins or Warner protagonist, a similarity the rhetorical difference may have obscured for reviewers.)
Most modern romances do not fit nearly into either the nineteenth-century categories of domestic or high-wrought fiction, and can be split into much finer categories, some of which overlap (historicals, regencies, erotic, categories like Mills and Boon/Harlequin or Candelight, etc.). But they, like their predecessors, are all about female trials and triumph. Not everyone is looking for an idiot innocent to triumph over a seemingly heartless male who holds all the cards, socially speaking, but when I am, Sara Craven usually comes through for me.
And, gosh, I'd like to have met her. Any author of "Harlequin Presents" novels with the audacity to take the pseudonym "Sara Craven" had to have been an interesting character.
January 2, 2025
I really love the trope and writing but just can't get past the rape. Not sure this H has ever had a relationship not greased by his money, so I guess it really is his ego, and her pride, that gets them into such an ugly episode, but he was the older and more experienced partner and he broke a promise so he's the guilty one as far as I'm concerned.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2012
Nancy: 2 stars
October 26, 2013
The second half was good. First half lost it's charm due to the heroine's immature behavior.
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May 22, 2016خطوات متهورة - سارة كريفن
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