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Long, Tall Texans #48
Undaunted
The only man she wants is the one who'll never forgive her
Falling in love with her boss's handsome millionaire neighbor was easy for young Kate Martin. Despite the vast differences between them, and a past that's left Garrett Carlton reclusive and wary, Kate gambles her heart on a desire that rocks them both. But there's something Garrett doesn't know: Kate is responsible for an accident that changed his life forever.
Garrett lives by rules intended to protect both him and his vast wealth. Kate's innocence is the only thing that's ever broken through his cold reserve, but now his trust is shattered. By the time he realizes how much he stands to lose, it might take a miracle to win her back. But it's a challenge he'll gladly face for the woman and the family he needs more than his next breath…
Falling in love with her boss's handsome millionaire neighbor was easy for young Kate Martin. Despite the vast differences between them, and a past that's left Garrett Carlton reclusive and wary, Kate gambles her heart on a desire that rocks them both. But there's something Garrett doesn't know: Kate is responsible for an accident that changed his life forever.
Garrett lives by rules intended to protect both him and his vast wealth. Kate's innocence is the only thing that's ever broken through his cold reserve, but now his trust is shattered. By the time he realizes how much he stands to lose, it might take a miracle to win her back. But it's a challenge he'll gladly face for the woman and the family he needs more than his next breath…
384 pages, Paperback
First published June 27, 2017
866 people are currently reading
650 people want to read
About the author
Diana Palmer
1,038 books3,099 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Diana Palmer is a pseudonym for author Susan Kyle.
(1)romance author
Susan Eloise Spaeth was born on 11 December 1946 in Cuthbert, Georgia, USA. She was the eldest daughter of Maggie Eloise Cliatt, a nurse and also journalist, and William Olin Spaeth, a college professor. Her mother was part of the women's liberation movement many years before it became fashionable. Her best friends are her mother and her sister, Dannis Spaeth (Cole), who now has two daughters, Amanda Belle Hofstetter and Maggie and lives in Utah. Susan grew up reading Zane Grey and fell in love with cowboys. Susan is a former newspaper reporter, with sixteen years experience on both daily and weekly newspapers. Since 1972, she has been married to James Kyle and have since settled down in Cornelia, Georgia, where she started to write romance novels. Susan and her husband have one son, Blayne Edward, born in 1980.
She began selling romances in 1979 as Diana Palmer. She also used the pseudonyms Diana Blayne and Katy Currie, and her married name: Susan Kyle. Now, she has over 40 million copies of her books in print, which have been translated and published around the world. She is listed in numerous publications, including Contemporary Authors by Gale Research, Inc., Twentieth Century Romance and Historical Writers by St. James Press, The Writers Directory by St. James Press, the International Who's Who of Authors and Writers by Meirose Press, Ltd., and Love's Leading Ladies by Kathryn Falk. Her awards include seven Waldenbooks national sales awards, four B. Dalton national sales awards, two Bookrak national sales awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award for series storytelling from Romantic Times, several Affaire de Coeur awards, and two regional RWA awards.
Inspired by her husband, who quit a blue-collar manufacturing job to return to school and get his diploma in computer programming, Susan herself went back to college as a day student at the age of 45. In 1995, she graduated summa cum laude from Piedmont College, Demorest, GA, with a major in history and a double minor in archaeology and Spanish. She was named to two honor societies (the Torch Club and Alpha Chi), and was named to the National Dean's List. In addition to her writing projects, she is currently working on her master's degree in history at California State University. She hopes to specialize in Native American studies. She is a member of the Native American Rights Fund, the American Museum of Natural History, the National Cattlemen's Association, the Archaeological Institute of Amenca, the Planetary Society, The Georgia Conservancy, the Georgia Sheriff's Association, and numerous conservation and charitable organizations. Her hobbies include gardening, archaeology, anthropology, iguanas, astronomy and music.
In 1998, her husband retired from his own computer business and now pursues skeet shooting medals in local, state, national and international competition. They love riding around and looking at the countryside, watching sci-fi on TV and at the movies, just talking and eating out.
Diana Palmer is a pseudonym for author Susan Kyle.
(1)romance author
Susan Eloise Spaeth was born on 11 December 1946 in Cuthbert, Georgia, USA. She was the eldest daughter of Maggie Eloise Cliatt, a nurse and also journalist, and William Olin Spaeth, a college professor. Her mother was part of the women's liberation movement many years before it became fashionable. Her best friends are her mother and her sister, Dannis Spaeth (Cole), who now has two daughters, Amanda Belle Hofstetter and Maggie and lives in Utah. Susan grew up reading Zane Grey and fell in love with cowboys. Susan is a former newspaper reporter, with sixteen years experience on both daily and weekly newspapers. Since 1972, she has been married to James Kyle and have since settled down in Cornelia, Georgia, where she started to write romance novels. Susan and her husband have one son, Blayne Edward, born in 1980.
She began selling romances in 1979 as Diana Palmer. She also used the pseudonyms Diana Blayne and Katy Currie, and her married name: Susan Kyle. Now, she has over 40 million copies of her books in print, which have been translated and published around the world. She is listed in numerous publications, including Contemporary Authors by Gale Research, Inc., Twentieth Century Romance and Historical Writers by St. James Press, The Writers Directory by St. James Press, the International Who's Who of Authors and Writers by Meirose Press, Ltd., and Love's Leading Ladies by Kathryn Falk. Her awards include seven Waldenbooks national sales awards, four B. Dalton national sales awards, two Bookrak national sales awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award for series storytelling from Romantic Times, several Affaire de Coeur awards, and two regional RWA awards.
Inspired by her husband, who quit a blue-collar manufacturing job to return to school and get his diploma in computer programming, Susan herself went back to college as a day student at the age of 45. In 1995, she graduated summa cum laude from Piedmont College, Demorest, GA, with a major in history and a double minor in archaeology and Spanish. She was named to two honor societies (the Torch Club and Alpha Chi), and was named to the National Dean's List. In addition to her writing projects, she is currently working on her master's degree in history at California State University. She hopes to specialize in Native American studies. She is a member of the Native American Rights Fund, the American Museum of Natural History, the National Cattlemen's Association, the Archaeological Institute of Amenca, the Planetary Society, The Georgia Conservancy, the Georgia Sheriff's Association, and numerous conservation and charitable organizations. Her hobbies include gardening, archaeology, anthropology, iguanas, astronomy and music.
In 1998, her husband retired from his own computer business and now pursues skeet shooting medals in local, state, national and international competition. They love riding around and looking at the countryside, watching sci-fi on TV and at the movies, just talking and eating out.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 167 reviews
January 29, 2018
3.75 stars!
Ah miss Palmer only with you I can take this kind of push and pull angst fest that's for sure, since I'm such a huge fan of yours. I've read 21 books of her "Long, Tall Texans series" so I'm very familiar of her characters and the feel of her stories with her old romance style.
"Undaunted" is Diana Palmer usual story in this series with an older rich brooding hero and a younger naive heroine. Oh gosh this book was frustrating as hell especially with the H Conner, he tested my patience like no one has for a while. He was a jerk and a snob and the way he was with the h Emma, was mean. Emma was a nice girl a little bit too nice and I did wish she hadn't been so perfect at everything. The relationship between this couple was like watching a soap opera, filled with misunderstanding and miscommunication but dammit I enjoyed I couldn't stop reading it never once thought about not finishing it. Regardless of the pull/ push I did love their passion and sweet moments and I was glad Conner did redeem himself. There was a scene where he broke my heart I was actually surprised by his reaction found myself shedding tears for this man. Added bonus getting a cameo by Tippy and Cash it was so good to see one of my favorite couples.
FYI I'm not sure what edition I'm reading since the names on the blurb in GR is different from the book I read. I do know it was first published in the late 70's so I guess it makes sense they update it.❤️
Ah miss Palmer only with you I can take this kind of push and pull angst fest that's for sure, since I'm such a huge fan of yours. I've read 21 books of her "Long, Tall Texans series" so I'm very familiar of her characters and the feel of her stories with her old romance style.
"Undaunted" is Diana Palmer usual story in this series with an older rich brooding hero and a younger naive heroine. Oh gosh this book was frustrating as hell especially with the H Conner, he tested my patience like no one has for a while. He was a jerk and a snob and the way he was with the h Emma, was mean. Emma was a nice girl a little bit too nice and I did wish she hadn't been so perfect at everything. The relationship between this couple was like watching a soap opera, filled with misunderstanding and miscommunication but dammit I enjoyed I couldn't stop reading it never once thought about not finishing it. Regardless of the pull/ push I did love their passion and sweet moments and I was glad Conner did redeem himself. There was a scene where he broke my heart I was actually surprised by his reaction found myself shedding tears for this man. Added bonus getting a cameo by Tippy and Cash it was so good to see one of my favorite couples.
FYI I'm not sure what edition I'm reading since the names on the blurb in GR is different from the book I read. I do know it was first published in the late 70's so I guess it makes sense they update it.❤️
December 12, 2020
Lots of crazy wtf moments in this one! Wow.
A quick summary with spoilers:
*Set on a lake in Georgia.
*Cruel hero lives in a mansion at the lakeside, even after his beloved brother was killed in a boat crash on said lake.
*Downtrodden heroine from Comanche Wells, Texas scores a research job with a famous author who also lives on the lake. Heroine loves to speed around in a boat during the warm autumn days.
LOL.
*Hero tells her off for speeding and threatens her.
*H/h are attracted to each other, but are “enemies.”
*Inevitably, heroine crashes her boat into the hero on his jet ski. Hero is unconscious when his bodyguard pulls him out of the water. When he awakes, he is suffering from amnesia and hysterical blindness.
LOL
*Heroine tells no one about her part in the accident and has the *dent hammered out of the boat. *
Liar, liar, pants on fire. And it’s not the crime, it’s the cover-up.
*Heroine’s author employer goes abroad and allows heroine to stay in the lake house for the winter.
*Heroine guiltily befriends the blinded hero and becomes his assistant.
*After they inevitably have sex and hero realizes heroine was a virgin, they marry in Las Vegas.
*All is well until heroine realizes she’s pregnant and hero realizes she caused the accident.
*She is arrested and stays in prison because she doesn’t have bail. A lesbian couple protects her from the other inmates. (did DP binge watch Orange is the New Black?)
*Hero’s sight is restored when he falls and hits his head again. He parties it up in Europe.
*Heroine is attacked by a fellow inmate and is hospitalized. Hero finds out she’s been in jail all of this time and feels guilty.
*Hero attempts suicide when he realizes he put her life in danger because of vindictiveness.
*All charges are dropped. Heroine accepts the hero’s help for the baby, but she is psychologically broken until she sees the bullet hole in the ceiling from the hero’s suicide attempt. It must be love!
*She finally realizes that she has forgiven him when she thinks he's been killed in a plane crash.
I truly enjoyed all the drama without all the mercenaries and terrorists and cops. More of this DP!
And I could enjoy it because I didn’t like either the H or the h. The heroine was a craven liar who kept telling herself and others that she was a good girl who went to church. Well, that didn’t help much when she committed a crime, now did it?
And hero was standard DP cruel – that is - he’s deliberately cruel (taunting the heroine about her thrift store clothes, prim manner, etc) because he’s fighting his attraction to her. But this hero has an extra-cruel dimension to him – he’s vindictive.
And not just to the heroine – it’s well known that he’s ruined people and their families that have crossed him. No one is innocent in his world.
He also has a hair-trigger temper. And not just with the heroine – everyone is afraid of him.
While this emotional instability doesn’t make for an attractive hero, it does make his crazy suicide plausible.
If you need a dose of DP crazy and a break from Jacobsville and Comanche Wells, ( I sure did) this one is for you.
Diana Palmer checklist:
Hairy chest Yes
Breast Description small
Cigarettes/gaming No gaming! Hallelujah.
Alcohol Whisky when hero was in despair.
Town Descriptions Heroine went to community college in Jacobsville, danced at the Jacobsville bandstand, lived with the chief of police’s family after social workers missed her abuse. Waitressed at Barbara’s café.
Gardenia Scent No
LOL detail Well, that whole plot
Cutesy detail None! Hallelujah
DP hobbyhorse Heroine was rejected by her (gay) boyfriend because her father raised cattle and he was part of a “radical animal rights group.”
A quick summary with spoilers:
*Set on a lake in Georgia.
*Cruel hero lives in a mansion at the lakeside, even after his beloved brother was killed in a boat crash on said lake.
*Downtrodden heroine from Comanche Wells, Texas scores a research job with a famous author who also lives on the lake. Heroine loves to speed around in a boat during the warm autumn days.
LOL.
*Hero tells her off for speeding and threatens her.
*H/h are attracted to each other, but are “enemies.”
*Inevitably, heroine crashes her boat into the hero on his jet ski. Hero is unconscious when his bodyguard pulls him out of the water. When he awakes, he is suffering from amnesia and hysterical blindness.
LOL
*Heroine tells no one about her part in the accident and has the *dent hammered out of the boat. *
Liar, liar, pants on fire. And it’s not the crime, it’s the cover-up.
*Heroine’s author employer goes abroad and allows heroine to stay in the lake house for the winter.
*Heroine guiltily befriends the blinded hero and becomes his assistant.
*After they inevitably have sex and hero realizes heroine was a virgin, they marry in Las Vegas.
*All is well until heroine realizes she’s pregnant and hero realizes she caused the accident.
*She is arrested and stays in prison because she doesn’t have bail. A lesbian couple protects her from the other inmates. (did DP binge watch Orange is the New Black?)
*Hero’s sight is restored when he falls and hits his head again. He parties it up in Europe.
*Heroine is attacked by a fellow inmate and is hospitalized. Hero finds out she’s been in jail all of this time and feels guilty.
*Hero attempts suicide when he realizes he put her life in danger because of vindictiveness.
*All charges are dropped. Heroine accepts the hero’s help for the baby, but she is psychologically broken until she sees the bullet hole in the ceiling from the hero’s suicide attempt. It must be love!
*She finally realizes that she has forgiven him when she thinks he's been killed in a plane crash.
I truly enjoyed all the drama without all the mercenaries and terrorists and cops. More of this DP!
And I could enjoy it because I didn’t like either the H or the h. The heroine was a craven liar who kept telling herself and others that she was a good girl who went to church. Well, that didn’t help much when she committed a crime, now did it?
And hero was standard DP cruel – that is - he’s deliberately cruel (taunting the heroine about her thrift store clothes, prim manner, etc) because he’s fighting his attraction to her. But this hero has an extra-cruel dimension to him – he’s vindictive.
And not just to the heroine – it’s well known that he’s ruined people and their families that have crossed him. No one is innocent in his world.
He also has a hair-trigger temper. And not just with the heroine – everyone is afraid of him.
While this emotional instability doesn’t make for an attractive hero, it does make his crazy suicide plausible.
If you need a dose of DP crazy and a break from Jacobsville and Comanche Wells, ( I sure did) this one is for you.
Diana Palmer checklist:
Hairy chest Yes
Breast Description small
Cigarettes/gaming No gaming! Hallelujah.
Alcohol Whisky when hero was in despair.
Town Descriptions Heroine went to community college in Jacobsville, danced at the Jacobsville bandstand, lived with the chief of police’s family after social workers missed her abuse. Waitressed at Barbara’s café.
Gardenia Scent No
LOL detail Well, that whole plot
Cutesy detail None! Hallelujah
DP hobbyhorse Heroine was rejected by her (gay) boyfriend because her father raised cattle and he was part of a “radical animal rights group.”
April 23, 2017
Let me first state the obvious: Diana Palmer was one of the first two authors to hook me on romance books many many years ago. The other was Julie Garwood. I used to devour her books years ago. I still like to go back and reread some of my favorite books by them but for Palmer, I've noticed a shift in her writing that is more hit or miss with me in her last few books. The way she writes the heroines as if they're so clueless irks me to no end.
Where do I start? I saw this mentioned on Twitter the other night. It mentioned that the hero sent the heroine to jail. My first thought was "WTF? The hero did that?" So I took myself off to Netgalley to see if I could request an ARC of the book so I could read it myself.
Hero is 38. Heroine is 23. Hero is "one of the ten most richest men in the world." Heroine is wearing and buying clothes from the thift shops and works as an assistant to his elderly next door neighbor.
Story starts out with heroine's boss, who is a big time famous author, having a party at her house. Heroine would rather not be there because that's not her type of gathering. She feels out of place. Hero is there and come charging at her to threaten her because she had been driving her boss's boat on the lake and almost wrecked with the hero who was riding his jet ski. He told her that he had her reported to the police for that stunt she pulled. He's rude and ends up making her cry but she leaves the room before she does because she doesn't want him to see her crying.
The next day, her boss accepts an invitation to go research a book in a different country and tells the heroine that she can live in her house while she's gone those few months. She agrees because she's sure she'll never see the hero again since he only stays at the lake house only a few months a year. Takes the boat out again, is blinded by the sun as she's making a turn to return back to the house and ends up hitting the hero on his jet ski. Again. Hero makes it to the dock and his employees help him into the house. It's not until the next day that she finds out he had to go to the hospital because of that accident.
When she sees him again, he's blind, doesn't remember the accident, doesn't remember who she is or that she was living next door to him, but remembers his house, remembers he's rich, remembers his employees, etc. She "amuses" him in their first conversation together & hires her to be his assistant. (She had gone to him to confess what happened but when she finds out he's lost his memory and can't see her, she decides not to.)
In the course of her working for him, he lets her know that he was married before and his wife was pregnant but that they both died while on a remote island where he couldn't get help for them. According to him, this was before cell phone times. (Although in the book itself, he mentions something like "we're living in 2017." He lost his wife when he was in his early 20s so that would make it 2001-2002 or so?) Not only does he lose his wife & child but his brother and his pregnant wife died in an accident on the same lake that he had his accident on. He never wants to get married again. Never wants to have a child, blah blah blah.
There's a scene where he gets bad migraines and the heroine goes into his room to ask if he needs help and he tells her to grab his medicine from the cabinet and a water bottle from the minibar. Heroine reply is "The what?" She didn't know what a minibar was but then in the next paragraph it's said that she watched a lot of TV and read a lot of books when she could so....how, at 23, do you not know what a minibar is?
At this point he still doesn't have his sight back and while he's feeling something for the heroine, he hates her because of it. So he has a party where he invites his ex-lover and makes a point of being all over that ex-lover in front of the heroine. He continues this childish behavior until his ex-lover tells him the heroine is talking to some man at the party. Hero decides to cut that up because while he doesn't want the heroine, he doesn't want her being with anyone else. Moron.
A few more days pass by where he's blowing hot and cold with the heroine and then comes the day they have sex. He then says they have to marry so they head to Vegas where they have a quick ceremony. Weeks pass and he doesn't take precautions to prevent her getting pregnant. The day she realizes she's pregnant is the day he gets his memory back but before she can tell him her news, he has her arrested and taken off to jail because he had warned her about her shenanigans on the lake.
He heads off to Nice, thinking she'll be released within hours of her getting to jail. She doesn't. She has no money for her bail and calling her father for help only resulted in him disowning her. So two months go by with her in jail. While the hero is in Nice, having a great time. WTF?! While in prison, one of the inmates mistakes the heroine for her evil sister who put her in prison and she's attacked and stabbed. She's initially told she lost the baby but after a few tests she's told the baby is fine.
By this point, the hero has now gotten his sight back (he fell and knocked his head and poof, eye sight is back!) and is back at the lake house. He had his lawyer serve the heroine divorce papers & that's when the lawyer finds out that the heroine is actually still in prison and was currently in the hospital after getting attacked. Lawyer then tells hero where heroine has been this whole time, they were both under the impression that heroine had made bail and gone home to Texas. He tells him heroine is still in prison, that she had been attacked and that she lost her baby. (At that point, that's what the heroine was told.) Hero then pulls out a gun from his desk and tries to shoot himself. Lawyer and driver snatch the gun away and hero breaks down crying. Tells the lawyer to drop all charges and see that she's immediately released, blah blah blah.
Heroine is released, returns to the lake house next door to the hero, after pretending in front of the lawyer that she bought a bus ticket out of town. On the suggestion of her famous author boss, she colors her hair red. The lake house next door is put up for sale but one day she's outside and the hero comes along. He doesn't know it's her because she's now got red hair and is fully pregnant. She gives him a story that she's 6 months pregnant (she's in fact close to 9 months), that she's married to the godson of his neighbor & that her husband is currently traveling for work because he didn't want the baby. Hero believes this story and tells her if she needs anything, he's next door.
He finds out not long after that that she is in fact his Kate, still pregnant with his baby. He gets her to agree to move back to his house. He's taken it off the market and tells her she can have anything she wants, he just wants to be there for her since they're still married (he ended up burning the divorce papers she signed in the fireplace after he found out she spent two months in prison.)
At no point did he grovel the way he was supposed to. He just gave some excuses and the heroine forgave him for everything immediately because in her mind, she deserved all that happened because it was her fault the hero got hurt. Are. You. Kidding. Me?? Where is your brain?
I miss the Palmer heroes and heroines from years ago. They were not this mess that she currently writes.
Where do I start? I saw this mentioned on Twitter the other night. It mentioned that the hero sent the heroine to jail. My first thought was "WTF? The hero did that?" So I took myself off to Netgalley to see if I could request an ARC of the book so I could read it myself.
Hero is 38. Heroine is 23. Hero is "one of the ten most richest men in the world." Heroine is wearing and buying clothes from the thift shops and works as an assistant to his elderly next door neighbor.
Story starts out with heroine's boss, who is a big time famous author, having a party at her house. Heroine would rather not be there because that's not her type of gathering. She feels out of place. Hero is there and come charging at her to threaten her because she had been driving her boss's boat on the lake and almost wrecked with the hero who was riding his jet ski. He told her that he had her reported to the police for that stunt she pulled. He's rude and ends up making her cry but she leaves the room before she does because she doesn't want him to see her crying.
The next day, her boss accepts an invitation to go research a book in a different country and tells the heroine that she can live in her house while she's gone those few months. She agrees because she's sure she'll never see the hero again since he only stays at the lake house only a few months a year. Takes the boat out again, is blinded by the sun as she's making a turn to return back to the house and ends up hitting the hero on his jet ski. Again. Hero makes it to the dock and his employees help him into the house. It's not until the next day that she finds out he had to go to the hospital because of that accident.
When she sees him again, he's blind, doesn't remember the accident, doesn't remember who she is or that she was living next door to him, but remembers his house, remembers he's rich, remembers his employees, etc. She "amuses" him in their first conversation together & hires her to be his assistant. (She had gone to him to confess what happened but when she finds out he's lost his memory and can't see her, she decides not to.)
In the course of her working for him, he lets her know that he was married before and his wife was pregnant but that they both died while on a remote island where he couldn't get help for them. According to him, this was before cell phone times. (Although in the book itself, he mentions something like "we're living in 2017." He lost his wife when he was in his early 20s so that would make it 2001-2002 or so?) Not only does he lose his wife & child but his brother and his pregnant wife died in an accident on the same lake that he had his accident on. He never wants to get married again. Never wants to have a child, blah blah blah.
There's a scene where he gets bad migraines and the heroine goes into his room to ask if he needs help and he tells her to grab his medicine from the cabinet and a water bottle from the minibar. Heroine reply is "The what?" She didn't know what a minibar was but then in the next paragraph it's said that she watched a lot of TV and read a lot of books when she could so....how, at 23, do you not know what a minibar is?
At this point he still doesn't have his sight back and while he's feeling something for the heroine, he hates her because of it. So he has a party where he invites his ex-lover and makes a point of being all over that ex-lover in front of the heroine. He continues this childish behavior until his ex-lover tells him the heroine is talking to some man at the party. Hero decides to cut that up because while he doesn't want the heroine, he doesn't want her being with anyone else. Moron.
A few more days pass by where he's blowing hot and cold with the heroine and then comes the day they have sex. He then says they have to marry so they head to Vegas where they have a quick ceremony. Weeks pass and he doesn't take precautions to prevent her getting pregnant. The day she realizes she's pregnant is the day he gets his memory back but before she can tell him her news, he has her arrested and taken off to jail because he had warned her about her shenanigans on the lake.
He heads off to Nice, thinking she'll be released within hours of her getting to jail. She doesn't. She has no money for her bail and calling her father for help only resulted in him disowning her. So two months go by with her in jail. While the hero is in Nice, having a great time. WTF?! While in prison, one of the inmates mistakes the heroine for her evil sister who put her in prison and she's attacked and stabbed. She's initially told she lost the baby but after a few tests she's told the baby is fine.
By this point, the hero has now gotten his sight back (he fell and knocked his head and poof, eye sight is back!) and is back at the lake house. He had his lawyer serve the heroine divorce papers & that's when the lawyer finds out that the heroine is actually still in prison and was currently in the hospital after getting attacked. Lawyer then tells hero where heroine has been this whole time, they were both under the impression that heroine had made bail and gone home to Texas. He tells him heroine is still in prison, that she had been attacked and that she lost her baby. (At that point, that's what the heroine was told.) Hero then pulls out a gun from his desk and tries to shoot himself. Lawyer and driver snatch the gun away and hero breaks down crying. Tells the lawyer to drop all charges and see that she's immediately released, blah blah blah.
Heroine is released, returns to the lake house next door to the hero, after pretending in front of the lawyer that she bought a bus ticket out of town. On the suggestion of her famous author boss, she colors her hair red. The lake house next door is put up for sale but one day she's outside and the hero comes along. He doesn't know it's her because she's now got red hair and is fully pregnant. She gives him a story that she's 6 months pregnant (she's in fact close to 9 months), that she's married to the godson of his neighbor & that her husband is currently traveling for work because he didn't want the baby. Hero believes this story and tells her if she needs anything, he's next door.
He finds out not long after that that she is in fact his Kate, still pregnant with his baby. He gets her to agree to move back to his house. He's taken it off the market and tells her she can have anything she wants, he just wants to be there for her since they're still married (he ended up burning the divorce papers she signed in the fireplace after he found out she spent two months in prison.)
At no point did he grovel the way he was supposed to. He just gave some excuses and the heroine forgave him for everything immediately because in her mind, she deserved all that happened because it was her fault the hero got hurt. Are. You. Kidding. Me?? Where is your brain?
I miss the Palmer heroes and heroines from years ago. They were not this mess that she currently writes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 9, 2019
Hey! It’s Magnificent Obsession except with a role reversal and horse manure!
These two were made for each other: he is a vengeful, arrogant rageaholic, and she’s a stupid liar. STUPID! The first time the H is horrible to her, coincidentally the first time they meet at her employer’s house, he warns her of driving too fast on the lake. Gee willikers, it wasn’t her fault since she thought she was alone. A week later she hears how his brother and SIL were killed by someone driving too fast on the lake. Okay sad. Too bad nothing registered as practically the next day Dimwit is back out on the lake driving too fast. It wasn’t her fault again because she thought she was alone AND the sun was in her eyes. Tough toenails since she hit the H and now he is blind.
She goes to grovel and get her head ripped off, but decides to lie some more about who she is so of course he hires her. Since he lives next door to her absent boss, eventually it’s going to come out who she is, but that doesn’t seem to cross her mind. They go to an island, passion erupts, and they almost do the deed. He asks her if she has birth control, and she mumbles and staggers away to go get it. She never comes back, never explains basically because she doesn't have any. He doesn’t take the enforced celibate moment very well which is when he plots his dance of revenge by asking the evil OW over to grope on her. This makes the h love him all the more. Gag. She does manage to find some backbone to leave, but it lasts for about 5 minutes.
They do the DP dance of the Big Fat Jerk as she digs herself deeper and deeper into a hole. They finally have awesome sex, go to Vegas because he may be a jerk, but he is a DP jerk and them thar Calvinistic principles lie deep. Sex, sex and more sex, and he seems to be happy although he tells her she can not get pregnant or else.
You would think at this time she might start trying a little honesty like her real name, hint at the accident, but no. She waits until the Sheriff tells him and the H has a warrant sworn out on her. His last words are she better not be pregnant and worse.
In prison she gets shanked by a crazy person, and, yes, sad. She thinks she lost the baby. He thinks she lost the baby. And I’m skimming, because I need someone to put me out of my misery. He does get his sight back after he falls and hits his big fat head again.
Diana Palmer pulls out all the stops. We’ve had an abusive, alcoholic father (hers), and plain ole abusive father (his), a dead brother (his), a beloved dead first wife and baby (his), an ex fiancee (hers), an evil OW (his), a prison stint (hers), hysterical blindness (his), two false identities (hers), and a mistaken death (his). Everyone was devastated when the reports came in that he was killed. The heroine I could understand as she is dumber than dirt, but apparently everyone else loved the big fat arrogant jerk who yelled and screamed and ranted and raved. I guess someday he will be a curmudgeon. His résponse when he find out that other people died in the crash.
“Sir, it’s been reported everywhere that you’re, well, dead,” she said, grimacing. “The plane crashed.”
His eyebrows arched. “The plane? Oh, the commercial plane. I missed the flight by ten minutes. Damned traffic slowed down the limo I hired. So I hitched a ride with a friend who has a private jet like mine.” He made a face. “It wasn’t as comfortable as mine, I have to admit, but I didn’t want to wait for them to get it to Arizona. I’m not dead.”
You poor thing. The private plane wasn’t as comfortable as yours. Dude, you are all heart.
It’s all wrapped up somehow for a besotted hero and a happy ending.
These two were made for each other: he is a vengeful, arrogant rageaholic, and she’s a stupid liar. STUPID! The first time the H is horrible to her, coincidentally the first time they meet at her employer’s house, he warns her of driving too fast on the lake. Gee willikers, it wasn’t her fault since she thought she was alone. A week later she hears how his brother and SIL were killed by someone driving too fast on the lake. Okay sad. Too bad nothing registered as practically the next day Dimwit is back out on the lake driving too fast. It wasn’t her fault again because she thought she was alone AND the sun was in her eyes. Tough toenails since she hit the H and now he is blind.
She goes to grovel and get her head ripped off, but decides to lie some more about who she is so of course he hires her. Since he lives next door to her absent boss, eventually it’s going to come out who she is, but that doesn’t seem to cross her mind. They go to an island, passion erupts, and they almost do the deed. He asks her if she has birth control, and she mumbles and staggers away to go get it. She never comes back, never explains basically because she doesn't have any. He doesn’t take the enforced celibate moment very well which is when he plots his dance of revenge by asking the evil OW over to grope on her. This makes the h love him all the more. Gag. She does manage to find some backbone to leave, but it lasts for about 5 minutes.
They do the DP dance of the Big Fat Jerk as she digs herself deeper and deeper into a hole. They finally have awesome sex, go to Vegas because he may be a jerk, but he is a DP jerk and them thar Calvinistic principles lie deep. Sex, sex and more sex, and he seems to be happy although he tells her she can not get pregnant or else.
You would think at this time she might start trying a little honesty like her real name, hint at the accident, but no. She waits until the Sheriff tells him and the H has a warrant sworn out on her. His last words are she better not be pregnant and worse.
In prison she gets shanked by a crazy person, and, yes, sad. She thinks she lost the baby. He thinks she lost the baby. And I’m skimming, because I need someone to put me out of my misery. He does get his sight back after he falls and hits his big fat head again.
Diana Palmer pulls out all the stops. We’ve had an abusive, alcoholic father (hers), and plain ole abusive father (his), a dead brother (his), a beloved dead first wife and baby (his), an ex fiancee (hers), an evil OW (his), a prison stint (hers), hysterical blindness (his), two false identities (hers), and a mistaken death (his). Everyone was devastated when the reports came in that he was killed. The heroine I could understand as she is dumber than dirt, but apparently everyone else loved the big fat arrogant jerk who yelled and screamed and ranted and raved. I guess someday he will be a curmudgeon. His résponse when he find out that other people died in the crash.
“Sir, it’s been reported everywhere that you’re, well, dead,” she said, grimacing. “The plane crashed.”
His eyebrows arched. “The plane? Oh, the commercial plane. I missed the flight by ten minutes. Damned traffic slowed down the limo I hired. So I hitched a ride with a friend who has a private jet like mine.” He made a face. “It wasn’t as comfortable as mine, I have to admit, but I didn’t want to wait for them to get it to Arizona. I’m not dead.”
You poor thing. The private plane wasn’t as comfortable as yours. Dude, you are all heart.
It’s all wrapped up somehow for a besotted hero and a happy ending.
January 8, 2019
I tried to like this book but it was missing one of the major Diana Palmer famous trademarks. There was no chest hair!! How am I supposed to read a Diana Palmer novel without a man with chest hair? I live for the chest hair. I dream of chest hair. I have chest hair.... Oh wait. I got a little carried away there but this was not your typical hero. He doesn't smoke, he never showed chest hair. I was stunned. But then he showed he was a true DP hero because he was a total a$$hole. And god love the heroine she was just an idiot. It starts with him lecturing her about speeding while driving a boat. And then one morning she goes out early with the boat and the sun blinds her and she sideswipes his jet ski and him. He loses his sight. She feels bad and goes to tell him but his manly deliciousness makes her agree to stay and work for him. AND NOT TELL HIM THE TRUTH because of course he will forgive her once he sees how sweet and nice she is right? NOT. This was a total train wreck. He is cruel, uses other women to make her jealous, belittles her, and is a total jerk. But she falls in love with him anyway because nothing says love like parading a skanky other woman around the house and going with him into his bedroom. Give me strength. And then she finally loses her virginity to him and they marry the next day but he does say don't get pregnant and I am only going to be married to you until I get tired of you. If you get pregnant you will terminate it. Such a sweet romantic proposal. Be still my heart. No wonder she marries him. And of course she get's pregnant (he doesn't know it) but not before his Private Investigator found out that she was the boat that hit him and made him blind. He has her arrested and put in jail. She has no one and can't get out so she is in there for two months or so while he is out partying with Bimbos and having fun. A fellow mate shivs her and she loses the baby and it is heartbreaking. I even cried at that part. There is more twists and turns and she goes into hiding and the hero continues to party and I really hated him. She wasn't my favorite either but of course it all ends with a nice bow and no chest hair! So disappointing. I still gave it three because that 17 year old girl in me still loves DP. forever...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 31, 2018
This is one where it could be one star or five because Diana Palmer has some SERIOUSLY TWISTED ideas. The H is gratuitously cruel and gleefully sadistic. He torments the h viciously, which would be somewhat understandable if he knew how she had wronged him, but he actually DOESN'T -- he's just that horrible of a person.
When he does find out how the h has wronged him, his revenge spirals into a moment that is so nightmarish and probably triggering so I'm going to spoil it
It was honestly like the author could not stop herself from throwing on trial after trial after cruelty after cruelty on this poor h.
When he does find out how the h has wronged him, his revenge spirals into a moment that is so nightmarish and probably triggering so I'm going to spoil it
It was honestly like the author could not stop herself from throwing on trial after trial after cruelty after cruelty on this poor h.
October 28, 2021
Holy crap! This (updated reissue? circa 2017) should have been titled UNRELENTING, for its OTT nonstop dramarama, the (sweet and virginal DP) heroine who takes lying to a new level--but justifiably so, when the hero's vengeance, once he discovers her perfidy raises hero cruelty to truly astonishing levels. What a ride! An angst junky's dream read, for sure, with melodramatic events coming fast and furious . I think I need a drink after all that.
December 5, 2017
This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance
Undaunted is an in-depth well-written gem where the truth of opposites attract really exists.....a cold-hearted billionaire and a sweet gentle-hearted woman who learn to see the best of each other and find an HEA despite the odds against them.
Undaunted is the 52nd book (according to the author's website, Goodreads has it as 48) of her Long Tall Texan series and I will admit that I haven't had the pleasure to read this author too much. I have really liked her books, so I am not sure why I haven't read more of her. I will say that I was a bit nervous to read a book dealing with a jerk hero, since those aren't always done well but ironically he was done very well in this one. Even though in the first third of the story he is a bit of an ass we also see the way that he has some depths to him that you don't quite see at first. We have a lake shore setting for most of the story which just worked so well for this story. Undaunted is a story that is about learning to love unconditionally.
The key players to this opposites attracts romance are:
Garrett Carlton, a billionaire, hard around the edges, but is like an onion....many layers to unravel
Kate Martin, our heroine, works as an assistant to an author, sweet, kind and loving.
The story begins when Kate comes to Georgia, to help maintain the lake house that her boss and friend owns. Kate is originally from Texas and grew up with an abusive father at times. She is eager to make a name for herself and be on her own. She sees the good in people and never judges them. She is all about working for what she has. She then has a horrible run-in with a Mr. Garrett Carlton who yells at her and is really rude and almost has Kate in tears. When her boss leaves for Europe, she stays to take care of other tasks and to see to her lake house. While driving a boat on the lake, she accidentally runs into a jetski that Garrett was on, who hits his head and becomes blind and loses part of his memories including his memories of her. When he offers her a job as his assistant she agrees, seeing a new side to Garrett. The man beneath the harshness and cold revere personality on the surface. Soon it becomes that Garrett and Kate have a strong connection to each other. But what will Garrett do when he learns the woman he loves is also the woman who accidentally caused his blindness and memory loss.
I will admit that at first, the story turned me off especially in seeing how mean and rude Garrett really is. Of course, we see a deeper side to him and see why he is the way he is. But he has such a strong personality but Kate calms him in ways you don't see at first. She brings him balance and helps him to relax. Kate is also a virgin, she is innocent, but so tender-hearted. I really was drawn to Kate's personality. She is so real and even though a bit naive when it comes to more worldly things, she knows what is really important. She has her own dreams to be a wife and mother one day. She wants to be loved and to love someone in return. She knows that man is Garrett, but she also fears how he will react when he learns the truth. What becomes a pivotal moment is when the smoke clears and the truth comes out, that both Garrett and Kate learn that when love is reaching out, to hold onto it and never let it go. They both learn about sacrifice and loss and how much they need each other and truly care about one another. It had its predictable moments of course, but then this story would take a turn that I wasn't expecting and I loved how this predictable story was full of unpredictable moments that just make this book shine.
Undaunted is an in-depth well-written gem where the truth of opposites attract really exists.....a cold-hearted billionaire and a sweet gentle-hearted woman who learn to see the best of each other and find an HEA despite the odds against them.
Undaunted is the 52nd book (according to the author's website, Goodreads has it as 48) of her Long Tall Texan series and I will admit that I haven't had the pleasure to read this author too much. I have really liked her books, so I am not sure why I haven't read more of her. I will say that I was a bit nervous to read a book dealing with a jerk hero, since those aren't always done well but ironically he was done very well in this one. Even though in the first third of the story he is a bit of an ass we also see the way that he has some depths to him that you don't quite see at first. We have a lake shore setting for most of the story which just worked so well for this story. Undaunted is a story that is about learning to love unconditionally.
The key players to this opposites attracts romance are:
Garrett Carlton, a billionaire, hard around the edges, but is like an onion....many layers to unravel
Kate Martin, our heroine, works as an assistant to an author, sweet, kind and loving.
The story begins when Kate comes to Georgia, to help maintain the lake house that her boss and friend owns. Kate is originally from Texas and grew up with an abusive father at times. She is eager to make a name for herself and be on her own. She sees the good in people and never judges them. She is all about working for what she has. She then has a horrible run-in with a Mr. Garrett Carlton who yells at her and is really rude and almost has Kate in tears. When her boss leaves for Europe, she stays to take care of other tasks and to see to her lake house. While driving a boat on the lake, she accidentally runs into a jetski that Garrett was on, who hits his head and becomes blind and loses part of his memories including his memories of her. When he offers her a job as his assistant she agrees, seeing a new side to Garrett. The man beneath the harshness and cold revere personality on the surface. Soon it becomes that Garrett and Kate have a strong connection to each other. But what will Garrett do when he learns the woman he loves is also the woman who accidentally caused his blindness and memory loss.
I will admit that at first, the story turned me off especially in seeing how mean and rude Garrett really is. Of course, we see a deeper side to him and see why he is the way he is. But he has such a strong personality but Kate calms him in ways you don't see at first. She brings him balance and helps him to relax. Kate is also a virgin, she is innocent, but so tender-hearted. I really was drawn to Kate's personality. She is so real and even though a bit naive when it comes to more worldly things, she knows what is really important. She has her own dreams to be a wife and mother one day. She wants to be loved and to love someone in return. She knows that man is Garrett, but she also fears how he will react when he learns the truth. What becomes a pivotal moment is when the smoke clears and the truth comes out, that both Garrett and Kate learn that when love is reaching out, to hold onto it and never let it go. They both learn about sacrifice and loss and how much they need each other and truly care about one another. It had its predictable moments of course, but then this story would take a turn that I wasn't expecting and I loved how this predictable story was full of unpredictable moments that just make this book shine.
September 23, 2023
“What do Jacobsville people eat/drink? I want those too cos I’m sure whatever they consume will make me feel better than drinking gallons of raki.”
That’s what I thought while reading the book until the plane crash section. Now I wonder what DP was drinking? Even this masochist has an endurance limit. If MCs have HEA before the accident I’d give 5 stars for the sake of the tears I jerked and the sadistic H but now 3 stars.
*****************
Re-read and promoted to 5 stars due to joy of non-stopping angst! Yes, I’m a masochist! Lol
That’s what I thought while reading the book until the plane crash section. Now I wonder what DP was drinking? Even this masochist has an endurance limit. If MCs have HEA before the accident I’d give 5 stars for the sake of the tears I jerked and the sadistic H but now 3 stars.
*****************
Re-read and promoted to 5 stars due to joy of non-stopping angst! Yes, I’m a masochist! Lol
April 14, 2017
This book is a reissue right? it was originally titled Bound by a Promise and I loved it!
Read
August 8, 2017SUPER CONFUSED and slightly disturbed.
So I bought this book directly from the publisher. Paid over $10 for what I thought was a new book. I have read pretty much everything that Diana Palmer has published (and under all the other pen names too) so I was eager to read this "new release" and happily purchased it.
As soon as I got into the first chapter I kept saying to myself--this sounds just like an old title of hers that I have read previously. The characters had different names, but the story was so similar I was disappointed. I stuck with the book, and there were a lot more twists and turns added that it ended up being a very different tale.
Still it made me wonder, s0 I re-read Bound by a Promise. That book was written in 1979, and certainly has the feeling of the 70's. Like there weren't cell phones or personal computers, but the other similarities were striking. In Undaunted there were more expanded roles and somehow because there is a Comanche Wells/Jacobsville connection, it has been rebranded as a Long, Tall Texan story. Ugh, I am not even going to go into the rest of my rant about this mess!
BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE...
Just now when I signed on to Goodreads and read the blurb about the book, I see the characters have different names, and I know my first impression of the Undaunted story was accurate! Kate Martin and Garrett Carlton?
What the heck? When the GR blurb was added to the library the "updated" version had probably not come out. No, in the copy of the book I bought from Harlequin the characters are named Emma Copeland and Conner Sinclair. (BTW the characters in Bound by a Promise are Kate Summers and Garet Cambridge)
REALLY??!
Here is the GR blurb: Falling in love with her boss's handsome millionaire neighbor was easy for young Kate Martin. Despite the vast differences between them, and a past that's left Garrett Carlton reclusive and wary, Kate gambles her heart on a desire that rocks them both. But there's something Garrett doesn't know: Kate is responsible for an accident that changed his life forever.
Here is the publisher blurb now on Amazon: Falling in love with her boss's handsome millionaire neighbor was easy for young Emma Copeland. Despite the vast differences between them, and a past that's left Connor Sinclair reclusive and wary, Emma gambles her heart on a desire that rocks them both. But there's something Connor doesn't know: Emma is responsible for an accident that changed his life forever.
Inside the pages of Undaunted there are numerous issues such as when Kate, I mean Emma, draws Conner's initials as "GC" shouldn't they have been CS? Well, if he was going to be called Garrett Carlton I guess that would explain it--oh wait! They're also Garet Cambridge's initials from Bound by a Promise Such a confusing, sloppy mess!
Hey, it's cool. I understand that the publisher is in the business of selling books, but I feel that charging what they did for a basically recycled story (or maybe even the story as it was originally conceived by the author--who knows?) is not being forthright to their readers.
Final take, I will be sad when the day comes that Diana Palmer is no longer creating new stories. Even sadder as I wonder if that has already happened.
My tip: Save your money and wait until it hits your public library and read it for free!!
So I bought this book directly from the publisher. Paid over $10 for what I thought was a new book. I have read pretty much everything that Diana Palmer has published (and under all the other pen names too) so I was eager to read this "new release" and happily purchased it.
As soon as I got into the first chapter I kept saying to myself--this sounds just like an old title of hers that I have read previously. The characters had different names, but the story was so similar I was disappointed. I stuck with the book, and there were a lot more twists and turns added that it ended up being a very different tale.
Still it made me wonder, s0 I re-read Bound by a Promise. That book was written in 1979, and certainly has the feeling of the 70's. Like there weren't cell phones or personal computers, but the other similarities were striking. In Undaunted there were more expanded roles and somehow because there is a Comanche Wells/Jacobsville connection, it has been rebranded as a Long, Tall Texan story. Ugh, I am not even going to go into the rest of my rant about this mess!
BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE...
Just now when I signed on to Goodreads and read the blurb about the book, I see the characters have different names, and I know my first impression of the Undaunted story was accurate! Kate Martin and Garrett Carlton?
What the heck? When the GR blurb was added to the library the "updated" version had probably not come out. No, in the copy of the book I bought from Harlequin the characters are named Emma Copeland and Conner Sinclair. (BTW the characters in Bound by a Promise are Kate Summers and Garet Cambridge)
REALLY??!
Here is the GR blurb: Falling in love with her boss's handsome millionaire neighbor was easy for young Kate Martin. Despite the vast differences between them, and a past that's left Garrett Carlton reclusive and wary, Kate gambles her heart on a desire that rocks them both. But there's something Garrett doesn't know: Kate is responsible for an accident that changed his life forever.
Here is the publisher blurb now on Amazon: Falling in love with her boss's handsome millionaire neighbor was easy for young Emma Copeland. Despite the vast differences between them, and a past that's left Connor Sinclair reclusive and wary, Emma gambles her heart on a desire that rocks them both. But there's something Connor doesn't know: Emma is responsible for an accident that changed his life forever.
Inside the pages of Undaunted there are numerous issues such as when Kate, I mean Emma, draws Conner's initials as "GC" shouldn't they have been CS? Well, if he was going to be called Garrett Carlton I guess that would explain it--oh wait! They're also Garet Cambridge's initials from Bound by a Promise Such a confusing, sloppy mess!
Hey, it's cool. I understand that the publisher is in the business of selling books, but I feel that charging what they did for a basically recycled story (or maybe even the story as it was originally conceived by the author--who knows?) is not being forthright to their readers.
Final take, I will be sad when the day comes that Diana Palmer is no longer creating new stories. Even sadder as I wonder if that has already happened.
My tip: Save your money and wait until it hits your public library and read it for free!!
May 26, 2017
O livro é a republicação do antigo Bound By A Promise com algumas alterações para pior.
Eu estava toda feliz achando que era novidade e acabei me decepcionando muito.
O herói é o típico macho com péssima atitude e a heroína um capacho que aceita ser maltratada.
Recomendo somente para aquelas fãs ardorosas da escritora.
----------
The book is a reprint of the former Bound By A Promise with some changes for the worse.
I was all happy thinking it was new and I ended up getting really disappointed.
The typical male hero with bad attitude and heroin a doormat that accepts being abused.
Recommend only for those ardent fans of the writer.
Eu estava toda feliz achando que era novidade e acabei me decepcionando muito.
O herói é o típico macho com péssima atitude e a heroína um capacho que aceita ser maltratada.
Recomendo somente para aquelas fãs ardorosas da escritora.
----------
The book is a reprint of the former Bound By A Promise with some changes for the worse.
I was all happy thinking it was new and I ended up getting really disappointed.
The typical male hero with bad attitude and heroin a doormat that accepts being abused.
Recommend only for those ardent fans of the writer.
"From across the room, the big man was glaring at her. She squirmed under his look, wondering what she could have done to incur his anger."
"I don’t want my privacy invaded by cheap little girls in cheap dresses"
“Stay off my dock,” he said coldly.
“Women will do anything for a price.” As if in answer to that cynical remark, a beautiful brunette in a fashionable dress stuck her head out the door of his lake house. “Garrett, do hurry,”
"I didn’t want children, ever. Countless women had tried to convince him, practically trick him into it, for a decade, but he was always careful. He used condoms, despite assurances that they were on the pill.
"He had no need of this blond woman. He had Ariel, bright and beautiful, who would do anything he asked, because he showered her with the expensive diamonds she loved."
"He hated her youth, her freshness, her lack of artifice. He hated her very innocence, because it was so obvious that it was unmistakable. His whole life had been one endless parade of perfumed, perfectly coifed women endlessly trying to get whatever they could out of him. Here was a stiff, upright little Puritan with a raised fist."
"He didn’t want to know anything about her. He found her distasteful, irritating. He should turn around and go back to his lake house."
"He disturbed her, fascinated her, in ways she didn’t understand. Probably, it was because he was so hostile toward her."
March 4, 2018
"Undaunted" is the story of Connor and Emma, and wow, what a roller coaster ride!
If you like typical DP plot with a vengeful brooding hero, ever sacrificing innocent heroine, loads of angst and sweet love making- this is the book for you. The drama in this was endless- one issue would finish and other would start on the next page itself- this totally felt like reading a soap opera.
Basically, our H hates women due to an evil first wife and an evil SIL and many evil loose women in his life and then our *cough*martyr*cough* ugly duckling -happy go lucky heroine enters his life.. he is blown away by her innocence due to his never ending cynicism and he shows that by making fun of her, chastising her and throwing OW in her face.
The h is beaten by life and finds happiness in small things, working for a world famous author that our hero hates..
Anyways, what follows is......
-Hateful words
-Poverty shaming and snootiness
-Loads of OW drama
-Slut shaming of a virgin
-Accident, blindness and amnesia
-Deception
-Idiocy
-Marriage
-Pregnancy
-Prison
-Stabbing
-Suicide attempts
-Secret identity
-Arab sheikhas?
-Discoveries
-Plane crash
-HEA??
And these are only FEW of the things that happened in this book.
It was heavy on angst, heartbreak and love (was at work and lost all my mascara to it)- and I can say that I have to commend the h's capacity to forgive and self blame, because girl, you need a BACKBONE.
All I can say is, thank you DP for the firefly reference. And I didnt hate it despite everything.
#IHaveIssues
Unsafe/SWE
4/5
P.S. Looking at the silver fox on the cover, I suddenly realize how old H was supposed to be and how immature he acted... Hmmmmmm
If you like typical DP plot with a vengeful brooding hero, ever sacrificing innocent heroine, loads of angst and sweet love making- this is the book for you. The drama in this was endless- one issue would finish and other would start on the next page itself- this totally felt like reading a soap opera.
Basically, our H hates women due to an evil first wife and an evil SIL and many evil loose women in his life and then our *cough*martyr*cough* ugly duckling -happy go lucky heroine enters his life.. he is blown away by her innocence due to his never ending cynicism and he shows that by making fun of her, chastising her and throwing OW in her face.
The h is beaten by life and finds happiness in small things, working for a world famous author that our hero hates..
Anyways, what follows is......
-Hateful words
-Poverty shaming and snootiness
-Loads of OW drama
-Slut shaming of a virgin
-Accident, blindness and amnesia
-Deception
-Idiocy
-Marriage
-Pregnancy
-Prison
-Stabbing
-Suicide attempts
-Secret identity
-Arab sheikhas?
-Discoveries
-Plane crash
-HEA??
And these are only FEW of the things that happened in this book.
It was heavy on angst, heartbreak and love (was at work and lost all my mascara to it)- and I can say that I have to commend the h's capacity to forgive and self blame, because girl, you need a BACKBONE.
All I can say is, thank you DP for the firefly reference. And I didnt hate it despite everything.
#IHaveIssues
Unsafe/SWE
4/5
P.S. Looking at the silver fox on the cover, I suddenly realize how old H was supposed to be and how immature he acted... Hmmmmmm
March 1, 2018
I am giving this 3 stars for Ms Palmers writing and for making me feel pissed off enough to throw the book across the bed! While I liked the idea of the plot, I did not like the characters. H= Pompous, rude, crude, and just plain mean. h= whiny, spineless, and just plain stupid. Where's your pride woman? I would have kicked his ass in the lake way back when. He does have some redeemable moments but not enough for me. She finally got a pair and moved on but obviously not a big pair. 2 1/2 stars would probably do for me.
January 24, 2021
2.5-3ish “Little Liar & the Beast” Stars
This is pretty much a ramped up reboot of Bound by a Promise (BbaP) with 150 more pages, a Long, Tall, Texans connection, and the standard L,LT ingredients. (bigger ass, more pathetic h, more aggressive OW with loads more pages with OTT shenanigans and added sexytime.
I’ll admit, I haven’t read a ton of DP’s newer stuff, but IMO it follows the same “Old School” alpha asshole formula (no impowered h here), but the OTT factor feels like it’s heavily influenced by current TV shows. Simply put, it’s a bit of a hot mess, but DP fans should follow along just fine.
Just like BbaP, this starts with the h, Emma Copeland, being chastised from neighbor Connor Sinclair for driving her (boss’s) speedboat too fast and recklessly (on-page this time) …. She’s also told by her author boss that his brother and pregnant wife were killed the previous year by a reckless drunk boat driver, and she should be more careful. On hearing this news, she sympathizes with the family of the drunk boat driver, and takes the speedboat out because she’s bored. She opens the throttle, steers towards the sun, and start daydreaming accidentally mowing Connor down in his jet ski. Like BbaP, she also doesn’t help, and goes one step further by winterizing the boat and having the dent removed.
DP makes this h hard to take as she’s annoying AF. Her uber stupidity/irresponsibility of her actions is only the tip of the iceberg. She’s a compulsive liar to everyone while still trying to maintain the high moral ground like giving her Vegas earnings to a church because it was easy money and she wants to work for her money. She’s also grossly naïve; she’s never stayed in a hotel, has no idea what a minifridge is, and hides in her bathroom after promising sex rather than speak. She also finds happiness from “Birds calling to each other in the trees. Leaves rustling when they turn orange and gold and there’s just the faintest nip in the breeze. White sails on the lake just after dawn. Crickets singing on a summer night. Things like that.”
Connor for his part is no better. He’s a total moody asshole that flip-flops between hot/cold. He uses OW Ariel to make Emma jealous when she won’t put out, and tries forced seduction numerous times. Being horny is also describes as being hungry, so there’s TONS of talking about being hungry which gets annoying cuz he’s always hungry. He also gives about the least romantic proposal (riveling Sarah's Child) ever. Which is pretty much… "we have great sex, and can divorce when we tire of each other” so Emma can move on and pursue the family she wants.
Bottom Line- If this book had a theme it would be starving and lies. It was pretty enjoyable, but IMO way too long at almost 400 pages. I like my soapy reads ½ that length, because I start to lose patience with the whacky factor and filler fluff. And this gets whacky with plane crashes, miracle healing, suicide attempts, prison protection from a lesbian couple, shanking, to name a few. Not to mention, one “I want to wait until marriage” announcement would have saved us a good 100 pages of talking about being hungry. * H doesn’t sleep w/ any OW after meeting h. **Small cameos from Tippy, Cash & Cort Grier.***Word counts (lie-s-ing) = 44 (hungry-er-ily) 45
Likes/Differences (SPOILERS)
Connor is also an airplane magnate. He’s meaner, has a dead ex-wife, brother.
Emma’s dad is abusive, was taken in by Cash & Poppy. She’s not as pretty, a much bigger martyr, and more annoying. Ex dumped because he was gay (blamed on PETA) rather than because she’s poor.
Author is Mamie (Tippy’s friend) and goes to visit Sheikh not sick dad.
This is pretty much a ramped up reboot of Bound by a Promise (BbaP) with 150 more pages, a Long, Tall, Texans connection, and the standard L,LT ingredients. (bigger ass, more pathetic h, more aggressive OW with loads more pages with OTT shenanigans and added sexytime.
I’ll admit, I haven’t read a ton of DP’s newer stuff, but IMO it follows the same “Old School” alpha asshole formula (no impowered h here), but the OTT factor feels like it’s heavily influenced by current TV shows. Simply put, it’s a bit of a hot mess, but DP fans should follow along just fine.
Just like BbaP, this starts with the h, Emma Copeland, being chastised from neighbor Connor Sinclair for driving her (boss’s) speedboat too fast and recklessly (on-page this time) …. She’s also told by her author boss that his brother and pregnant wife were killed the previous year by a reckless drunk boat driver, and she should be more careful. On hearing this news, she sympathizes with the family of the drunk boat driver, and takes the speedboat out because she’s bored. She opens the throttle, steers towards the sun, and start daydreaming accidentally mowing Connor down in his jet ski. Like BbaP, she also doesn’t help, and goes one step further by winterizing the boat and having the dent removed.
DP makes this h hard to take as she’s annoying AF. Her uber stupidity/irresponsibility of her actions is only the tip of the iceberg. She’s a compulsive liar to everyone while still trying to maintain the high moral ground like giving her Vegas earnings to a church because it was easy money and she wants to work for her money. She’s also grossly naïve; she’s never stayed in a hotel, has no idea what a minifridge is, and hides in her bathroom after promising sex rather than speak. She also finds happiness from “Birds calling to each other in the trees. Leaves rustling when they turn orange and gold and there’s just the faintest nip in the breeze. White sails on the lake just after dawn. Crickets singing on a summer night. Things like that.”
Connor for his part is no better. He’s a total moody asshole that flip-flops between hot/cold. He uses OW Ariel to make Emma jealous when she won’t put out, and tries forced seduction numerous times. Being horny is also describes as being hungry, so there’s TONS of talking about being hungry which gets annoying cuz he’s always hungry. He also gives about the least romantic proposal (riveling Sarah's Child) ever. Which is pretty much… "we have great sex, and can divorce when we tire of each other” so Emma can move on and pursue the family she wants.
Bottom Line- If this book had a theme it would be starving and lies. It was pretty enjoyable, but IMO way too long at almost 400 pages. I like my soapy reads ½ that length, because I start to lose patience with the whacky factor and filler fluff. And this gets whacky with plane crashes, miracle healing, suicide attempts, prison protection from a lesbian couple, shanking, to name a few. Not to mention, one “I want to wait until marriage” announcement would have saved us a good 100 pages of talking about being hungry. * H doesn’t sleep w/ any OW after meeting h. **Small cameos from Tippy, Cash & Cort Grier.***Word counts (lie-s-ing) = 44 (hungry-er-ily) 45
Likes/Differences (SPOILERS)
Connor is also an airplane magnate. He’s meaner, has a dead ex-wife, brother.
Emma’s dad is abusive, was taken in by Cash & Poppy. She’s not as pretty, a much bigger martyr, and more annoying. Ex dumped because he was gay (blamed on PETA) rather than because she’s poor.
Author is Mamie (Tippy’s friend) and goes to visit Sheikh not sick dad.
July 6, 2021
This is a book where i hoped that both characters died.
Unfortunately, not this time.
Two stars because it had three epic moments I really really loved. It would have been one without it.
This hero is one of the worst man ever, he's on my top list of "men to avoid like a plague", second maybe only to some of Patricia Gaffney's heroes, that are the lowest of the low.
Three epic and too good to be true moments:
- the heroine hits him when he's water skiing. He's got concussion and is blind.
- he tries to shoot himself when he hears that the heroine lost their child because she was assaulted
-there's a plane crash and we all hoped he died in it.
Unfortunately for me, none of these epic moments has a positive outcome. The bastard SOB survives all three times. Only the goods die young.
The heroine is so stupid that it hurts.
Yes, she was guilty because she drove the boat recklessly, but she made three big mistakes, too stupid mistakes.
- she married the hero
- she thought that she deserved what the hero did to her.
-she took him back
Eventually I should have been angry and sad but I didn't. I couldn't feel simpathy for a heroine who thinks she deserves to go to jail, when she perfectly knew it was an accident and they both had their responsibilities, and can't hate or at least stay away from a man who told her to have a termination or she would stay in jail.
She deserved him.
He deserved to die.
Sorry for this ugly rant. I'm not usually like that.
Unfortunately, not this time.
Two stars because it had three epic moments I really really loved. It would have been one without it.
This hero is one of the worst man ever, he's on my top list of "men to avoid like a plague", second maybe only to some of Patricia Gaffney's heroes, that are the lowest of the low.
Three epic and too good to be true moments:
- the heroine hits him when he's water skiing. He's got concussion and is blind.
- he tries to shoot himself when he hears that the heroine lost their child because she was assaulted
-there's a plane crash and we all hoped he died in it.
Unfortunately for me, none of these epic moments has a positive outcome. The bastard SOB survives all three times. Only the goods die young.
The heroine is so stupid that it hurts.
Yes, she was guilty because she drove the boat recklessly, but she made three big mistakes, too stupid mistakes.
- she married the hero
- she thought that she deserved what the hero did to her.
-she took him back
Eventually I should have been angry and sad but I didn't. I couldn't feel simpathy for a heroine who thinks she deserves to go to jail, when she perfectly knew it was an accident and they both had their responsibilities, and can't hate or at least stay away from a man who told her to have a termination or she would stay in jail.
She deserved him.
He deserved to die.
Sorry for this ugly rant. I'm not usually like that.
November 18, 2017
★★
No sé qué rayos pasa con estas heroínas en las historias de Diana Palmer, que sin importar cuánto las pise el héroe, ¡ellas siempre lo perdonan! Pero hasta ahora no había leído ninguna historia de DP en donde el héroe fuera tan cabrón como lo fue el señor protagonista de Untaunded, aka Garrett.
Fue horrible, se los digo. Horrible. A mí me gustan los héroes mmgvos pero esto es pasarse de la línea, en serio. Le di dos estrellas porque esta locura de alguna u otra forma logró tenerme entretenida, pero fue horrible.
No, no, no. DP, mucho con demasiado. Te pasaste. C mamút.
No sé qué rayos pasa con estas heroínas en las historias de Diana Palmer, que sin importar cuánto las pise el héroe, ¡ellas siempre lo perdonan! Pero hasta ahora no había leído ninguna historia de DP en donde el héroe fuera tan cabrón como lo fue el señor protagonista de Untaunded, aka Garrett.
Fue horrible, se los digo. Horrible. A mí me gustan los héroes mmgvos pero esto es pasarse de la línea, en serio. Le di dos estrellas porque esta locura de alguna u otra forma logró tenerme entretenida, pero fue horrible.
No, no, no. DP, mucho con demasiado. Te pasaste. C mamút.
July 13, 2018
"A Mamie non l’aveva raccontato, ma, sebbene fossero ormai passati diversi anni, Emma stava ancora male per com’erano finite le cose con Steven. L’aveva ferita al punto che lei non si era mai più fidata di un uomo. Per la prima volta nella sua giovane vita, aveva avuto la sensazione di aver trovato il proprio posto accanto a qualcuno. Il suo comportamento le aveva causato un dolore enorme. Emma era sempre stata timida insicura di sé e ora non si fidava più del proprio giudizio sulle persone. In fondo, Steven le era sembrato perfetto e invece aveva dei pregiudizi che lei ignorava."
Se siete solite seguire le mie recensioni, saprete senza dubbio che io ho alcune autrici che considero meravigliose, di cui leggo ogni volume che viene pubblicato, e i cui libri rimangono nella mia libreria, ad occupare quegli scaffali contenenti i titoli che ogni tanto sento la necessità di rileggere, perché sempre mi rasserenano e danno conforto nei momenti tristi. Diana Palmer è una di queste autrici, ed è per questo che mi trovo così in difficoltà nel recensire questo libro che in altre circostanze mi sarebbe sicuramente piaciuto. Una premessa è d’obbligo, il libro si legge con piacere ed è sicuramente ben scritto eppure in questo caso, in qualità di lettrice fedele, mi sento delusa e anche un po’ truffata. Proverò a spiegarvi il perché. Se, come me, possedete tutti i titoli che sono stati tradotti in italiano di questa autrice, cominciando a leggere vi troverete con una sensazione di déjà-vu abbastanza sgradevole: in alcuni momenti sarete sicure di avere già letto questo libro, ma certi particolari non vi torneranno, e il motivo è presto detto, questo libro è tale e quale ad un altro della stessa autrice ma i protagonisti hanno nomi diversi e lo svolgimento della storia cambia di poco. I due scritti cui faccio riferimento sono: “Bound a Promise” pubblicato in Italia solo per la collana eLit con il titolo “Sentimento d’amore” la sua trama è questa:
Kathryn Summers sa di essere la causa di tutti i problemi che affliggono il suo nuovo affascinante datore di lavoro, Garet Cambridge, ma ora è troppo tardi per rimediare: c’è in gioco il nuovo impiego. Garet, invece, dopo l’incidente in cui ha perso momentaneamente la vista, è convinto che quell’assistente dalla voce vellutata e suadente sia un vero dono del cielo. Che cosa succederà quando lui scoprirà la verità su quanto accaduto durante uno dei loro primi incontri? Ma c’è anche un’altra verità che è già ben chiara nel cuore di Kathryn, e che lei deve cercare di nascondere a Garet a tutti i costi.
E “Undaunted” pubblicato in Italia con il titolo “I segreti della passione” il secondo libro, oggetto di questa recensione, che a prima vista sembrerebbe avere una trama completamente diversa, ma vi assicuro che non è così. In entrambi i libri le protagoniste vengono da un piccolo ranch, sono le segretarie di una scrittrice e lui è scorbutico e scontroso, così come in entrambi i libri, i due milionari verranno travolti dal motoscafo guidato dalla disattenta eroina che poi, sotto mentite spoglie, diventerà l’assistente dell’uomo rimasto cieco. Si innamoreranno entrambe, ricambiate, almeno fino al momento in cui la vittima di turno scoprirà la verità. L’unica differenza di un certo rilievo è il carattere del personaggio maschile, Garet è un uomo duro ma in grado di perdonare, mentre Connor è un uomo che da subito ci viene presentato come estremamente vendicativo, così tanto che non esiterà a mandare l’eroina in prigione. Sono talmente uguali in così tante cose che sono andata a ricercare notizie che mi spiegassero l’arcano mistero e l’unica cosa che ho trovato, ostacolata anche dalla mia incapacità di leggere l’inglese è una nota sulla pagina dell’autrice in cui fa sapere che Undaunted è liberamente ispirato a Bound a Promise uno dei suoi classici. Praticamente la Palmer ha copiato sé stessa, ha cambiato i nomi dei personaggi ha dato al protagonista un altro carattere più forte e molto, molto più bastardo, ha aggiunto avvenimenti che nel primo libro non c’erano, rendendolo più lungo e con una trama più interessante, e lo ha pubblicato con un nuovo titolo. Un’operazione che non saprei davvero come definire, non una riedizione ma nemmeno un’opera originale.
Lo spessore del personaggio maschile ha sicuramente tratto vantaggio da questa revisione, anche se ho trovato Connor davvero odioso e difficile da perdonare. È un uomo che ha sofferto ma anche totalmente incapace di perdono, almeno, fin quasi alla fine del libro. È sufficiente uno sgarbo e la sua vendetta sarà tremenda. La protagonista in entrambi i casi è una ragazza povera ma, se nel primo libro pur avendo gravi difficoltà economiche ha un padre che le vuole bene, in questo nuovo libro l’autrice l’ha dipinta come perseguitata dalla sfortuna: un padre ubriacone che ha reso la sua vita un inferno; un fidanzato che l’ha lasciata ingannandola; una volta in prigione le succederà qualcosa di terribile e, dulcis in fundo, lei penserà persino di esserselo meritato. Insomma se Emma attraversa la strada ad un gatto nero, il felino si chiude in una tana e non esce per una settimana! Con lei ogni evento che possa volgere al peggio, certamente accadrà.
In conclusione si tratta di un libro che, valutato singolarmente, risulta ben fatto, lo stile narrativo della Palmer è sempre piacevole da leggere ma non posso fare a meno di sentirmi delusa. Credo sarebbe stato giusto far presente che questo libro è uscito in una versione precedente, con un altro titolo e protagonisti diversi, non è quindi un inedito completo e la decisione di comprarlo o meno avrebbe dovuto essere demandata al lettore, conscio di come stavano le cose. È questo aspetto che incide fortemente sul mio voto basso.
Vi lascio con un’ultima precisazione: questo libro appartiene a una serie lunghissima, ma non è affatto necessario aver letto nessuno dei tanti libri che la compongono in quanto ognuno racchiude una storia fine a sé stessa, solo alcuni personaggi ricompaiono sporadicamente, qua e là.
.
Lucia63 - per RFS
Se siete solite seguire le mie recensioni, saprete senza dubbio che io ho alcune autrici che considero meravigliose, di cui leggo ogni volume che viene pubblicato, e i cui libri rimangono nella mia libreria, ad occupare quegli scaffali contenenti i titoli che ogni tanto sento la necessità di rileggere, perché sempre mi rasserenano e danno conforto nei momenti tristi. Diana Palmer è una di queste autrici, ed è per questo che mi trovo così in difficoltà nel recensire questo libro che in altre circostanze mi sarebbe sicuramente piaciuto. Una premessa è d’obbligo, il libro si legge con piacere ed è sicuramente ben scritto eppure in questo caso, in qualità di lettrice fedele, mi sento delusa e anche un po’ truffata. Proverò a spiegarvi il perché. Se, come me, possedete tutti i titoli che sono stati tradotti in italiano di questa autrice, cominciando a leggere vi troverete con una sensazione di déjà-vu abbastanza sgradevole: in alcuni momenti sarete sicure di avere già letto questo libro, ma certi particolari non vi torneranno, e il motivo è presto detto, questo libro è tale e quale ad un altro della stessa autrice ma i protagonisti hanno nomi diversi e lo svolgimento della storia cambia di poco. I due scritti cui faccio riferimento sono: “Bound a Promise” pubblicato in Italia solo per la collana eLit con il titolo “Sentimento d’amore” la sua trama è questa:
Kathryn Summers sa di essere la causa di tutti i problemi che affliggono il suo nuovo affascinante datore di lavoro, Garet Cambridge, ma ora è troppo tardi per rimediare: c’è in gioco il nuovo impiego. Garet, invece, dopo l’incidente in cui ha perso momentaneamente la vista, è convinto che quell’assistente dalla voce vellutata e suadente sia un vero dono del cielo. Che cosa succederà quando lui scoprirà la verità su quanto accaduto durante uno dei loro primi incontri? Ma c’è anche un’altra verità che è già ben chiara nel cuore di Kathryn, e che lei deve cercare di nascondere a Garet a tutti i costi.
E “Undaunted” pubblicato in Italia con il titolo “I segreti della passione” il secondo libro, oggetto di questa recensione, che a prima vista sembrerebbe avere una trama completamente diversa, ma vi assicuro che non è così. In entrambi i libri le protagoniste vengono da un piccolo ranch, sono le segretarie di una scrittrice e lui è scorbutico e scontroso, così come in entrambi i libri, i due milionari verranno travolti dal motoscafo guidato dalla disattenta eroina che poi, sotto mentite spoglie, diventerà l’assistente dell’uomo rimasto cieco. Si innamoreranno entrambe, ricambiate, almeno fino al momento in cui la vittima di turno scoprirà la verità. L’unica differenza di un certo rilievo è il carattere del personaggio maschile, Garet è un uomo duro ma in grado di perdonare, mentre Connor è un uomo che da subito ci viene presentato come estremamente vendicativo, così tanto che non esiterà a mandare l’eroina in prigione. Sono talmente uguali in così tante cose che sono andata a ricercare notizie che mi spiegassero l’arcano mistero e l’unica cosa che ho trovato, ostacolata anche dalla mia incapacità di leggere l’inglese è una nota sulla pagina dell’autrice in cui fa sapere che Undaunted è liberamente ispirato a Bound a Promise uno dei suoi classici. Praticamente la Palmer ha copiato sé stessa, ha cambiato i nomi dei personaggi ha dato al protagonista un altro carattere più forte e molto, molto più bastardo, ha aggiunto avvenimenti che nel primo libro non c’erano, rendendolo più lungo e con una trama più interessante, e lo ha pubblicato con un nuovo titolo. Un’operazione che non saprei davvero come definire, non una riedizione ma nemmeno un’opera originale.
Lo spessore del personaggio maschile ha sicuramente tratto vantaggio da questa revisione, anche se ho trovato Connor davvero odioso e difficile da perdonare. È un uomo che ha sofferto ma anche totalmente incapace di perdono, almeno, fin quasi alla fine del libro. È sufficiente uno sgarbo e la sua vendetta sarà tremenda. La protagonista in entrambi i casi è una ragazza povera ma, se nel primo libro pur avendo gravi difficoltà economiche ha un padre che le vuole bene, in questo nuovo libro l’autrice l’ha dipinta come perseguitata dalla sfortuna: un padre ubriacone che ha reso la sua vita un inferno; un fidanzato che l’ha lasciata ingannandola; una volta in prigione le succederà qualcosa di terribile e, dulcis in fundo, lei penserà persino di esserselo meritato. Insomma se Emma attraversa la strada ad un gatto nero, il felino si chiude in una tana e non esce per una settimana! Con lei ogni evento che possa volgere al peggio, certamente accadrà.
In conclusione si tratta di un libro che, valutato singolarmente, risulta ben fatto, lo stile narrativo della Palmer è sempre piacevole da leggere ma non posso fare a meno di sentirmi delusa. Credo sarebbe stato giusto far presente che questo libro è uscito in una versione precedente, con un altro titolo e protagonisti diversi, non è quindi un inedito completo e la decisione di comprarlo o meno avrebbe dovuto essere demandata al lettore, conscio di come stavano le cose. È questo aspetto che incide fortemente sul mio voto basso.
Vi lascio con un’ultima precisazione: questo libro appartiene a una serie lunghissima, ma non è affatto necessario aver letto nessuno dei tanti libri che la compongono in quanto ognuno racchiude una storia fine a sé stessa, solo alcuni personaggi ricompaiono sporadicamente, qua e là.
.
Lucia63 - per RFS
September 8, 2017
This book is a reprint of Bound By Promise.
I was skeptical to start this book because I knew that this book is basically a book with old story that got few new chapters and got "polished". But since I'm in Diana Palmer craving lately, I give it a go.
Overall I enjoyed it. This book featured so many DP's classic drama. The Hero is our classic jerk hero that every Dp old readers familiar with, and it's not bothering me at all. So yeah, I enjoyed this book and I look forward to read more from Diana Palmer.
I was skeptical to start this book because I knew that this book is basically a book with old story that got few new chapters and got "polished". But since I'm in Diana Palmer craving lately, I give it a go.
Overall I enjoyed it. This book featured so many DP's classic drama. The Hero is our classic jerk hero that every Dp old readers familiar with, and it's not bothering me at all. So yeah, I enjoyed this book and I look forward to read more from Diana Palmer.
April 13, 2024
This was pretty old school melodrama. But I did enjoy it! Some lovely groveling in the last quarter.
But about that book blurb... WHO THE HELL ARE KATE AND GARRETT???
This story is about Connor and Emma...
Connor the super wealthy super vindictive asshat who hates... well everyone apparently.
And Emma, the naive sweet girl of 23 (not sure how old Connor is but prob 20 yrs older?) from the wrong side of the tracks but happy with her life as it is.
After a couple inauspicious meetings, Emma (in a speed boat) and Connor (on a jetski) (both not paying attention) collide. Now Connor is blind and Emma is afraid to confess that she was the one driving the boat, knowing what a vindictive ass he is. She ends up working for him and he doesn't know who she really is. They fall in love and marry...
Of course the truth comes out and Connor has Emma arrested.
It gets worse,
She is stabbed by a psychotic woman in prison and is now lame and without hope.
Finally Connor finds out that she never made bail and is in the prison infirmary. He drops the charges but doesn't have the balls to go apologise.
In the mean time, he has another accident that restores his sight... ah the wonderful recuperative powers of Harlequin romances ; )
They meet again.. and she is quite pregnant but as dyed her hair and as he never saw her and he doesn't recognize her.
I know I know... A lot of suspension of disbelief is required for this one.
Long story short (and I've left a lot out even after all I've said), He is an ass for the first 2/3 except for the part where he is falling in love for her while blind. Then in the last 3rd he grovels and wallows in self pity and remorse. It was actually pretty good, lol.
I love a good grovel!
safety is pretty good
But about that book blurb... WHO THE HELL ARE KATE AND GARRETT???
This story is about Connor and Emma...
Connor the super wealthy super vindictive asshat who hates... well everyone apparently.
And Emma, the naive sweet girl of 23 (not sure how old Connor is but prob 20 yrs older?) from the wrong side of the tracks but happy with her life as it is.
After a couple inauspicious meetings, Emma (in a speed boat) and Connor (on a jetski) (both not paying attention) collide. Now Connor is blind and Emma is afraid to confess that she was the one driving the boat, knowing what a vindictive ass he is. She ends up working for him and he doesn't know who she really is. They fall in love and marry...
Of course the truth comes out and Connor has Emma arrested.
It gets worse,
She is stabbed by a psychotic woman in prison and is now lame and without hope.
Finally Connor finds out that she never made bail and is in the prison infirmary. He drops the charges but doesn't have the balls to go apologise.
In the mean time, he has another accident that restores his sight... ah the wonderful recuperative powers of Harlequin romances ; )
They meet again.. and she is quite pregnant but as dyed her hair and as he never saw her and he doesn't recognize her.
I know I know... A lot of suspension of disbelief is required for this one.
Long story short (and I've left a lot out even after all I've said), He is an ass for the first 2/3 except for the part where he is falling in love for her while blind. Then in the last 3rd he grovels and wallows in self pity and remorse. It was actually pretty good, lol.
I love a good grovel!
safety is pretty good
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 14, 2017
I have read my share of DP's asshole Heros in my time, but this one took the cake! I was a big fan of her earlier work and I thought I'd try this one as I assumed this book came out in the early 90's, however I was so wrong.How in all that is sacred can this book be considered a "romance"? This book doesn't even deserve 1 star in my estimation.
August 30, 2022
Hysterical Duo?
Oh my, why doesn't DP's rambling, circuitous and info-dumping openings put me off?
They are such prime examples of bad writing ... and I keep coming back! :D
I basically skimmed the first half to get to the real bits - him doing that cruel vindictive act. That's the only part worth reading here. Otherwise, we have at least one other DP book where the h deceives a rich blind H. There also a lake and neighbor angle was involved.
I didn't know DP hs could be so dishonest and underhand. The H is the epitome of hateful Hs of hers so nothing surprising but the h is cringe-worthy, spineless, lying and self-seeking deceiver that she is.
I totally hated her self pitying self.
End it now.
Oh my, why doesn't DP's rambling, circuitous and info-dumping openings put me off?
They are such prime examples of bad writing ... and I keep coming back! :D
I basically skimmed the first half to get to the real bits - him doing that cruel vindictive act. That's the only part worth reading here. Otherwise, we have at least one other DP book where the h deceives a rich blind H. There also a lake and neighbor angle was involved.
I didn't know DP hs could be so dishonest and underhand. The H is the epitome of hateful Hs of hers so nothing surprising but the h is cringe-worthy, spineless, lying and self-seeking deceiver that she is.
I totally hated her self pitying self.
End it now.
Currently reading
September 19, 2018I like antiheroes and I liked the plot. Still I couldn't finish as the style of writing and depiction of characters felt made up and repeated. There was nothing I liked about this heroine who sounded too old fashioed. In fact I expected better writing from Diana Palmer.
May 12, 2021
This was such a great train wreck, deliciously angsty and emotional, the hero was horrible and unpleasant for no good reason, the heroine was sweet and loving when she wasn’t lying (which was almost all the time). Couldn’t put it down, so 4.5 just deducted a bit because of heroine’s constant lying.
June 18, 2018
4.5 stars
This was a good old classic Diana Palmer story that reminded me of some of my favorite books of hers that I absolutely. This book felt like a fresh combination of some of the elements from her older book, and it was absolutely wonderful. This story’s main focus was on the developing relationship of Emma and Conner without a suspenseful side plot that just overtook the entire story. This was focus was completely on the romance, and I loved that. Even though this story had the classic vibe of some old Diana Palmer, it felt like it updated too with the sign of the time. For example, they talk about social media and stuff like that, which really brought it to the modern age, which was really good.
What was interesting about this book was this was inspired by one of Diana Palmer’s classic story that I don’t remember or haven’t read before I am not sure which, but regardless that made me a little wary going into the story, but I found myself presently surprised with how much I loved this story, and even if it was based on one of her previous books it still worked for me. It even made me wonder about the original and how it compared with this one. I have a feeling that this was longer because I felt there was a lot of development and layers that went into book. And the length was really good with the nice pacing that it had behind it. I loved the progression of the relationship.
Diana Palmer stories are known for lots of angst, misunderstanding, and emotional pain along the way, and this one had that in leaps in bounds. It was so delicious and really packed an emotional punch. For instance, Connor was truly a grumpy alpha male, who vowed never to trust females after his experience with them and then he treated Emma accordingly. And boy was he harsh. He knew to hurt her on so many levels, but then as all of Diana’s heroes began to soften towards the heroine until the misunderstandings came into play then attack and separation. Typical formula, but man I love it. It just really hit my sweet spot in the Diana Palmer realm. The feels were there as was the angst, and again it was very much an emotional kind of punch. I loved going on this roller coaster ride with Emma and Connor. It just really got me.
Another layer that was added to this story was the fact that Connor ended up blind due to Emma accidentally hitting him with her boat while he was on a jet ski. It was an interesting take because she was able to keep things hidden from him plus he couldn’t see her. He had to rely on his other senses to lead the way, and Emma helped him to do so. She helped him through a lot partly due to her guilt for causing the accident but also because she cared about him and have feeling for him. It was just very interesting to see that element come into play and how that impacted their relationship. In fact due his blindness they got closer and developed a more intimate relationship that just carried throughout the story, and that was really good.
I also liked the chemistry that they had between them. It started off as a slow simmer before becoming a scorching heat. They had all that heat and friction between them since they first met. They had that attraction going for them and it wasn’t just physical. There was always something more between them than met the eye, and that just became more intense as they got closer both physically and emotionally. They had some steamy kissing scenes as well as steamy love scenes throughout the book, and that was really good. They just worked for me on every level as a couple.
The misunderstandings between the two of them were huge and his reaction to the misunderstandings were huge. In fact they had major consequences to them. This was beyond anything that I could have imagined that Connor would have done. Yes, he said some harsh words and treated her coldly throughout, but what he did to her was beyond harsh. Oh my goodness, it was hard to see him ever coming back from that because it was that huge. He did, though I wish he did a tad more groveling along the way, but after he realized his mistake he truly showed his heart on his sleeve. I just wasn’t expecting him to do that even out of revenge. It was doozy, but made the story all the more interesting and kept me on my toes, making me wonder how they would ever come back from this. This wasn’t an easy thing to get over.
One thing I wasn’t fond of and prevented me from giving this a five stars was the fact that Emma was basically lying to Connor for most of the time. She was able to hide her identity due in part to his blindness, but she chose to keep facts hidden like she was the one to cause the accident. It just would have saved her so much pain if she came clean right away with him. I understand that she was scared to tell him the truth, but at the same time she was deliberate skirting around the truth so that he wouldn’t find out. I just didn’t like that part of the story. I just wish she told him early on.
Also I really loved the mention of old character from Diana Palmer’s other books. It brought a smile to my face and made me relive their stories quickly in my head while reading it. With this one Tippy and Cash were not only mentioned by were provide with a cameo in the story, and that was great too. I was expecting that they would come into play at all, but they did a little bit especially in Emma’s life. They also mentioned Dane Lassiter too, which was very interesting, and there was also an appearance by Cort Grier, who we only saw briefly in the LTT series, so that was interesting and made me wonder if he might come to have his own book one day. It’s possible. But I loved seeing some of the gang form LTT.
Overall this was the Diana Palmer that I love and adore with her very familiar themes that provide major feels, lots of angst, drama, and totally intensity. I love these type of stories where the romance was the focus of the story not the good guys chasing the bad guy and the relationship came in secondary. That’s not what I want from a Diana Palmer book. I want her emotional and angst reads that she is known for and this one focusing on Connor and Emma was exactly that. These are the types of stories that I want her to focus on, instead the other type, or have a balance between the romance and the suspense but not have the suspense overtake everything. This was just the type book that I expect and want from her, and I need more books like this in the future from her. It had everything I wanted in it. I wasn’t sure I was going to like this book as much as I did especially after hearing that this book was based off of inspiration from her pervious book, but it totally worked and I absolutely adored it. It was so amazing. Connor was a piece of work and I wish Emma was more open in the beginning, but that was what made it an interesting romance between the two fo them. It just took me back to those days when I fell in love with Diana Palmer stories, and this one had a particular meaty portion of the book. There was a lot to it, and it went into more depth than I was expecting , which just made it even juicer. I loved this one, and this one will defiantly be a reread over and over again in the future.
Highly recommend for Diana Palmer lovers of her older type stories, and also anyone who loves really intense and angsty reads.
This was a good old classic Diana Palmer story that reminded me of some of my favorite books of hers that I absolutely. This book felt like a fresh combination of some of the elements from her older book, and it was absolutely wonderful. This story’s main focus was on the developing relationship of Emma and Conner without a suspenseful side plot that just overtook the entire story. This was focus was completely on the romance, and I loved that. Even though this story had the classic vibe of some old Diana Palmer, it felt like it updated too with the sign of the time. For example, they talk about social media and stuff like that, which really brought it to the modern age, which was really good.
What was interesting about this book was this was inspired by one of Diana Palmer’s classic story that I don’t remember or haven’t read before I am not sure which, but regardless that made me a little wary going into the story, but I found myself presently surprised with how much I loved this story, and even if it was based on one of her previous books it still worked for me. It even made me wonder about the original and how it compared with this one. I have a feeling that this was longer because I felt there was a lot of development and layers that went into book. And the length was really good with the nice pacing that it had behind it. I loved the progression of the relationship.
Diana Palmer stories are known for lots of angst, misunderstanding, and emotional pain along the way, and this one had that in leaps in bounds. It was so delicious and really packed an emotional punch. For instance, Connor was truly a grumpy alpha male, who vowed never to trust females after his experience with them and then he treated Emma accordingly. And boy was he harsh. He knew to hurt her on so many levels, but then as all of Diana’s heroes began to soften towards the heroine until the misunderstandings came into play then attack and separation. Typical formula, but man I love it. It just really hit my sweet spot in the Diana Palmer realm. The feels were there as was the angst, and again it was very much an emotional kind of punch. I loved going on this roller coaster ride with Emma and Connor. It just really got me.
Another layer that was added to this story was the fact that Connor ended up blind due to Emma accidentally hitting him with her boat while he was on a jet ski. It was an interesting take because she was able to keep things hidden from him plus he couldn’t see her. He had to rely on his other senses to lead the way, and Emma helped him to do so. She helped him through a lot partly due to her guilt for causing the accident but also because she cared about him and have feeling for him. It was just very interesting to see that element come into play and how that impacted their relationship. In fact due his blindness they got closer and developed a more intimate relationship that just carried throughout the story, and that was really good.
I also liked the chemistry that they had between them. It started off as a slow simmer before becoming a scorching heat. They had all that heat and friction between them since they first met. They had that attraction going for them and it wasn’t just physical. There was always something more between them than met the eye, and that just became more intense as they got closer both physically and emotionally. They had some steamy kissing scenes as well as steamy love scenes throughout the book, and that was really good. They just worked for me on every level as a couple.
The misunderstandings between the two of them were huge and his reaction to the misunderstandings were huge. In fact they had major consequences to them. This was beyond anything that I could have imagined that Connor would have done. Yes, he said some harsh words and treated her coldly throughout, but what he did to her was beyond harsh. Oh my goodness, it was hard to see him ever coming back from that because it was that huge. He did, though I wish he did a tad more groveling along the way, but after he realized his mistake he truly showed his heart on his sleeve. I just wasn’t expecting him to do that even out of revenge. It was doozy, but made the story all the more interesting and kept me on my toes, making me wonder how they would ever come back from this. This wasn’t an easy thing to get over.
One thing I wasn’t fond of and prevented me from giving this a five stars was the fact that Emma was basically lying to Connor for most of the time. She was able to hide her identity due in part to his blindness, but she chose to keep facts hidden like she was the one to cause the accident. It just would have saved her so much pain if she came clean right away with him. I understand that she was scared to tell him the truth, but at the same time she was deliberate skirting around the truth so that he wouldn’t find out. I just didn’t like that part of the story. I just wish she told him early on.
Also I really loved the mention of old character from Diana Palmer’s other books. It brought a smile to my face and made me relive their stories quickly in my head while reading it. With this one Tippy and Cash were not only mentioned by were provide with a cameo in the story, and that was great too. I was expecting that they would come into play at all, but they did a little bit especially in Emma’s life. They also mentioned Dane Lassiter too, which was very interesting, and there was also an appearance by Cort Grier, who we only saw briefly in the LTT series, so that was interesting and made me wonder if he might come to have his own book one day. It’s possible. But I loved seeing some of the gang form LTT.
Overall this was the Diana Palmer that I love and adore with her very familiar themes that provide major feels, lots of angst, drama, and totally intensity. I love these type of stories where the romance was the focus of the story not the good guys chasing the bad guy and the relationship came in secondary. That’s not what I want from a Diana Palmer book. I want her emotional and angst reads that she is known for and this one focusing on Connor and Emma was exactly that. These are the types of stories that I want her to focus on, instead the other type, or have a balance between the romance and the suspense but not have the suspense overtake everything. This was just the type book that I expect and want from her, and I need more books like this in the future from her. It had everything I wanted in it. I wasn’t sure I was going to like this book as much as I did especially after hearing that this book was based off of inspiration from her pervious book, but it totally worked and I absolutely adored it. It was so amazing. Connor was a piece of work and I wish Emma was more open in the beginning, but that was what made it an interesting romance between the two fo them. It just took me back to those days when I fell in love with Diana Palmer stories, and this one had a particular meaty portion of the book. There was a lot to it, and it went into more depth than I was expecting , which just made it even juicer. I loved this one, and this one will defiantly be a reread over and over again in the future.
Highly recommend for Diana Palmer lovers of her older type stories, and also anyone who loves really intense and angsty reads.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 4, 2017
This book had me in tears.
Kate is just an amazing person. She is all about not taking anything for granted. Always looking forward and taking the bad with the good and not dwelling on it. She has always lived within her means, even when money was tight, and never seen it as a bad thing. She is your wonderful 20 something year old small town girl.
Garrett is the complete opposite from her. He is a multimillionaire and he is mean as a rattle snake. He is all about getting revenge, and living the fast life. Woman and parties come and go. He’s very cynical. He cannot let anything go so crossing him in any way is unforgivable. He can’t move past the bad things in life.
Kate makes everything better for him. She helps him see past the bad and gives him hope for the future; a future with her. Of course as stubborn as he is he cannot see that she is what he wants yet.
I really liked Undaunted. I wanted to love it but I have to say that my hate for Garrett made that impossible. Don’t get me wrong it is a great book! I loved the setting, the characters were well thought out and interesting. And Kate, my goodness, she has to be the sweetest, most forgiving woman in the entire world. I could not have overcome what she dose to be with him.
I would recommend this book to Diana Palmer fans.
*I received an Ebook copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Kate is just an amazing person. She is all about not taking anything for granted. Always looking forward and taking the bad with the good and not dwelling on it. She has always lived within her means, even when money was tight, and never seen it as a bad thing. She is your wonderful 20 something year old small town girl.
Garrett is the complete opposite from her. He is a multimillionaire and he is mean as a rattle snake. He is all about getting revenge, and living the fast life. Woman and parties come and go. He’s very cynical. He cannot let anything go so crossing him in any way is unforgivable. He can’t move past the bad things in life.
Kate makes everything better for him. She helps him see past the bad and gives him hope for the future; a future with her. Of course as stubborn as he is he cannot see that she is what he wants yet.
I really liked Undaunted. I wanted to love it but I have to say that my hate for Garrett made that impossible. Don’t get me wrong it is a great book! I loved the setting, the characters were well thought out and interesting. And Kate, my goodness, she has to be the sweetest, most forgiving woman in the entire world. I could not have overcome what she dose to be with him.
I would recommend this book to Diana Palmer fans.
*I received an Ebook copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 18, 2017
Rating 4 stars
Does it have a jerk hero? Check!
Does it have a virginal heroine? Check!
Does the hero hurt the heroine in unimaginable way? Check, check!
Does the hero grovel? Hmm.. not enough in my opinion.
I love Diana Palmer, but as always there were inaccuracies in the timeline. The elephant in the room being Matt Davis, the hero from Savage Heart. Savage Heart takes place in the early 1900s and Undaunted had taken place in 2017, that would make Matt David about 100 years old.
I understand that this is a reworked version of Bound by a Promise (published 1979), so Matt Davis would definitely have been a loved then, however he didn't appear in Bound by a Promise (as far as I know).
Other than that, I think that Undaunted is worth a read, even if you have read Bound by a Promise!
Does it have a jerk hero? Check!
Does it have a virginal heroine? Check!
Does the hero hurt the heroine in unimaginable way? Check, check!
Does the hero grovel? Hmm.. not enough in my opinion.
I love Diana Palmer, but as always there were inaccuracies in the timeline. The elephant in the room being Matt Davis, the hero from Savage Heart. Savage Heart takes place in the early 1900s and Undaunted had taken place in 2017, that would make Matt David about 100 years old.
I understand that this is a reworked version of Bound by a Promise (published 1979), so Matt Davis would definitely have been a loved then, however he didn't appear in Bound by a Promise (as far as I know).
Other than that, I think that Undaunted is worth a read, even if you have read Bound by a Promise!
November 2, 2018
Diana Palmer started my love for reading many years ago, but over the years my reading tastes have changed somewhat, and unfortunately I find myself wanting to slap her hero's more than I'm wanting to love them. Conner was definitely one of those where you just want to slap him repeatedly.
Then why three stars you ask?
Simply because Diana Palmer has a way of making you feel every emotion that the character is feeling.
Despite me not really caring for this story, I will definitely be checking out her next one. Hopefully it's a little better than this.
3 big stars!
Then why three stars you ask?
Simply because Diana Palmer has a way of making you feel every emotion that the character is feeling.
Despite me not really caring for this story, I will definitely be checking out her next one. Hopefully it's a little better than this.
3 big stars!
June 28, 2017
Rollercoaster of emotions
Once again Ms. Palmer has managed to make me feel many different emotions in one book. From sadness, fear, anger, and love...rinse and repeat.
So many characters to love. One to hate. How many times did I want to take Tippy's skillet to Connors head? Probably too many to count.
Another masterpiece by Ms. Palmer. One I will, no doubt, reread over and over again.
I loved Emma from the get go. Same with Barnes and Marie, and Allistar once he was introduced. Connor it took a bit longer but he is a man who was delusional in his thinking but straightened himself out. Love him as well now.
Ms. Palmer NEVER disappoints. She knows what we like and gives it to us in spades!
Do yourself a huge favor and buy this book. Have kleenex and Tippy's skillet on hand at all times.
Oh the feels! 😍
Once again Ms. Palmer has managed to make me feel many different emotions in one book. From sadness, fear, anger, and love...rinse and repeat.
So many characters to love. One to hate. How many times did I want to take Tippy's skillet to Connors head? Probably too many to count.
Another masterpiece by Ms. Palmer. One I will, no doubt, reread over and over again.
I loved Emma from the get go. Same with Barnes and Marie, and Allistar once he was introduced. Connor it took a bit longer but he is a man who was delusional in his thinking but straightened himself out. Love him as well now.
Ms. Palmer NEVER disappoints. She knows what we like and gives it to us in spades!
Do yourself a huge favor and buy this book. Have kleenex and Tippy's skillet on hand at all times.
Oh the feels! 😍
April 13, 2018
A tough millionaire falls for a very gentle woman who wants nothing from
him. She hurts him and he wants revenge. This is an easy and enjoyable
read with a fast pace. Two people must learn to deal with romance and
find the best in each other. It is a well written romance and depicts love as it
should be.
him. She hurts him and he wants revenge. This is an easy and enjoyable
read with a fast pace. Two people must learn to deal with romance and
find the best in each other. It is a well written romance and depicts love as it
should be.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 167 reviews