Wedded in a Whirlwind

by Liz Fielding

Miranda Grenville is a survivor—a rare beauty who's fiercely independent. While trekking in a remote island paradise, Manda is caught up in an earthquake. Stuck deep underground in an ancient temple, she finds she's not alone. Sexy adventurer Nick Jago is trapped with her. Now Manda is forced to depend on someone. She knows she shouldn't trust him, but something deep inside of her is falling for this rebel….

Genres: Romance, Harlequin, Adventure, Fiction, Contemporary, Harlequin Romance, Adult

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Hi, I'm Liz Fielding, and I'm a best selling contemporary romance author with more than 15 million books in print and Katie Fforde wrote, when honouring me with the Romantic Novelists' Association's Outstanding Achievement Award in 2019 said - "Liz Fielding's books, with their warmth, humour and emotion, have charmed millions of readers. She is a true star of the romantic fiction genre..."

And now I've turned to a life of crime with my first cozy mystery. Murder Among the Roses, published on 18 April 2023 - of which Katie Fforde also said, "I was gripped from beginning to end..."

Reading is a big part of my life. I love witty, contemporary romances, not too much sex,, Women's fiction by the likes of Fiona Harper, Julie Cohen, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Jennifer Crusie and Barbara O'Neal. And I love crime fiction that isn't too gory, or focussed on clue hunting, but is big on character.

My best loved series at the moment are the Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths, The Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch and the Libby Sarjeant Mysteries by Lesley Cookman. I've just read the first in the Georgina Drake crime series from Kate Hardy and looking forward to the next.

For news and excerpts of my new releases, visit me at http://www.lizfielding.com and sign up for my newsletter

Reviews

[Danielle The Book Huntress · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty interesting little read. The hero and the heroine get trapped in a temple during an earthquake, which turns out to be the hand of fate in both their cases. Manda is the more tortured one, with parents who ignored her and caused her to act out in ways that had a lifelong effect on her future. Good news is that Nick Jago is just the man for her future. Nick is a real life Indiana Jones who had his notes bastardized into a sleazy fictional book by his ex-friend with benefit. This is one of those books you need to read the others in the series, so I'm going to have to hunt down Manda's brother, Ivo's book.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read The Smoke Hunter by Jacquelyn Benson around 6 months ago and fell in love with the whole "Indiana Jones but with a boatload of romance" theme. There aren't many of these books out there so when I do find one, I can overlook a lot of things that would otherwise annoy me in other books.

I still couldn't rate Wedded in a Whirlwind more than 3 stars :(

It started out really well - Manda (a rich tourist) and Jago (an archeologist) end up trapped in a collapsed ruin after a massive earthquake. It's pitch black down there and they basically have to work together to escape.

I loved Jago, he had a very dry sense of humour (my favourite) and acted like a bit of a dick after he was betrayed by his friends-with-benefits co-worker/employee(?), who stole and published his findings as her own.

I wasn't as enthusiastic about Manda since she had a tendency to whine about her tragic past every five minutes. We were constantly told that she didn't deserve kindness from anyone after what she's done, people shouldn't smile at her after what she's done, she must isolate and punish herself after what she's done... etc. We're not told about what she's actually done until like, 80% and it fell flat after the constant, vague hints.

The first 60% was really good - they were working together to get out of there, we had stones falling, aftershakes, not enough water, injuries and so on, but then they stopped at a ledge after climbing a wall and stayed there for the next 30% talking about their sad sad childhoods, abandonment issues, crap parents...etc. Absolutely nothing happened during that 30%, other than repetitive conversations about their problems, only for it to magically disappear because the other said "it wasn't your fault".

There was one point in their conversation where I really perked up and thought, "wow, if that actually happened then Manda's self-hatred was totally justified, her relationship with Jago just got a whole lot more complicated and I will give this 5 stars right now but......... nope. I'm not sure if the author chickened out or didn't notice she was hinting at that happening ----> We get Manda's story where we find out that she was some kind of advisor to the prime minister but she ended up doing something unforgivable and decided to quit.

Then we get Jago's past where his relationship with his parents was always strained since his father was some kind of politician and he always came second to his job. Then, someone uncovered that his dad was having an affair with an assistant and they actually had a young kid together. Jago was shocked to see his mum accepting what happened with ease and she continued posing for cameras with a big smile. The assistant ended up having to move away and hide from the press. Jago never met the woman or the kid.

Manda acted really weird throughout Jago's story and got really uncomfortable and defensive when Jago criticised the assistant for the affair and her getting pregnant. Then he wonders where he had heard Manda's surname before since it sounded familiar.

At this point I was like, holy shit, Manda's the assistant! I wonder how the author is going to solve this mess!

But nope, turns out she was just trying to trap some random guy but suffered a miscarriage. I'm not saying that's not horrible and tragic, but we were getting major hints towards a more emotional storyline and I felt cheated.

Then they manage to crawl out of the ruins, have a very clean/barely there/"blink and you miss it" sex scene and go their separate ways. Their reunion is was okay but then the author put in a very random storyline about saving homeless kids??? It was weird and out of place.

3 stars :(

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

W-O-W! This story is another Liz Fielding classic. I was enthralled from beginning to end, and while I was relieved that everything turns out well, I was sorry to leave the characters.

Both Miranda and Jago (Nick) are feisty and stubborn, with their own problematic back-stories. The setting - an ancient temple - is fantastic, as is the external conflict of being caught up and trapped by an earthquake.

We first met Miranda in Reunited: Marriage in a Million, and it was great to learn more about her. Likewise it was lovely to have reminders of Belle and Ivo. I don't want to give too much away about Wedded in a Whirlwind, but I'm going to share an excerpt that particularly 'spoke' to me at the time I read it:

(quote) This was a new beginning and from now on it was only forwards, only positive. There would still be dark moments, but she would never again wrap them around her like a cape, but work through them to the light, knowing it would, like the dawn, like spring, always return. (unquote)


This is just one example of why I love Liz Fielding's books so much. She writes with pure emotion from the heart and her words are always sincere, giving the reader much to empathise with. Whenever life gets tough, and during the darker moments, I always turn to a Liz Fielding novel.

[Becky Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second Liz Fielding that I've read and I enjoyed it a lot. The idea was pretty different, the man and woman trapped together in a ruined temple by an earthquake and bonding and falling in love as they struggle to escape.

Most of the story involves only those two characters, and much of it takes place in pitch darkness, over a few hours. So it's intense amd really focuses on them and their feelings. The crisis situation gives a good reason for their feelings to be so heightened and develop so quickly.

And speaking of quickly, I read it all in one day. Couldn't put it down as they say!

More Liz Fielding for me!

[Caro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I liked the survivalistism, the characters, and the situations. The ending was great and perfect. An awesome HEA! I would definitely read this book again. It had humor, emotions, and was touching in a number of ways. I was gripped and held (loosely) and wanted to know what happened next. I ended up staying up late for the finish of this book. Enjoy

[Nell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liz fielding always writes a compelling and believable romance. This is no exception - a great read.

[Thameera Senanayaka · Rating 3 out of 5]

May not be one of those best-sellers, but a good romance.

[Jacqueline J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice story of a couple in peril in an earthquake. They are in great danger and fall in love while surviving and saving each other. Well done and different.

[Susan in Perthshire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so enjoyable. An Indiana Jones inspired story with a South American setting and a hero and heroine, Jago and Manda who you could root for. The ending was a little rushed and abrupt but this was an entertaining read. I much preferred this to the first of the series.

[Valary · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting location, character backgrounds and drama