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Tasmanian Devil
Tasmanian Devil by Valerie Parv released on Feb 22, 1990 is available now for purchase.
- GenresRomanceEnvironment
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
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About the author
Valerie Parv
178 books30 followersValerie Christine Parv was a popular Australian writer of over 70 romance novels, with more than 34 million sales. She published her novels in Mills & Boon's since 1982.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 21, 2017
Re Tasmanian Devil - Valerie Parv's second of three HP's takes place on a Tasmanian private island owned by the h. It is a tradition in the h's very wealthy family that the island only passes down the inheritance chain via the female side. The h wants a real job using her honours degree in her father's conglomerate. Her father wants to marry her off to a suitably wealthy scion as a business merger and she can do charity work on the side.
The h isn't happy with that, her brother got his own division in the family firm and the h wants a shot at a division too. The h's father tells her to get a job somewhere else, but when the h tried to get a job outside the family firm, the rumors that her father was taking over the place she worked at caused a bidding war and the h had to quit so her employer could save her business.
The h is no slouch, she has managed large charity organizations and her own money since she was 21. Her father issues the challenge that if she can live for a month on her own on her mother's primitive island without any assistance, he will give her a job in the family company. But he doesn't think she can make it without staff or help.
( I did have to laugh at their version of primitive tho. The h will be staying in a cabin with running water and electricity, she just has to use a wood stove and cook her own meals - she even has a full bathroom- and here I was thinking tents or hammocks and maybe an outhouse with a camp cook stove or a fire pit. I would hate to see what this h would do if I took her on one of my backpacking excursions. )
So the h is off to her island and thinks she will be all on her own. The island has two cottages that she can rent out and she will be staying in one and assumes the other is unoccupied. It isn't. There is a man there who is very interested in the island's local wildlife. When the H and h first meet and the h tries to get him to leave and he refuses, the h goes back to the landing dock and finds all her supplies have been messed with. She storms off to confront the H, thinking he is trying to run her off because her "society type" reminds him of his ex wife he just divorced six months earlier and who cleaned him out cash wise at the time.
The H is insulted and drags the h back to her supplies to show her what she originally missed. The island has a little colony of Tasmanian Devils and one, named Henrietta, is the TD equivalent of Lassie and likes to eat people's foods. So we get a Tasmanian Devil bonus.
(TD's are marsupials and have a pouch that opens from the rear - so they aren't like kangaroo pouches. TD's used to live on the Australian mainland, but it is thought that wild dingo's may have killed them, along with fierce top predator competition. So the only TD's left alive are in Tasmania where now they are an endangered species because they can get face tumors that are a transmissible contact form of cancer and sadly it isn't treatable. The only thing that can be done is to separate the healthy ones and quarantine the sick ones.
The Tasmanian Government has sent TD pairs to various zoo's in an effort to help them, but there is also an island called Maria Island in the State of Tasmania where there is a healthy little TD colony doing TD things in the wild. It was set up in 2012, but maybe some of the founders read this book. VP didn't put a lot TD info in the book, probably because not a lot was known about them at the time, but I watched Wild Tasmania on the Nat Geo network and it was a good show. )
TD Henrietta is an exception to the rule, cause most TD's aren't tameable and will tolerate a person touching them, but they really aren't friendly. They do steal blankets and pillows and things from people to put in their dens and they all like to eat together, tho it is bring your own roadkill for dinner most nights. Henrietta equates people foods with lurve, so she is always sneaking into the h's house and helping herself to things to eat. She is currently the H's best girl before he meets the h.
So the h and H are on the island together and the h works really hard at being self-sufficient. There are some more misunderstandings about class and attitudes on both the H and h's part towards each other and both of them have to say sorry to the other a lot. There is also a big attraction between the two, and eventually the roofie kissing builds up to the big love mojo moment.
The h isn't a virgin, she had a big love that she thought would last in college until her father offered her boyfriend an enticing job in a distant place and thus succeeded in driving the h's boyfriend off. The H, who says he is a societal dropout after being a big stockbroker, is the h's second lover and the H takes great pains in pointing out that whatever they are sharing is temporary. The H is reevaluating his life and the h is doing the same. She is still a little silly at times, but she is only 24 and sheltered and she is actually doing a good job of taking care of herself. Until she tries to build a rock garden all by herself and the H has to massage her on the kitchen table cause she can't move the next day.
Then a pair of the h's society friends show up unexpectedly on the island. The girl is a charity planner friend of the h and she brings along her obnoxious brother that the h's father thinks she should marry, even tho she can't stand him. The h stupidly tries to make the H jealous with the OM, and the H wanders off and the h has a mopey moment when her little scheme backfires.
The friends only stay overnight, but the H is pretty disgusted and the h realizes she messed up big time, cause she is in love with the H. The h also finds out that the H really isn't a societal dropout, he is a brilliant investor and wealthier than the h's father. Just cause his ex cleaned him out at the time of the divorce doesn't mean he stayed that way. The h now thinks that the H is doing her father a favor and spying on her. So now she is mad at the H and he is mad at her and Henrietta just wants some foods and maybe some pettings too, which she does get after the h's friend's untrained dog scares her and Henrietta has to climb a tree to get away. (Don't worry the H and h save her.)
There is a big storm and a different tree falls on the h's cabin and she gets hit and hurts her ankle while falling down the stairs. The H comes to help her and they end up lurvin it up in his cabin. The H then repairs the h's cabin for her and he finds her mother's diary. The h can't walk well, so she reads her dead mother's words and finds out that her mother wanted to turn the island into an animal sanctuary and little kids can come learn about TD's.
The h's mother had money of her own, which the h inherited, but the h's father managed it and wouldn't let her mother - who was also a brilliant artist- set up her dreams. Since the H talked about making the island a sanctuary and the h is really liking being there, the h decides to make her mother's dreams a reality.
(I do wonder a lot at just what kind of marriage the h's parent's had, it seems the h's mother spent a lot of time alone on the island and the father rarely visited.)
The h figures since she shacked up with the H for a few days, the deal between her and her father is off, as she wasn't entirely on her own. The h doesn't care tho, cause she will be happier with Henrietta and mini Henrietta's anyways, her old life no longer appeals. The h is also hoping the H will change his mind about sticking around, but after another storm and Henrietta eating the h's pie, the H takes off and the h has a huge mopey moment.
The h's father shows up at the island then, and he sorta apologizes for trying to limit and control the h's life and he offers her a job. The h turns him down, cause she is doing TD island sanctuary things now. The h's father also expresses his approval of the H and tells the h that the H wasn't spying for him. He had to practically blackmail the H into checking on the h by telling him he wouldn't be able to rent the h's other cabin if he didn't, which the h calls her father on because only she has cottage rental approval. The father eventually leaves and the h is petting Henrietta after she stole the pie, when she notices Henrietta's coat is all salty. The H had told the h about a sea cave on the other side of the island and the h gets inspired. Henrietta does her best Lassie impersonation and leads the h to the H.
He and his boat are in the sea cave and the h is happy to see him. The H thought she was marrying the guy that crashed the island with the h's friend and the h tells him that she isn't. The OM is marrying someone else and the h is lending a cottage to the newlyweds for a TD Island honeymoon. The H now feels free to confess he loves the h and since the h loves him back, it will be a Tasmanian Devil Sanctuary lurved up HEA as Henrietta, her reuniting duties completed, wanders off to the HPlandia sunset looking for some foods.
This one was okay, but made better by Henrietta. There just wasn't a whole lot of tension or angst cause the H and h kept apologizing to each other every time they had a misunderstanding. Both the H and h change their attitudes for the better and the h did some growing up too. I did believe the HEA, cause they both wanted the same things and overall this is a fairly relaxing HP outing and nice little low key read.
The h isn't happy with that, her brother got his own division in the family firm and the h wants a shot at a division too. The h's father tells her to get a job somewhere else, but when the h tried to get a job outside the family firm, the rumors that her father was taking over the place she worked at caused a bidding war and the h had to quit so her employer could save her business.
The h is no slouch, she has managed large charity organizations and her own money since she was 21. Her father issues the challenge that if she can live for a month on her own on her mother's primitive island without any assistance, he will give her a job in the family company. But he doesn't think she can make it without staff or help.
( I did have to laugh at their version of primitive tho. The h will be staying in a cabin with running water and electricity, she just has to use a wood stove and cook her own meals - she even has a full bathroom- and here I was thinking tents or hammocks and maybe an outhouse with a camp cook stove or a fire pit. I would hate to see what this h would do if I took her on one of my backpacking excursions. )
So the h is off to her island and thinks she will be all on her own. The island has two cottages that she can rent out and she will be staying in one and assumes the other is unoccupied. It isn't. There is a man there who is very interested in the island's local wildlife. When the H and h first meet and the h tries to get him to leave and he refuses, the h goes back to the landing dock and finds all her supplies have been messed with. She storms off to confront the H, thinking he is trying to run her off because her "society type" reminds him of his ex wife he just divorced six months earlier and who cleaned him out cash wise at the time.
The H is insulted and drags the h back to her supplies to show her what she originally missed. The island has a little colony of Tasmanian Devils and one, named Henrietta, is the TD equivalent of Lassie and likes to eat people's foods. So we get a Tasmanian Devil bonus.
(TD's are marsupials and have a pouch that opens from the rear - so they aren't like kangaroo pouches. TD's used to live on the Australian mainland, but it is thought that wild dingo's may have killed them, along with fierce top predator competition. So the only TD's left alive are in Tasmania where now they are an endangered species because they can get face tumors that are a transmissible contact form of cancer and sadly it isn't treatable. The only thing that can be done is to separate the healthy ones and quarantine the sick ones.
The Tasmanian Government has sent TD pairs to various zoo's in an effort to help them, but there is also an island called Maria Island in the State of Tasmania where there is a healthy little TD colony doing TD things in the wild. It was set up in 2012, but maybe some of the founders read this book. VP didn't put a lot TD info in the book, probably because not a lot was known about them at the time, but I watched Wild Tasmania on the Nat Geo network and it was a good show. )
TD Henrietta is an exception to the rule, cause most TD's aren't tameable and will tolerate a person touching them, but they really aren't friendly. They do steal blankets and pillows and things from people to put in their dens and they all like to eat together, tho it is bring your own roadkill for dinner most nights. Henrietta equates people foods with lurve, so she is always sneaking into the h's house and helping herself to things to eat. She is currently the H's best girl before he meets the h.
So the h and H are on the island together and the h works really hard at being self-sufficient. There are some more misunderstandings about class and attitudes on both the H and h's part towards each other and both of them have to say sorry to the other a lot. There is also a big attraction between the two, and eventually the roofie kissing builds up to the big love mojo moment.
The h isn't a virgin, she had a big love that she thought would last in college until her father offered her boyfriend an enticing job in a distant place and thus succeeded in driving the h's boyfriend off. The H, who says he is a societal dropout after being a big stockbroker, is the h's second lover and the H takes great pains in pointing out that whatever they are sharing is temporary. The H is reevaluating his life and the h is doing the same. She is still a little silly at times, but she is only 24 and sheltered and she is actually doing a good job of taking care of herself. Until she tries to build a rock garden all by herself and the H has to massage her on the kitchen table cause she can't move the next day.
Then a pair of the h's society friends show up unexpectedly on the island. The girl is a charity planner friend of the h and she brings along her obnoxious brother that the h's father thinks she should marry, even tho she can't stand him. The h stupidly tries to make the H jealous with the OM, and the H wanders off and the h has a mopey moment when her little scheme backfires.
The friends only stay overnight, but the H is pretty disgusted and the h realizes she messed up big time, cause she is in love with the H. The h also finds out that the H really isn't a societal dropout, he is a brilliant investor and wealthier than the h's father. Just cause his ex cleaned him out at the time of the divorce doesn't mean he stayed that way. The h now thinks that the H is doing her father a favor and spying on her. So now she is mad at the H and he is mad at her and Henrietta just wants some foods and maybe some pettings too, which she does get after the h's friend's untrained dog scares her and Henrietta has to climb a tree to get away. (Don't worry the H and h save her.)
There is a big storm and a different tree falls on the h's cabin and she gets hit and hurts her ankle while falling down the stairs. The H comes to help her and they end up lurvin it up in his cabin. The H then repairs the h's cabin for her and he finds her mother's diary. The h can't walk well, so she reads her dead mother's words and finds out that her mother wanted to turn the island into an animal sanctuary and little kids can come learn about TD's.
The h's mother had money of her own, which the h inherited, but the h's father managed it and wouldn't let her mother - who was also a brilliant artist- set up her dreams. Since the H talked about making the island a sanctuary and the h is really liking being there, the h decides to make her mother's dreams a reality.
(I do wonder a lot at just what kind of marriage the h's parent's had, it seems the h's mother spent a lot of time alone on the island and the father rarely visited.)
The h figures since she shacked up with the H for a few days, the deal between her and her father is off, as she wasn't entirely on her own. The h doesn't care tho, cause she will be happier with Henrietta and mini Henrietta's anyways, her old life no longer appeals. The h is also hoping the H will change his mind about sticking around, but after another storm and Henrietta eating the h's pie, the H takes off and the h has a huge mopey moment.
The h's father shows up at the island then, and he sorta apologizes for trying to limit and control the h's life and he offers her a job. The h turns him down, cause she is doing TD island sanctuary things now. The h's father also expresses his approval of the H and tells the h that the H wasn't spying for him. He had to practically blackmail the H into checking on the h by telling him he wouldn't be able to rent the h's other cabin if he didn't, which the h calls her father on because only she has cottage rental approval. The father eventually leaves and the h is petting Henrietta after she stole the pie, when she notices Henrietta's coat is all salty. The H had told the h about a sea cave on the other side of the island and the h gets inspired. Henrietta does her best Lassie impersonation and leads the h to the H.
He and his boat are in the sea cave and the h is happy to see him. The H thought she was marrying the guy that crashed the island with the h's friend and the h tells him that she isn't. The OM is marrying someone else and the h is lending a cottage to the newlyweds for a TD Island honeymoon. The H now feels free to confess he loves the h and since the h loves him back, it will be a Tasmanian Devil Sanctuary lurved up HEA as Henrietta, her reuniting duties completed, wanders off to the HPlandia sunset looking for some foods.
This one was okay, but made better by Henrietta. There just wasn't a whole lot of tension or angst cause the H and h kept apologizing to each other every time they had a misunderstanding. Both the H and h change their attitudes for the better and the h did some growing up too. I did believe the HEA, cause they both wanted the same things and overall this is a fairly relaxing HP outing and nice little low key read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
abrierto-to-read-hr-other
November 24, 2021Evelyn was beginning to feel her life was useless, and trying to talk her father into giving her a proper job in the family company was a waste of effort. But she had to try once more, and was stunned when he offered a compromise. If Evelyn could fend for herself, without help, on Frere Island, off Tasmania, for one month, she could have a job.
It came as a nasty shock that the only other cottage on the island was occupied - by Dane Balkan, penniless scientist. The disappointment was intense and Evelyn over-reacted - but Dane was one man she couldn't influence
It came as a nasty shock that the only other cottage on the island was occupied - by Dane Balkan, penniless scientist. The disappointment was intense and Evelyn over-reacted - but Dane was one man she couldn't influence
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November 26, 2008LP Par
March 13, 2012
This was a fun Mills and Boon read. Great allusion filled sex scenes and lots of alpha male fun.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews