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تستعد كيت لاستقبال مديرها الجديد... لكن صدمة كبيرة في انتظارها! فالمدير الساحر ليس غريباً، لا بل هو مقرّب جداً منها... إنه زوجها السابق!
كان سين هورد رجل الأعمال الثري قد نسي زوجته، ولكن نظرة واحدة كانت كفيلة بإشعال النار تحت الرماد... ما زالت كيت تجذبه بقوة، وهمسة واحدة منه جعلتها هي بدورها تدرك أن قلبها ما زال ينبض بشدة كلما نظرت في عينيه.
وما هي إلا أيام قليلة حتى واجهت كيت قراراً صعباً! فهل ترضى بالعودة إلى الوراء أم تقبل بأن تكون عشيقة زوجها!
كان سين هورد رجل الأعمال الثري قد نسي زوجته، ولكن نظرة واحدة كانت كفيلة بإشعال النار تحت الرماد... ما زالت كيت تجذبه بقوة، وهمسة واحدة منه جعلتها هي بدورها تدرك أن قلبها ما زال ينبض بشدة كلما نظرت في عينيه.
وما هي إلا أيام قليلة حتى واجهت كيت قراراً صعباً! فهل ترضى بالعودة إلى الوراء أم تقبل بأن تكون عشيقة زوجها!
160 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2004
64 people are currently reading
570 people want to read
About the author
Penny Jordan
1,127 books668 followersPenelope Jones Halsall
aka Caroline Courtney, Annie Groves, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".
She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialized bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her younger sister Prue, who was always the heroine. At eleven, she fell in love with Mills & Boon, and with their heroes. In those days the books could only be obtained via private lending libraries, and she quickly became a devoted fan; she was thrilled to bits when the books went on full sale in shops and she could have them for keeps.
Penny left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography. She first discovered Mills & Boon books, via a girl she worked with. She married Steve Halsall, an accountant and a "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, and suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity. Her husband bought her the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first novels, at a time when he could ill afford it. He died at the beginning of 21st century.
She earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, Penny found an agent who was looking for a new Georgette Heyer. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her nom de plume to Melinda Wright for three air-hostess romps and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her more historical romance novels, she adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70 of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
Penny Halsall lived in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, with her Alsatian Sheba and cat Posh. She worked from home, in her kitchen, surrounded by her pets, and welcomed interruptions from her friends and family.
aka Caroline Courtney, Annie Groves, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".
She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialized bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her younger sister Prue, who was always the heroine. At eleven, she fell in love with Mills & Boon, and with their heroes. In those days the books could only be obtained via private lending libraries, and she quickly became a devoted fan; she was thrilled to bits when the books went on full sale in shops and she could have them for keeps.
Penny left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography. She first discovered Mills & Boon books, via a girl she worked with. She married Steve Halsall, an accountant and a "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, and suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity. Her husband bought her the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first novels, at a time when he could ill afford it. He died at the beginning of 21st century.
She earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, Penny found an agent who was looking for a new Georgette Heyer. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her nom de plume to Melinda Wright for three air-hostess romps and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her more historical romance novels, she adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70 of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
Penny Halsall lived in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, with her Alsatian Sheba and cat Posh. She worked from home, in her kitchen, surrounded by her pets, and welcomed interruptions from her friends and family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
August 27, 2013
Kate and Sean are married and blissfully in love. Kate is heartbroken when Sean asks her for a divorce because he has an affair with another woman. In reality there is no other woman. Sean just found out he is infertile and can't give her the children she so desperately wants so he sets her free to find another man and make her dream of motherhood come true.
Five years later Kate arrives at her office and is shocked when she finds out that her new boss is her ex-husband and the father of her baby boy. Sean is furious when he discovers that Kate has a son but no husband to support her financially or emotionally. He is determined to protect Oliver and Kate and be there for them in every way.
Hero is a wonderful, sensitive and vulnerable man! He thinks Oliver is another man's child but still he loves him and accepts him with all his heart. He even risks his life for him. He also wants to adopt him legally. I shed a few tears when Sean asks Oliver "Will u let me be your daddy?" And then Oliver asks if he can call him daddy and our macho alpha hero actually cries. Aww!!!
Heroine was a classy, mature amazing woman and a great mother. She never stopped loving Sean but her heart is bleeding because of his supposed betrayal. Can she trust him again now that she has her son to think of as well?
Five year old Oliver is also adorable. His scenes with Sean are cute and emotional and their bonding times super sweet. I laughed when he said to Kate: "Mummy I'm really glad that Sean is going to marry us" awww
Super emotional, super passionate read with a dreamy, kind and honorable hero who knows how to grovel! I miss PJ so much. She was a lovely author!
Five years later Kate arrives at her office and is shocked when she finds out that her new boss is her ex-husband and the father of her baby boy. Sean is furious when he discovers that Kate has a son but no husband to support her financially or emotionally. He is determined to protect Oliver and Kate and be there for them in every way.
Hero is a wonderful, sensitive and vulnerable man! He thinks Oliver is another man's child but still he loves him and accepts him with all his heart. He even risks his life for him. He also wants to adopt him legally. I shed a few tears when Sean asks Oliver "Will u let me be your daddy?" And then Oliver asks if he can call him daddy and our macho alpha hero actually cries. Aww!!!
Heroine was a classy, mature amazing woman and a great mother. She never stopped loving Sean but her heart is bleeding because of his supposed betrayal. Can she trust him again now that she has her son to think of as well?
Five year old Oliver is also adorable. His scenes with Sean are cute and emotional and their bonding times super sweet. I laughed when he said to Kate: "Mummy I'm really glad that Sean is going to marry us" awww
Super emotional, super passionate read with a dreamy, kind and honorable hero who knows how to grovel! I miss PJ so much. She was a lovely author!
March 19, 2017
Title is very deceptive. Yes, the H/h meet again in the office after a five-year separation but she doesn’t become his mistress or even work with him. In fact, she comes down with the flu and the hero takes time off of work to sponge her down.
Yes, PJ is still sponging her way to an HEA.
H/h broke up after two years of marriage. H was on the cusp of making it big, had just bought a huge country house and then one day came home and told the h he was divorcing her because he was tired of being married. When questioned, he didn’t deny there was another woman.
Heroine was devastated, wouldn’t take the two million pound payout, and only after she refused his money did she find she was pregnant.
It’s been five years of single motherhood and going to school at night and now she has to give up a lucrative position because her ex bought the company. When the H receives her resignation letter, he looks into her work file and finds her address. Even though his secret son looks just like him, he refuses to believe the child is his.
The heroine thinks it’s because he doesn’t want children but the real reason is . . .
Can you guess? I could but the heroine still didn’t understand for one hundred pages of his denial until he spelled it out for her
The H/h still love each other – there’s been no one for either of them – we find all that out during the sponging. The H comes to love the little boy and proposes marriage. The heroine agrees because her son needs to know his father. She keeps resisting full blown sex, but she has lots of orgasms.
Eventually the hero is hit by a car saving the little boy. It’s a good time to get a DNA sample. The doctor tells her they can’t do it without patient permission, but there are sites on the web . . .
It’s the hero’s birthday he wants the heroine to sign adoption papers so they can be a family. The heroine shows him the DNA results. The hero gives an impassioned speech about he loves the boy whether they shared the same DNA. And he confesses he was eaten with jealousy thinking the h had another man.
The h is pregnant again because her powerful orgasms make the most of the thin stream of sperm. (Really – PJ thinks that you can orgasm/love your way out of infertility) Epilogue with twins, puppy and HEA.
Besides the dubious infertility philosophy, this was a nice story. The H was a good guy, a little too touchy about the ammo he was packing, but we wouldn’t have had a story if he communicated. Heroine is a little dim about picking up on what the H’s problem was, but she was sweet and kept her angst levels to the minimum.
Yes, PJ is still sponging her way to an HEA.
H/h broke up after two years of marriage. H was on the cusp of making it big, had just bought a huge country house and then one day came home and told the h he was divorcing her because he was tired of being married. When questioned, he didn’t deny there was another woman.
Heroine was devastated, wouldn’t take the two million pound payout, and only after she refused his money did she find she was pregnant.
It’s been five years of single motherhood and going to school at night and now she has to give up a lucrative position because her ex bought the company. When the H receives her resignation letter, he looks into her work file and finds her address. Even though his secret son looks just like him, he refuses to believe the child is his.
The heroine thinks it’s because he doesn’t want children but the real reason is . . .
Can you guess? I could but the heroine still didn’t understand for one hundred pages of his denial until he spelled it out for her
The H/h still love each other – there’s been no one for either of them – we find all that out during the sponging. The H comes to love the little boy and proposes marriage. The heroine agrees because her son needs to know his father. She keeps resisting full blown sex, but she has lots of orgasms.
Eventually the hero is hit by a car saving the little boy. It’s a good time to get a DNA sample. The doctor tells her they can’t do it without patient permission, but there are sites on the web . . .
It’s the hero’s birthday he wants the heroine to sign adoption papers so they can be a family. The heroine shows him the DNA results. The hero gives an impassioned speech about he loves the boy whether they shared the same DNA. And he confesses he was eaten with jealousy thinking the h had another man.
The h is pregnant again because her powerful orgasms make the most of the thin stream of sperm. (Really – PJ thinks that you can orgasm/love your way out of infertility) Epilogue with twins, puppy and HEA.
Besides the dubious infertility philosophy, this was a nice story. The H was a good guy, a little too touchy about the ammo he was packing, but we wouldn’t have had a story if he communicated. Heroine is a little dim about picking up on what the H’s problem was, but she was sweet and kept her angst levels to the minimum.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2017
Penny J has a magic touch with her intros, always an amazing hook in the beginning that never fails to drag me in. She also does an excellent finish in this one and the sweetest epilogue but it drags in the middle with a pig-headed H and pointless sexual drama.
Oh, dear. I complain when there’s too little sex and I complain when there’s pointless sex. There’s just no pleasing me these days. I’m turning into a cranky fuss-pot.
H is the epitome of the macho man, working in labour and construction, rough around the edges and irresistible to our sweet h. They both fall madly in love. She inspires him to work better not harder and he starts attending business school, becomes successful and they get married. After the wedding, during a medical procedure, H finds out he is impotent.
No, of course, he’s not. But seriously, his reaction to finding out that he can’t make babies is so exaggerated that I was amazed he did not just turn impotent. I wonder if Penny J could have pulled off an impotent Hero.
H takes the news of infertility as failure at being a real man. In true macho style, instead of communicating this “shameful” fact to his lovely wife who speaks about nothing but having a loving home full of babies, he decides to lie about having another woman and that he doesn’t want to be tied down with kids. All this just to get her to leave so she can have happiness with another man. Alpha male logic at its finest.
His plan works. She leaves in shocked grief, decides not to tell him of her pregnancy and files for divorce while not taking a single penny from him. She struggles with single motherhood, does night school to get a master’s degree and doesn’t tell a single soul at work that she has a child knowing this could lead to bias when it comes to promotion. Hats off to Penny J for highlighting the crux of a problem faced by single mums till today.
They meet again and the angst begins. Though this was his intention, he hates that she “moved on” and has produced concrete evidence of it. He can’t help feeling bitter but admirably, shows no resentment to the boy and instead forms a strong bond with him. He can’t help but love them both to the point of offering her marriage so they have financial stability and a proper father figure in their family unit.
On her part, she makes no pretence on the truth of the paternity and is full of bitter anger at his constant denial of this possibility. But of course, not to the point of denying herself orgasms.
PJ tries to carries the book solely on their angst, sexual passion and how they attempt to function as a family. But this isn’t vintage; the persistence in not believing his real paternal identity gets old in a modern romance.
But Penny J can’t do much wrong in my eyes so it's still a good read for me
Oh, dear. I complain when there’s too little sex and I complain when there’s pointless sex. There’s just no pleasing me these days. I’m turning into a cranky fuss-pot.
H is the epitome of the macho man, working in labour and construction, rough around the edges and irresistible to our sweet h. They both fall madly in love. She inspires him to work better not harder and he starts attending business school, becomes successful and they get married. After the wedding, during a medical procedure, H finds out he is impotent.
No, of course, he’s not. But seriously, his reaction to finding out that he can’t make babies is so exaggerated that I was amazed he did not just turn impotent. I wonder if Penny J could have pulled off an impotent Hero.
H takes the news of infertility as failure at being a real man. In true macho style, instead of communicating this “shameful” fact to his lovely wife who speaks about nothing but having a loving home full of babies, he decides to lie about having another woman and that he doesn’t want to be tied down with kids. All this just to get her to leave so she can have happiness with another man. Alpha male logic at its finest.
His plan works. She leaves in shocked grief, decides not to tell him of her pregnancy and files for divorce while not taking a single penny from him. She struggles with single motherhood, does night school to get a master’s degree and doesn’t tell a single soul at work that she has a child knowing this could lead to bias when it comes to promotion. Hats off to Penny J for highlighting the crux of a problem faced by single mums till today.
They meet again and the angst begins. Though this was his intention, he hates that she “moved on” and has produced concrete evidence of it. He can’t help feeling bitter but admirably, shows no resentment to the boy and instead forms a strong bond with him. He can’t help but love them both to the point of offering her marriage so they have financial stability and a proper father figure in their family unit.
On her part, she makes no pretence on the truth of the paternity and is full of bitter anger at his constant denial of this possibility. But of course, not to the point of denying herself orgasms.
PJ tries to carries the book solely on their angst, sexual passion and how they attempt to function as a family. But this isn’t vintage; the persistence in not believing his real paternal identity gets old in a modern romance.
But Penny J can’t do much wrong in my eyes so it's still a good read for me
July 27, 2020
Ring . . . ring . . . ring. . . . What's this, you ask? The sound of Penny Jordan phoning it in, of course. That's because the book contained more sex than plot and character development combined. Kate and Sean even indulged when she had the flu. LOL I don't know about anyone else, but when I'm sick I neither feel sexy nor have the energy to move.
I also had a problem with Sean who denied paternity of his son like a doubting-Thomas in training. If he didn't believe Kate, why didn't he just demand a DNA test as soon as it became apparent one was needed?
Sean didn't grovel as much as I thought he should have after everything he put Kate through. Sure, his initial intentions for divorcing Kate had been good—selfless really—and he did suffer emotionally. However, these weren't enough to make me forget Sean's unsatisfying redemption.
The positives in all of this were the mild angst and longing from both Sean and Kate. I also admired Kate for her fierce motherly instincts and her son Oliver for his adorable ways.
I also had a problem with Sean who denied paternity of his son like a doubting-Thomas in training. If he didn't believe Kate, why didn't he just demand a DNA test as soon as it became apparent one was needed?
Sean didn't grovel as much as I thought he should have after everything he put Kate through. Sure, his initial intentions for divorcing Kate had been good—selfless really—and he did suffer emotionally. However, these weren't enough to make me forget Sean's unsatisfying redemption.
The positives in all of this were the mild angst and longing from both Sean and Kate. I also admired Kate for her fierce motherly instincts and her son Oliver for his adorable ways.
February 14, 2019
"Mistress to her Husband" is the story of Kate and Sean.
Uh..
Title of the book: misnomer
Hero: Sean our beta, pussy-footing, self pitier who is also loving, caring and celibate despite the divorce
Heroine: Kate, our independent loving mother who could not speak loud or convincingly enough for the hero to believe her
Child: Oliver, an absolutely adorable cutie pie
Reason for separation: "Infertility"
Content of separation: H sad. h sad. Baby confused.
Reconciliation: Filled with sparks, denial and sweet interactions between baby and daddy
Honestly, if the hero did not spend the whole book denying the "truth", there wouldn't be a story at all LOL. However, I ADORED the interactions between the h, H and the child; how they loved and remained loyal; how the H was ready to "accept" Ollie; and the epilogue. There was way too much drama, and too little angst in this one. Predictable storyline, but still a good read.
Safe
3/5
Uh..
Title of the book: misnomer
Hero: Sean our beta, pussy-footing, self pitier who is also loving, caring and celibate despite the divorce
Heroine: Kate, our independent loving mother who could not speak loud or convincingly enough for the hero to believe her
Child: Oliver, an absolutely adorable cutie pie
Reason for separation: "Infertility"
Content of separation: H sad. h sad. Baby confused.
Reconciliation: Filled with sparks, denial and sweet interactions between baby and daddy
Honestly, if the hero did not spend the whole book denying the "truth", there wouldn't be a story at all LOL. However, I ADORED the interactions between the h, H and the child; how they loved and remained loyal; how the H was ready to "accept" Ollie; and the epilogue. There was way too much drama, and too little angst in this one. Predictable storyline, but still a good read.
Safe
3/5
February 11, 2012
Solidly written HP. Decent motivation for the secret baby. Reasonable motivation for the hero's decision to divorce the heroine. Reasonable in his mind but I think it's kind of silly on his part. My only real caveat is that the heroine married him at 18 and was married to him for 2 years and divorced for 5. He is 35 when the story starts and the author keeps talking about how he was such a young angry man when they met, poorly educated and rough around the edges. She came from a higher class background and helped polish him up and he has since become really wealthy. I'm thinking super wealthy in 5 years doing construction is not real realistic. I'm also thinking that 28 is not all that young to still be so young hungry and rough. He was written more as if he was 22 or 23 when they were married. Most guys by 28 are starting to get their sh*t together and don't really need an 18 year old to teach them how to go on.
October 14, 2013
This book by the late great Penny Jordan clearly illustrates just why she was such a fantastic and well-loved author for Harlequin Mills and Boon. This is a lovely story with all the emotional intensity, great characters and steamy action that other M&B authors might strive for, but seldom achieve. Her heroine, Kate/(Kathy in a former life) is perfect - likeable and utterly devastated and bewildered by why her husband (Sean - a red hot sexy Jordan hero if ever there was one, with the hard lines upon his face, black hair and flashing blue eyes) should suddenly demand a divorce when they have been seemingly very happy together in their wedded life.
The action commences with Kate now a single mother to 5 year old Ollie - the legacy from her marriage which hard-hearted Sean knows nothing about. As the story commences it transpires that an unknown wealthy individual has just bought out the company that Kate works for. No prizes for guessing the identity of said unknown wealthy individual. In fact, it transpires, Kate knows said unknown individual much better than most people do, i.e. in the biblical sense. Sean (who has always known Kate as the much younger and more naive Kathy) is back on the scene and it doesn't take him long to discover Ollie's existence (although he absolutely denies that it is possible for him to be the boy's father). From there, we go on a highly charged sexual adventure, including along the way, Kate catching the world's worst dose of Norovirus and nearly expiring and Sean getting run over by an articulated lorry, along with all the usual M&B misundertandings, before we get to the inevitable happy ending. After all those obstacles, it is reached by the reader with not a little relief and the sense that those characters really deserve that happy ending!
There are a few flaws - I don't know about anyone else but I know the last thing I felt like doing when I caught a dose of Norovirus was what Kate and Sean get up to, so there are a few issues regarding realism here - but, hey, this is a M&B after all! Plus, Sean's utter inability to believe Ollie is his son, and the reasons behind why he ended their very happy marriage in the first place, raise BIG questions about Sean's level of intelligence. Still, stupid he may be, but red hot sexy hero he definitely is, and that's good enough for me.
Read in 2 hours during the world's most depressing shift at work - this one really cheered me up and reminded me just why I'm such an enormous Jordan fan.
The action commences with Kate now a single mother to 5 year old Ollie - the legacy from her marriage which hard-hearted Sean knows nothing about. As the story commences it transpires that an unknown wealthy individual has just bought out the company that Kate works for. No prizes for guessing the identity of said unknown wealthy individual. In fact, it transpires, Kate knows said unknown individual much better than most people do, i.e. in the biblical sense. Sean (who has always known Kate as the much younger and more naive Kathy) is back on the scene and it doesn't take him long to discover Ollie's existence (although he absolutely denies that it is possible for him to be the boy's father). From there, we go on a highly charged sexual adventure, including along the way, Kate catching the world's worst dose of Norovirus and nearly expiring and Sean getting run over by an articulated lorry, along with all the usual M&B misundertandings, before we get to the inevitable happy ending. After all those obstacles, it is reached by the reader with not a little relief and the sense that those characters really deserve that happy ending!
There are a few flaws - I don't know about anyone else but I know the last thing I felt like doing when I caught a dose of Norovirus was what Kate and Sean get up to, so there are a few issues regarding realism here - but, hey, this is a M&B after all! Plus, Sean's utter inability to believe Ollie is his son, and the reasons behind why he ended their very happy marriage in the first place, raise BIG questions about Sean's level of intelligence. Still, stupid he may be, but red hot sexy hero he definitely is, and that's good enough for me.
Read in 2 hours during the world's most depressing shift at work - this one really cheered me up and reminded me just why I'm such an enormous Jordan fan.
March 6, 2014
One of the things I loved about Penny Jordan is that she could conceive of men who could remain faithful to the woman they love through all kinds of adversity, for years at a time. Her heroes in most cases are men who are not ruled by their libido. This is such a refreshing change and makes her heroes that extra bit special.
This is the story of Sean and Kate who married when Kate was quite young and Sean was still a bit rough around the edges, having worked his way up from being a builder's labourer to owning his own company.
Then suddenly, five years ago, he ended the married saying he didn't want children and when Kate pushed for a reason, suggesting an affair, he agreed. Broken hearted she made a new life for herself and the son Sean didn't know he had and she was certain he didn't want.
Of course it wasn't so simple and when he takes over the company she works for, he finds out about little Oliver. He knows the child can't be his because tests showed him unable to have children. But as time goes on he finds he loves the boy and still has feelings for Kate.
Kate is confused by his reaction to Oliver, the fact that he refuses to believe Ollie is his child and his accusations that she must have found someone immediately after the breakup. At the same time, Ollie is devoted to Sean and Sean...Sean is acting like a father despite his protestations.
There is a lot of hurt and misunderstanding between these two but also a lot of passion. Oliver is a nice addition without being too cutesy. Loved the ending and the way things worked out for them.
This is the story of Sean and Kate who married when Kate was quite young and Sean was still a bit rough around the edges, having worked his way up from being a builder's labourer to owning his own company.
Then suddenly, five years ago, he ended the married saying he didn't want children and when Kate pushed for a reason, suggesting an affair, he agreed. Broken hearted she made a new life for herself and the son Sean didn't know he had and she was certain he didn't want.
Of course it wasn't so simple and when he takes over the company she works for, he finds out about little Oliver. He knows the child can't be his because tests showed him unable to have children. But as time goes on he finds he loves the boy and still has feelings for Kate.
Kate is confused by his reaction to Oliver, the fact that he refuses to believe Ollie is his child and his accusations that she must have found someone immediately after the breakup. At the same time, Ollie is devoted to Sean and Sean...Sean is acting like a father despite his protestations.
There is a lot of hurt and misunderstanding between these two but also a lot of passion. Oliver is a nice addition without being too cutesy. Loved the ending and the way things worked out for them.
December 11, 2022
Kinda boring for a PJ. I’ve abandoned and picked up this book several times before calling it a day. The angst was forced and I couldn’t buy their separation story for a minute. Can someone really do that while they still have functioning brain cells. Was it really that big of a deal to call it quits if you’re unable to father children and send your wife that you adored so much packing. No effing way.
The only cute part was Ollie. Also what’s the fun in meeting an ex husband who’s now your new boss. Who’d want a second serving of the same pansy pants. I could say more vulgar words to describe him but you get my point. Pass.
The only cute part was Ollie. Also what’s the fun in meeting an ex husband who’s now your new boss. Who’d want a second serving of the same pansy pants. I could say more vulgar words to describe him but you get my point. Pass.
June 4, 2017
3.5 stars
January 2, 2015
Hahahaha! This story was just so strange! One major miscommunication, "Honey, I'm sterile." might have prevented this whole catastrophe. And these two have a major case of hormones...every time they get together they nearly have sex. And it doesn't matter how justifiably angry Kate should be (and believe me, she has every reason to be angry) Kate is ready to spread her legs and go to town. If my husband had acted like that, there'd be no way he'd get back in my bed! And Oliver should be shot - what an annoying little brat. Honestly, I think I bust out laughing
My favorite line in the whole story - "The last of the light highlighted the golden curls that signposted her sex." I love the imagery this provides - signposts and sex. Hee.
My favorite line in the whole story - "The last of the light highlighted the golden curls that signposted her sex." I love the imagery this provides - signposts and sex. Hee.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2017
Esta novelita sale fuera de lo común con el resto de historias hiper trilladas porque le dice al héroe que tuvieron un hijo, pero como él se hizo un exámen donde los pescaditos (...) le salían medio sin cola, entonces lo niega rotundamente.
El resto es estirar una trama por demás estúpida. Hasta que a la heroína se le ocurre dejar de andar desmayándose de dolor/enfermedad/amor y viene con el dichoso ADN. ¿Qué hace el idiota del prota? No lo acepta porque "no hacía falta". Pero, ¿sabes qué? Vete al infierno maldito perro.
El resto es estirar una trama por demás estúpida. Hasta que a la heroína se le ocurre dejar de andar desmayándose de dolor/enfermedad/amor y viene con el dichoso ADN. ¿Qué hace el idiota del prota? No lo acepta porque "no hacía falta". Pero, ¿sabes qué? Vete al infierno maldito perro.
February 20, 2021
Seriously? Both hero and heroine were simply TSTL too many times for me!
December 13, 2024
Well, there’s no mistress-ing in this, so that title is misleading. This was overall entertaining but not my favorite by this author. The angst felt empty, since we basically know none of it is true pretty early on.
June 19, 2016
1.5 stars. When I was younger Penny Jordan was a go-to author for a classic category romance, but this one was just stupid. It was one of a mystery box bought at a charity book sale so I didn't check out reviews before picking it up. Had I done so I probably wouldn't have read it.
The hero, Sean was a total dick and even at the end never really convinced me he was sorry. Kate was a doormat that lost her common sense whenever Sean touched her. *rolls eyes*. The wole plot and execution was poor. Maybe I am just remembering PJ's earlier mills and boon books too fondly, but I have to say this is most definitely not her best work
The hero, Sean was a total dick and even at the end never really convinced me he was sorry. Kate was a doormat that lost her common sense whenever Sean touched her. *rolls eyes*. The wole plot and execution was poor. Maybe I am just remembering PJ's earlier mills and boon books too fondly, but I have to say this is most definitely not her best work
May 17, 2021
Some passionate scenes. Several times in the book, the phone interrupts them. Anyway, in a few nano seconds she goes from ‘No! No way! Never!’ to begging him for sex. He must have magic hands and other magic bodyparts.
They had a relationship before, but he found out he couldn’t make baby’s. In a typical HP kind of logic, he thinks it’s better to lie than to just tell the truth. So he lies that he doesn’t love her and that he has another woman. And she leaves.
They meet again because he is her new employer. She has his child, but he doesn’t know that. She tells him the child is his, but he doesn’t believe her. A simple DNA test early on would have done the trick, but I guess that’s way too simple.
They had a relationship before, but he found out he couldn’t make baby’s. In a typical HP kind of logic, he thinks it’s better to lie than to just tell the truth. So he lies that he doesn’t love her and that he has another woman. And she leaves.
They meet again because he is her new employer. She has his child, but he doesn’t know that. She tells him the child is his, but he doesn’t believe her. A simple DNA test early on would have done the trick, but I guess that’s way too simple.
March 8, 2018
I had a bit of trouble with this, but couldn't pin it down until I read Sandra TheSnarkyOne's review here that clarified my issues with this. I thought the angst was high, but the reason the H broke up his marriage and destroyed his wife was totally infantile and unrealistic.
September 8, 2024
Angsty read with some of my favourite tropes, but much smut imo, so I skipped lots of it. Still, I loved the little boy and the bond the H formed with him from the get go. Very emotional.
April 8, 2012
Five years ago Sean suddenly told Kate he wanted a divorce. She found out later that she was pregnant but decided not to let him know. Now Kate has a new boss who turns out to be her ex-husband.
First of all, let me say that this is not the sleazy story the title implies. In fact, the title has absolutely nothing to do with the plot. At no point does Sean ask Kate to be his mistress. What actually happens, is that five years ago Sean discovered that he has a low sperm count and would be highly unlikely to father any children. He does the macho thing and decides all on his own that he has to set his wife free to have children with someone else. Instead of telling her the truth, he tells her that he has been sleeping with someone else and has no interest in having children with Kate; in fact, he only acted like he wanted to have a family with her to get in her pants. Obviously this is so much better than telling her the truth (rolls eyes). As for Kate, she keeps trying to tell herself how much she hates Sean for what he did to her, but keeps trying to jump his bones. Every time they get together they get it on. I couldn't help but wonder if they talked as much as they made out, they may have been able to sort out their marital problems long ago. I got so sick of all the make out sessions that I started skimming through them. The author seems to have gotten a little carried away with being able to use the word "erection" (instead of all those other euphemisms we have seen so much of through the years). I counted it 9 times; in other words there are at least 9 separate sex scenes (though very few of them end up with actual intercourse), which is a lot for a wee little book.
Am I giving the impression that I didn't like this book? Actually I found it all right, but the premise of the plot really annoyed me. Sean's whole self-sacrificing rubbish was so annoying. He loves Kate so much that he can't allow her to stay with him and never have children, even though he knows that he will never want anyone else. It doesn't occur to him that she might feel the same way about him? Then when he finds out that she has a son, he gets mad at her for "betraying" him by sleeping with another man after they were divorced. This, after he told her that he was cheating on her. To add insult to injury, he also tells her that the other woman was just a meaningless fling... so he divorced her and broke her heart over a meaningless fling? He gets brownie points from me for not having another woman over the past five years, but it doesn't make up for his high-handed decision to divorce her due to his low sperm count. Kate's lack of self-control around Sean was really annoying, too. We see this kind of thing a lot in category romances; the heroine is so overcome with passion that she forgets all common sense. It's supposedly a sign of love. I personally see it as a sign of lack of character development. Kate was especially annoying in this aspect because she has a five year old son to protect. I would expect her to be more careful of not letting her son form attachments or get his hopes up, but Kate is too busy jumping Sean's bones. All in all this was not one of Penny Jordan's better works.
First of all, let me say that this is not the sleazy story the title implies. In fact, the title has absolutely nothing to do with the plot. At no point does Sean ask Kate to be his mistress. What actually happens, is that five years ago Sean discovered that he has a low sperm count and would be highly unlikely to father any children. He does the macho thing and decides all on his own that he has to set his wife free to have children with someone else. Instead of telling her the truth, he tells her that he has been sleeping with someone else and has no interest in having children with Kate; in fact, he only acted like he wanted to have a family with her to get in her pants. Obviously this is so much better than telling her the truth (rolls eyes). As for Kate, she keeps trying to tell herself how much she hates Sean for what he did to her, but keeps trying to jump his bones. Every time they get together they get it on. I couldn't help but wonder if they talked as much as they made out, they may have been able to sort out their marital problems long ago. I got so sick of all the make out sessions that I started skimming through them. The author seems to have gotten a little carried away with being able to use the word "erection" (instead of all those other euphemisms we have seen so much of through the years). I counted it 9 times; in other words there are at least 9 separate sex scenes (though very few of them end up with actual intercourse), which is a lot for a wee little book.
Am I giving the impression that I didn't like this book? Actually I found it all right, but the premise of the plot really annoyed me. Sean's whole self-sacrificing rubbish was so annoying. He loves Kate so much that he can't allow her to stay with him and never have children, even though he knows that he will never want anyone else. It doesn't occur to him that she might feel the same way about him? Then when he finds out that she has a son, he gets mad at her for "betraying" him by sleeping with another man after they were divorced. This, after he told her that he was cheating on her. To add insult to injury, he also tells her that the other woman was just a meaningless fling... so he divorced her and broke her heart over a meaningless fling? He gets brownie points from me for not having another woman over the past five years, but it doesn't make up for his high-handed decision to divorce her due to his low sperm count. Kate's lack of self-control around Sean was really annoying, too. We see this kind of thing a lot in category romances; the heroine is so overcome with passion that she forgets all common sense. It's supposedly a sign of love. I personally see it as a sign of lack of character development. Kate was especially annoying in this aspect because she has a five year old son to protect. I would expect her to be more careful of not letting her son form attachments or get his hopes up, but Kate is too busy jumping Sean's bones. All in all this was not one of Penny Jordan's better works.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 14, 2019
4 Stars! ~ Five years ago, Kate's husband suddenly announced that their marriage was over, and never did he wish to be saddled with children. Because Kate had been blissfully in love, she forced Sean to admit that he had found someone else. Utterly betrayed, Kate left and refused the money he offered in the divorce settlement. Two months after their separation, Kate discovered she was pregnant, something she was determined Sean would never know. When Sean bought into a small company, he had no idea that Kate worked there. He was further surprised that she had a son but no husband; he'd been sure she'd have a large family by now. Seeing how Kate has to scrimp to support her child, Sean is outraged that the child's father had abandoned them. When he insists that Kate tell him who the father is, she tells him the truth, that he is. But Sean knows that's impossible; Kate must have jumped into another man's bed immediately after she left him. Yet something in Sean bonds with the boy, and he can't help wanting to take care of them both. Kate's never gotten over Sean and she's determined that he will never reject her son as he had rejected her.
Gosh, at the beginning of this book you really hate Sean. The cold way he had ended their marriage reads pure swine. As the story evolves, we see the hidden Sean and how deeply he's always loved his wife and the true reason he set her free. Kate's been in love with him since she was 18; she should hate him but she can't seem to get her heart to agree. Powerfully emotional and highly passionate. A very good read!
Gosh, at the beginning of this book you really hate Sean. The cold way he had ended their marriage reads pure swine. As the story evolves, we see the hidden Sean and how deeply he's always loved his wife and the true reason he set her free. Kate's been in love with him since she was 18; she should hate him but she can't seem to get her heart to agree. Powerfully emotional and highly passionate. A very good read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2021
H thinks he is not able to father children because of an accident he had when he was young, so, since his wife wants a family and children he decides to lie and tells her he doesn't love her and he has another woman. They divorce, the h is broken but after some weeks she discover she's pregnant. She decides not to tell him since he told her that he didn't want children and decides to raise the child without a father. Years later they meet again. He is still in love with her and is very hurt that she had a child with another man, still believing he is not able to have children and refuses to believe it when she tries to tell him he's the father. He begins to love the child as if it's his and decides he wants to remarry her and to adopt the child, because he wants them in his life, but still believes he's not his son. Anyway a DNA test will show that he is the father and in the meantime his wife is pregnant again.. So much for wrong dyagnosis! HEA. Its' a lovely story, because hero is not cruel and he's in love with heroine, all he did he did for love and for her happiness. He was also celibate during their 5 years separation! At last a celibate hero! It seems to me that those romance writers (all women by the way) think that real men need to have sex at least once a week, while women don't have this need at all and can stay celibate for decades without suffering. I find this a very chauvinist opinion and anyway things in real life are not like this.
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December 30, 2022Hypocritic hero. He was the one who asked for divorce and broke things off with the heroine because he thought he couldn't have children. Five years later, he accuses the heroine of leaving him and when the h rightly says that he was the one who wanted to separate, the hero says he doesn't want to discuss the past. Hmm but weren't you the one who brought this up first, genius?
Excerpt for reference-
Edit: The betraying-body-syndrome is strong for the heroine in this one. Even the hero couldn't but say-
‘Kate, for God’s sake, will you please stop looking at me like that?’ Sean warned her harshly.
I fully agree, Sean!
Excerpt for reference-
Edit: The betraying-body-syndrome is strong for the heroine in this one. Even the hero couldn't but say-
‘Kate, for God’s sake, will you please stop looking at me like that?’ Sean warned her harshly.
I fully agree, Sean!
November 11, 2015
this was a re-read for me from april 2014. i guess i found nothing memorable about it as i did not remember reading it. Sean obviously still cared very much about his ex-wife and i was torn about his decision years ago. he behaved callously and hurt Kate badly ! i still maintained dat this is a pale copy of Shattered Trust and not on the same level of angst at all. it was still a nice read though and worth a 3 star.
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February 11, 2016I loved this book even if the title and blurb were completely misleading. Lol! Kate doesn't become a mistress to her husband (ex husband really) but does end up sleeping with him and remarrying him because he wants to be a father to her little boy (even though he doesn't believe he is actually the boy's biological father since a medical diagnosis made him wrongly believe he couldn't father children, which was why he divorced Kate to begin with) and of course he still loves her but he's not about to admit that to her. Vintage awesome Penny Jordan melodrama! Awesome.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2018
Idiot hero alert! Hero finds out he can't give the heroine children, so rather than doing the adult thing and telling her the truth, he lies to her, breaking her heart, and making it impossible for her to go to him when she discovers that she's pregnant. They meet again years later. He assumes her child is not his, and insists that the heroine must have been sleeping around on him. If this book had been written in the early 1990's or earlier, I could understand his skepticism. But this book was published during the age of DNA testing, which can prove the paternity of a child, which the heroine points out to him. He still refuses to believe it. Then, of course, there's a giant accident where the hero realizes how much he loves the little boy and thinks of him as his own, but the heroine puts DNA testing in motion, to prove to him that he is indeed the hero's son. Of course, hero throws a fit about it, because he loved him whether or not the boy was his own, and that was all that mattered. Excuse me, but no. After the hero spent the entire book throwing it in the heroine's face that she supposedly cheated on him,she needed this as vindication of her innocence, because otherwise, he would have kept throwing it up in her face for the rest of their lives.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2022
2.5 stars. Haphazard writing with very abrupt scene changes. The H and the h were super mad and passionate about each other but the H divorced the h very abruptly one day after The good thing about this book that we see alternating h and H POVs throughout till the end.
I felt for the h's pain, the suffering of the 5 years she had to fend for herself, the masters degree she did part time just so she could get a better job to make ends meet. I don't think she should have forgiven the H that easily. The H was in anguish and we see him crying/with tears quite a few times but I wanted more. Then again, he does break his entire leg and has his face grated by a car against the asphalt so maybe I'll reconsider. Lots of foreplay but most of it in their minds or limited to kisses or fondling lol. Semi steamy I guess but PJ has done better haha. Super duper smooth HEA.
I felt for the h's pain, the suffering of the 5 years she had to fend for herself, the masters degree she did part time just so she could get a better job to make ends meet. I don't think she should have forgiven the H that easily. The H was in anguish and we see him crying/with tears quite a few times but I wanted more. Then again, he does break his entire leg and has his face grated by a car against the asphalt so maybe I'll reconsider. Lots of foreplay but most of it in their minds or limited to kisses or fondling lol. Semi steamy I guess but PJ has done better haha. Super duper smooth HEA.
July 9, 2022
Kate tidak menyangka mantan suaminya akan muncul kembali sebagai atasannya. Tidak ingin mengalami kembali luka di masa lalu, Kate mengajukan pengunduran dirinya. Namun Sean menolaknya, setidaknya sampai periode pengunduran diri selama sebulan berakhir. Sebenarnya Sean masih memendam perasaan untuk Kate. Dan dia tahu sepertinya Kate juga sama.
Kejutan lain adalah ketika Sean melihat Oliver, anak Kate. Sean percaya bahwa Kate memiliki anak dengan pria lain setelah bercerai dengannya. Tapi Kate mengatakan bahwa Oliver adalah anaknya. Hal yang tidak mungkin karena kondisi medis yang dialami Sean.
Cerita HQ ini benar-benar menguji kesabaran. Antara Sean dan Kate sendiri chemistry-nya masih ada. Kate bahkan hanya bisa pasrah dan melupakan logika kalau sudah bersentuhan dengan Sean. Harusnya sejak awal Kate melakukan pengujian DNA dan memberikan buktinya pada Sean.
Kejutan lain adalah ketika Sean melihat Oliver, anak Kate. Sean percaya bahwa Kate memiliki anak dengan pria lain setelah bercerai dengannya. Tapi Kate mengatakan bahwa Oliver adalah anaknya. Hal yang tidak mungkin karena kondisi medis yang dialami Sean.
Cerita HQ ini benar-benar menguji kesabaran. Antara Sean dan Kate sendiri chemistry-nya masih ada. Kate bahkan hanya bisa pasrah dan melupakan logika kalau sudah bersentuhan dengan Sean. Harusnya sejak awal Kate melakukan pengujian DNA dan memberikan buktinya pada Sean.
May 18, 2019
Well alright then. Our hero is just dumb. The heroine can tell him the truth til she is blue in the face but it doesn't matter. When he gets the truth he is upset about it...he is freaking impossibly stupid. Skip.
September 27, 2020
I ended up skimming this one. Penny Jordan's romances are either really good or really bad and this was in the second group. Way too much explicit sex and one of those plots that was overdone the very first time someone used it. Characters too busy feeling hurt or lust to bother to talk.
February 8, 2021
Misleading title. The h is not mistress to her husband at any point in the story. The MCs are divorced and meet again five years later. The H is now her boss and the h has been raising her son as a single mother. The H thinks the child is not his. For a secret baby story, this book lacked angst.
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