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Dark Mirror
REFLECTIONS Of DESIRE...
Fler was stunned at her eighteen-year-old daughter's attempt to take her own life...and guilt-ridden at not having foreseen the possibility of such a drastic response to a broken love affair. But mostly Fler felt enraged at the man who had so carelessly taken Tansy to the brink of self-destruction.
Not that Kyle Ranburn was about to let Fler walk off believing the worst--there were two sides to every story and she was going to hear his. But at what point had Fler begun to think less of Kyle's relationship with Tansy...and more about his feelings for her?
Fler was stunned at her eighteen-year-old daughter's attempt to take her own life...and guilt-ridden at not having foreseen the possibility of such a drastic response to a broken love affair. But mostly Fler felt enraged at the man who had so carelessly taken Tansy to the brink of self-destruction.
Not that Kyle Ranburn was about to let Fler walk off believing the worst--there were two sides to every story and she was going to hear his. But at what point had Fler begun to think less of Kyle's relationship with Tansy...and more about his feelings for her?
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
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May 24, 2018
Re Dark Mirror - Daphne Clair's HP Plus for October of 1994 is a mother/daughter/H love triangle. Or is it?
The book opens with the h's college student daughter in the hospital. Apparently she met a man who teaches at her college, had an affair with him and then tried to kill herself by overdosing on pills. She called her former beau, who took her to the hospital and then called the h, because the daughter's outcome was uncertain.
So the h is not in any good frame of mind when she meets the H after finding out her daughter will be okay. The H drags her off for coffee, insisting that they have to talk. But all the H says is that he and the daughter went out a few times and now he is angry she won't leave him alone. He gets more irritated over the course of the conversation and finally tells the h to make sure her daughter understands the whole thing is finished.
The h is seriously angry and thinks about filing a complaint with the university officials, she is sure the H is a college co-ed womanizer, picking up on young, adoring undergrads and then dropping them when their immature charms fade. She doesn't want to cause more drama for her daughter tho, so after the girl is released and decides she wants to stay in school, the h goes home to her north of Auckland guest house.
Then the H shows up to stay at the h's guesthouse a few weeks later. He is a last minute substitute tutor for the nearby summer school that the h provides staff accommodations for. The h is coolly hostile at first, until the H asks her to not mention her daughter and also asks for a truce.
Soon the H is making HP H Lurve Force Mojo moves on the h and she IS attracted. But then she thinks of her daughter, who was full of descriptive details about her and the H's affair, and the h draws back. That doesn't seen to disturb the H unduly, one of the other teaching tutors is a leggy model type and is soon seen hanging all over the H in various outings.
The h is divorced and has been for five years. Her husband was a huge womanizer for the twelve years of their marriage and the h was in denial of his affairs for a long time, then she just couldn't take the adultery anymore and divorced the man.
There were problems for a while between the h and her daughter. The daughter was upset over the divorce and accused her mother of driving her daddy away. The h's ex, who was a good dad in spite of the lady buffet sampling, backed the h up all the way in explaining to their daughter that it was his lady lurvin issues that broke up the marriage and not the h.
(The h does cynically suppose he backed her with the daughter because he had no desire for full time custody, a teen daughter around all the time would have cut into his lady chasing. But DC does make it clear that the h and her ex were united in the parenting stakes, so the h is remarkably free of bitterness for her ex. Tho she isn't very trusting of men either.)
The H and h do gradually hang around together more as the summer school progresses. It is only for three weeks and includes a lot of mature older students, tho the H makes suspicious eyes when the h is seen talking to the male art teacher, who gives the h a sketch he had made of the h when she was out and about on her land.
We get a little taste of some lovely Maori ceremonies too, one of the classes is a Maori language immersion course and the h's assistant is Maori. When she and the h go to a formal Maori ladies ceremony, the assistant explains the hierarchy of the older and younger women participating and remarks that sometimes the younger ladies are thoughtless and try to encroach on the older women's places because the younger women forget that they need to give back instead of just taking.
The assistant's words give the h a little jolt, because by this time the h has learned that the H wasn't supposed to be teaching the summer school history portion of the program. He was originally scheduled to do an archaeology dig in another location. But the h's daughter signed up for the dig too, so the H convinced one of his fellow professors to switch places.
The h realizes the H is avoiding her daughter, but she and we don't know why. The h and H end up having an extra week together after he buys her a bowl she likes at an art event, then the h gets banged up from a fall when the H startles her while she was trying to chase a possum off.
