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ΔΙΑΨΕΥΔΟΝΤΑΣ ΤΟ ΠΑΡΕΛΘΟΝ ΔΕΥΤΕΡΗ ΑΓΑΠΗ 464
One man in a lifetime was one too many
Ross Maclean was as male as they got, filled with everything Helen Andrews hated and feared: masculine aggression, sexual power, unbending strength. Defense mechanisms went on full alert the moment she laid eyes on her new boss. Helen had a family to protect, a job she needed and a past that left fear and uncertainty where there should have been flesh-and-blood woman.
But Ross dared to tread where her door had closed, unable to quell his longing for this fragile beauty with the strength often. Was he strong enough to crack that fortress around Helen's heart--and offer refuge in his own?
Ross Maclean was as male as they got, filled with everything Helen Andrews hated and feared: masculine aggression, sexual power, unbending strength. Defense mechanisms went on full alert the moment she laid eyes on her new boss. Helen had a family to protect, a job she needed and a past that left fear and uncertainty where there should have been flesh-and-blood woman.
But Ross dared to tread where her door had closed, unable to quell his longing for this fragile beauty with the strength often. Was he strong enough to crack that fortress around Helen's heart--and offer refuge in his own?
Unknown Binding
First published November 1, 1992
About the author
Patricia Wilson
80 books184 followersPatricia Wilson (1929 – 2010) was a best-selling writer of 53 romance novels for the Mills & Boon publisher from 1986 to 2004. She placed her novels primarily in England, Spain or France.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
January 8, 2017
When Helen Andrews's (who is 24) boss is transferred to America the new boss (hero-Ross Maclean, 35) comes over to England from America to take his place. Ross is the son of the founder of the giant firm Maclean International. Helen isn't happy with this. She likes her safe, secure world and wants nothing to change. (She has a 19-year-old sister Tina, and 3-year-old daughter Tansy that she is raising.) But when Helen's abusive ex-husband suddenly shows up and wants custody of Tansy, Ross offers a solution, and asks Helen to marry him.
I enjoyed this book so much! I loved the swoon-worthy hero Ross who was smitten with Helen all along. I liked how he got on with Helen's sister Tina and her daughter Tansy. I liked how he made them happy again and not afraid of Helen's mean ex-husband Miles. I enjoyed the jealous moments in the book. Helen was a likable heroine that finally started coming out of her shell, thanks to Ross. I thought Helen's daughter Tansy was cute and sweet. I liked Helen's feisty sister Tina (who referred to Helen's ex as Pig). I also liked how the sexual tension built up slowly throughout the book. (It took them a while to finally make love).
Lovely story that takes place mostly in England, at the end of the year, around Christmas.
I enjoyed this book so much! I loved the swoon-worthy hero Ross who was smitten with Helen all along. I liked how he got on with Helen's sister Tina and her daughter Tansy. I liked how he made them happy again and not afraid of Helen's mean ex-husband Miles. I enjoyed the jealous moments in the book. Helen was a likable heroine that finally started coming out of her shell, thanks to Ross. I thought Helen's daughter Tansy was cute and sweet. I liked Helen's feisty sister Tina (who referred to Helen's ex as Pig). I also liked how the sexual tension built up slowly throughout the book. (It took them a while to finally make love).
Lovely story that takes place mostly in England, at the end of the year, around Christmas.
November 1, 2016
Wow. This was a gift on a gloomy November day! This had all the Patricia Wilson elements - the boss/secretary meeting, the skittish heroine, the smitten alpha - but it came together in the sweetest way.
Hero was heroic. Once he knew what was going on, he showed incredible patience and understanding to the heroine.
The heroine was heroic as well. Her pain from the abuse from her ex-husband was palpable, she wasn't always the nicest to the hero, but she kept moving forward.
I loved the feisty sister and the sweet daughter.
The OW was horrible and the hero's set down of her (that the heroine overheard) was a thing of beauty.
The plot was simple, so the enjoyment came from watching these characters walk away from pain to happiness.
Hero was heroic. Once he knew what was going on, he showed incredible patience and understanding to the heroine.
The heroine was heroic as well. Her pain from the abuse from her ex-husband was palpable, she wasn't always the nicest to the hero, but she kept moving forward.
I loved the feisty sister and the sweet daughter.
The OW was horrible and the hero's set down of her (that the heroine overheard) was a thing of beauty.
The plot was simple, so the enjoyment came from watching these characters walk away from pain to happiness.
January 2, 2013
All the wonderful drama and tension that you expect from Patricia Wilson, but none of the asshatery that sometimes comes with her heroes.
A story about a woman who is picking up the pieces of a shattered life after fleeing from an abusive marriage. She is in charge of her 19 year old sister and a very sweet 3 year old daughter. Hero is the new boss in town and he doesn't take kindly to a working mother that must leave at 5PM.
I so love it when I can't stop turning those pages.....
*********************
Second re-read in March 2014, one year later...upping this from 4 stars to 5 stars!
Third re-read in October 2016. Yup, definitely 5 stars!
A story about a woman who is picking up the pieces of a shattered life after fleeing from an abusive marriage. She is in charge of her 19 year old sister and a very sweet 3 year old daughter. Hero is the new boss in town and he doesn't take kindly to a working mother that must leave at 5PM.
I so love it when I can't stop turning those pages.....
*********************
Second re-read in March 2014, one year later...upping this from 4 stars to 5 stars!
Third re-read in October 2016. Yup, definitely 5 stars!
November 22, 2016
A great office romance turned marriage of convenience complete and utter love. Both protagonists were great but you had the bonus of having equally great secondary characters, h's adorable 3 year old daughter and her feisty sister (Is there a separate book about her? There should be!). A nasty mother-in-law and deluded OW try to rain on their parade, as does a psychotic, abusive ex-husband (who I feel should really have gotten his butt kicked, not just his stupid computer company threatened). It is everything a Harlequin should be. Highly readable, fast-paced, lots of emotions, super romantic, with equally besotted h and H. Score!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 21, 2012
This book turns out to be deliriously romantic by the end. I definitely didn't expect that, although some of my trusted HP Buddies have raved about it, so I should have thought there would be some winning element here. It's ground that has been covered before: the boss and his secretary. In this case, Helen is a single mother who is is also the bread-winner for her small family of a three-year-old daughter and a sister who is just about to go to college. She has no time or inclination for romance, especially after her disastrous marriage to an abusive jerk her sister Tina refers to only as 'Pig.' She wants to keep her head down and have her safe, well-organized life.
When Ross Maclean, the owner's son, takes over the position as the head of the London office of their company, that dream bites the dust. Ross needs a secretary who can work the hours that suit his own needs. At first he plays along, but he's intrigued why she must leave precisely at 5 pm everyday. When she explains her situation, he seems angry. Helen thinks it's because she allows him to think she's an unwed mother. How wrong she is.
The tension in this story builds slowly. There are a few misunderstandings (not annoyingly so, but because both characters aren't anxious to unshield well-guarded hearts). The fact that we don't have much of a hero POV assists in us feeling like Helen, on a precipice, completely unsure about Ross' intentions. What his endgame is. Ross has a cold, calculating demeanor that makes him feel unpredictable. He plays his cards very close to his chest. While I love a demonstrative hero, I think this layout worked well for the book, leading to a beautifully surprisingly conclusion.
At the end, you realize just how desperately in love Ross is, and the reveal is rapturously romantic. Although I do have to say he showed his love in many other ways. I for one, loved how he bonded almost instantly with Tansy. It's because I am a sucker for men who love children. I also liked how he gets along so well with Helen's sister, after she realizes he's not a jerk like her sister's ex.
There is a little bit of "Other Woman" drama, but it's not overdone. Just enough to prick Helen into realizing that she does love Ross and doesn't want to share him or allow his love to go elsewhere.
Overall, this was a lovely surprise for me. A book with some very effective romantic elements, and one that takes the often overused boss/employee relationship theme and creates a distinctive and satisfying romance story. A vulnerable heroine and a tough hero, but done in a way that doesn't seem like gross mismatch, but a meant to be love story. As such, I'd give this one: 4.25/5.0 stars.
When Ross Maclean, the owner's son, takes over the position as the head of the London office of their company, that dream bites the dust. Ross needs a secretary who can work the hours that suit his own needs. At first he plays along, but he's intrigued why she must leave precisely at 5 pm everyday. When she explains her situation, he seems angry. Helen thinks it's because she allows him to think she's an unwed mother. How wrong she is.
The tension in this story builds slowly. There are a few misunderstandings (not annoyingly so, but because both characters aren't anxious to unshield well-guarded hearts). The fact that we don't have much of a hero POV assists in us feeling like Helen, on a precipice, completely unsure about Ross' intentions. What his endgame is. Ross has a cold, calculating demeanor that makes him feel unpredictable. He plays his cards very close to his chest. While I love a demonstrative hero, I think this layout worked well for the book, leading to a beautifully surprisingly conclusion.
At the end, you realize just how desperately in love Ross is, and the reveal is rapturously romantic. Although I do have to say he showed his love in many other ways. I for one, loved how he bonded almost instantly with Tansy. It's because I am a sucker for men who love children. I also liked how he gets along so well with Helen's sister, after she realizes he's not a jerk like her sister's ex.
There is a little bit of "Other Woman" drama, but it's not overdone. Just enough to prick Helen into realizing that she does love Ross and doesn't want to share him or allow his love to go elsewhere.
Overall, this was a lovely surprise for me. A book with some very effective romantic elements, and one that takes the often overused boss/employee relationship theme and creates a distinctive and satisfying romance story. A vulnerable heroine and a tough hero, but done in a way that doesn't seem like gross mismatch, but a meant to be love story. As such, I'd give this one: 4.25/5.0 stars.
April 10, 2011
Re Perilous Refuge - Patricia Wilson doesn't quite give us Pelangi Haven's strong h taking a stand against domestic violence.
But she DOES give us a completely cuddlesome h named Helen who has an AWESOME little sister named Tina that will never be an HP h - she would be excellent as an h in a Women's Fic conquer the world and run it trope, however. The h also has a little adorable girl named Tansy and a true Knight in Shinning Armour totally head over heels smitten H that EVERYONE but the h can see.
That is okay tho, cause this h has been through the equivalent of twenty Punic wars and she is totally entitled to be a bit prickly.
The story starts with the h getting a new boss and not being happy about this. It seems her old boss was pretty laid back and the h just ran things cause that is what she likes to do - in the nicest possible way of course. A PW h may not be the brightest star on the H lurves them uptake, but they are almost ALWAYS seriously competent career ladies.
The new boss happens to be the Big Boss and he is soon completely captivated by the violet eyes and dark hair of our fey, fairy like h. But she is strange. She doesn't do overtime, she doesn't smile much and she is very frosty for a loverly lady so young.
Then on a trip to Paris with the H for business, she dresses a touch indiscreetly to say the least, and it seems she might be promising more that just note taking for the H's prospective business clients- in the most lady like kinda PW way of course. We get the interesting information that the h's ex required the h to dress more suggestively and allow inappropriate comments and gropings as a blind when the ex dragged her off to business dealings.
Needless to say, the picture of the h's ex - which I can't find a better nonclemanture for than Tina's "Pig"- is looking very, very ugly. The H assures the h that he doesn't need a seductive blind to win in his business dealings - the h is free to be as uncommunicative and frosty towards other rampaging Lotharios as she wants - and if she isn't, he will be.
By this time the H and h have a friendlier relationship and he knows about Tina and Tansy and then Pig makes an unfortunate reappearance. Pig is getting married again and now knows about Tansy and just to spread that gloom and misery aaallll over HPlandia, Pig wants custody of Tansy.
This is the H's big moment - he is rich, hot and way more suitable for fatherhood than a man who has never even visited his daughter once and an abusive bully to boot. (This H is also really good at reading faint tracings in the sand - cause we don't know all the details of the h's trauma yet.) So the H leaps into the breach (or seizes the day,) and proposes a MOC to the h. He gets a hostess and a family and the h gets protection from Pig and no chance for a custody suit.
The h is uncertain, but Tina and Tansy aren't fools, they press the h to jump on the opportunity and ride it to the moon and the H and h marry. Everyone is settling in nicely, with a few little Helen qualms about what EXACTLY the H is going to require physically in marriage, when unexpected guests arrive.
The guests are Ross the H's, parents and what would be the OW in any other book. But since this is PW and her H is obviously not interested and literally not even seeing any woman but the h, we know that this is PW's Standard HP Approved Nasty Wanna Be OW Stalker - who can hold off the crushing force of a black hole and random hordes of marauding barbarians with one hand while trying to cop a feel off the H on the other.
Naturally the h is too eaten up by jealousy to notice that whatever game the OW is tryin, the H really isn't noticing. Plus the h finds out the H's mother is a whacked out jealous wreck over the H's father - who is really a very nice man and likes Tansy and Tina too - but then everyone but the OW and the H's whacked mother like Tansy and Tina, I did big time.
We have a little h mopey moment, then Pig shows up at the door with his slime slurping slithery skeezyness and the h makes a valiant effort to stand up for herself. But the H saves her the trouble and threatens Pig with the loss of all he holds dear if he doesn't back off.
(The h actually asks the H not to follow through on his Grand Plan o' Ruination and Destruction, and the H promises not to do anything to Pig if he backs off - But you just KNOW that the H got his very nice but alpha Dad to do the necessary and PIG is ruined forever and probably dead in a ditch somewhere - cause the H's dad is very, very THOROUGH in taking out trash, just as he taught the H to be.)
So with Pig butchered and stuffed into sausage casing, the h and H finally get to work on the h's PTSD and frigidity problems - which after the h is able to finally unburden herself of the stress and trauma she endured both physically and mentally, leads to the big lurve mojo pink cloud of fluffy lavender true love bliss.
(I have to add that PW did some research here with the h's mental unburdening. As in real life, the h just couldn't leave when she was the only focus of the abuse, rapes and beatings. But as soon as Pig started making threats against Tina - and Tina almost killed him with a knock or 20 to the head, the h got herself together and got them both safe. - Which is what a fair percentage of domestic abuse victims report too, when surveyed about why they finally leave for good. So the h's whole recovery process and her reasons for staying and then leaving rang really true.)
Now that the h's baggage is all tided up and put away, we can get on to the H's when his mother and the wanna be OW show up for an old fashioned siege. His baggage takes the form of his mother having a hissy fit because the H's Alpha Dad is determined to move to England from New York and the mother doesn't want to for some reason.
A few major hysterics later and we find out that the mother is wildly jealous cause she is getting old and her sensational looks are fading. The h manages to sort that out by pointing out that OW competition in the English countryside isn't very fierce, the ladies tend to be less high maintenance with the mother beating them out by a mile in looks, and that the rest and change will do the mother good. Plus, the H's father is just too in love with his wife to stray. The mother is satisfied with that assessment and rushes back to re-declare her love to the H's dad - with both men sighing in mutual relief, I am sure.
Then the wanna be OW is at bat - the h, who has already delivered her classic OW smack down by hanging off the H on the first OW confrontation, graciously allows the H to have his say when the OW tries to oust and belittle the h. In a very romantic, Shinning Armour H fashion, he declares his love for the h to all and sundry, dismissing the OW as an irritating pest who needs to get a life cause he never has and never will ever be interested in her shop worn tarnished goods.
The OW is routed, the castle is safe from incomers and the H and h can share mutual avowals of true love forever, with Tina and Tansy cheering them on, for another excellent PW outing in HPlandia.
But she DOES give us a completely cuddlesome h named Helen who has an AWESOME little sister named Tina that will never be an HP h - she would be excellent as an h in a Women's Fic conquer the world and run it trope, however. The h also has a little adorable girl named Tansy and a true Knight in Shinning Armour totally head over heels smitten H that EVERYONE but the h can see.
That is okay tho, cause this h has been through the equivalent of twenty Punic wars and she is totally entitled to be a bit prickly.
The story starts with the h getting a new boss and not being happy about this. It seems her old boss was pretty laid back and the h just ran things cause that is what she likes to do - in the nicest possible way of course. A PW h may not be the brightest star on the H lurves them uptake, but they are almost ALWAYS seriously competent career ladies.
The new boss happens to be the Big Boss and he is soon completely captivated by the violet eyes and dark hair of our fey, fairy like h. But she is strange. She doesn't do overtime, she doesn't smile much and she is very frosty for a loverly lady so young.
Then on a trip to Paris with the H for business, she dresses a touch indiscreetly to say the least, and it seems she might be promising more that just note taking for the H's prospective business clients- in the most lady like kinda PW way of course. We get the interesting information that the h's ex required the h to dress more suggestively and allow inappropriate comments and gropings as a blind when the ex dragged her off to business dealings.
Needless to say, the picture of the h's ex - which I can't find a better nonclemanture for than Tina's "Pig"- is looking very, very ugly. The H assures the h that he doesn't need a seductive blind to win in his business dealings - the h is free to be as uncommunicative and frosty towards other rampaging Lotharios as she wants - and if she isn't, he will be.
By this time the H and h have a friendlier relationship and he knows about Tina and Tansy and then Pig makes an unfortunate reappearance. Pig is getting married again and now knows about Tansy and just to spread that gloom and misery aaallll over HPlandia, Pig wants custody of Tansy.
This is the H's big moment - he is rich, hot and way more suitable for fatherhood than a man who has never even visited his daughter once and an abusive bully to boot. (This H is also really good at reading faint tracings in the sand - cause we don't know all the details of the h's trauma yet.) So the H leaps into the breach (or seizes the day,) and proposes a MOC to the h. He gets a hostess and a family and the h gets protection from Pig and no chance for a custody suit.
The h is uncertain, but Tina and Tansy aren't fools, they press the h to jump on the opportunity and ride it to the moon and the H and h marry. Everyone is settling in nicely, with a few little Helen qualms about what EXACTLY the H is going to require physically in marriage, when unexpected guests arrive.
The guests are Ross the H's, parents and what would be the OW in any other book. But since this is PW and her H is obviously not interested and literally not even seeing any woman but the h, we know that this is PW's Standard HP Approved Nasty Wanna Be OW Stalker - who can hold off the crushing force of a black hole and random hordes of marauding barbarians with one hand while trying to cop a feel off the H on the other.
Naturally the h is too eaten up by jealousy to notice that whatever game the OW is tryin, the H really isn't noticing. Plus the h finds out the H's mother is a whacked out jealous wreck over the H's father - who is really a very nice man and likes Tansy and Tina too - but then everyone but the OW and the H's whacked mother like Tansy and Tina, I did big time.
We have a little h mopey moment, then Pig shows up at the door with his slime slurping slithery skeezyness and the h makes a valiant effort to stand up for herself. But the H saves her the trouble and threatens Pig with the loss of all he holds dear if he doesn't back off.
(The h actually asks the H not to follow through on his Grand Plan o' Ruination and Destruction, and the H promises not to do anything to Pig if he backs off - But you just KNOW that the H got his very nice but alpha Dad to do the necessary and PIG is ruined forever and probably dead in a ditch somewhere - cause the H's dad is very, very THOROUGH in taking out trash, just as he taught the H to be.)
So with Pig butchered and stuffed into sausage casing, the h and H finally get to work on the h's PTSD and frigidity problems - which after the h is able to finally unburden herself of the stress and trauma she endured both physically and mentally, leads to the big lurve mojo pink cloud of fluffy lavender true love bliss.
(I have to add that PW did some research here with the h's mental unburdening. As in real life, the h just couldn't leave when she was the only focus of the abuse, rapes and beatings. But as soon as Pig started making threats against Tina - and Tina almost killed him with a knock or 20 to the head, the h got herself together and got them both safe. - Which is what a fair percentage of domestic abuse victims report too, when surveyed about why they finally leave for good. So the h's whole recovery process and her reasons for staying and then leaving rang really true.)
Now that the h's baggage is all tided up and put away, we can get on to the H's when his mother and the wanna be OW show up for an old fashioned siege. His baggage takes the form of his mother having a hissy fit because the H's Alpha Dad is determined to move to England from New York and the mother doesn't want to for some reason.
A few major hysterics later and we find out that the mother is wildly jealous cause she is getting old and her sensational looks are fading. The h manages to sort that out by pointing out that OW competition in the English countryside isn't very fierce, the ladies tend to be less high maintenance with the mother beating them out by a mile in looks, and that the rest and change will do the mother good. Plus, the H's father is just too in love with his wife to stray. The mother is satisfied with that assessment and rushes back to re-declare her love to the H's dad - with both men sighing in mutual relief, I am sure.
Then the wanna be OW is at bat - the h, who has already delivered her classic OW smack down by hanging off the H on the first OW confrontation, graciously allows the H to have his say when the OW tries to oust and belittle the h. In a very romantic, Shinning Armour H fashion, he declares his love for the h to all and sundry, dismissing the OW as an irritating pest who needs to get a life cause he never has and never will ever be interested in her shop worn tarnished goods.
The OW is routed, the castle is safe from incomers and the H and h can share mutual avowals of true love forever, with Tina and Tansy cheering them on, for another excellent PW outing in HPlandia.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 12, 2016
RANDOM OBSERVATIONS
Number of times heroine's purple-blue eyes and hero's silver-grey eyes were mentioned: 30 and 28, respectively
Number of times heroine cried or was on the verge of: 4
Number of days it took me to get into this book: 7
If there's one thing I must have from a story it's experiencing the feelings—love, passion, fear, anxiety, etc.—that the characters undergo on their respective journeys. In this office and marriage of convenience romance I felt the writing, while pleasant, didn't evoke deep levels of passion and angst. The author did attempt to stir the tone up a bit by adding in the occasional lavender (purple, but not too purple) prose:
'Now, darling! Now!' His voice was hoarse with passion and they rocketed off the world together as Helen spun into colours and light that were fulfilment, her body floating with Ross somewhere way above the night, her own cries of delight mingling with the flutter of a thousand wings.'
In contrast the characterization fared better than the prose because I have to say, I'm "Team Ross" all the way! I would definitely induct him into my Knights In Shiny Steel (KISS) Army if I had one. The way he swooped in, rescuing Helen and her family from the clutches of the evil other man made the little girl in me flip a cartwheel. I just wished he'd been more forceful in deterring the other woman's advances.
Helen, meanwhile, had valid reasons for her fears but I still found her to be a bit of a wet rag. Ross's protection seemed to be the only thing giving her the strength to truly live. (Ross, by the way, should have been named Rock instead as he was Helen's rock.) It didn't help that Helen's sassy and spunky younger sister, Tina, livened up every scene she was in, effectively stealing the show from Helen as heroine extraordinaire.
The romance itself built slowly, with damaged, fearful Helen slowly coming to realize she'd hit the jackpot when she married Ross. He wasn't at all like the weaselly bully she'd previously married. With his Ice-Queen Whisperer skills Ross handled her gently, giving her the protection of his name by marrying her yet allowing her the freedom to relax and enjoy being Mrs. Helen Maclean: wealthy and beautiful hostess-with-the mostest. Ross's only conditions being that 1) she be his shield from the OW, and 2) he would never take more from her than she was willing to give because, well, he's still a man and a secretly smitten one at that. Of course, by the time the HEA rolls around Helen willingly gives him not only her body but her love, trust, and devotion as well.
This isn't a bad romance, but the bland writing and weak heroine prevented me from liking it and giving it more than 2-okay stars.
Number of times heroine's purple-blue eyes and hero's silver-grey eyes were mentioned: 30 and 28, respectively
Number of times heroine cried or was on the verge of: 4
Number of days it took me to get into this book: 7
If there's one thing I must have from a story it's experiencing the feelings—love, passion, fear, anxiety, etc.—that the characters undergo on their respective journeys. In this office and marriage of convenience romance I felt the writing, while pleasant, didn't evoke deep levels of passion and angst. The author did attempt to stir the tone up a bit by adding in the occasional lavender (purple, but not too purple) prose:
'Now, darling! Now!' His voice was hoarse with passion and they rocketed off the world together as Helen spun into colours and light that were fulfilment, her body floating with Ross somewhere way above the night, her own cries of delight mingling with the flutter of a thousand wings.'
In contrast the characterization fared better than the prose because I have to say, I'm "Team Ross" all the way! I would definitely induct him into my Knights In Shiny Steel (KISS) Army if I had one. The way he swooped in, rescuing Helen and her family from the clutches of the evil other man made the little girl in me flip a cartwheel. I just wished he'd been more forceful in deterring the other woman's advances.
Helen, meanwhile, had valid reasons for her fears but I still found her to be a bit of a wet rag. Ross's protection seemed to be the only thing giving her the strength to truly live. (Ross, by the way, should have been named Rock instead as he was Helen's rock.) It didn't help that Helen's sassy and spunky younger sister, Tina, livened up every scene she was in, effectively stealing the show from Helen as heroine extraordinaire.
The romance itself built slowly, with damaged, fearful Helen slowly coming to realize she'd hit the jackpot when she married Ross. He wasn't at all like the weaselly bully she'd previously married. With his Ice-Queen Whisperer skills Ross handled her gently, giving her the protection of his name by marrying her yet allowing her the freedom to relax and enjoy being Mrs. Helen Maclean: wealthy and beautiful hostess-with-the mostest. Ross's only conditions being that 1) she be his shield from the OW, and 2) he would never take more from her than she was willing to give because, well, he's still a man and a secretly smitten one at that. Of course, by the time the HEA rolls around Helen willingly gives him not only her body but her love, trust, and devotion as well.
This isn't a bad romance, but the bland writing and weak heroine prevented me from liking it and giving it more than 2-okay stars.
May 17, 2018
I don't know what to do with myself. Two besotted heroes in a row. Thank you to whoever recommended this. StMargarets??? Someone else?
I can't really add to what the other reviewers have said. Wonderful, wonderful alpha hero that protects and defends the abused heroine. PW is subtle in the buildup to how bad the heroine's abuse was by her first husband, but it must have been horrific. The heroine pales in comparison to the hero, and I had to keep reminding myself just where she was coming from. The hero gets the heroine he deserves in the end so yay.
And just for funsies, there is an awful evil OW that never was that gets her walking papers, some questionable in-laws on the H's side, and Tina the best little sister ever who really needed her own story. She's an h that could keep an H on his toes.
Well, I guess I did add.
I can't really add to what the other reviewers have said. Wonderful, wonderful alpha hero that protects and defends the abused heroine. PW is subtle in the buildup to how bad the heroine's abuse was by her first husband, but it must have been horrific. The heroine pales in comparison to the hero, and I had to keep reminding myself just where she was coming from. The hero gets the heroine he deserves in the end so yay.
And just for funsies, there is an awful evil OW that never was that gets her walking papers, some questionable in-laws on the H's side, and Tina the best little sister ever who really needed her own story. She's an h that could keep an H on his toes.
Well, I guess I did add.
March 1, 2012
I don't read oldies that often anymore but this one was good. Yes, there are misunderstandings and the heroine is someone who doesn't trust men and is like a scared little bird, protective about her sister and daughter but she had reason to be like that, her nightmare of a marriage. The hero is her new boss and she doesn't like him at first and even though we do not get the hero's POV I felt the author did a good job of getting his feelings across. Even when the hero suggests a marriage of convenience, it was evident it was more for him.
Enjoyed the book.
Enjoyed the book.
June 2, 2019
"Perilous Refuge" is the story of Helen and Ross.
What a great read!
We have a heroine who has risen from ashes- a physically and emotionally abusive marriage scarred her and her small family, and now she works hard as a single mother to the 3 year old Tansy and her 19 year old sister Tina, providing them with all comforts of the world. She also keeps men and all attention at bay, that is until Ross Maclean enters her life as her new boss!
Instantly enchanted by the scared and fragile waif, he wiggles his way into her life, wooing not just her but her family too, gently coaxing her out of her shell, always fighting with her- against his family as well as her ex, and becoming her everything. He loves and protects her fiercely, and after hearing about the heroine's tragic past, she 100% deserved it.
Loved it.
Safe
5/5
What a great read!
We have a heroine who has risen from ashes- a physically and emotionally abusive marriage scarred her and her small family, and now she works hard as a single mother to the 3 year old Tansy and her 19 year old sister Tina, providing them with all comforts of the world. She also keeps men and all attention at bay, that is until Ross Maclean enters her life as her new boss!
Instantly enchanted by the scared and fragile waif, he wiggles his way into her life, wooing not just her but her family too, gently coaxing her out of her shell, always fighting with her- against his family as well as her ex, and becoming her everything. He loves and protects her fiercely, and after hearing about the heroine's tragic past, she 100% deserved it.
Loved it.
Safe
5/5
August 31, 2018
An easy 5 stars ⭐️ read!
Thoroughly enjoyed and strongly recommend it.
Thoroughly enjoyed and strongly recommend it.
December 12, 2015
Loved it. The abusive marriage and its impact on her and her sister's life was done perfectly. It wasn't sugarcoated and I could feel her fears and uncertainty. Ross was a natural leader and he had the perfect blend of strength and heart and soul.
February 11, 2022
A worthy, besotted H matched with a worthy, vulnerable h. Quite sweet but not cloying. I think it's a must-read for fans of category romance.
February 18, 2021
Glad I finally made it to the end of this book. This is somewhat vintage HP and maybe not for everyone. If you’re older/wiser, more jaded and realistic, this is a true story of a mythical knight in shining armour who saves you from all peril. Now nothing can harm you and that’s your happy end.
It was a 2ish, 3 star book for me. The h is juvenile, the H is more like a relentless lover but I couldn’t connect to their bond. The h is downright pushy, rude, snappy, ill-mannered, unsophisticated and the list goes on. Her excuse: an ex-husband who with his once-in-a-lifetime aggressive baby-making session has scared and scarred her for life. Understandable but not to the extent in which the writer portrayed it.
Helen is apparently so beautiful that even while she’s a young mother and blushes at the right time and is totally living a closed-off life, the H who comes from millions, would do anything at all to marry her. The h has a daughter and another ill-mannered female relative: her sister.
This was some serious day dreaming by the writer. The girl is a total pity case and yet she marries a wealthy MF (excuse my language) and up until the last page keeps pushing him rudely away. This man was anything but laying down at her feet and she’d keep playing a martyr and say uncouth things to him and tell him to F off. Sorry. When I’ve reverted to f words, the book has gotten under my skin.
This woman shouldn’t have been let off (with all her bad manners and conscience) with a dream boat of a man who also adopts her daughter and sister. Down grading it to 2 stars. That isn’t fair play if all you bring to the party is black hair and blue eyes. (Rolling my eyes).
It was a 2ish, 3 star book for me. The h is juvenile, the H is more like a relentless lover but I couldn’t connect to their bond. The h is downright pushy, rude, snappy, ill-mannered, unsophisticated and the list goes on. Her excuse: an ex-husband who with his once-in-a-lifetime aggressive baby-making session has scared and scarred her for life. Understandable but not to the extent in which the writer portrayed it.
Helen is apparently so beautiful that even while she’s a young mother and blushes at the right time and is totally living a closed-off life, the H who comes from millions, would do anything at all to marry her. The h has a daughter and another ill-mannered female relative: her sister.
This was some serious day dreaming by the writer. The girl is a total pity case and yet she marries a wealthy MF (excuse my language) and up until the last page keeps pushing him rudely away. This man was anything but laying down at her feet and she’d keep playing a martyr and say uncouth things to him and tell him to F off. Sorry. When I’ve reverted to f words, the book has gotten under my skin.
This woman shouldn’t have been let off (with all her bad manners and conscience) with a dream boat of a man who also adopts her daughter and sister. Down grading it to 2 stars. That isn’t fair play if all you bring to the party is black hair and blue eyes. (Rolling my eyes).
February 25, 2021
This book was such a gem of a read. Totally swoonworthy hero, with such a steadfast devotion to this broken heroine. The super cute Tansy, and fiery Tina also added a lovely angle to the story. This book made me happy! Do read it!
February 19, 2017
Helen works as a secretary for the general manager of Maclean, and when her old boss is transferred to New York because he's a slacker, she's faced with a new boss, Ross, who is the heir to the company.
Wouldn't it be lovely if transfer to New York was the reward for being slack at your job? Certainly Helen's never going to get sent to New York - she's way too efficient and runs the place. Although, since she's going to end up not working for the company for too much longer, she's clearly more expendable than she currently appears.
Ross is 35 and handsome and works all the time. He's cranky and wants meetings set up, letters typed, offices rearranged and more staff hired. He also thinks Helen must have been sleeping with the slacker boss, and is probably sleeping with many other men too. Helen is sensitive to anyone holding any opinions about her, especially handsome men. Men are untrustworthy.
In addition to her work awesomeness, Helen is Liz Taylor level of beautiful. Her most pressing point of work anxiety is that she must leave at 5:00 pm on the dot, every day. When Ross eventually pushes Helen to stay past 5, she reluctantly admits that she's a single mother with an adorable 3 year old daughter. She doesn't tell Ross that she's divorced because it's none of his damn business anyway, and he can suck it with his attitude. Helen is a particularly cranky person.
Her sister, who looks after the daughter, is awesome. She's tough and cute and funny, and Helen's kid Tansy is adorable and when Ross meets them he's totally hooked. He's also hooked on Helen, but that's for her black hair and purple eyes and her way of looking at him as though she can't make up her mind whether she wants to undress him or throw up. She's certainly giving him no verbal encouragement.
Helen's horrible ex husband turns up because he's discovered that Helen had a daughter she didn't tell him about, and now he's getting married and he's going to take Tansy because Helen is an unfit mother. He's a bastard.
Ross offers a marriage of convenience as a solution, and Helen reluctantly accepts. Helen, poor thing, is sympathetic because she is so traumatised. While for the most part I like Wilson's books, I do have some reservations about how she handles Helen. Ross is generally kind and makes an effort to reign in some of his more alpha tendencies. He gets impatient, but is mostly gentle and respectful.
Wilson has two plot points I think she's a little addicted to. One is that the heroine must endure an illness or injury (or both, if Wilson has decided one isn't enough), and there must be an Other Woman.
Donna is Ross's Other Woman, and she is a crazy stalker. She shows up fairly late in the plot, since apparently Helen isn't going through enough and needs to deal with a bout of jealousy. Donna is flat out insane. She tells Helen that the marriage is a glitch, because Donna and Ross are meant to be together. And will be, when he comes to his senses and moves back to the States.
Ross is no help, he just makes these ambiguous observations whenever Donna talks about their past. 'Remember when we were in Aspen, Ross, and I'm totally implying we had sex there?' Donna will say. 'I remember you were in Aspen while I was in Aspen,' Ross will say. So of course Helen hears 'I was in you in Aspen' when what Ross really would say if he wasn't as alpha is: 'If this book had been written 20 years later, I'd have a restraining order out on you.'
This one is mostly lovely, and Ross is kind and understanding, and apart from whatever was going on in his head over OW Donna, was a likeable hero. I think Helen deserved more kindness at times than the plot gave her - the distractions of the OW and the mother in law's sub plot shifted the focus from Helen's bigger issues, and marginalised them.
Wouldn't it be lovely if transfer to New York was the reward for being slack at your job? Certainly Helen's never going to get sent to New York - she's way too efficient and runs the place. Although, since she's going to end up not working for the company for too much longer, she's clearly more expendable than she currently appears.
Ross is 35 and handsome and works all the time. He's cranky and wants meetings set up, letters typed, offices rearranged and more staff hired. He also thinks Helen must have been sleeping with the slacker boss, and is probably sleeping with many other men too. Helen is sensitive to anyone holding any opinions about her, especially handsome men. Men are untrustworthy.
In addition to her work awesomeness, Helen is Liz Taylor level of beautiful. Her most pressing point of work anxiety is that she must leave at 5:00 pm on the dot, every day. When Ross eventually pushes Helen to stay past 5, she reluctantly admits that she's a single mother with an adorable 3 year old daughter. She doesn't tell Ross that she's divorced because it's none of his damn business anyway, and he can suck it with his attitude. Helen is a particularly cranky person.
Her sister, who looks after the daughter, is awesome. She's tough and cute and funny, and Helen's kid Tansy is adorable and when Ross meets them he's totally hooked. He's also hooked on Helen, but that's for her black hair and purple eyes and her way of looking at him as though she can't make up her mind whether she wants to undress him or throw up. She's certainly giving him no verbal encouragement.
Helen's horrible ex husband turns up because he's discovered that Helen had a daughter she didn't tell him about, and now he's getting married and he's going to take Tansy because Helen is an unfit mother. He's a bastard.
Ross offers a marriage of convenience as a solution, and Helen reluctantly accepts. Helen, poor thing, is sympathetic because she is so traumatised. While for the most part I like Wilson's books, I do have some reservations about how she handles Helen. Ross is generally kind and makes an effort to reign in some of his more alpha tendencies. He gets impatient, but is mostly gentle and respectful.
Wilson has two plot points I think she's a little addicted to. One is that the heroine must endure an illness or injury (or both, if Wilson has decided one isn't enough), and there must be an Other Woman.
Donna is Ross's Other Woman, and she is a crazy stalker. She shows up fairly late in the plot, since apparently Helen isn't going through enough and needs to deal with a bout of jealousy. Donna is flat out insane. She tells Helen that the marriage is a glitch, because Donna and Ross are meant to be together. And will be, when he comes to his senses and moves back to the States.
Ross is no help, he just makes these ambiguous observations whenever Donna talks about their past. 'Remember when we were in Aspen, Ross, and I'm totally implying we had sex there?' Donna will say. 'I remember you were in Aspen while I was in Aspen,' Ross will say. So of course Helen hears 'I was in you in Aspen' when what Ross really would say if he wasn't as alpha is: 'If this book had been written 20 years later, I'd have a restraining order out on you.'
This one is mostly lovely, and Ross is kind and understanding, and apart from whatever was going on in his head over OW Donna, was a likeable hero. I think Helen deserved more kindness at times than the plot gave her - the distractions of the OW and the mother in law's sub plot shifted the focus from Helen's bigger issues, and marginalised them.
April 12, 2017
It has everything you come to expect regarding Patricia Wilson's books, especially the a-little-bit-obsessed-hero. I'm not complaining, though! And the tension between Ross and Helen was through the roof. We don't see Ross's POV, but it was clear how he wanted her. Some chapters were paced a bit slow, but I was not bored during any part of this book. I also Helen's sister Tina. She's such a kick-ass sister. And Tansy too. I liked how much she is in the book. I also liked the way vicious Donna was dealt with.
It was a bit cheesy... but what the heck! I still loved it!
'Yes, I'm staying with Helen,' he grated impatiently. 'I love her!' His voice softened. 'In fact, that's hardly the way to describe it. I'm mad about her, crazy about her. I can't bear to let her out of my sight.'
'She's not like us. You'll get tired of her!' She sounded on the edge of hysteria, but Ross didn't seem to notice. He made a strange little sound in his throat.
'Tired of her? Maybe. When I get tired of breathing, tired of being alive. She's everything I'll ever want. I've looked for her all my life. Do you see this ring on my finger? Helen put it there. It means forever.'
It was a bit cheesy... but what the heck! I still loved it!
February 15, 2026
Only 3 stars as the heroine is so dreary. I know, I know - I feel mean as she’s been in a horrid marriage to ‘Pig’ (although I think animal pigs are smart and adorable, and make great pets). Anyway, except when she’s cross, she has zero personality, and her blue/violet eyes are always watering - it becomes tedious.
Now the hero is worthy and in love, etc, but he does let the OW keep kissing him and treat his wife badly - even pitching up half an hour before lunch on Christmas Day! Plus she ruins his wedding day, with his vain mother. So, yeah, I know lots of people on here are swooning about hjm, but meh.
Tina and Tansy (the sister and daughter of her heroine), however, are fab! Tina deserves a top rate hero - I don’t read enough Patricia Wilson to know if she ever features in one, though as I rarely like her heroines.
Now the hero is worthy and in love, etc, but he does let the OW keep kissing him and treat his wife badly - even pitching up half an hour before lunch on Christmas Day! Plus she ruins his wedding day, with his vain mother. So, yeah, I know lots of people on here are swooning about hjm, but meh.
Tina and Tansy (the sister and daughter of her heroine), however, are fab! Tina deserves a top rate hero - I don’t read enough Patricia Wilson to know if she ever features in one, though as I rarely like her heroines.
December 27, 2017
StMargarets has written an excellent review, putting into words what I wanted to say here
I loved Ross's character, but at first I was afraid he was going to be very much of an a**. I loved how protective he was of Helen and her family. I loved that even with all that Helen had gone through, she was still capable of love.
I loved Ross's character, but at first I was afraid he was going to be very much of an a**. I loved how protective he was of Helen and her family. I loved that even with all that Helen had gone through, she was still capable of love.
October 16, 2020
3.5 “rounded up for Ross” Stars
This is a tough one to rate, on one hand it did keep me up, but I can’t say I was riveted to my screen (read on scribd); it wasn’t what I typically seek out when reading HP, and had one of my least fav character types…BUT… several reviewers who I respect, LOVED this book, so maybe it’s a Jac thing. Regardless, it’ll probably be a solid 3 or 4 for most. I’ll try to be vague but will spoiler tag the rest, because I do want to share what I think could be a no-go for some readers.
This is a tough one to rate, on one hand it did keep me up, but I can’t say I was riveted to my screen (read on scribd); it wasn’t what I typically seek out when reading HP, and had one of my least fav character types…BUT… several reviewers who I respect, LOVED this book, so maybe it’s a Jac thing. Regardless, it’ll probably be a solid 3 or 4 for most. I’ll try to be vague but will spoiler tag the rest, because I do want to share what I think could be a no-go for some readers.
August 17, 2019
2.5 stars.
I bought this at the same time as another one of her books. I'm glad I did because this one was much better and had I not already owned it, I wouldn't have given this author another chance. That being said, if one can form an opinion of things that an author is generally fond of after reading two of her books, it's this: Patricia Wilson likes a heroine who has a huge chip on her shoulder. She jumps to conclusions all the time because of it. The dark and broody hero is often misjudged for being a jerk because he's domineering. Nah, he's just domineering, hold the jerk.
This story was much more interesting than the other one I read Dark Illusion. Aside from the fact that the plot in this one made sense when I squinted my eyes just the right way, I actually liked one of the MCs at all times (the hero and heroine took turns), which definitely contributed to my enjoyment. I'm not sure if my rating is a reaction of what I'd expected this book to be, but it wasn't bad.
Safety
I bought this at the same time as another one of her books. I'm glad I did because this one was much better and had I not already owned it, I wouldn't have given this author another chance. That being said, if one can form an opinion of things that an author is generally fond of after reading two of her books, it's this: Patricia Wilson likes a heroine who has a huge chip on her shoulder. She jumps to conclusions all the time because of it. The dark and broody hero is often misjudged for being a jerk because he's domineering. Nah, he's just domineering, hold the jerk.
This story was much more interesting than the other one I read Dark Illusion. Aside from the fact that the plot in this one made sense when I squinted my eyes just the right way, I actually liked one of the MCs at all times (the hero and heroine took turns), which definitely contributed to my enjoyment. I'm not sure if my rating is a reaction of what I'd expected this book to be, but it wasn't bad.
Safety
January 27, 2018
nope this was not to.my liking at all. i dont care for bookdswere the woman has been so abused. the heroine was too much a victim. she never seemed to stand up. I like strong heroines
December 31, 2020
Definitely 5 stars.
An abused, scared h. And a besotted H who really is a knight in shining armour.
He comes to rescue her from her past. So romantic.
An abused, scared h. And a besotted H who really is a knight in shining armour.
He comes to rescue her from her past. So romantic.
November 17, 2015
All together now AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!! Yes, I just finished this book. And this really should be the last book I read before going to sleep and waking up to UgH WORK. I loved the story. In the first part was the mystery and I get annoyed easily lol so I tend to read faster because I want to know. In the beginning I wanted to shake the she was acting so stiff and withdrawn. I wanted to shake her - Girl! You being so mean!! But yeah, of course she had this really traumatic past so of course she was the way she was. I was itching to get to the next page to explain why the h was the way she was. And the hero - LOVED HIM!!! Well you know, the usual he's hard alpha, rich, handsome, domineering and all that hahaha! I loved how they got together, they slowly got to know each other throughout the book, they healed each other in their own ways, and wow the ending and close to the ending, MAGICAL. I hate it when HP's have a happy ending but it just ends so fast/only a few pages. Well this one, you got to really savor the happy ending. Sigh... This book is really a 4.5 for me. 2 thumbs up!
January 26, 2016
What a delicious novel! I spent the most enjoyable time reading it and I really wished it to be longer! :) It's written in a beautiful intriguing way that hooks you from the starts with the heroine's emotions. Events are logical and smooth. Loved all the characters, sympathized with them, and completely excused them - except Miles of course! Love Patricia Wilson for writing us this novel. A recommended read for sure and a novel for keeps!
November 1, 2020
Nicely romantic.
How does one know it’s a vintage? The H will probably own a silk shirt and the h will probably have purple eyes. Thank Goodness the h’s eyes were blue, though they did have purple sparks, and if the H was indeed in possession of a silk shirt, then the fact wasn’t thrown in our faces.
How does one know it’s a vintage? The H will probably own a silk shirt and the h will probably have purple eyes. Thank Goodness the h’s eyes were blue, though they did have purple sparks, and if the H was indeed in possession of a silk shirt, then the fact wasn’t thrown in our faces.
October 5, 2016
3.5*. The H is all macho and the h is all vulnerable, the combo works really well in this instance.
March 11, 2022
What is annoying in this book is the heroine, I realise PW is trying to realistically portray a woman suffering from the post traumatic effects of her parents deaths at nearly 19, marriage at the same age to an abusive lecherous husband, rape by the same slime slurped, pregnancy and so forth, but her narrow minded insular outlook was unappealing as a character.
August 11, 2019
Loved it
July 24, 2026
3.8 stars
Perilous Refuge was quite a good book. It was not outstanding, but there was also nothing particularly bad about it. The story was well paced, never dragged, and contained enough activity and emotional development to keep me interested and invested until the end.
I also liked the characters. Some of Patricia Wilson’s heroines can frustrate me because their feelings seem to shift constantly, but Helen is much more steadfast. Her emotions and decisions follow understandable reasons, which makes her easy to root for. I enjoyed seeing her and Ross achieve their happiness.
The book contains relatively little angst, however, and Helen’s pining is quite mild. Readers looking for a mostly gentle romance will probably enjoy it, but it did not entirely satisfy my own desire for heightened emotion, deeper longing and stronger romantic anguish.
The hero also falls outside my preferred type. I usually enjoy an alpha hero who initially misunderstands the heroine or treats her badly and later has to confront his mistake and regret it. Ross does very little wrong. He can occasionally seem cold because he emotionally withdraws from Helen, but even that is relatively mild.
As a result, the story never reaches the emotional depths I most enjoy in romance.
It also did not quite match MacBride’s Daughter, the first Patricia Wilson book I read and one I absolutely loved. That novel had a wonderfully effective slice-of-life quality. Its heroine lived in the hero’s home, gradually made the house feel like a real home and became someone he could no longer imagine living without. Alex also felt more like the kind of alpha hero I enjoy, with considerably more direct interaction between him and the heroine. He constantly needled her while also showing moments of tenderness.
Perilous Refuge does not create quite the same emotional intimacy or romantic intensity, although it remains a perfectly enjoyable book in its own right.
Helen is twenty-four and the survivor of an extremely abusive marriage. When she was twenty, both of her parents were killed in a car accident, leaving her grieving their sudden deaths while also responsible for her fifteen-year-old sister.
In that vulnerable state, Helen was drawn into a relationship with the first man who offered her attention and support. She believed his declarations and assumed he was a good man, only to discover almost immediately after their marriage that he was abusive.
Helen was never happy with him. She concealed the violence because she was terrified for her younger sister, but when the abuse eventually went too far, she managed to escape with her sister and obtain a divorce.
Helen now has a three-year-old daughter from that marriage. She lives with her child and younger sister in a rural country village, supporting all three of them through her job.
The opening of the book is slightly long-winded. Helen is anxiously awaiting the arrival of a new boss. Her previous employer was kind and understood that she needed to leave work at five o’clock precisely so that she could return home to her daughter, particularly now that her sister attends evening classes at college.
Their household depends upon a carefully organised routine, and Helen fears that the new American boss—reputed to be cold, demanding and domineering—will expect her to work much longer hours and fire her when she refuses.
Because the family has very little money and depends completely upon Helen’s income, she is understandably frightened.
When Ross arrives, Helen is immediately taken aback by how handsome he is. He is nothing like the man she had imagined, although she remains wary and expects him to dislike her.
At first Ross does appear cold, particularly when Helen refuses to be flexible about her hours. When she explains that she has a child depending upon her, he assumes she is an unmarried mother who had a baby outside marriage and seems to become even more distant.
Helen concludes that he disapproves of her and has no intention of explaining her private history to him. She proves herself highly competent at work and so she remains his secretary.
A series of smaller events then gradually brings them closer. They travel to Paris on business, Helen becomes ill, and Ross meets her family and discovers that her circumstances are not what he assumed.
Her abusive former husband then reappears and threatens to take their daughter away.
This leads to a marriage of convenience. Ross becomes protective of Helen and proposes an arrangement that benefits them both. Helen needs his support and influence to help prevent her former husband from gaining control of her child, while Ross needs Helen to stop his parents pressuring him into marrying an American socialite they have selected for him.
Ross also makes it clear that he finds Helen attractive and expects their marriage may eventually become real. However, he promises never to force her beyond what she is willing to give. Helen is worried because she believes she is frigid and never wants intimacy and feels she would disappoint him.
By this point, he has noticed the way Helen sometimes freezes around him and has recognised her fear. He understands that her first marriage involved violence and treats her carefully because of it.
The rest of the book follows Helen and Ross as they slowly grow closer and begin functioning as a family.
SPOILERS
There is some drama when Ross’s American parents arrive and bring along the woman they want him to marry. The other woman is intrusive and determined to claim Ross despite the fact that he is now married to Helen.
Helen becomes jealous after seeing Ross with the woman and witnessing her kiss him. This helps Helen recognise that she does not want Ross taking other lovers and that the marriage has become emotionally important to her.
The emotional progression is mostly gentle. There are no enormous swings of anguish or highly dramatic revelations, but the relationship develops authentically and comes together in a believable way.
I never quite received the level of desperation from Ross that I wanted near the end.
My favourite romantic dynamic is for the heroine to fall in love first and pine for the hero, followed by the hero recognising his feelings when it may already be too late and truly experiencing the fear and pain of losing her. Even when a book does not follow that exact pattern, I still want the hero to reach a point of genuine anguish and panic over the possibility of losing the heroine.
Ross does make some mistakes. In particular, he allows Helen to believe that he and the other woman may still be romantically involved. I would therefore have liked a much stronger sense of his hidden torment, regret and fear of losing Helen once the consequences of those choices became clear.
Instead, the resolution feels slightly too casual.
Ross is protective when Helen’s former husband threatens her. He is also deeply concerned whenever she becomes ill or injured. Those moments show that he cares, but they never quite reach the level of secret longing, emotional desperation or intense overprotectiveness I was hoping for.
The book consequently misses the emotional peaks that would make it especially memorable or tempt me to reread it simply to experience those feelings again.
I also never quite fell in love with Ross as a hero. I did not gain a strong sense of him as a man carrying his own emotional wounds, loneliness or private anguish. His relationship with his parents is somewhat troubled, but it does not appear to affect him deeply enough to create a meaningful inner need.
I particularly enjoy romances in which the heroine fills a gap in the hero’s life that he did not realise existed and gradually heals something inside him. He then comes to value her presence because she has transformed his emotional world.
That does not really happen here. He seems tobhave been perfectly happy, of bored, with his life beforehand. Helen gains safety and protection through Ross, but I did not feel that she similarly healed or completed him in any profound way because he didn't need it.
The romantic dynamic instead suggests that Ross wants Helen from relatively early in the story and gradually works to win her over while protecting her. Helen takes longer to decide what she feels and whether she can trust herself enough to accept a real marriage.
Readers who enjoy a hero who recognises his attraction to the heroine early, patiently pursues a vulnerable heroine and helps her overcome her fear may respond especially well to this relationship.
It is simply not my favourite arrangement. I prefer the emotional positions reversed, with the heroine falling in love and pining first while the hero remains slower to recognise the depth of his feelings.
Even so, Perilous Refuge remained interesting and enjoyable. The characters are likeable, Helen’s behaviour is consistent and understandable, and the marriage-of-convenience plot develops naturally. The book is competently written, well paced and offers a satisfying if fairly gentle romance.
It did not deliver the angst, heroine pining, hero regret or depth of emotional need that would have made it a four- or five-star favourite for me. However, it was still a good reading experience and deserves just under four stars.
Perilous Refuge was quite a good book. It was not outstanding, but there was also nothing particularly bad about it. The story was well paced, never dragged, and contained enough activity and emotional development to keep me interested and invested until the end.
I also liked the characters. Some of Patricia Wilson’s heroines can frustrate me because their feelings seem to shift constantly, but Helen is much more steadfast. Her emotions and decisions follow understandable reasons, which makes her easy to root for. I enjoyed seeing her and Ross achieve their happiness.
The book contains relatively little angst, however, and Helen’s pining is quite mild. Readers looking for a mostly gentle romance will probably enjoy it, but it did not entirely satisfy my own desire for heightened emotion, deeper longing and stronger romantic anguish.
The hero also falls outside my preferred type. I usually enjoy an alpha hero who initially misunderstands the heroine or treats her badly and later has to confront his mistake and regret it. Ross does very little wrong. He can occasionally seem cold because he emotionally withdraws from Helen, but even that is relatively mild.
As a result, the story never reaches the emotional depths I most enjoy in romance.
It also did not quite match MacBride’s Daughter, the first Patricia Wilson book I read and one I absolutely loved. That novel had a wonderfully effective slice-of-life quality. Its heroine lived in the hero’s home, gradually made the house feel like a real home and became someone he could no longer imagine living without. Alex also felt more like the kind of alpha hero I enjoy, with considerably more direct interaction between him and the heroine. He constantly needled her while also showing moments of tenderness.
Perilous Refuge does not create quite the same emotional intimacy or romantic intensity, although it remains a perfectly enjoyable book in its own right.
Helen is twenty-four and the survivor of an extremely abusive marriage. When she was twenty, both of her parents were killed in a car accident, leaving her grieving their sudden deaths while also responsible for her fifteen-year-old sister.
In that vulnerable state, Helen was drawn into a relationship with the first man who offered her attention and support. She believed his declarations and assumed he was a good man, only to discover almost immediately after their marriage that he was abusive.
Helen was never happy with him. She concealed the violence because she was terrified for her younger sister, but when the abuse eventually went too far, she managed to escape with her sister and obtain a divorce.
Helen now has a three-year-old daughter from that marriage. She lives with her child and younger sister in a rural country village, supporting all three of them through her job.
The opening of the book is slightly long-winded. Helen is anxiously awaiting the arrival of a new boss. Her previous employer was kind and understood that she needed to leave work at five o’clock precisely so that she could return home to her daughter, particularly now that her sister attends evening classes at college.
Their household depends upon a carefully organised routine, and Helen fears that the new American boss—reputed to be cold, demanding and domineering—will expect her to work much longer hours and fire her when she refuses.
Because the family has very little money and depends completely upon Helen’s income, she is understandably frightened.
When Ross arrives, Helen is immediately taken aback by how handsome he is. He is nothing like the man she had imagined, although she remains wary and expects him to dislike her.
At first Ross does appear cold, particularly when Helen refuses to be flexible about her hours. When she explains that she has a child depending upon her, he assumes she is an unmarried mother who had a baby outside marriage and seems to become even more distant.
Helen concludes that he disapproves of her and has no intention of explaining her private history to him. She proves herself highly competent at work and so she remains his secretary.
A series of smaller events then gradually brings them closer. They travel to Paris on business, Helen becomes ill, and Ross meets her family and discovers that her circumstances are not what he assumed.
Her abusive former husband then reappears and threatens to take their daughter away.
This leads to a marriage of convenience. Ross becomes protective of Helen and proposes an arrangement that benefits them both. Helen needs his support and influence to help prevent her former husband from gaining control of her child, while Ross needs Helen to stop his parents pressuring him into marrying an American socialite they have selected for him.
Ross also makes it clear that he finds Helen attractive and expects their marriage may eventually become real. However, he promises never to force her beyond what she is willing to give. Helen is worried because she believes she is frigid and never wants intimacy and feels she would disappoint him.
By this point, he has noticed the way Helen sometimes freezes around him and has recognised her fear. He understands that her first marriage involved violence and treats her carefully because of it.
The rest of the book follows Helen and Ross as they slowly grow closer and begin functioning as a family.
SPOILERS
There is some drama when Ross’s American parents arrive and bring along the woman they want him to marry. The other woman is intrusive and determined to claim Ross despite the fact that he is now married to Helen.
Helen becomes jealous after seeing Ross with the woman and witnessing her kiss him. This helps Helen recognise that she does not want Ross taking other lovers and that the marriage has become emotionally important to her.
The emotional progression is mostly gentle. There are no enormous swings of anguish or highly dramatic revelations, but the relationship develops authentically and comes together in a believable way.
I never quite received the level of desperation from Ross that I wanted near the end.
My favourite romantic dynamic is for the heroine to fall in love first and pine for the hero, followed by the hero recognising his feelings when it may already be too late and truly experiencing the fear and pain of losing her. Even when a book does not follow that exact pattern, I still want the hero to reach a point of genuine anguish and panic over the possibility of losing the heroine.
Ross does make some mistakes. In particular, he allows Helen to believe that he and the other woman may still be romantically involved. I would therefore have liked a much stronger sense of his hidden torment, regret and fear of losing Helen once the consequences of those choices became clear.
Instead, the resolution feels slightly too casual.
Ross is protective when Helen’s former husband threatens her. He is also deeply concerned whenever she becomes ill or injured. Those moments show that he cares, but they never quite reach the level of secret longing, emotional desperation or intense overprotectiveness I was hoping for.
The book consequently misses the emotional peaks that would make it especially memorable or tempt me to reread it simply to experience those feelings again.
I also never quite fell in love with Ross as a hero. I did not gain a strong sense of him as a man carrying his own emotional wounds, loneliness or private anguish. His relationship with his parents is somewhat troubled, but it does not appear to affect him deeply enough to create a meaningful inner need.
I particularly enjoy romances in which the heroine fills a gap in the hero’s life that he did not realise existed and gradually heals something inside him. He then comes to value her presence because she has transformed his emotional world.
That does not really happen here. He seems tobhave been perfectly happy, of bored, with his life beforehand. Helen gains safety and protection through Ross, but I did not feel that she similarly healed or completed him in any profound way because he didn't need it.
The romantic dynamic instead suggests that Ross wants Helen from relatively early in the story and gradually works to win her over while protecting her. Helen takes longer to decide what she feels and whether she can trust herself enough to accept a real marriage.
Readers who enjoy a hero who recognises his attraction to the heroine early, patiently pursues a vulnerable heroine and helps her overcome her fear may respond especially well to this relationship.
It is simply not my favourite arrangement. I prefer the emotional positions reversed, with the heroine falling in love and pining first while the hero remains slower to recognise the depth of his feelings.
Even so, Perilous Refuge remained interesting and enjoyable. The characters are likeable, Helen’s behaviour is consistent and understandable, and the marriage-of-convenience plot develops naturally. The book is competently written, well paced and offers a satisfying if fairly gentle romance.
It did not deliver the angst, heroine pining, hero regret or depth of emotional need that would have made it a four- or five-star favourite for me. However, it was still a good reading experience and deserves just under four stars.
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