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To Catch a Unicorn
Would the family legend come true?
Laura felt young and defenseless in the turbulent Trevayne household - completely overshadowed by her glamorous cousin Cleo.
Cleo, widow of Troilus, the third brother, considered herself a true Trevayne and was certainly as unpredictable as the philandering Perry and the arrogant Dominic.
It was unfortunate that it was Perry who treated Laura as a woman; for Laura was in love with Dominic, and he regarded her as a child.
Laura felt young and defenseless in the turbulent Trevayne household - completely overshadowed by her glamorous cousin Cleo.
Cleo, widow of Troilus, the third brother, considered herself a true Trevayne and was certainly as unpredictable as the philandering Perry and the arrogant Dominic.
It was unfortunate that it was Perry who treated Laura as a woman; for Laura was in love with Dominic, and he regarded her as a child.
359 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1964
4 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
Sara Seale
71 books23 followersSara Seale was the pseudonym used by Mary Jane MacPherson (d. 11 March 1974) and/or A.D.L. MacPherson (d. 30 October 1978), a British writing team who published over 45 romance novels from 1932 to 1971. Seale was one of the first Mills & Boon's authors published in Germany and the Netherlands, and reached the pinnacle of her career in the 1940s and 1950s, when they earning over £3,000/year. Many of Seale's novels revisited a theme of an orphaned heroine who finds happiness, and also employed blind or disfigured (but still handsome) heroes as standard characters.
Mary Jane MacPherson began writing at an early age while still in her convent school. Besides being a writer, MacPherson was also a leading authority on Alsatian dogs, and was a judge at Crufts.
Mary Jane MacPherson began writing at an early age while still in her convent school. Besides being a writer, MacPherson was also a leading authority on Alsatian dogs, and was a judge at Crufts.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
November 3, 2017
There’s an old Cornish quote that I kept thinking of during the book, “By Tre, Pol and Pen shall ye know Cornishmen…”. The names certainly rang true here.
This had a fey charm to it you can only find in an old skool Harley. Laura our sweet innocent is naive but she’s not stupid (nice change). She’s taking the train to Cornwall to meet up with her vain, vapid cousin Cleo so Laura can take care of the “brat” as Cleo so lovingly calls her young son. On the train she meets Perry (Peregrine), a dark gyspy-ish and charming rogue who charms her, wines her, dines her then leaves her on the train. She’s picked up at the station by a darker, older version of Perry named Dominic.
Laura falls in with the cast of characters and watches on the sidelines as Cleo tries to insinuate herself with Dominic as he hold the apron strings. Why is Cleo there? She was married to the now dead Troy, another brother and a dark, gypsy charmer with no morals, and her plot moppet is the up and coming heir. It also allows Cleo to have a fling with Perry who likes to stir up drama with everyone from his big brother to the plot moppet. As she points out to a horrified Laura, she wants her cake and eat it too.
Dominic is the older brother brooder. Perry is the younger brother troublemaker. Cleo, as the H puts it so succinctly at the end of the book, is the all around slut and bitch. Nick is the young son of the house and is depicted as a young boy who pitches fits, whines and indiscriminately likes the bad brother over the good. In other words, he is actually written like a real boy. Lastly we have sweet, naive Laura who not only has manners but has a backbone when absolutely necessary. We see lots of bad behavior on the part of the other characters through her eyes.
Bad boy Perry makes one last bad boy play to wreak havoc on Dominic and make Cleo jealous which ends up backfiring.
Cleo, the evil OW, is entertainingly horrible, and you get to see her actual machinations from ground zero, kind of an Evil Woman Guidebook 101. She gets not one, but two comeuppances, in this book.
This had a fey charm to it you can only find in an old skool Harley. Laura our sweet innocent is naive but she’s not stupid (nice change). She’s taking the train to Cornwall to meet up with her vain, vapid cousin Cleo so Laura can take care of the “brat” as Cleo so lovingly calls her young son. On the train she meets Perry (Peregrine), a dark gyspy-ish and charming rogue who charms her, wines her, dines her then leaves her on the train. She’s picked up at the station by a darker, older version of Perry named Dominic.
Laura falls in with the cast of characters and watches on the sidelines as Cleo tries to insinuate herself with Dominic as he hold the apron strings. Why is Cleo there? She was married to the now dead Troy, another brother and a dark, gypsy charmer with no morals, and her plot moppet is the up and coming heir. It also allows Cleo to have a fling with Perry who likes to stir up drama with everyone from his big brother to the plot moppet. As she points out to a horrified Laura, she wants her cake and eat it too.
Dominic is the older brother brooder. Perry is the younger brother troublemaker. Cleo, as the H puts it so succinctly at the end of the book, is the all around slut and bitch. Nick is the young son of the house and is depicted as a young boy who pitches fits, whines and indiscriminately likes the bad brother over the good. In other words, he is actually written like a real boy. Lastly we have sweet, naive Laura who not only has manners but has a backbone when absolutely necessary. We see lots of bad behavior on the part of the other characters through her eyes.
Bad boy Perry makes one last bad boy play to wreak havoc on Dominic and make Cleo jealous which ends up backfiring.
Cleo, the evil OW, is entertainingly horrible, and you get to see her actual machinations from ground zero, kind of an Evil Woman Guidebook 101. She gets not one, but two comeuppances, in this book.
September 20, 2019
"To Catch a Unicorn" is the story of Laura and Dominic.
A VERY old school romance with a sweet, caring heroine who agrees to help out a selfish, uncaring, money grabbing cousin to take care of her petulant child, but instead ends up being enchanted by the cousin's brother in law, who even the cousin has an eye on. How the heroine gets duped by the cousin and her love (another flamboyant BIL) while the hero repeatedly reassures her of his intentions forms the story.
The book is loooong with loads of back and forth, scenes of OW/OM planning, temper tantrums, declaration of feelings and a few odd kisses.
A different reading experience, more like a movie.
Safe
3/5
A VERY old school romance with a sweet, caring heroine who agrees to help out a selfish, uncaring, money grabbing cousin to take care of her petulant child, but instead ends up being enchanted by the cousin's brother in law, who even the cousin has an eye on. How the heroine gets duped by the cousin and her love (another flamboyant BIL) while the hero repeatedly reassures her of his intentions forms the story.
The book is loooong with loads of back and forth, scenes of OW/OM planning, temper tantrums, declaration of feelings and a few odd kisses.
A different reading experience, more like a movie.
Safe
3/5
July 26, 2018
Another on my quest to read the first 100 HPs. This one is numbered 97 and was written in 1964 originally. It wasn’t great but it wasn’t bad either. At least the hero and heroine actually had scenes together which is sometimes not the case with these old Harleys. One thing that I didn’t much care for is that the dialogue was rather like a witty play where no one really says what they mean. I don’t believe anyone ever really talked like that. The heroine was young but fairly strong. The hero was all in for her early.
August 19, 2018
I was struggling with this as it was because both MC's were so wishy-washy in revealing their feelings for each other, not helped at all by the OW & OM who were evil.
The final nail in the coffin for me was at the end when Perry (the OM who was the H's brother), kidnapped Laura (the h) and threatened to rape her. That was part of the plot, but then there was this exchange-
He said, "Ah! Now you're sounding like prim Miss Prunes-and-prisms again! You won't feel so smug by tomorrow morning, my girl."
Laura answers: "Oh, really, Perry! I may be young and inexperienced, but I'm not ignorant. I've always understood that rape is virtually impossible unless the victim is partially willing"
This was originally published in 1964 and probably reflects common beliefs of the time, but what the heck?!!!!! If I could have given this negative stars just for that piece of ***, I would have.
The final nail in the coffin for me was at the end when Perry (the OM who was the H's brother), kidnapped Laura (the h) and threatened to rape her. That was part of the plot, but then there was this exchange-
He said, "Ah! Now you're sounding like prim Miss Prunes-and-prisms again! You won't feel so smug by tomorrow morning, my girl."
Laura answers: "Oh, really, Perry! I may be young and inexperienced, but I'm not ignorant. I've always understood that rape is virtually impossible unless the victim is partially willing"
This was originally published in 1964 and probably reflects common beliefs of the time, but what the heck?!!!!! If I could have given this negative stars just for that piece of ***, I would have.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 11, 2018
Just what is going on with the cover of this book?
I mean seriously, WTF is this?
The hero looks nothing like that photo, for what it's worth. He has a disfiguring scar, for one thing, and there's no mention of glasses nor of him looking like the doppelganger of Engelbert Humperdinck.
If you can get past that cover, and I wouldn't blame you if you couldn't, you've got a typical Sara Seale set in Cornwall, albeit possibly one of the least entertaining novels of hers that I've read so far. This is the fifth Cornish Seale novel I've read, and it was almost indistinguishable from The Dark Stranger. Complex family with warring brothers, Other Woman is the heroine's relative, the hero runs some kind of mining business, etc. While The Dark Stranger was great, I struggled to enjoy To Catch a Unicorn.
Laura (20) comes to stay with her widowed cousin Cleo, at the house of Cleo's brothers-in-law. Laura is to be an unpaid nanny to Cleo's son, Nicky. There's a lot of dreary stuff about the hero, Dominic (30s), being jealous because younger-brother-charmer Peregrine has managed to win the nephew's affections instead of him.
Cleo is having an affair with Peregrine, who isn't inclined to marriage, and she wants to marry Dominic for reasons that are never very convincing, except that it serves as a plot device for her to try putting a wedge between Laura and Dominic. Peregrine turns into an absolute pantomime villain by the end of the book, for reasons that are also not very convincing.
I never felt any passion between Dominic and Laura, there was merely this on the last page:
I mean seriously, WTF is this?
The hero looks nothing like that photo, for what it's worth. He has a disfiguring scar, for one thing, and there's no mention of glasses nor of him looking like the doppelganger of Engelbert Humperdinck.
If you can get past that cover, and I wouldn't blame you if you couldn't, you've got a typical Sara Seale set in Cornwall, albeit possibly one of the least entertaining novels of hers that I've read so far. This is the fifth Cornish Seale novel I've read, and it was almost indistinguishable from The Dark Stranger. Complex family with warring brothers, Other Woman is the heroine's relative, the hero runs some kind of mining business, etc. While The Dark Stranger was great, I struggled to enjoy To Catch a Unicorn.
Laura (20) comes to stay with her widowed cousin Cleo, at the house of Cleo's brothers-in-law. Laura is to be an unpaid nanny to Cleo's son, Nicky. There's a lot of dreary stuff about the hero, Dominic (30s), being jealous because younger-brother-charmer Peregrine has managed to win the nephew's affections instead of him.
Cleo is having an affair with Peregrine, who isn't inclined to marriage, and she wants to marry Dominic for reasons that are never very convincing, except that it serves as a plot device for her to try putting a wedge between Laura and Dominic. Peregrine turns into an absolute pantomime villain by the end of the book, for reasons that are also not very convincing.
I never felt any passion between Dominic and Laura, there was merely this on the last page:
"We have to discover one another slowly. As for me - part of you will always remain the endearing child I first loved. Shall you mind?"
She rubbed her cheek against his, feeling its roughness, and felt, too, the roughness of his toiler's hands as they touched her flesh.
"No, I shan't mind. I'll mind nothing ever again as long as I'm with you," she said, before offering him her mouth, and the ardent pressure of her young breasts against him...
July 13, 2018
Sara Seale isn't my favorite author, to say the least -- her little ewe lambs tend to be frighteningly young and naive, sometimes even childish, and altogether completely unable to deal with a relationship with a grownup. There is a power imbalance that is discomfiting.
This h is a fanciful little creature, but what makes this book freaking AWESOME is that she is the toughest little crab imaginable, and when she isn't issuing whimsical statements about nonsense, she's busy crushing the pretensions of the sophisticated people she's surrounded by. It's a strange combination of factors that make this work -- she has very little ego but good self-respect, she speaks candidly, and she ignores things that she feels are beneath the dignity of the people involved. Many of the defeats she issues are inadvertent, but there is no question that merely by moving forward in the course she chooses, she'll end up getting what she wants.
She grinds them all into the dust, including the H, but since he's a pretty good guy, he ends up with her in the end.
This h is a fanciful little creature, but what makes this book freaking AWESOME is that she is the toughest little crab imaginable, and when she isn't issuing whimsical statements about nonsense, she's busy crushing the pretensions of the sophisticated people she's surrounded by. It's a strange combination of factors that make this work -- she has very little ego but good self-respect, she speaks candidly, and she ignores things that she feels are beneath the dignity of the people involved. Many of the defeats she issues are inadvertent, but there is no question that merely by moving forward in the course she chooses, she'll end up getting what she wants.
She grinds them all into the dust, including the H, but since he's a pretty good guy, he ends up with her in the end.
May 15, 2013
Nice little play on the legend of the unicorn. The innocent maiden is the only one to tame the dark Trevayne. Dominic, the oldest of the brothers is the only true unicorn with blue eyes.
These stories are fascinating and quite other worldly. The heroine's with their childlike innocence are from another time, if they ever existed. Yet they still keep me intrigued in this modern era when a seemingly passive heroine is despised. They have strength but it a quiet strength shown in their capacity for love and loyalty and honour.
These stories are fascinating and quite other worldly. The heroine's with their childlike innocence are from another time, if they ever existed. Yet they still keep me intrigued in this modern era when a seemingly passive heroine is despised. They have strength but it a quiet strength shown in their capacity for love and loyalty and honour.
July 17, 2016
‘Buckets of Blood!’ Laura swears, as she trips over some luggage. She’s on a train to Cornwall and she can’t use proper swear words, and she’s far too awesome to be all ‘dash’ or ‘heck’ so it’s blood or other substances in buckets and perhaps in other receptacles too. Before she has another chance to be colourful, she meets a dashing stranger. He invites her to share his first class carriage, and gets her drunk at lunch, where she tells him all about herself. She’s lost her job as a florist and is heading to Penzion, the home of the brothers Trevayne. She’s going to look after her widowed cousin Cleo’s son, because in addition to a multitude of other sins, Cleo is a bad mother. Laura’s dashing stranger is very flirty and makes just enough leading remarks to make it clear that he knows more about the Trevaynes than he’s letting on.
Fortunately, he’s not the hero. Laura meets him next, while she’s waiting for someone to collect her from the station. In the darkness, dozing, she sees him and gasps in fright. She thinks she’s seeing the devil! Nope, just Dominic Trevayne, a man of 34 with dark hair and blue eyes and a scarred cheek. Love a good scarred cheek.
Cleo hasn’t made it clear that Laura is not engaged as the nanny, because Cleo is like that. It would embarrass us both if I offered to pay you, she does not say, but that’s the implication. It’s all quickly sorted and Laura can go about being naïve and 20 and whimsical while insisting that she knows what’s what. Laura also meets Peregrine (Perry), the youngest brother, and her stranger on the train. ‘Stay away from Perry,’ Cleo warns Laura. ‘He’s mine.’ Not that Cleo really expects Laura could take Perry away from her, because Cleo is beautiful and vivid and passionate, and Laura is a plain, prim little thing who is all whimsical and mythic.
Poor Cleo. Don’t get me wrong, she’s awful woman, but I did feel sorry for her. She married Troilus Trevayne (such a great name) when he left his family, vowing never to return. She and Troilus spent their way through Cleo’s inheritance, and have a son, Nicky, who is 5. Troilus is dead. He left Penzion under a very grim cloud: he’d got a girl pregnant and wouldn’t marry her. She may or may not have been Dominic’s girl. Dominic offered to marry her, and fought Troilus, and Troilus brought a piece of flint to a fistfight, and Dominic’s cheek ended up scared.
Dominic is a little more civilised than his brothers, but … these are Gothic men. They are brutes, they stride around rather than walk normally beside a person. They eat way too fast and have no conversation and then just up and leave the table. They fight, they say nasty things to each other, they drink too much, and they do much sex. Except for Dominic, he doesn’t do the last two.
Cleo basically thinks this is heaven and tries to be what she thinks is the perfect Trevayne. She’s hatched this lazy plan where she’ll marry Dominic, and keep Peregrine around for sex. She’s doesn’t really want to go to the bother of finding a husband. She’s completely indifferent to her child, and as the other woman, does everything in her power to convince Laura that Dominic isn’t interested. Cleo is the kind of person who will say ‘Darling, I’m off to throttle the vicar,’ and then mock you for objecting that murdering the clergy is wrong.
Laura is sweet and gentle but has a core of steel. She falls for Dominic pretty hard, but is far too strong to spend a lot of time moping about it. While Cleo’s awfulness shocks her, this isn’t one of those stories where you’re left with this nasty feeling about the heroine self-righteously rejoicing in the downfall of the wicked other woman. I really appreciate a good old-school heroine who tells the hero and everyone else that she knows perfectly well what they mean when they’re mid sexual innuendo. She knows all about it. And even if she doesn’t, I much prefer her to 21st century heroines, who are completely ignorant of orgasms and contraception with far less excuse.
Dominic goes completely bonkers over Laura, but has no idea how to say the right thing. It’s very satisfying watching him imply how taken he is. And it was really sweet watching him trying to win over his nephew. I do hope, though, that he’ll learn to actually walk beside Laura, and to have proper table manners.
The whole unicorn legend feels strange, but that’s possibly because I can’t get past what happens after the unicorn lays his head in the virgin’s lap, when the hunting party spring out from behind the bush and stab the unicorn and saw off its horn, and the virgin’s pretty white dress is stained in blood and she’s traumatised forever. That’s all symbolic, but instead the book wants us to think about the girl taming the mythic beast and everything being fine. I didn’t really get it. I mean we’ve definitely gone to some obvious places with the horn and the girl’s lap, but it’s not much to build an entire book around.
What does work really well is the bad characters attempting to make some Gothic symmetry. Cleo, although she would deny it, clearly thinks Dominic will want to marry her to get his brother’s child and wife, after his brother’s actions denied him a child and a wife seven years ago. And Perry gets it into his head that he’ll seduce and/or rape Laura, so that Dominic will once again experience the pain of losing a woman to a younger brother.
Laura and Dominic are great together, and while some of the attitudes are very dated, this is a very enjoyable vintage romance.
Fortunately, he’s not the hero. Laura meets him next, while she’s waiting for someone to collect her from the station. In the darkness, dozing, she sees him and gasps in fright. She thinks she’s seeing the devil! Nope, just Dominic Trevayne, a man of 34 with dark hair and blue eyes and a scarred cheek. Love a good scarred cheek.
Cleo hasn’t made it clear that Laura is not engaged as the nanny, because Cleo is like that. It would embarrass us both if I offered to pay you, she does not say, but that’s the implication. It’s all quickly sorted and Laura can go about being naïve and 20 and whimsical while insisting that she knows what’s what. Laura also meets Peregrine (Perry), the youngest brother, and her stranger on the train. ‘Stay away from Perry,’ Cleo warns Laura. ‘He’s mine.’ Not that Cleo really expects Laura could take Perry away from her, because Cleo is beautiful and vivid and passionate, and Laura is a plain, prim little thing who is all whimsical and mythic.
Poor Cleo. Don’t get me wrong, she’s awful woman, but I did feel sorry for her. She married Troilus Trevayne (such a great name) when he left his family, vowing never to return. She and Troilus spent their way through Cleo’s inheritance, and have a son, Nicky, who is 5. Troilus is dead. He left Penzion under a very grim cloud: he’d got a girl pregnant and wouldn’t marry her. She may or may not have been Dominic’s girl. Dominic offered to marry her, and fought Troilus, and Troilus brought a piece of flint to a fistfight, and Dominic’s cheek ended up scared.
Dominic is a little more civilised than his brothers, but … these are Gothic men. They are brutes, they stride around rather than walk normally beside a person. They eat way too fast and have no conversation and then just up and leave the table. They fight, they say nasty things to each other, they drink too much, and they do much sex. Except for Dominic, he doesn’t do the last two.
Cleo basically thinks this is heaven and tries to be what she thinks is the perfect Trevayne. She’s hatched this lazy plan where she’ll marry Dominic, and keep Peregrine around for sex. She’s doesn’t really want to go to the bother of finding a husband. She’s completely indifferent to her child, and as the other woman, does everything in her power to convince Laura that Dominic isn’t interested. Cleo is the kind of person who will say ‘Darling, I’m off to throttle the vicar,’ and then mock you for objecting that murdering the clergy is wrong.
Laura is sweet and gentle but has a core of steel. She falls for Dominic pretty hard, but is far too strong to spend a lot of time moping about it. While Cleo’s awfulness shocks her, this isn’t one of those stories where you’re left with this nasty feeling about the heroine self-righteously rejoicing in the downfall of the wicked other woman. I really appreciate a good old-school heroine who tells the hero and everyone else that she knows perfectly well what they mean when they’re mid sexual innuendo. She knows all about it. And even if she doesn’t, I much prefer her to 21st century heroines, who are completely ignorant of orgasms and contraception with far less excuse.
Dominic goes completely bonkers over Laura, but has no idea how to say the right thing. It’s very satisfying watching him imply how taken he is. And it was really sweet watching him trying to win over his nephew. I do hope, though, that he’ll learn to actually walk beside Laura, and to have proper table manners.
The whole unicorn legend feels strange, but that’s possibly because I can’t get past what happens after the unicorn lays his head in the virgin’s lap, when the hunting party spring out from behind the bush and stab the unicorn and saw off its horn, and the virgin’s pretty white dress is stained in blood and she’s traumatised forever. That’s all symbolic, but instead the book wants us to think about the girl taming the mythic beast and everything being fine. I didn’t really get it. I mean we’ve definitely gone to some obvious places with the horn and the girl’s lap, but it’s not much to build an entire book around.
What does work really well is the bad characters attempting to make some Gothic symmetry. Cleo, although she would deny it, clearly thinks Dominic will want to marry her to get his brother’s child and wife, after his brother’s actions denied him a child and a wife seven years ago. And Perry gets it into his head that he’ll seduce and/or rape Laura, so that Dominic will once again experience the pain of losing a woman to a younger brother.
Laura and Dominic are great together, and while some of the attitudes are very dated, this is a very enjoyable vintage romance.
July 23, 2016
Rating this book was a struggle. I loved the descriptions , the language, the two main characters and the entire "Cornwall in the sixties" ambience. Although the secondary heroes were one dimensional and repetitive, I found the plot very interesting and happily kept reading through the night and depriving myself from sleep. I was reaching the end when I got a good shock from the heroine. She said, and I quote "I 've always understood that rape is virtually impossible unless the victim is partially willing" . Really?!? Those notions kept women in the previous decades from reporting rape. They were shamed and felt guilty. The author might not be responsible for living in her era, but still, I was a little put off.
October 25, 2017
Domonic Trevayne was hands down one of the best Heroes. He was PERFECT. I'm a sucker for fairy tales, white knights and good old fashion chivalry.
To Catch a Unicorn had an interesting plot and the characters were intriguing. I wasn't bored.
To Catch a Unicorn had an interesting plot and the characters were intriguing. I wasn't bored.
April 20, 2020
She is one of my favorite authors. She does a good job here too, though some of the magic she creates in her characters was slightly missing in this one.
Laura is a 20 year old shy innocent. But not naive or gullible, thankfully. The best part of her character is her unshakable moral core. In a story that quite freely discusses a disgusting subject like free love among family members.
The OW is her scheming widowed cousin, with a kid in tow. The cousin is looking to find a good life in her dead husband's household. The household consists of 3 brothers, one was her dead husband. The eldest one is Dominic, the hero. And the youngest Perry is weak and frivolous but that's the one she wants. However, marrying Dom is obviously the right thing to do for material reasons. So the lady has a neat plan, marry the elder fellow, carry on with the younger guy in the background.
Her horrid plan has only one flaw in it. She gets her upright and sweet cousin Laura to visit her as a stop gap nanny. And Laura being in between jobs looks at the visit as a holiday.
Laura soon finds that the introverted, responsible and slightly menacing Dom is her man. But she doesn't do anything about it. With her compassion and easy friendship, she earns his love and respect nevertheless. Just that the OW and OM put up enough smoke screens to keep the leads in the dark about their love for each other.
Dom, the hero appears confident and in charge. But he has his own insecurities too. How Laura wins her man and how the kid wins himself a sweet guardian uncle is the story.
This author always makes her female leads slightly whimsical and surreal in a morose, immoral world. The same here.
A simple lesson for girls hoping to find rich husbands. Don't try too hard. Don't be afraid to be honest. Your sincerity will pay off more than any scheming plans !!!!!!
Laura is a 20 year old shy innocent. But not naive or gullible, thankfully. The best part of her character is her unshakable moral core. In a story that quite freely discusses a disgusting subject like free love among family members.
The OW is her scheming widowed cousin, with a kid in tow. The cousin is looking to find a good life in her dead husband's household. The household consists of 3 brothers, one was her dead husband. The eldest one is Dominic, the hero. And the youngest Perry is weak and frivolous but that's the one she wants. However, marrying Dom is obviously the right thing to do for material reasons. So the lady has a neat plan, marry the elder fellow, carry on with the younger guy in the background.
Her horrid plan has only one flaw in it. She gets her upright and sweet cousin Laura to visit her as a stop gap nanny. And Laura being in between jobs looks at the visit as a holiday.
Laura soon finds that the introverted, responsible and slightly menacing Dom is her man. But she doesn't do anything about it. With her compassion and easy friendship, she earns his love and respect nevertheless. Just that the OW and OM put up enough smoke screens to keep the leads in the dark about their love for each other.
Dom, the hero appears confident and in charge. But he has his own insecurities too. How Laura wins her man and how the kid wins himself a sweet guardian uncle is the story.
This author always makes her female leads slightly whimsical and surreal in a morose, immoral world. The same here.
A simple lesson for girls hoping to find rich husbands. Don't try too hard. Don't be afraid to be honest. Your sincerity will pay off more than any scheming plans !!!!!!
May 28, 2013
I have to admit I'm a little bit embarrassed to admit to going back to the old Harlequins. But an acquaintance remarked on how different the 60s and 70s Harlequins are compared to their more recent publications. To be more specific, they're clean.
Of course, some things are still the same. Predictable plots and outrageous sexism. Jerking around a woman is not romantic. I repeat. Not romantic. I did like, however that while there are plenty misunderstandings they aren't stretched out for half the book. Then there's always the good feeling when the underdog – as silly as she is – triumphs. She does have her moments.
Laura is timid to the point of absurdity. But she's also sweet and unassuming. On occasion her shyness had me smiling. When she receives an unwanted kiss, she says.
“Your technique isn't very expert, if I may say so.”
She and her cousin, Cleo, while light years apart in personality are as childish as each other. Lots of sulking and pity-parties.
Cleo thinks herself to be sophisticated and a bit of a femme fatale. Perry, the hero's brother, was only marginally better than her.
As for Dominic, our hero, he's a bit of a gruff old 35 year old weighed down by responsibility and history. He teases Laura relentlessly and is hopelessly in love with her.
To sum it up, this is by no means a great book. But I did enjoy it and that's what counts.
Of course, some things are still the same. Predictable plots and outrageous sexism. Jerking around a woman is not romantic. I repeat. Not romantic. I did like, however that while there are plenty misunderstandings they aren't stretched out for half the book. Then there's always the good feeling when the underdog – as silly as she is – triumphs. She does have her moments.
Laura is timid to the point of absurdity. But she's also sweet and unassuming. On occasion her shyness had me smiling. When she receives an unwanted kiss, she says.
“Your technique isn't very expert, if I may say so.”
She and her cousin, Cleo, while light years apart in personality are as childish as each other. Lots of sulking and pity-parties.
Cleo thinks herself to be sophisticated and a bit of a femme fatale. Perry, the hero's brother, was only marginally better than her.
As for Dominic, our hero, he's a bit of a gruff old 35 year old weighed down by responsibility and history. He teases Laura relentlessly and is hopelessly in love with her.
To sum it up, this is by no means a great book. But I did enjoy it and that's what counts.
February 28, 2022
This is another of Sara Seale's used Harlequin books that I bought from Amazon this month. Beautiful Cleo Trevayne is the widow of Troilus, the middle brother of arrogant Dominic and philandering Perry. She asks her cousin Laura to be nanny to her 5 year old son for a couple of months, just long enough for Laura to fall in love with Dominic whom Cleo wants while she keeps Perry close. The love scene at the end of the book is longer, but aside from declarations and kisses there is no sex at all. It kept my interest because of Sara Seale's good writing.
February 16, 2020
Didn't like any of the characters or their dialogue in general.
March 26, 2020
Perhaps the worst book I've ever read. 😂
June 8, 2024
Slightly better than just OK, with lovely scenery and characters who acted realistic sometimes. The little boy alternated between being a normal, playful kid to a whiny bratty nusiance - just like a real kid - and the heroine was a lot smarter and wiser than anyone expected, saw through the bad brother immediately, yet she was a bit full of whimsy for my taste and a bit too gullible with her cousin.
This took me a little longer to read than sometimes because there isn't much action and the dialogue got repetitive.
BTW, some reviewers objected to the "rape is almost impossible unless the victim is partially willing" comment but remember that a lot of people believed that (and maybe still do), and the author draws the difference here between the street mugger/rapist who doesn't care whether the girl lives or dies and the evil brother here who most definitely has a limit on how much he will hurt the girl.
This took me a little longer to read than sometimes because there isn't much action and the dialogue got repetitive.
BTW, some reviewers objected to the "rape is almost impossible unless the victim is partially willing" comment but remember that a lot of people believed that (and maybe still do), and the author draws the difference here between the street mugger/rapist who doesn't care whether the girl lives or dies and the evil brother here who most definitely has a limit on how much he will hurt the girl.
May 30, 2020
Originally published in the 1960s. This edition was reissued in the 1970s and this was my copy. I loved this story it is a tender romance of its time and I can still enjoy it to this day.
When I first read this book I was a pre-teen and this is why I have starred it as I have. I loved this book at the time. Anyone reading this now will probably judge it unfairly as they are looking at it with 21st century attitudes. The book was written in more innocent times and is out of step with attitudes of today.
When I first read this book I was a pre-teen and this is why I have starred it as I have. I loved this book at the time. Anyone reading this now will probably judge it unfairly as they are looking at it with 21st century attitudes. The book was written in more innocent times and is out of step with attitudes of today.
October 24, 2016
Very good writing style. I like the heroine with her imagination and her little wisdom. Big bonus that she is not a pitiful there a lot of similar type but they fail short. I didn't like the settings at all nor the secondary characters. I think the story will be better if the writer write it in a different setting with many character and big society not only the hero, his brother, sister in law and the housekeeper but nevertheless, it's a good story.
April 25, 2021
Would the family legend come true?
Laura felt young and defenseless in the turbulent Trevayne household - completely overshadowed by her glamorous cousin Cleo.
Cleo, widow of Troilus, the third brother, considered herself a true Trevayne and was certainly as unpredictable as the philandering Perry and the arrogant Dominic.
It was unfortunate that it was Perry who treated Laura as a woman; for Laura was in love with Dominic, and he regarded her as a child.
Laura felt young and defenseless in the turbulent Trevayne household - completely overshadowed by her glamorous cousin Cleo.
Cleo, widow of Troilus, the third brother, considered herself a true Trevayne and was certainly as unpredictable as the philandering Perry and the arrogant Dominic.
It was unfortunate that it was Perry who treated Laura as a woman; for Laura was in love with Dominic, and he regarded her as a child.
Read
November 7, 2016Did not enjoy this book. The younger brother and cousin might be selfish and unstable and superficial. They were more interesting persons. B Cartland would write a more interesting book with Unicorn and virgin.
Read
February 15, 2019Bone dry. And difficult to get through. Hero just randomly slaps the other woman at the end. Too much fairytale stuff that isn’t paid off in the title or the story.
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