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Με Πυξίδα την Αγάπη - Άρλεκιν Συλλογή #519
Ο Στηβ Μπωμόν είχε κάποιο δίκιο να αποκαλεί τη Λορέν "δημόσιο κίνδυνο", αφού κάθε φορά που τον πλησίαζε κάτι πήγαινε στραβά. Τόσο στραβά και τόσο συχνά, ώστε ξαφνιάστηκε όταν της ζήτησε να γίνει για ένα διάστημα γραμματέας του.
Μα η Λορέν γρήγορα συνειδητοποίησε ότι θα συνέβαιναν ακόμη χειρότερα πράγματα, αν επέτρεπε στον εαυτό της να συνδεθεί μαζί του, γιατί καμία γυναίκα δεν κατόρθωνε να διασώσει για πολύ την περηφάνια και την αξιοπρέπεια της κοντά τον Στηβ Μπωμόν.
Μα η Λορέν γρήγορα συνειδητοποίησε ότι θα συνέβαιναν ακόμη χειρότερα πράγματα, αν επέτρεπε στον εαυτό της να συνδεθεί μαζί του, γιατί καμία γυναίκα δεν κατόρθωνε να διασώσει για πολύ την περηφάνια και την αξιοπρέπεια της κοντά τον Στηβ Μπωμόν.
160 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1984
1 person is currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
Yvonne Whittal
56 books81 followersYvonne Whittal was born and raised in South Africa, the setting of most of her romances. She started writing stories at a young age, but didn't really get serious about writing until after she married and had children. She got many rejection letters from publishers, until a friend who loved romances gave her to encouragement to continue.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 27, 2020
Super sweet romance between a sexed-up, worldly Lothario and the plucky country bumpkin who eventually brings him to heel.
I normally detest Mary Sues or bumbling fools who constantly trip over themselves because they're too busy drooling over the hot bod in front of them. The author here managed to go beyond the cliche to paint a plausible portrait of an intelligent, independent girl who is just trying to adjust to life in the big city after a charmed childhood in the countryside. She makes certain mistakes that all of us could quite easily relate to when grappling with new, daunting responsibilities in a totally alien environment.
Nor is the hero the typical Yvonne Whittal cruel cur that fans of her work have come to know and loathe. Despite his arrogance and his womanizing, this wasn't a psycho nor a particularly bad guy. He was actually quite fair-minded, charming and prone to many chivalrous, if not heroic, gestures. The fact that he didn't berate her on the two occasions when she made huge gaffes, but instead had a sense of humor about it and empathy, and that he did apologize on the few occasions that he let his temper fly, places him far, far above the two-day-old turds who usually star in YW novels.
Though a bit saccharine, I nevertheless really enjoyed this story and will probably read it again when I am in need of some reading therapy after encountering too many spineless, leaky jellyblobs and the two-legged bags of excrement they swoon over in most romance novels.
I normally detest Mary Sues or bumbling fools who constantly trip over themselves because they're too busy drooling over the hot bod in front of them. The author here managed to go beyond the cliche to paint a plausible portrait of an intelligent, independent girl who is just trying to adjust to life in the big city after a charmed childhood in the countryside. She makes certain mistakes that all of us could quite easily relate to when grappling with new, daunting responsibilities in a totally alien environment.
Nor is the hero the typical Yvonne Whittal cruel cur that fans of her work have come to know and loathe. Despite his arrogance and his womanizing, this wasn't a psycho nor a particularly bad guy. He was actually quite fair-minded, charming and prone to many chivalrous, if not heroic, gestures. The fact that he didn't berate her on the two occasions when she made huge gaffes, but instead had a sense of humor about it and empathy, and that he did apologize on the few occasions that he let his temper fly, places him far, far above the two-day-old turds who usually star in YW novels.
Though a bit saccharine, I nevertheless really enjoyed this story and will probably read it again when I am in need of some reading therapy after encountering too many spineless, leaky jellyblobs and the two-legged bags of excrement they swoon over in most romance novels.
February 3, 2017
"Ride the Wind" - alternative title: "Put a Ring on It." Never has the rural/urban divide in morals been so stark. Or the Venus/Mars divide in what constitutes a happy life.
Our secretary heroine moves to the big city and sees the hero across a crowded room for her first taste of insta-lust. It shakes her up, but she is a country girl, who was raised to wait until marriage. She is further shaken when she literally runs into the cynical businessman hero (who happens to run the firm where the heroine works). Papers are dropped. Pages are missing. Heroine has to make a mad dash to the airport with the missing pages so the hero will not lose out on an important contract.
The next time she sees him she spills coffee on him. And the time after that, they are trapped in an elevator together. Here they wile away the hours as they share a chocolate bar, a flask of brandy (guess who had which treat on their person) and their opinions on relationships. The hero will never marry - he likes his freedom. The heroine wants to marry, but she hasn't met Mr. Right yet.
A few days later, after the office gossip dies down, the hero commands the heroine go out to dinner with him. The heroine tries to get out of it, but the hero ignores her messages and shows up on her doorstep. He wants to break the curse of disaster striking whenever they are together. They have a lovely time until the Jag won't start - but the heroine tightens some loose wires and they are on their way. The hero (and this reader) are very impressed.
I'm still impressed when the heroine resists the hero's advances, but the hero is not as sanguine. He's not used to being turned down.
But he gets a lot of practice as the heroine resists him over and over again. He promotes her to his secretary when his assistant has to take six weeks off for surgery. The heroine begins to see him in a new light as she learns about him from the secretary and works with him on a daily basis. While there is no sponging - the heroine does message his neck when he has a migraine. (Poor hero - I started to feel sorry for him then. Our innocent virgin doesn't really realize the effect she's having on him.)
There is another massage episode. The hero survives a plane crash. While she's waiting for news after the crash, the heroine realizes she's in love with him. The hero shows up at her apartment for trauma relief - and she still hangs tough. Hero is angry, of course. But a few days later he comes crawling back - would the heroine go to Europe with him for six weeks?
And this is where the heroine's hope of making an honest man of him dies. She says no and while he's away on business, she resigns and goes back to the farm.
Many weeks later the hero shows up at the farm as the heroine is covered in grease as she fixes the farm truck. He can't live without her and wants to marry her. HEA.
This was one hard-to-get-heroine and YW threw every sort of temptation at her. In an HP nowadays, heroine would have been pregnant after the elevator episode.
I liked this heroine even though she sounds like a prig in this review. She had friends, she visited the older secretary in the hospital, she fixed cars and she was an excellent secretary. No wonder the hero fell for her - she had a strong personality without being shrill or unpleasant. Hero was generic hot guy who had life a little too easy until meeting the heroine. They should be fine together.
Our secretary heroine moves to the big city and sees the hero across a crowded room for her first taste of insta-lust. It shakes her up, but she is a country girl, who was raised to wait until marriage. She is further shaken when she literally runs into the cynical businessman hero (who happens to run the firm where the heroine works). Papers are dropped. Pages are missing. Heroine has to make a mad dash to the airport with the missing pages so the hero will not lose out on an important contract.
The next time she sees him she spills coffee on him. And the time after that, they are trapped in an elevator together. Here they wile away the hours as they share a chocolate bar, a flask of brandy (guess who had which treat on their person) and their opinions on relationships. The hero will never marry - he likes his freedom. The heroine wants to marry, but she hasn't met Mr. Right yet.
A few days later, after the office gossip dies down, the hero commands the heroine go out to dinner with him. The heroine tries to get out of it, but the hero ignores her messages and shows up on her doorstep. He wants to break the curse of disaster striking whenever they are together. They have a lovely time until the Jag won't start - but the heroine tightens some loose wires and they are on their way. The hero (and this reader) are very impressed.
I'm still impressed when the heroine resists the hero's advances, but the hero is not as sanguine. He's not used to being turned down.
But he gets a lot of practice as the heroine resists him over and over again. He promotes her to his secretary when his assistant has to take six weeks off for surgery. The heroine begins to see him in a new light as she learns about him from the secretary and works with him on a daily basis. While there is no sponging - the heroine does message his neck when he has a migraine. (Poor hero - I started to feel sorry for him then. Our innocent virgin doesn't really realize the effect she's having on him.)
There is another massage episode. The hero survives a plane crash. While she's waiting for news after the crash, the heroine realizes she's in love with him. The hero shows up at her apartment for trauma relief - and she still hangs tough. Hero is angry, of course. But a few days later he comes crawling back - would the heroine go to Europe with him for six weeks?
And this is where the heroine's hope of making an honest man of him dies. She says no and while he's away on business, she resigns and goes back to the farm.
Many weeks later the hero shows up at the farm as the heroine is covered in grease as she fixes the farm truck. He can't live without her and wants to marry her. HEA.
This was one hard-to-get-heroine and YW threw every sort of temptation at her. In an HP nowadays, heroine would have been pregnant after the elevator episode.
I liked this heroine even though she sounds like a prig in this review. She had friends, she visited the older secretary in the hospital, she fixed cars and she was an excellent secretary. No wonder the hero fell for her - she had a strong personality without being shrill or unpleasant. Hero was generic hot guy who had life a little too easy until meeting the heroine. They should be fine together.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2017
What I enjoyed about this book was that Loren - our heroine is pretty level headed (which is a rarity in itself in the older romances)
Loren is a secretary who has moved from her home-town to a big city to work for a Big corporation and attracts the attention of the Boss himself.
The hero-Steve, did not make much of an impression.
What kept me reading was Loren's reactions and I really admired her resourceful nature.
She does not bend down and sticks to her decisions (again a fresh reaction compared to the blubbering, naive and idiotic heroines found in such romances).
Good one time read if you are in the mood for a bit of an old-fashioned office romance.
Loren is a secretary who has moved from her home-town to a big city to work for a Big corporation and attracts the attention of the Boss himself.
The hero-Steve, did not make much of an impression.
What kept me reading was Loren's reactions and I really admired her resourceful nature.
She does not bend down and sticks to her decisions (again a fresh reaction compared to the blubbering, naive and idiotic heroines found in such romances).
Good one time read if you are in the mood for a bit of an old-fashioned office romance.
September 2, 2019
"Ride the Wind" is the story of Loren and Steve.
In this sweet romance, the naive country bumpkin heroine goes to the city to expand her horizons and work with Beaumont Engineering, but ends up falling for the big bad wolf..aka her boss, the hero!
The heroine totally enchants the cynical and womanizing hero, who initially ends up propositioning her, but when she stands her ground and demands commitment, he is taken aback. It was fun seeing these two banter, and romance bloom between them.
It is he who concedes at the end, and we witness a sweet HEA.
Safe
4/5
In this sweet romance, the naive country bumpkin heroine goes to the city to expand her horizons and work with Beaumont Engineering, but ends up falling for the big bad wolf..aka her boss, the hero!
The heroine totally enchants the cynical and womanizing hero, who initially ends up propositioning her, but when she stands her ground and demands commitment, he is taken aback. It was fun seeing these two banter, and romance bloom between them.
It is he who concedes at the end, and we witness a sweet HEA.
Safe
4/5
December 3, 2017
I am in serious cranky witch reviewer mode, but I just can't recommend this book at all.
Written in 1983, the hero represents all that was wrong with creepy men then and now.
The h has left Green Acres for the big bad city because the small town she lives in keeps throwing her and her boss together. She's 25 and should be married. Yep, girls today, that's the way it was back in them olden days. She likes her boss (He's aces compared to the H) and doesn't want to deal with the small town gossip anymore.
The H is a smug, conceited, man-about-town that won't take no for an answer. If he wants the heroine then she should give in. He ridicules her, he strong arms her, repeatedly tries to seduce her, and manipulates her into going to bed with him. This is who he reminds me of.
I bet Harvey wears silk shirts too.
He pitches a hissy fit when she holds true to her standards that she be in love, in a relationship and preferably married before she has sex. When she does succumb a little then puts the breaks on he has another hissy fit and says she's the lowest of the low, a "tease". What are you, 15?
I know there is backstory in there somewhere as he lives in a great big tacky and cold mansion with a huge picture of his snooty looking father. At one point, the hero rolls his eyes about what a dupe his brother is for falling in love, getting married, and having children. The brother emigrated to Australia and who could blame him.
I can only think that Whittal realized at the halfway point that she had boxed herself into a corner with this jackass because all of a sudden she's tossing out all the wonderful things he does: he stays with his older secretary at the hospital, he saved a poor little Chinese man that is now his Cato-like sidekick, and he goes into a decline when the h leaves his sorry ass.
My only consolation is that with the heroine on the scene he has one calamity after another: coffee spilled on him, trapped in an elevator and barely survives a plane crash so his shelf life looks pretty short plus he smokes, but who didn't back then.
My wish us the he dies and she marries her ex-employer in a sweet second-chance marriage and finds true happiness.
P.S.
I have a hard copy I would be happy to mail to anyone who wants it.
Written in 1983, the hero represents all that was wrong with creepy men then and now.
The h has left Green Acres for the big bad city because the small town she lives in keeps throwing her and her boss together. She's 25 and should be married. Yep, girls today, that's the way it was back in them olden days. She likes her boss (He's aces compared to the H) and doesn't want to deal with the small town gossip anymore.
The H is a smug, conceited, man-about-town that won't take no for an answer. If he wants the heroine then she should give in. He ridicules her, he strong arms her, repeatedly tries to seduce her, and manipulates her into going to bed with him. This is who he reminds me of.
I bet Harvey wears silk shirts too.
He pitches a hissy fit when she holds true to her standards that she be in love, in a relationship and preferably married before she has sex. When she does succumb a little then puts the breaks on he has another hissy fit and says she's the lowest of the low, a "tease". What are you, 15?
I know there is backstory in there somewhere as he lives in a great big tacky and cold mansion with a huge picture of his snooty looking father. At one point, the hero rolls his eyes about what a dupe his brother is for falling in love, getting married, and having children. The brother emigrated to Australia and who could blame him.
I can only think that Whittal realized at the halfway point that she had boxed herself into a corner with this jackass because all of a sudden she's tossing out all the wonderful things he does: he stays with his older secretary at the hospital, he saved a poor little Chinese man that is now his Cato-like sidekick, and he goes into a decline when the h leaves his sorry ass.
My only consolation is that with the heroine on the scene he has one calamity after another: coffee spilled on him, trapped in an elevator and barely survives a plane crash so his shelf life looks pretty short plus he smokes, but who didn't back then.
My wish us the he dies and she marries her ex-employer in a sweet second-chance marriage and finds true happiness.
P.S.
I have a hard copy I would be happy to mail to anyone who wants it.
August 15, 2015
Commitment phobic, tycoon meets beautiful, graceful farm girl and his orderly life is never the same.
July 29, 2014
Another gentle sweet but commitment phobic hero who changes his ways for innocent reluctant to fall in love heroine.
July 27, 2014
I really liked this one. It grabbed my attention. I did laugh out loud few times. She was an old-fashioned tomboy farmer girl, he was the head of an international company, a modern architect with very relaxed morals. He wanted a bed partner, she wanted love & marriage.
December 17, 2016
I don't know what it is about Yvonne Whittal that I like but I just do. The vintage harlequins have to be my favorite of all time and this author does them justice. I love how connected we are to the characters and the emotions they are portraying. It all ends up a beautiful fairytale!
May 8, 2013
3.5 stars. This started out kind of cute with all the mishaps. The full story was ok, but in the end I was left with the impression that the hero married the heroine because she was withholding sex. I realize this was an oldie, but in this case the romance would have been more compelling if he'd wanted to marry her even after they'd had sex.
October 7, 2019
A sweet story of a farm girl who loves a businessman. At the beginning I thought the story is going to no end, but the ending was surprisingly the best part of the whole story. I don't know about the others who read the story, but I though Yvonne's writing style at the end of this story was so engaging.
abrierto-to-read-hr-other
March 3, 2021He had the strangest effect on her
Loren desperately wanted to impress Steve Beaumont, but she wasn't making a very good job of it.
First she hearly lost his South African engineering company a two-million-dollar contract; then she spilled hot coffee on him. And things just went downhill from there.
Calm, efficient, capable she had always been. What was it about this man that turned her into a walking disaster area?
Loren desperately wanted to impress Steve Beaumont, but she wasn't making a very good job of it.
First she hearly lost his South African engineering company a two-million-dollar contract; then she spilled hot coffee on him. And things just went downhill from there.
Calm, efficient, capable she had always been. What was it about this man that turned her into a walking disaster area?
January 4, 2020
Loved it.... jaded/cynical/manw**re Hero falling for innocent heroine - she grows a backbone and defeats him!!
June 14, 2021
2.5 stars. This was boring and not one of my favorites by YW.
January 31, 2022
Efficient secretary falls for her boss and refuses to go to bed with him without a ring. And he values his freedom above everything else.
March 13, 2022
Couldn’t get into this one. Sweet and cute but I’m not in the mood!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews