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Relative Sins
Relative Sins by Anne Mather released on Sep 24, 1996 is available now for purchase.
186 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1996
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64 people want to read
About the author
Anne Mather
798 books358 followersAnne Mather is the pseudonym used by Mildred Grieveson, a popular British author of over 160 romance novels. She also signed novels as Caroline Fleming and Cardine Fleming.
Mildred Grieveson began to write down stories in her childhood years. The first novel that she actually finished, Caroline (1965), was also her first book to be published. Her novel, Leopard in the Snow (1974), was developed into a 1978 film.
Mildred Grieveson began to write down stories in her childhood years. The first novel that she actually finished, Caroline (1965), was also her first book to be published. Her novel, Leopard in the Snow (1974), was developed into a 1978 film.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 28, 2018
Re Relative Sins - Anne Mather takes keepin' it in the family to the pits of the abyss in this one.
The h is returning to England with her four year old son after her husband is killed in South America. It is not a happy homecoming as her husband's family are some of the most toxic people on the planet.
We have a very disapproving mother in law, a superstar war correspondent brother and a huge seekrit. The dead husband's father seems to be pretty nice in a vague sort of way, but the h is soon pressured into staying at her in laws, even tho she really wants to move to London.
The story quickly devolves into the usurpation of the h's paternal role as her son's mother and she doesn't seem too unhappy about that. Between the icy snot mother in law and extreme pressure from the H, the h finds her son is being seduced away by a big manor estate and a pony.
We learn that prior to marrying her husband five years earlier, the h's future husband sent the h to stay with his family, including his brother - who is the H- while the husband was off in Kuwait.
During that time, the h and H had a huge Purple Passion Lurve Club Mojo event. The h still married her husband a short while later, because she thought the H was a vile seducer who likes to pump and dump the ladies.
When the h found she was preggers after lurvin' it up with both the H and her husband, she had no idear who was the daddy, but she assumed her husband was and just got on with things. Then her husband got shot in the middle of brokering a secret emerald deal and his parents insisted that the body be brought back to England.
The mother in law proves to be the most possessive of the young boy and the H is determined that the h leave her son on the family estate, as he claims HE is the father because his brother had mumps and was infertile.
Because the h learns that the dead husband lied about his relationship with the H's OW, who is also a big favorite of the mother in law, and about the H telling the dead husband what happened between the h and himself, the h realizes that she had no clue about her husband it all.
(Supposedly the dead husband was very jealous of the H, whom he saw as the family favorite, so when the H told him he lurved up his fiance, the dead husband was adamant that he was keeping the h and marrying her anyway. The dead husband supposedly taunted the H that finally couldn't have something he wanted.)
The h decides to go off to London cause she can't stand the H's flirting with the married to an old guy OW and whoever else he goes around with. She leaves her son behind, abdicating all parenting to her ice snot mother in law and the H.
There she learns that her dead husband wasn't just a diplomat, but an emerald broker too and he left her filthy rich. She now has the financial means to care for her son in the style he rapidly became accustomed too.
But does she do that? No, because the H shows up and claims he loves her and the h throws herself onto his lance of lust like he is the best thing since cherry jam, after the H tells her that he only insisted on being the father to her son to get her to marry him.
He also adds that his mother will never get over not having the OW for a daughter in law, but the h is the mother of her grandson, so she will have to do and that is why his mother will support this marriage.
(So we still don't know who the daddy is, tho the H swears that his mother knew her other son was infertile as well, after the husband had a case of mumps. But ice snot mother in law was desperate for a grandson and so she kept her mouth shut. Considering how many times HP males have NOT been infertile after mumps, I think paternity is still in question here. )
But anyhows, the thorough reunion lurve clubbing of the H and h makes them believe that the h is destined to be knocked up again in about 1.2 hours. So the two of them are going to marry, get around to telling the son who his father probably is eventually and the h will spend the rest of her life with these toxic people.
I don't think it will bother her too much, cause she is pretty toxic herself, (but I felt really bad for her poor son, future HP H in the making.) I am just glad to close the cover on another Typhoon of Tackiness Keepin' It In the Family adventure in Anne Mather's HPlandia.
The h is returning to England with her four year old son after her husband is killed in South America. It is not a happy homecoming as her husband's family are some of the most toxic people on the planet.
We have a very disapproving mother in law, a superstar war correspondent brother and a huge seekrit. The dead husband's father seems to be pretty nice in a vague sort of way, but the h is soon pressured into staying at her in laws, even tho she really wants to move to London.
The story quickly devolves into the usurpation of the h's paternal role as her son's mother and she doesn't seem too unhappy about that. Between the icy snot mother in law and extreme pressure from the H, the h finds her son is being seduced away by a big manor estate and a pony.
We learn that prior to marrying her husband five years earlier, the h's future husband sent the h to stay with his family, including his brother - who is the H- while the husband was off in Kuwait.
During that time, the h and H had a huge Purple Passion Lurve Club Mojo event. The h still married her husband a short while later, because she thought the H was a vile seducer who likes to pump and dump the ladies.
When the h found she was preggers after lurvin' it up with both the H and her husband, she had no idear who was the daddy, but she assumed her husband was and just got on with things. Then her husband got shot in the middle of brokering a secret emerald deal and his parents insisted that the body be brought back to England.
The mother in law proves to be the most possessive of the young boy and the H is determined that the h leave her son on the family estate, as he claims HE is the father because his brother had mumps and was infertile.
Because the h learns that the dead husband lied about his relationship with the H's OW, who is also a big favorite of the mother in law, and about the H telling the dead husband what happened between the h and himself, the h realizes that she had no clue about her husband it all.
(Supposedly the dead husband was very jealous of the H, whom he saw as the family favorite, so when the H told him he lurved up his fiance, the dead husband was adamant that he was keeping the h and marrying her anyway. The dead husband supposedly taunted the H that finally couldn't have something he wanted.)
The h decides to go off to London cause she can't stand the H's flirting with the married to an old guy OW and whoever else he goes around with. She leaves her son behind, abdicating all parenting to her ice snot mother in law and the H.
There she learns that her dead husband wasn't just a diplomat, but an emerald broker too and he left her filthy rich. She now has the financial means to care for her son in the style he rapidly became accustomed too.
But does she do that? No, because the H shows up and claims he loves her and the h throws herself onto his lance of lust like he is the best thing since cherry jam, after the H tells her that he only insisted on being the father to her son to get her to marry him.
He also adds that his mother will never get over not having the OW for a daughter in law, but the h is the mother of her grandson, so she will have to do and that is why his mother will support this marriage.
(So we still don't know who the daddy is, tho the H swears that his mother knew her other son was infertile as well, after the husband had a case of mumps. But ice snot mother in law was desperate for a grandson and so she kept her mouth shut. Considering how many times HP males have NOT been infertile after mumps, I think paternity is still in question here. )
But anyhows, the thorough reunion lurve clubbing of the H and h makes them believe that the h is destined to be knocked up again in about 1.2 hours. So the two of them are going to marry, get around to telling the son who his father probably is eventually and the h will spend the rest of her life with these toxic people.
I don't think it will bother her too much, cause she is pretty toxic herself, (but I felt really bad for her poor son, future HP H in the making.) I am just glad to close the cover on another Typhoon of Tackiness Keepin' It In the Family adventure in Anne Mather's HPlandia.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2023
Back to the good old skool.
And the dysfunctional families.
I love AM because she had guts.
Her heroines and heroes are far from perfect, and sometimes they are complete failure as parents.
Her children are the most neglected in all Hp history.
In this book no character is good. Or nice. Or honest.
Everyone has their secret agenda.
This heroine is one of the worst character ever.
She was engaged to the hero’s brother. Her fiancé asked her to spend six weeks with his parents to be acquainted with them, and of course there was the hero too.
They spent much time together and eventually they had sex.
Unprotected.
The heroine wasn’t a virgin and she was already living with her fiancé. So she cheated with his brother and even if she wasn’t naive or innocent she blamed him when actually she was ver eager to sleep with him.
The hero proposed but she refused because she thought he was a manwhore.
Of course there is a child and after five years hubby dear dies and she’s forced to face the hero again.
He wants to be in his son’s life even if the heroine tells him the child is his brother.
Eventually he declares his love and she accepts but it was only in the end and at that point I was pissed and annoyed beyond measure.
The hero is still the better person here.
The heroine keeps blaming him for betraying his brother while it was her who cheated on her fiancé and willingly.
She uses her son as a pawn and sadly sometimes so does the hero to get near her.
Her in-laws are not much better. Her mother in law is a cold woman always critical of the heroine and her son.
I liked the English setting.
The countryside, the cold and damp weather, the old mansions, the waxed coat and the Wellington.
And the warm hand made sweaters with Wool skirts.
Jayzuz I was imagining all this in my mind!
What can I say. Secrets aplenty here.
Dear hubby wasn’t the saint man everyone believed.
He was sterile and it seems that he basically encouraged the hero to have sex with the heroine for a child. The hero was in love with her and confessed they had sex and he wanted to marry the heroine but his brother didn’t want to.
Because of the child of course.
And the heroine, idiot that she was, believe her fiancé lies about the hero and his manho ways so she married his brother.
And the hero had to suffer because he knew he had lost the woman he loved, his child and his brother too.
Thank god his brother died.
But the heroine was annoying and stubborn and as cold as ice.
This is one of the few cases where I wonder what he found in her to love.
And hypocritical much?
She blamed the hero and was not able to admit her faults.
The boy had to suffer for her tantrums and her inability to move on.
I also wonder if the in-laws especially the mother knew what happened. I suppose they did since he was sterile because he had mumps (mumps seem to be the first case of sterility in males in Hp. Thank god it’s far from real)
So, everyone cheats here and I’m really afraid for the poor boys sanity.
And the dysfunctional families.
I love AM because she had guts.
Her heroines and heroes are far from perfect, and sometimes they are complete failure as parents.
Her children are the most neglected in all Hp history.
In this book no character is good. Or nice. Or honest.
Everyone has their secret agenda.
This heroine is one of the worst character ever.
She was engaged to the hero’s brother. Her fiancé asked her to spend six weeks with his parents to be acquainted with them, and of course there was the hero too.
They spent much time together and eventually they had sex.
Unprotected.
The heroine wasn’t a virgin and she was already living with her fiancé. So she cheated with his brother and even if she wasn’t naive or innocent she blamed him when actually she was ver eager to sleep with him.
The hero proposed but she refused because she thought he was a manwhore.
Of course there is a child and after five years hubby dear dies and she’s forced to face the hero again.
He wants to be in his son’s life even if the heroine tells him the child is his brother.
Eventually he declares his love and she accepts but it was only in the end and at that point I was pissed and annoyed beyond measure.
The hero is still the better person here.
The heroine keeps blaming him for betraying his brother while it was her who cheated on her fiancé and willingly.
She uses her son as a pawn and sadly sometimes so does the hero to get near her.
Her in-laws are not much better. Her mother in law is a cold woman always critical of the heroine and her son.
I liked the English setting.
The countryside, the cold and damp weather, the old mansions, the waxed coat and the Wellington.
And the warm hand made sweaters with Wool skirts.
Jayzuz I was imagining all this in my mind!
What can I say. Secrets aplenty here.
Dear hubby wasn’t the saint man everyone believed.
He was sterile and it seems that he basically encouraged the hero to have sex with the heroine for a child. The hero was in love with her and confessed they had sex and he wanted to marry the heroine but his brother didn’t want to.
Because of the child of course.
And the heroine, idiot that she was, believe her fiancé lies about the hero and his manho ways so she married his brother.
And the hero had to suffer because he knew he had lost the woman he loved, his child and his brother too.
Thank god his brother died.
But the heroine was annoying and stubborn and as cold as ice.
This is one of the few cases where I wonder what he found in her to love.
And hypocritical much?
She blamed the hero and was not able to admit her faults.
The boy had to suffer for her tantrums and her inability to move on.
I also wonder if the in-laws especially the mother knew what happened. I suppose they did since he was sterile because he had mumps (mumps seem to be the first case of sterility in males in Hp. Thank god it’s far from real)
So, everyone cheats here and I’m really afraid for the poor boys sanity.
May 18, 2020
One of Anne Mather's WORST! This heroine makes me wonder if Anne Mather was trying out an experimental OW-as-heroine exercise, cos she seriously acted despicably all throughout! Pardon my French but there's no way around it- she was a huge BITCH.
Her mothering skills consisted of NEVER considering her little boy's feelings, not letting him do anything fun, telling him he couldn't stay where he wanted to stay, using him as a weapon to hurt the H, and in the end abandoning him anyway. Her behavior towards the H was equally nasty: blaming him for everything, getting super petty and jealous over him, then making up lies and hurling accusations 24/7. Literally never let up in the onslaught of bitchy bitch bitch. What was there for him to fall in love with? I'm confused.
In the actual big event where she cheated on her fiance with his brother, not only does she actually mentally compare the two brothers' sex skills in her head, she literally flings her arms around the H and begs, "Don't go!" Then afterwards she's all, "You dirty seducing rat! This is all your fault!" She tells him there's no way she'll tell her fiance and she's still marrying him. No compunction, sure she SAYS she feels guilty but she never REALLY has the passing thought of, Hey maybe I should reconsider this, or entertain for a split second telling the truth. Same after she gets pregnant- all she does is vaguely try to check her husband's happiness at the pregnancy, she never even gets CLOSE to actually telling him it's not his child. Evil!
Tl;dr This heroine is impossible to like. She is trash and treats the H AND her little son like garbage and absolutely does not deserve her HEA.
p.s. There was a part where the H and heroine are getting it on, and he feels her up and it's described as "his hand moved to the sweating junction of her legs." The... sweating... junction...
Her mothering skills consisted of NEVER considering her little boy's feelings, not letting him do anything fun, telling him he couldn't stay where he wanted to stay, using him as a weapon to hurt the H, and in the end abandoning him anyway. Her behavior towards the H was equally nasty: blaming him for everything, getting super petty and jealous over him, then making up lies and hurling accusations 24/7. Literally never let up in the onslaught of bitchy bitch bitch. What was there for him to fall in love with? I'm confused.
In the actual big event where she cheated on her fiance with his brother, not only does she actually mentally compare the two brothers' sex skills in her head, she literally flings her arms around the H and begs, "Don't go!" Then afterwards she's all, "You dirty seducing rat! This is all your fault!" She tells him there's no way she'll tell her fiance and she's still marrying him. No compunction, sure she SAYS she feels guilty but she never REALLY has the passing thought of, Hey maybe I should reconsider this, or entertain for a split second telling the truth. Same after she gets pregnant- all she does is vaguely try to check her husband's happiness at the pregnancy, she never even gets CLOSE to actually telling him it's not his child. Evil!
Tl;dr This heroine is impossible to like. She is trash and treats the H AND her little son like garbage and absolutely does not deserve her HEA.
p.s. There was a part where the H and heroine are getting it on, and he feels her up and it's described as "his hand moved to the sweating junction of her legs." The... sweating... junction...
August 15, 2012
When I first read the description I thought this novel would be all sorts of kinky. I mean come on, having sex with two brother and then getting pregnant but not knowing the baby's daddy. It's simply scandalous! I was a bit disappointed though. I didn't feel very connected to the characters, despite how I wanted to.
February 23, 2018
Middle of the road story about a woman who cheats on her boyfriend with his brother and then marries the original guy. She was not an admiral heroine at all. She blames the hero for basically the whole debacle when really if she had had the backbone to talk to him after the cheating they probably would have worked the whole thing out six years ago. Still it was readable.
July 4, 2014
so bad! i felt no connection bet alex and sara. sara was so painfully mean. she acted like a distraught child, full of pent-up emotion and so resentful! it takes two to tango, my girl! she ruined the book for me, blamed alex for nthg. he was the hurt party, the abused one, not her! pathetic heroine, using their son to get back at him!
March 7, 2021
I read through this book in a three hours as I thought I was reading over the same book . As it turns out it was another book with the same storyline. Seriously I have read better books by Anne Mather from her earlier writings . Nothing special about this book . Romance is just dry 😐
February 26, 2023
Oh dear. Cold as ice this one. I had high hopes, the brothers kink etc, but this was uneven and slow and pretty whack.
Sara is a chilly, non entity h, lord only knows how she inspired the enduring passion of Alex. Harry (the dead brother) sounds like a complete psycho. The mother in law is a cow of the first order and the poor child is pretty much fending for himself. I guess that might be the upper class way. Very little about this story and these characters rang true to life emotionally (or if it did, I did not like these people or care about them), so it's a no from me. I think I've read other Anne Mather's. I'm sure there'll be a keeper among her catalogue somewhere.
Sara is a chilly, non entity h, lord only knows how she inspired the enduring passion of Alex. Harry (the dead brother) sounds like a complete psycho. The mother in law is a cow of the first order and the poor child is pretty much fending for himself. I guess that might be the upper class way. Very little about this story and these characters rang true to life emotionally (or if it did, I did not like these people or care about them), so it's a no from me. I think I've read other Anne Mather's. I'm sure there'll be a keeper among her catalogue somewhere.
May 23, 2024
Yikes, that wasn't fun. You don't want anyone to be happy cause they are kinda all crummy people. Guess the kid is okay. Skip.
July 31, 2011
Wonderfully written
December 29, 2018
2.5 stars. No likeable characters in the book.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews