What do you think?
Rate this book
Holt #2
Left At The Altar
THE LONG WAY HOME
The only woman he'd ever wanted had left him standing at the altar without a backward glance. And there was no way in the world Sean Holt was going to allow her to hurt him again - no matter how much he ached to let her into his shattered heart...
Aurora Sheridan had let herself be torn away from the man she loved - and she'd had five long years to regret it. And now, with her life in ruins, she had no one left to turn to but him - and nothing left to dream of but another chance at love...
The only woman he'd ever wanted had left him standing at the altar without a backward glance. And there was no way in the world Sean Holt was going to allow her to hurt him again - no matter how much he ached to let her into his shattered heart...
Aurora Sheridan had let herself be torn away from the man she loved - and she'd had five long years to regret it. And now, with her life in ruins, she had no one left to turn to but him - and nothing left to dream of but another chance at love...
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1994
6 people are currently reading
142 people want to read
About the author
Justine Davis
252 books216 followersAuthor biographies are supposed to give you all those statistics, books written, awards won, etc. and I will, I promise...but first let me tell you about this ornery little tomboy (back then, the boys had all the fun...) who was always the one to make up the stories the neighborhood kids would "play". For those who came of age in the computer game era, this is something that was done usually in the backyard, by any number of summer-bored children, with props where appropriate. (Did you know a 55 gallon drum tied to a picnic bench makes a very cool horse?) It wasn't until much later that this tomboy realized two things: A) not everyone made up stories in their heads all the time, and B) in real life, the boys that had already had all the fun now seemed to always be winning.
But I digress. I was born on a farm down in Iowa....well, not quite, but close; Boone, Iowa is in the middle of farm country, but I arrived at a hospital. In a snow storm. Make that a blizzard. My sister tells me she knew my destiny when I was very young, because when I first saw the Disney classic Old Yeller, I was apparently so upset that I promptly went home and rewrote the story. In my version, the dog lived, of course. Should have been a clue.
Possibly in response to that blizzard I was born in, I've been a West Coaster since before I was a year old, and intend to stay that way. I have a history of staying. I started my first full time job right out of school (well, there was a very brief sojourn at a place where they made, among other things, burial vaults, but I prefer not to recall that one...) and stayed for twenty-one years. I've been married to the same wonderful guy for going on two decades now. We lived in our last house for seventeen years. (I won't even mention how many dumpsters we filled moving after that long....)
Readers seem as fascinated by my first career as they are with my writing. My time in law enforcement was many things, exciting, nerve wracking, and irritating, but most importantly never, ever boring. It was fascinating enough that I didn't think about writing seriously for several years. I kept a journal, and wrote long letters, collected quotes, mentally rewrote movies, and still made up those stories in my head, but never dreamed of actually writing for publication. I was having too much fun helping to catch bad guys, and being continually amazed at the situations people get themselves into. And eventually I walked away with a wealth of background and story ideas, and knowing some truly great people who work very hard to keep all of us safe. I'm proud to have been one of them, and I'm very aware that I have had the great good fortune of having had two jobs in my life that I love. Many people don't get even one.
But now that I'm in the delicious position of being able to make a living telling those stories in my head, I promise my readers two things: A) I'm staying--I'll keep writing as long as you keep reading, and B) in my stories, the girl--tomboy or not--always wins!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
And now, the official stats:
Justine Dare Davis sold her first book in 1989, and followed that up with the sale of nineteen novels in less than two years. Her first four books were published in 1991, and she saw all reach the finals for either the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award or the Romance Writers of America prestigious RITA Award. She has since won the RITA award four times, along with several Reviewer's Choice awards and three Career Achievement awards from Romantic Times. At the 1998 national conference, Justine was inducted into the RWA Hall of Fame, making her one of a very select group of just eight writers. She also had four titles on the Romantic Times "Top 200 of All Time" list. Her sales now total more than 45, and her books have appeared regularly on best seller lists, including the USA Today list. She has been featured in several local newspapers and nationwide by Associated Press, has appeared on CN
But I digress. I was born on a farm down in Iowa....well, not quite, but close; Boone, Iowa is in the middle of farm country, but I arrived at a hospital. In a snow storm. Make that a blizzard. My sister tells me she knew my destiny when I was very young, because when I first saw the Disney classic Old Yeller, I was apparently so upset that I promptly went home and rewrote the story. In my version, the dog lived, of course. Should have been a clue.
Possibly in response to that blizzard I was born in, I've been a West Coaster since before I was a year old, and intend to stay that way. I have a history of staying. I started my first full time job right out of school (well, there was a very brief sojourn at a place where they made, among other things, burial vaults, but I prefer not to recall that one...) and stayed for twenty-one years. I've been married to the same wonderful guy for going on two decades now. We lived in our last house for seventeen years. (I won't even mention how many dumpsters we filled moving after that long....)
Readers seem as fascinated by my first career as they are with my writing. My time in law enforcement was many things, exciting, nerve wracking, and irritating, but most importantly never, ever boring. It was fascinating enough that I didn't think about writing seriously for several years. I kept a journal, and wrote long letters, collected quotes, mentally rewrote movies, and still made up those stories in my head, but never dreamed of actually writing for publication. I was having too much fun helping to catch bad guys, and being continually amazed at the situations people get themselves into. And eventually I walked away with a wealth of background and story ideas, and knowing some truly great people who work very hard to keep all of us safe. I'm proud to have been one of them, and I'm very aware that I have had the great good fortune of having had two jobs in my life that I love. Many people don't get even one.
But now that I'm in the delicious position of being able to make a living telling those stories in my head, I promise my readers two things: A) I'm staying--I'll keep writing as long as you keep reading, and B) in my stories, the girl--tomboy or not--always wins!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
And now, the official stats:
Justine Dare Davis sold her first book in 1989, and followed that up with the sale of nineteen novels in less than two years. Her first four books were published in 1991, and she saw all reach the finals for either the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award or the Romance Writers of America prestigious RITA Award. She has since won the RITA award four times, along with several Reviewer's Choice awards and three Career Achievement awards from Romantic Times. At the 1998 national conference, Justine was inducted into the RWA Hall of Fame, making her one of a very select group of just eight writers. She also had four titles on the Romantic Times "Top 200 of All Time" list. Her sales now total more than 45, and her books have appeared regularly on best seller lists, including the USA Today list. She has been featured in several local newspapers and nationwide by Associated Press, has appeared on CN
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 11, 2011
Opening Line:"Hospitals. He’d sworn once that he would never set foot in on again."
Sean Holt was left (you guessed it) standing at the altar. Without so much as a backwards glance Aurora Sheridan (Rory) broke his heart and spirit without ever bothering to explain why. Instead a week later she just up and married another man and left town for good.
Sean had once thought that losing his leg and a promising athletic career would be the worst pain he’d ever have to face. He was wrong. It took a year long binge of self pity and then another four years of hard work to get himself back together after Rory but he’s finally in a good place now, having started a successful business he’s matured and gained back his self confidence. Although he’s never been able to let go of the pain and bitterness he feels towards the only woman he’s ever wanted.
Now with the death of her wealthy father Rory’s back in town; sporting a serious black eye, an abusive, brute of a husband and a ton of regret for the hurt she caused and the mess she’s made of her life. With her fathers passing Rory’s husband has become violent and his true agenda has come to light, leaving her nowhere to turn except to Sean. But if she wants his help she’s got some serious explaining to do. Will he even listen to her reasons for leaving let alone give them another chance?
This was a pretty good, standard Harlequin read; the love scenes are few but certainly spicy enough, theres angst a-plenty, and while the middle part dragged a bit for me as our couple hunted down a locket, jewellery box and key the ending was romantic and very suspenseful.
You can also tell that Davis has done her research here when it comes to prosthetics and living a physically challenged lifestyle however, while I appreciated our hero being an amputee I almost felt like it was talked about or used as a reason ‘why’ for everything too much. The reason why Rory left him, the reason why her father didn’t want her to marry him. Why he could/couldn’t defend himself or walk in sand. It was just mentioned in one way or another, every single page while Davis still maintained that Sean was a whole man and more then just his leg. In contradiction by mentioning it every page she wouldn’t let us forget about it. Maybe that was the point, IDK?
Written in 93/94, this is a great older Harlequin series (despite the now lame covers) with a real penchant for the tortured hero. Do yourself a favour though and read it in order. I randomly picked up book#3 The Morningside Of Dawn and then fell so in love with its sublime wounded hero Dar Cordell (sigh) that I’ve been on the hunt ever since to find the rest of the series. Cheers people.
1-Stevie's Chase (Silhouette Intimate Moments, No. 402)
2-Left At The Altar
3-Morning Side Of Dawn (Silhouette Intimate Moments, No 674)
Sean Holt was left (you guessed it) standing at the altar. Without so much as a backwards glance Aurora Sheridan (Rory) broke his heart and spirit without ever bothering to explain why. Instead a week later she just up and married another man and left town for good.
Sean had once thought that losing his leg and a promising athletic career would be the worst pain he’d ever have to face. He was wrong. It took a year long binge of self pity and then another four years of hard work to get himself back together after Rory but he’s finally in a good place now, having started a successful business he’s matured and gained back his self confidence. Although he’s never been able to let go of the pain and bitterness he feels towards the only woman he’s ever wanted.
Now with the death of her wealthy father Rory’s back in town; sporting a serious black eye, an abusive, brute of a husband and a ton of regret for the hurt she caused and the mess she’s made of her life. With her fathers passing Rory’s husband has become violent and his true agenda has come to light, leaving her nowhere to turn except to Sean. But if she wants his help she’s got some serious explaining to do. Will he even listen to her reasons for leaving let alone give them another chance?
This was a pretty good, standard Harlequin read; the love scenes are few but certainly spicy enough, theres angst a-plenty, and while the middle part dragged a bit for me as our couple hunted down a locket, jewellery box and key the ending was romantic and very suspenseful.
You can also tell that Davis has done her research here when it comes to prosthetics and living a physically challenged lifestyle however, while I appreciated our hero being an amputee I almost felt like it was talked about or used as a reason ‘why’ for everything too much. The reason why Rory left him, the reason why her father didn’t want her to marry him. Why he could/couldn’t defend himself or walk in sand. It was just mentioned in one way or another, every single page while Davis still maintained that Sean was a whole man and more then just his leg. In contradiction by mentioning it every page she wouldn’t let us forget about it. Maybe that was the point, IDK?
Written in 93/94, this is a great older Harlequin series (despite the now lame covers) with a real penchant for the tortured hero. Do yourself a favour though and read it in order. I randomly picked up book#3 The Morningside Of Dawn and then fell so in love with its sublime wounded hero Dar Cordell (sigh) that I’ve been on the hunt ever since to find the rest of the series. Cheers people.
1-Stevie's Chase (Silhouette Intimate Moments, No. 402)
2-Left At The Altar
3-Morning Side Of Dawn (Silhouette Intimate Moments, No 674)
May 2, 2011
Left at the Altar is Sean's story. We met him in Stevie's Chase and he was not a happy person. He was angry at himself, the world for making him lose his leg when he was just 20 and ending his dreams of an athletic career, it took him a long time to get over the bitterness and even a longer time to accept himself and his life. Five year ago when he was just starting to heal, Rory the woman he loved left him on their wedding day and when he went after her, what her dad said affected him for a long long time. He runs into Rory while in the hospital waiting for his sister to deliver.
Rory, she is no longer that innocent 18 year old instead life and adversity has changed her. She at 18 was too young and too idealistic, so much so that she sold herself to save her father and hurt Sean. She felt she had no choice and she suffered so much for that choice. This book wasn't an easy read for me, what Rory went through was terrible, yes she was the one who accepted it but it doesn't make it easier. And her father, man if he can be called even that allowed it to happen and we are made to believe he regretted and tried to make up for it but it could not re-pay for what he did.
Rory tells Sean the reasons for what he did and though he is disbelieving at first , he does come to accept it but that doesn't mean he was willing to forget and I liked that. He had self-preservation and knew that getting nostalgic and wondering about what might have been would only bring him pain in the long run and when Rory is hurt in trying to let go off the shackles of her past he comes to her rescue and when she tries to re-capture that old feeling he stops her.
Their past relationship wasn't perfect and both Rory and Sean come to see that. Sean kept his being handicapped out of it and Rory kept quiet because she was unsure and didn't want to make Sean uncomfortable.
Don't get me wrong the book was not bad but it still didn't bowl me over. I would have liked Rory to not forgive her father, I get it about his being her family and all but just by his one action she is ready to forgive five years of her misery, didn't ring that true for me.
Rating 3
Rory, she is no longer that innocent 18 year old instead life and adversity has changed her. She at 18 was too young and too idealistic, so much so that she sold herself to save her father and hurt Sean. She felt she had no choice and she suffered so much for that choice. This book wasn't an easy read for me, what Rory went through was terrible, yes she was the one who accepted it but it doesn't make it easier. And her father, man if he can be called even that allowed it to happen and we are made to believe he regretted and tried to make up for it but it could not re-pay for what he did.
Rory tells Sean the reasons for what he did and though he is disbelieving at first , he does come to accept it but that doesn't mean he was willing to forget and I liked that. He had self-preservation and knew that getting nostalgic and wondering about what might have been would only bring him pain in the long run and when Rory is hurt in trying to let go off the shackles of her past he comes to her rescue and when she tries to re-capture that old feeling he stops her.
Their past relationship wasn't perfect and both Rory and Sean come to see that. Sean kept his being handicapped out of it and Rory kept quiet because she was unsure and didn't want to make Sean uncomfortable.
Don't get me wrong the book was not bad but it still didn't bowl me over. I would have liked Rory to not forgive her father, I get it about his being her family and all but just by his one action she is ready to forgive five years of her misery, didn't ring that true for me.
Rating 3
August 2, 2017
This romance - Sean - made me melt into a scalding pool of sweet lava.
That's all.
Oh, and every time he met with Dar Cordell I could se by their interaction, that Dar was the star of the trilogy, the most sexy, attractive, interesting and complex guy on the block.
To be clear, he's an endorphine machine.
Loving Justine Davis' books.
💝💝💝💝💝
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
That's all.
Oh, and every time he met with Dar Cordell I could se by their interaction, that Dar was the star of the trilogy, the most sexy, attractive, interesting and complex guy on the block.
To be clear, he's an endorphine machine.
Loving Justine Davis' books.
💝💝💝💝💝
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
November 29, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. I thought the character of Sean was very likable, and though I didn't at first, I grew to like Rory. She did make me angry because she seemed so dumb and meek at times. I would have liked more details about how they managed to get rid of Frank in the end... it didn't seem like they were really secured against him. I also liked Dar and Chase... I'm glad that this is part of a series... I'll have to read both of them now!
October 26, 2016
A very good second chance romance book. Liked it! Worth reading! And we get to meet Stevie & Chase again...that's a plus!
November 13, 2018
Second chances
I came across this oldie by accident. I clearly remember ed the characters. And there short coming s not so much the plot.
But buy it and revisiting it , brought out so many good emotions for me . Laughter, sadness, compassion, sympathy. All rolled up. It a sweet and emotional read . I highly recommend.
I came across this oldie by accident. I clearly remember ed the characters. And there short coming s not so much the plot.
But buy it and revisiting it , brought out so many good emotions for me . Laughter, sadness, compassion, sympathy. All rolled up. It a sweet and emotional read . I highly recommend.
August 14, 2019
I appreciated how everything was settled, that the pain wasn’t dismissed but addressed. Great story and looking forward to the next in the series.
Read
October 14, 2023♿️
February 19, 2017
I had forgotten how soothing this kind of Harlequin series novel can be. That said, this had the usual perils of the genre - the heroine did what? Why? - the hero is ridiculously self-pitying - there are a lot of dumb misunderstandings and a villain who is so villainous that the fact that the hero and heroine are stymied by him for so long makes it impossible to believe they are not intensely, intensely stupid. On the other hand, I couldn't put it down once I picked it up, so I really shouldn't complain too much.
January 30, 2015
Another entry in my goal to re-read and review all the books laying around my house for days, months, weeks, years, or decades.
This book is from 1994. Justine Davis likes tortured heroes, and this has both tortured hero and heroine. Sean is an amputee. He lost the lower half of his leg after a car accident. Despite being handsome, intelligent, and employed, he fears no woman can overcome being repulsed by his leg. (This seems pretty dismissive of women to me.)
A few years ago, he met and fell in love with rich girl Aurora. Although they never talked about his leg, and planned to wait until their wedding night to make love, he believed she could deal and they got engaged. Then she left him at the altar. Her father basically sold her to a business associate in exchange for the associate's silence about the father's shading and criminal dealings. But Sean doesn't know that, of course, and spends five years hating Aurora and feeling like he'll never measure up as a man.
Reading this book now, I have all kinds of issues with this plot. Aurora does not take charge of her life until late in the book, and Sean is full of self pity. Also, I got tired of hearing how beautiful not only Sean is but also his sister, his brother-in-law, and his best friend. I guess only bad guys are ugly or even normal looking.
The story is engaging and it's nice to have a hero with a disability, but neither of the main characters is particularly interesting. Justine Davis is a good writer, so I enjoyed reading the book even while rolling my eyes at plot points.
Also *spoiler* the father has a change of heart right before he dies and leaves Aurora clues to bring the business associate down. Why doesn't the father just turn him in to the authorities? Oh right, then there would be no dramatic plot.
Left at the Alter is worth reading if you are a big fan of Justine Davis, especially if you read Stevie's Chase and want to follow up with Sean's story.
This book is from 1994. Justine Davis likes tortured heroes, and this has both tortured hero and heroine. Sean is an amputee. He lost the lower half of his leg after a car accident. Despite being handsome, intelligent, and employed, he fears no woman can overcome being repulsed by his leg. (This seems pretty dismissive of women to me.)
A few years ago, he met and fell in love with rich girl Aurora. Although they never talked about his leg, and planned to wait until their wedding night to make love, he believed she could deal and they got engaged. Then she left him at the altar. Her father basically sold her to a business associate in exchange for the associate's silence about the father's shading and criminal dealings. But Sean doesn't know that, of course, and spends five years hating Aurora and feeling like he'll never measure up as a man.
Reading this book now, I have all kinds of issues with this plot. Aurora does not take charge of her life until late in the book, and Sean is full of self pity. Also, I got tired of hearing how beautiful not only Sean is but also his sister, his brother-in-law, and his best friend. I guess only bad guys are ugly or even normal looking.
The story is engaging and it's nice to have a hero with a disability, but neither of the main characters is particularly interesting. Justine Davis is a good writer, so I enjoyed reading the book even while rolling my eyes at plot points.
Also *spoiler* the father has a change of heart right before he dies and leaves Aurora clues to bring the business associate down. Why doesn't the father just turn him in to the authorities? Oh right, then there would be no dramatic plot.
Left at the Alter is worth reading if you are a big fan of Justine Davis, especially if you read Stevie's Chase and want to follow up with Sean's story.
October 26, 2010
This is the second in a trilogy that also includes "Stevie's Chase" and "Morning Side of Dawn".
This book follows Sean Holt, who was jilted at the altar several years earlier by a woman who has now come back into his life following the death of her father. It was Aurora "Rory" Sheridan's father who told Sean in the first place that the reason she didn't want to marry him was because she deserved a "whole man". Sean, believing that she couldn't bear to marry an amputee, was profoundly affected by her rejection, which kept him from placing his heart on the line again for all of those years.
Rory's re-entry into his life rips open the wounds caused five years earlier, and Sean and Rory must put the pieces back together of both of their lives, shattered all those years before for reasons Sean is only now beginning to understand. Reasons that had nothing to do with his missing leg.
This book follows Sean Holt, who was jilted at the altar several years earlier by a woman who has now come back into his life following the death of her father. It was Aurora "Rory" Sheridan's father who told Sean in the first place that the reason she didn't want to marry him was because she deserved a "whole man". Sean, believing that she couldn't bear to marry an amputee, was profoundly affected by her rejection, which kept him from placing his heart on the line again for all of those years.
Rory's re-entry into his life rips open the wounds caused five years earlier, and Sean and Rory must put the pieces back together of both of their lives, shattered all those years before for reasons Sean is only now beginning to understand. Reasons that had nothing to do with his missing leg.
January 5, 2011
Typical premise for a romance story, hero and heroine break up because of a misunderstanding, then fall immediately back in love once the misunderstanding is cleared up. Still, it was a likable story.
February 5, 2014
Better quality traditional romance. The author uses the POV's of both characters about equally, which I enjoy. There is an excellent cast of secondary characters, and we see some of their stories in the other books of the series.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews