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ΚΑΖΙΝΟ ΒΕΝΕΤΣΙΑ ΧΡΥΣΑ 199
Rough And Ready by Elizabeth Oldfield released on Sep 24, 1984 is available now for purchase.
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First published August 1, 1984
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 12, 2025
Dated story that didn't hold up. Widowed heroine applies for a job in a seedy part of London. She is warned off by a rough man with an earring (!). Heroine immediately decides this is the job she wants (cashier at a private club) and gets it.
Heroine can't see
Heroine is so full of resentments against her mother and trying to deny her wild attraction to the hero, that she misses all the clues.
This reader didn't and I was bored to tears.
For those who like Columbo re-runs, I guess.
Heroine can't see
Heroine is so full of resentments against her mother and trying to deny her wild attraction to the hero, that she misses all the clues.
This reader didn't and I was bored to tears.
For those who like Columbo re-runs, I guess.
January 3, 2014
Surprisingly good in HPlandia terms. h is a widow with a four year old girl and a domineering mum. H seems to be a thug for a questionable Italian casino owner and the h just can't help wanting to walk on the wild side after she gets a job at the casino.
Naturally everybody really is respectable in the end but the H certainly can't seem to help the repeated requests to ravish the h's sexy bod and the h can't seem to stop speculating on his 'talents' . This was a very "normal" romance in that no one was wildly wealthy or bossy or any of the usual HPlandia characterizations. The H was very convincing as the muscle of a sorta mob operation and the h was pretty funny in her repeated thoughts of being wildly undersexed since her husband died and she just wants someone to lurve and sex up. The h's daughter was pretty funny too in her demand that her mum get an "uncle" for her just like her friend's mum has. No annoying plot moppet here, just a four year old who really reads like a four year old in an amusing kinda way.
Naturally everybody really is respectable in the end but the H certainly can't seem to help the repeated requests to ravish the h's sexy bod and the h can't seem to stop speculating on his 'talents' . This was a very "normal" romance in that no one was wildly wealthy or bossy or any of the usual HPlandia characterizations. The H was very convincing as the muscle of a sorta mob operation and the h was pretty funny in her repeated thoughts of being wildly undersexed since her husband died and she just wants someone to lurve and sex up. The h's daughter was pretty funny too in her demand that her mum get an "uncle" for her just like her friend's mum has. No annoying plot moppet here, just a four year old who really reads like a four year old in an amusing kinda way.
March 23, 2022
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because it was different. The cover art is misleading as the h was blonde haired, brown eyed and busty. The H wore a gold earring.
So, I am struggling to write a review that doesn’t give stuff away, while still giving an overview.
The story takes place in Soho, England(my first HP set there and it was interesting) Since this was published in 1984, it has some dated concepts. The heroine was really put off by the hero’s gold earring….
“she caught the gleam of a tiny golden hoop, half covered by his unfashionably lo.ng dark. brown hair An earring-he wore an earring! Alexis could not stop the corner of her mouth curling in derision. In her opinion only thugs wore earrings―thugs, layabouts and ne’er-do-wells. And gays, but that thought was a dead end. No way was this aggressive muscleman a member of the gay community.”
Oh wow this just threw me back to middle/high school in the 80’s where I grew up in a small town. I am pretty sure I heard this same speech from someone else back then and the whole right ear verses left ear debate. George Michael threw me by wearing an earring in both ears, so I wasn’t sure if I had a chance with him or not. Of course there was still Rick Springfield, all of Duran Duran, Michael Hutchence, so many posters….
The h, Alexis, was 28, widowed with a 4 year old daughter. She has been celibate since her husband’s death 3 years ago(more on him later). She had to go live with her controlling mother and maiden aunt. Her mom took in a boarder(that we only hear about but never meet) and she tries to pair her daughter off with the boring Neil. The h is eager to get a part time job and move out. Her daughter starts kdg in a year and she hopes to be out of the house when her daughter starts. This requires some extra money. So she goes to ‘seedy’ Soho, the Las Vegas of England to work in a restaurant which is connected to a casino. When she goes there, the H, Rhys, intercepts her and tells her the interviews are over(they aren’t) He wants his “girlfriend” to get the job instead. He does his best to scare the h off, but she is intercepted by the owner’s son and he gets her an interview. She is hired. Rhys, who is the bodyguard, security guard, and general laborer warns the h that he won’t have her back if she gets in a bind.
This is the set up for the story. These 2 rub each other the wrong way when really they want to rub each other in a more pleasurable scenario. Which brings me to the next interesting thing about this book written in 1984. Sex was predominately featured throughout. No, they weren’t having sex, but thoughts on sex were interwoven.
First of all there was the very modern thoughts of sex from the h. She wanted it. She indicates that her husband was a get in quick and out kind of guy, which indicates some dissatisfaction.
She also thinks about Neil, the boarder. She is not attracted to him, but part of her just wants to get with him so she can end her celibacy. She remarks about how he is only a few doors down from her room, yet he has never tried her door because he is “nice”.
Then she meets the H, and the sexual tension is rampant. At one point the H brings her home one night after her shift and they start talking and then they start making out. He tells her: “and …
‘God!’ he muttered fiercely into her throat, as his hands cupped the straining globes of her breasts. ‘I want to be inside you, deep inside.”
Folks our h perseverates on the remark for days and is really eager to make it a reality.
Another time he brings her home and she invites him inside. She was very eager for him to make good on that remark and had they not heard her mom upstairs they probably would have.
There are other sexual innuendos and situations peppered throughout.
Even her cute 4 year old makes remarks. She wants an uncle like her best friend Sammy’s mom. (According to her friend the uncles often buy gifts for Sammy although they also sleep naked in the bed with the friend’s mom.) Sammy’s divorced mom seems to have embraced a female’s right to have sex. Our h really does want to be in love with her partner, even though she also found some of the “uncles” appealing.
There is a lot of mystery surrounding the H. We do find out that he is divorced(10 years), and family consisting of 3 brothers and parents. Otherwise he is very cagey about stuff. Since he is cagey about things, the h’s imagination goes rampant. She makes a remark about there possibly being a hidden family, so he takes her back to his apartment to prove that he is single. The daughter is at a party and won’t need to be picked up for a few hours, so the h and H decide to fill their time getting acquainted with the H’s bedroom. What was nice is that the H actually tells the h he loves her before he shows her how much.
The story isn’t done, we haven’t quite gotten to the HEA. The H’s mysterious past still needs to be addressed. When the truth comes out, the H and h can finally move on.
This is not an angsty story but it is unique in many ways. I really like how the Hero gives the h a nickname Lexie, and the little girl bossy boots. Plus, he is never afraid to say I love you first. The h is not a pushover. There is also humor in the book. The ending is cute, and the characters, for the most part, are just regular people(no yachts, villas, or mansions in this story.)
So, I am struggling to write a review that doesn’t give stuff away, while still giving an overview.
The story takes place in Soho, England(my first HP set there and it was interesting) Since this was published in 1984, it has some dated concepts. The heroine was really put off by the hero’s gold earring….
“she caught the gleam of a tiny golden hoop, half covered by his unfashionably lo.ng dark. brown hair An earring-he wore an earring! Alexis could not stop the corner of her mouth curling in derision. In her opinion only thugs wore earrings―thugs, layabouts and ne’er-do-wells. And gays, but that thought was a dead end. No way was this aggressive muscleman a member of the gay community.”
Oh wow this just threw me back to middle/high school in the 80’s where I grew up in a small town. I am pretty sure I heard this same speech from someone else back then and the whole right ear verses left ear debate. George Michael threw me by wearing an earring in both ears, so I wasn’t sure if I had a chance with him or not. Of course there was still Rick Springfield, all of Duran Duran, Michael Hutchence, so many posters….
The h, Alexis, was 28, widowed with a 4 year old daughter. She has been celibate since her husband’s death 3 years ago(more on him later). She had to go live with her controlling mother and maiden aunt. Her mom took in a boarder(that we only hear about but never meet) and she tries to pair her daughter off with the boring Neil. The h is eager to get a part time job and move out. Her daughter starts kdg in a year and she hopes to be out of the house when her daughter starts. This requires some extra money. So she goes to ‘seedy’ Soho, the Las Vegas of England to work in a restaurant which is connected to a casino. When she goes there, the H, Rhys, intercepts her and tells her the interviews are over(they aren’t) He wants his “girlfriend” to get the job instead. He does his best to scare the h off, but she is intercepted by the owner’s son and he gets her an interview. She is hired. Rhys, who is the bodyguard, security guard, and general laborer warns the h that he won’t have her back if she gets in a bind.
This is the set up for the story. These 2 rub each other the wrong way when really they want to rub each other in a more pleasurable scenario. Which brings me to the next interesting thing about this book written in 1984. Sex was predominately featured throughout. No, they weren’t having sex, but thoughts on sex were interwoven.
First of all there was the very modern thoughts of sex from the h. She wanted it. She indicates that her husband was a get in quick and out kind of guy, which indicates some dissatisfaction.
She also thinks about Neil, the boarder. She is not attracted to him, but part of her just wants to get with him so she can end her celibacy. She remarks about how he is only a few doors down from her room, yet he has never tried her door because he is “nice”.
Then she meets the H, and the sexual tension is rampant. At one point the H brings her home one night after her shift and they start talking and then they start making out. He tells her: “and …
‘God!’ he muttered fiercely into her throat, as his hands cupped the straining globes of her breasts. ‘I want to be inside you, deep inside.”
Folks our h perseverates on the remark for days and is really eager to make it a reality.
Another time he brings her home and she invites him inside. She was very eager for him to make good on that remark and had they not heard her mom upstairs they probably would have.
There are other sexual innuendos and situations peppered throughout.
Even her cute 4 year old makes remarks. She wants an uncle like her best friend Sammy’s mom. (According to her friend the uncles often buy gifts for Sammy although they also sleep naked in the bed with the friend’s mom.) Sammy’s divorced mom seems to have embraced a female’s right to have sex. Our h really does want to be in love with her partner, even though she also found some of the “uncles” appealing.
There is a lot of mystery surrounding the H. We do find out that he is divorced(10 years), and family consisting of 3 brothers and parents. Otherwise he is very cagey about stuff. Since he is cagey about things, the h’s imagination goes rampant. She makes a remark about there possibly being a hidden family, so he takes her back to his apartment to prove that he is single. The daughter is at a party and won’t need to be picked up for a few hours, so the h and H decide to fill their time getting acquainted with the H’s bedroom. What was nice is that the H actually tells the h he loves her before he shows her how much.
The story isn’t done, we haven’t quite gotten to the HEA. The H’s mysterious past still needs to be addressed. When the truth comes out, the H and h can finally move on.
This is not an angsty story but it is unique in many ways. I really like how the Hero gives the h a nickname Lexie, and the little girl bossy boots. Plus, he is never afraid to say I love you first. The h is not a pushover. There is also humor in the book. The ending is cute, and the characters, for the most part, are just regular people(no yachts, villas, or mansions in this story.)
June 9, 2021
I'll get rid of you, " Rhys had promised her
And Alexis had no doubt that he meant it. She needed her job as cashier at the Casino Venetia, in London's racy Soho district, but her employer's tough Welsh bodyguard was determined to see her lose it
What was going on behind the club's elegant facade that he was so anxious for her to leave it? Was there more to the Casino Venetia than met the eye?
And Rhys--was he only what he appeared to be or was he so much more?
And Alexis had no doubt that he meant it. She needed her job as cashier at the Casino Venetia, in London's racy Soho district, but her employer's tough Welsh bodyguard was determined to see her lose it
What was going on behind the club's elegant facade that he was so anxious for her to leave it? Was there more to the Casino Venetia than met the eye?
And Rhys--was he only what he appeared to be or was he so much more?
October 18, 2025
I'm afraid the 'boyos' killed the vibe for me.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews