Elusive Harmony

Warrender Saga #10

by Mary Burchell

Lindley Harding was an opera singer nearing the end of his career; Laurence Morven was a new star – and rival – coming up over the horizon.

And Lindley’s daughter Natalie, who loved them both, found herself torn two ways as the bitterness grew between the two men. Was the situation going to ruin her life?

Praise for Mary Burchell

‘You’re in for a treat’ – Dream Author Book Blog

‘A unique story’ – Kirkus Reviews

‘…one of Mills and Boon’s most popular authors.’ – The Guardian

Mary Burchell was the pen name of Ida Cook (1904-1986). With her eldest sister Mary Louise Cook, she attended the Duchess' School in Alnwick. Together, the sisters helped 29 Jews to escape from the Nazis, funded mainly by Ida's writing. In 1965, the Cook sisters were honoured as Righteous Gentiles by the Yad Vashem Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Authority in Israel. Mary Burchell published more than 125 romance novels in total and helped found the Romantic Novelists’ Association, standing as its president from 1966 until her death.

Genres: Romance, Clean Romance, Music, Contemporary Romance

155 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 1976

About the author

Ida Cook was born on 1904 at 37 Croft Avenue, Sunderland, England. With her eldest sister Mary Louise Cook (1901), she attending the Duchess' School in Alnwick. Later the sisters took civil service jobs in London, and developed a passionate interest in opera. The sisters helped 29 jews to escape from the Nazis, funded mainly by Ida's writing. In 1965, the Cook sisters were honored as Righteous Gentiles by the Yad Vashem Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Authority in Israel.

As Mary Burchell, she published more than 125 romance novels by Mills & Boon since 1936. She also wrote some western novels as James Keene in collaboration with the author Will Cook (aka Frank Peace). In 1950, Ida Cook wrote her autobiography: "We followed our stars". She helped to found the Romantic Novelists' Association, and was its president from 1966 to her death on December 22, 1986.

Reviews

[StMargarets · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the tenth in the Warrender Saga and a story I remember quite well because it made me so uncomfortable to read at times. The heroine has been a companion/helper to her world-famous tenor father for a few years since her mother died. The hero is an up-and-coming tenor who is interested in the heroine. The father is afraid of growing old and losing his status and sees hero as a threat to his career and his domestic life. Heroine is torn.

This is an angst-fest for the poor tormented heroine as only Mary Burchell can write.

From their first chance meeting in Germany (that the heroine didn't tell her father about), heroine was attracted to hero. When identities are revealed, the hero is almost ironically accepting of the fact that he has two people to win over - the suspicious father and the loyal daughter.

Fate lends a hand when the daughter decides to go see the hero in concert when her father is out of town and she ends up sitting next to the mother of an old school mate, who is also the hero's aunt. Hero's aunt insists heroine goes out to supper after the performance with her and hero. They are gong backstage and run into heroine's father who was there to check out the competition. Heroine feels guilt about going out to supper, but goes anyway. Father tells her not to see hero again when she gets home.

She runs into hero again because of her old school mate and hero's aunt. Old school mate is getting married and wants heroine to be her maid of honor. Heroine agrees because she hopes to see hero there. Hero pursues heroine and they have a night out, but heroine ruins it when she is defensive of her father and goes on attack after the hero.

There are several other times that the heroine thinks the hero is spoiling to ruin her father's career, but hero always forgives her. Then her father is taken ill before his big Otello performance and they run the opera that hero is in instead. Heroine refuses to go see hero in it, and they both say hard things. Heroine thinks it's over for good this time. Heroine's father is depressed and heroine has to put up with him, but she has the wedding to go to. Hero ignores her at the wedding after a wannabe OW hangs all over him.

Hero and heroine's father end up starring in the same production of Otello. This is heroine's father's swan song. Hero is very good, too. Heroine's father tries to keep her from speaking to hero, but heroine *finally* stands up to him and goes to hero. Hero's aunt and heroine's father reveal they've been seeing each other. HEA.

The hero puts up with a lot, but he's actually pretty astute about what the heroine is going through. Her father is high-strung and a "genius," but also incredibly selfish. He has a lot of fear about growing old and Mary Burchell shows all aspects of that. It's interesting to me since she was 72 when she wrote this story. She had seen opera stars come and go, and obviously felt a lot of affection for this character and how cruel aging can be. The heroine knows that, but it takes her a long time to break away.

When she finally grows a backbone, it's a very satisfying ending. She will obviously be just as loyal to the hero (who really deserves it), but father isn't going to be alone - he found someone his own age to be with. A very nice ending to a difficult story.

[Leona · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting plot with a young woman torn between two tenor rivals - her father and the hero.

I really enjoyed the story except for when the heroine got in the way. Being overly sensitive to her father's sunsetting career, she tended to jump to the wrong conclusions creating unnecessary drama and often unjustly accusing the hero. She isn't one of Burchell's better heroines and her childish actions detracted from the story. If not for that point, this would have been a five star read for me.

[Megzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about Natalie's struggle to choose between her father and Laurence. She read too much into things and complicated her life more than it was necessary. I loved her dad and it was nice to see Oscar and Anthea again.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I absolutely love the CONCEPT of this book, the heroine torn between her father and her lover. I think it's so smart and isn't an angle that's really been played with before in this series. But I just needed more of the love interest angle to fully buy into what I was being sold. It's one of the downsides of the length of this format. I can easily picture a world in which this one is one of my favorites from the series, but it didn't quite get there.

[Aou · Rating 4 out of 5]

More about loyalty than romance but very good!

[Anuradha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked most of the Warrender series stories, this one is special too. Its quite simple in plot actually. The girl is a commoner trying to balance her attentions and affections between her father and the hero - both of whom are genius opera singers.

Its the delicious scenes that the author dishes out that makes the ordinary plot line engaging, riveting. The confrontations between the 2 men, the majestic presence of Oscar Warrender throughout the tale, the operatic build up of emotions towards a climax. Well done.

The aging super star dad, the promising prospect hero and the loyal, faithful girl who cant decide which way to sway. The idiosyncrasies of celebrities is well captured. The girl is simple, lovely. The hero is super ! Whats not to like :)

[Rawan Gamal · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is very innocently beautiful. I absolutely could feel the dilemma Natalie has been struggling with. The title as well sounded so unique to me. The language which Burchell uses is very simple and goes well with the romantic atmosphere of the book.

[Nightwitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the one hand, the heroine is basically equipped to spend her life running around after the hero and fussing over him and propping up his ego, since she's been doing the same for her father her entire life; on the other hand, what a depressing career goal!

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Natalie's father is a very famous tenor. A talented new tenor, Laurence, enters her life and becomes interested in Natalie. Natalie is torn between loyalty to her father, who views Laurence as a rival, and Laurence. Natalie's father is set to play the lead in Otello. Laurence jumps at the chance to play a minor role in this opera, which her father sees as a challenge for the public to compare the two tenors.
This is the second time I've read this book since November.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating character study of a heroine torn between loyalty to her father and her love for a man--how often do you see that in romance? Like all this series, enjoyable in a way unlike any other romance (certainly unlike any Harlequin category romance) I know of. The father is the best-drawn character by far.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good ending (not a given, in this series) and excellently drawn characters, but dragged down by a repetitive conflict. It felt more beaten to death than explored in any nuance, and the story was too slight to carry the repetition.

[Ns2np5 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I really wanted to like this but somehow it just didn't leave much of an impression.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this, I guess! One of the "heroine is not a musical artists" ones. Interesting conflict . . . generally understandable misunderstandings!

[Bookworman]

DNF. Two annoying main characters.

[Michelle Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seeing this title made me smile. I don't know if this book would be good now. However, I remember this as one of the first ever romance novels that I read. Especially of the harlequin variety.

I loved it. Who knows if I would now?

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charmingly sweet, innocent romance. They don't write them like this anymore!

[Karen-Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

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