The H decides that it was his fault the h fell and got hurt, so he stays an extra week at the guesthouse to help the h out. They get closer during this time and the h is very attracted, but there is still the problem of the h's daughter and the h gets more worried when she talks to the girl. Finally the H leaves and the h's daughter comes home for a visit before the college term starts up again.
The h realizes that her daughter is still hung up on the H, they have a big fight and the h is now really, really worried about her daughter and the rift the H is causing between them. The h calls the H to ask him if he has been around her daughter and the H asks the h to come to Auckland and talk with him.
The h goes and checks into a hotel. She and the H meet for dinner and wind up going back to his house. The H has decided that he needs to explain the entire situation with the h's daughter and asks the h to listen to him without interrupting.
The H claims that he met the h's daughter at a party before school started. She looked closer to 25 than 18 and they talked a lot about art and things, so he invited her to a local art show. Then the h's daughter invited him to a play and they went together, but when the H kissed the h's daughter, he realized she wasn't 25 and was very inexperienced.
He avoided the girl's next attempts to ask him out. Then he found out she was student when she showed up in one of his lectures that she deliberately changed her schedule to attend. She started stalking the H and insisted that he just wanted to be discreet about her, but she also claimed she knew he was really waiting for her to be out his class before he started a relationship with her. The H says he told her he was not interested in no uncertain terms.
The h's daughter told the H she understood, but then the letters and the stalking him at his apartment started. The H finally had enough when he found a letter sitting on his lecture desk right before the class assembled. He took the letter and tore it up in front of the class, after he made sure the h's daughter was paying attention. That night the daughter took the pill overdose and called the H to rescue her.
The h is horrified, but she also is leaning towards believing the H. Her daughter's behavior is worrisome and the girl refused any counseling after her pill taking event. The h and H are having a roofie kissing moment when his doorbell rings. It is the h's daughter and there is HUGE scene. The girl is very accusatory and the h is utterly appalled, especially when the H loses his temper and tells the h's daughter to go take a long walk off a short pier in a really uncomplimentary fashion.
The h sweeps her daughter off and the H is extremely angry, he tells the h she has to choose who to believe. The h has never known her child to lie and she totally trusts her daughter, but she wants to believe the H is telling the truth. Her daughter insists the h has to choose who to believe as well, so the h is really in a dilemma. She writes to the H to tell him it is better not to see each other anymore.
The H refuses to take no for an answer, so he introduces the h to a psychology friend of his. The man says the h's daughter has a fixation on the H based on her feelings of rejection from an earlier time in childhood. We get a huge surprise when the h asks if her daughter's father dying two years earlier could be interpreted as a rejection.
(The h's daughter was really upset when her dad suddenly died of viral meningitis when he was in his early forties, this also goes a long way to explaining why the h isn't more bitter over her ex.)
The H's psychologist friend thinks that the h's daughter could well be interpreting her father's death that way and then remarks that she needs help, but the girl has to come to that conclusion herself. The h is still leery of getting further into a relationship with the H, but he still shows up at her guesthouse unexpectedly one weekend.
They have a semi lurve club moment on the beach and the H asks the h to hit a home run with him later that night in her private quarters. The h initially agrees, but then she backs out when he shows up at her door later that night, she can't quite reconcile the daughter/H thing in her head yet.
The H gets frustrated and leaves the next day. Then the h's daughter comes home again and finds the H's cuff link in her mother's bed. She has a MAJOR meltdown and comes really close to attacking her mother with a broken glass.
The very distraught girl collapses on the floor and tells her mother that she needs help. The h calls the H's psychologist friend and it looks like the h's daughter is going to be okay and may have a new love interest in her flatmate, who is more her age and really into her.
This leaves the h free to go to the H and explain that she loves him, even tho they will have to wait until her daughter is more recovered in her mental processes. The H agrees to wait because he loves her too and four months later, the H and h are getting married.
The h's daughter is over her obsession and has let the h read her diary that proves the daughter and the H were never seriously involved. We leave the H and h loving it up and planning on a baby and the h's daughter is fine with things for the HEA.
This book was extremely well done, it is the class to Anne Mather's usual trashy Mother/Daughter conflicts. However, like most Anne Mather books, this H leaves you guessing. Not about his relationship with the h's daughter, but about his womanizing in general.
The H is thirty to the h's thirty-seven, so while there is some mild h thinky thoughts about how attractive she isn't to a younger man, the real uncertainty is the H's willingness to accept OW hanging on him when the h either frustrates him or isn't around.
The H's relationship with the other teacher is never explained and DC does that deliberately. She makes it clear that the h is strong in herself and wants to trust and take a chance on love. DC has the h and H apart for the four months the h's daughter is recovering and the h makes it clear that she totally trusts the H.
The really interesting thing about this book is that DC leaves it up to the reader to trust and take a chance that the HEA is real too, the H says the right things at the right times and he is really clear about his disinterest in the h's daughter.
I just worried about his interest in other women and still harbor doubts about his long term fidelity, especially if the h can't have any more children or the H thinks she isn't fully supporting him in some way.
This H is quick to issue ultimatums and then partially back down. Now that could be a sign of some immaturity or it could be a long term womanizer's attempt at gaslighting. We don't know for sure and that uncertainty does add some spice to the book. I admire the fact that DC is willing to take a chance and let the reader decide for themselves how motivated the H is.
Overall tho, the story is well written. It is just the outcome that is rather dubious and for that choice, well you kinda have take it out for your own HPlandia outing.
The book opens with the h's college student daughter in the hospital. Apparently she met a man who teaches at her college, had an affair with him and then tried to kill herself by overdosing on pills. She called her former beau, who took her to the hospital and then called the h, because the daughter's outcome was uncertain.
So the h is not in any good frame of mind when she meets the H after finding out her daughter will be okay. The H drags her off for coffee, insisting that they have to talk. But all the H says is that he and the daughter went out a few times and now he is angry she won't leave him alone. He gets more irritated over the course of the conversation and finally tells the h to make sure her daughter understands the whole thing is finished.
The h is seriously angry and thinks about filing a complaint with the university officials, she is sure the H is a college co-ed womanizer, picking up on young, adoring undergrads and then dropping them when their immature charms fade. She doesn't want to cause more drama for her daughter tho, so after the girl is released and decides she wants to stay in school, the h goes home to her north of Auckland guest house.
Then the H shows up to stay at the h's guesthouse a few weeks later. He is a last minute substitute tutor for the nearby summer school that the h provides staff accommodations for. The h is coolly hostile at first, until the H asks her to not mention her daughter and also asks for a truce.
Soon the H is making HP H Lurve Force Mojo moves on the h and she IS attracted. But then she thinks of her daughter, who was full of descriptive details about her and the H's affair, and the h draws back. That doesn't seen to disturb the H unduly, one of the other teaching tutors is a leggy model type and is soon seen hanging all over the H in various outings.
The h is divorced and has been for five years. Her husband was a huge womanizer for the twelve years of their marriage and the h was in denial of his affairs for a long time, then she just couldn't take the adultery anymore and divorced the man.
There were problems for a while between the h and her daughter. The daughter was upset over the divorce and accused her mother of driving her daddy away. The h's ex, who was a good dad in spite of the lady buffet sampling, backed the h up all the way in explaining to their daughter that it was his lady lurvin issues that broke up the marriage and not the h.
(The h does cynically suppose he backed her with the daughter because he had no desire for full time custody, a teen daughter around all the time would have cut into his lady chasing. But DC does make it clear that the h and her ex were united in the parenting stakes, so the h is remarkably free of bitterness for her ex. Tho she isn't very trusting of men either.)
The H and h do gradually hang around together more as the summer school progresses. It is only for three weeks and includes a lot of mature older students, tho the H makes suspicious eyes when the h is seen talking to the male art teacher, who gives the h a sketch he had made of the h when she was out and about on her land.
We get a little taste of some lovely Maori ceremonies too, one of the classes is a Maori language immersion course and the h's assistant is Maori. When she and the h go to a formal Maori ladies ceremony, the assistant explains the hierarchy of the older and younger women participating and remarks that sometimes the younger ladies are thoughtless and try to encroach on the older women's places because the younger women forget that they need to give back instead of just taking.
The assistant's words give the h a little jolt, because by this time the h has learned that the H wasn't supposed to be teaching the summer school history portion of the program. He was originally scheduled to do an archaeology dig in another location. But the h's daughter signed up for the dig too, so the H convinced one of his fellow professors to switch places.
The h realizes the H is avoiding her daughter, but she and we don't know why. The h and H end up having an extra week together after he buys her a bowl she likes at an art event, then the h gets banged up from a fall when the H startles her while she was trying to chase a possum off.
The H decides that it was his fault the h fell and got hurt, so he stays an extra week at the guesthouse to help the h out. They get closer during this time and the h is very attracted, but there is still the problem of the h's daughter and the h gets more worried when she talks to the girl. Finally the H leaves and the h's daughter comes home for a visit before the college term starts up again.
The h realizes that her daughter is still hung up on the H, they have a big fight and the h is now really, really worried about her daughter and the rift the H is causing between them. The h calls the H to ask him if he has been around her daughter and the H asks the h to come to Auckland and talk with him.
The h goes and checks into a hotel. She and the H meet for dinner and wind up going back to his house. The H has decided that he needs to explain the entire situation with the h's daughter and asks the h to listen to him without interrupting.
The H claims that he met the h's daughter at a party before school started. She looked closer to 25 than 18 and they talked a lot about art and things, so he invited her to a local art show. Then the h's daughter invited him to a play and they went together, but when the H kissed the h's daughter, he realized she wasn't 25 and was very inexperienced.
He avoided the girl's next attempts to ask him out. Then he found out she was student when she showed up in one of his lectures that she deliberately changed her schedule to attend. She started stalking the H and insisted that he just wanted to be discreet about her, but she also claimed she knew he was really waiting for her to be out his class before he started a relationship with her. The H says he told her he was not interested in no uncertain terms.
The h's daughter told the H she understood, but then the letters and the stalking him at his apartment started. The H finally had enough when he found a letter sitting on his lecture desk right before the class assembled. He took the letter and tore it up in front of the class, after he made sure the h's daughter was paying attention. That night the daughter took the pill overdose and called the H to rescue her.
The h is horrified, but she also is leaning towards believing the H. Her daughter's behavior is worrisome and the girl refused any counseling after her pill taking event. The h and H are having a roofie kissing moment when his doorbell rings. It is the h's daughter and there is HUGE scene. The girl is very accusatory and the h is utterly appalled, especially when the H loses his temper and tells the h's daughter to go take a long walk off a short pier in a really uncomplimentary fashion.
The h sweeps her daughter off and the H is extremely angry, he tells the h she has to choose who to believe. The h has never known her child to lie and she totally trusts her daughter, but she wants to believe the H is telling the truth. Her daughter insists the h has to choose who to believe as well, so the h is really in a dilemma. She writes to the H to tell him it is better not to see each other anymore.
The H refuses to take no for an answer, so he introduces the h to a psychology friend of his. The man says the h's daughter has a fixation on the H based on her feelings of rejection from an earlier time in childhood. We get a huge surprise when the h asks if her daughter's father dying two years earlier could be interpreted as a rejection.
(The h's daughter was really upset when her dad suddenly died of viral meningitis when he was in his early forties, this also goes a long way to explaining why the h isn't more bitter over her ex.)
The H's psychologist friend thinks that the h's daughter could well be interpreting her father's death that way and then remarks that she needs help, but the girl has to come to that conclusion herself. The h is still leery of getting further into a relationship with the H, but he still shows up at her guesthouse unexpectedly one weekend.
They have a semi lurve club moment on the beach and the H asks the h to hit a home run with him later that night in her private quarters. The h initially agrees, but then she backs out when he shows up at her door later that night, she can't quite reconcile the daughter/H thing in her head yet.
The H gets frustrated and leaves the next day. Then the h's daughter comes home again and finds the H's cuff link in her mother's bed. She has a MAJOR meltdown and comes really close to attacking her mother with a broken glass.
The very distraught girl collapses on the floor and tells her mother that she needs help. The h calls the H's psychologist friend and it looks like the h's daughter is going to be okay and may have a new love interest in her flatmate, who is more her age and really into her.
This leaves the h free to go to the H and explain that she loves him, even tho they will have to wait until her daughter is more recovered in her mental processes. The H agrees to wait because he loves her too and four months later, the H and h are getting married.
The h's daughter is over her obsession and has let the h read her diary that proves the daughter and the H were never seriously involved. We leave the H and h loving it up and planning on a baby and the h's daughter is fine with things for the HEA.
This book was extremely well done, it is the class to Anne Mather's usual trashy Mother/Daughter conflicts. However, like most Anne Mather books, this H leaves you guessing. Not about his relationship with the h's daughter, but about his womanizing in general.
The H is thirty to the h's thirty-seven, so while there is some mild h thinky thoughts about how attractive she isn't to a younger man, the real uncertainty is the H's willingness to accept OW hanging on him when the h either frustrates him or isn't around.
The H's relationship with the other teacher is never explained and DC does that deliberately. She makes it clear that the h is strong in herself and wants to trust and take a chance on love. DC has the h and H apart for the four months the h's daughter is recovering and the h makes it clear that she totally trusts the H.
The really interesting thing about this book is that DC leaves it up to the reader to trust and take a chance that the HEA is real too, the H says the right things at the right times and he is really clear about his disinterest in the h's daughter.
I just worried about his interest in other women and still harbor doubts about his long term fidelity, especially if the h can't have any more children or the H thinks she isn't fully supporting him in some way.
This H is quick to issue ultimatums and then partially back down. Now that could be a sign of some immaturity or it could be a long term womanizer's attempt at gaslighting. We don't know for sure and that uncertainty does add some spice to the book. I admire the fact that DC is willing to take a chance and let the reader decide for themselves how motivated the H is.
Overall tho, the story is well written. It is just the outcome that is rather dubious and for that choice, well you kinda have take it out for your own HPlandia outing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2022
3.5 Really enjoyed this well written DC. Quite an unusual theme and pretty amazing to get a decent romance out of a mother and daughter potentially sharing a lover and a serious mental health issue. Testament to DC'S writerly chops. Was very attracted to the professorial H, Kyle who (for all the uncertainty the h, Fler has about him and his motives) comes across as a decent chap as well as a shall we say "man who.knows what he's doing ". (There's a scene on a beach where he generously, unreciprocatedly gives her an orgasm with his hand). I thought the writing style was fluid, well.paced and well judged. Very nice indeed, thank you Daphne.
April 2, 2017
I just don't know. I mean, I get that he didn't sleep with her daughter, but he still took her out. That gives me the heebies, and I'm not sure why. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. I think it's all about how it is written. I get that way about brother and sister sharing too sometimes (but again, not all the time.) Maybe it was because I was so pissed at her the whole time for not realizing her daughter was a psycho. But hey, a "cougar" story, so there's that.
May 1, 2022
I had absolutely no intention of reading this. Then I decided to borrow it for an hour just to see….3 hours later and here I am writing a review. I guess DC did a good enough job pulling me in and keeping my attention. Boogenhagen has all the details in her fine review.
Heroine: Fler, 37 year old divorced single mom of an 18 year old daughter. She married her husband when she was 18, he has been her only lover. Sad to say that was not the case for him. He loved his wife, but he required side dishes to go with the main course. She denied, then cried, and finally divorced him 5 years ago. He provided for his daughter, but his lifestyle was not one where he wanted to share custody. Anyhoo, Fler is pretty down on men and has decided to be the best mama bear out there.
The ow/daughter, Tansy: 18 year old Tansy is off to university. While at a party(not a college party) She meets the hero. She is dressed older and seems intelligent. They get along and go out on a couple of dates(nothing private and sweet, more like museum or gallery openings) She throws herself at him after the 2nd outing and he kindly puts her off. Then she shows up in his classroom as a late enrollee. Our little Tansy is a smitten kitten. She is a very eager student and would love nothing more than to be teacher’s pet. The hero has some stern talks with her, and when he rips up a letter she left for him on his podium in front of her she goes a little ballistic and takes a handful of pills that night. She chooses to call him.
Hero, 30, Kyle- Kyle seems to be a fairly decent guy. He doesn’t come off as a womanizer. His life is being turned upside down by the 18 year old Tansy. He has tried to reason with her, but she has pretty much convinced herself that they are an item. He meets her very angry mom at the hospital the nights the daughter takes the pills and tries to tell the mom that her daughter needs help. But mama bear is Team Tansy, and Kyle is probably one of those men just like her husband. Really, Kyle just doesn’t have anytime for these crazy women, and shoves off.
So Mummy takes Tansy back home since school is on a little break. Tansy assures her mom that she is good to go when it is time to go back. Her mom checks on her often and when she sees her daughter, her daughter doesn’t look so vibrant. Then her daughter decides to go on an archaeological dig instead of coming home for break. Mom operates an inn which hosts a 3 week educational summer course where educators come and teach a wide variety of topics. Guess who shows up as one of the teachers?
Now the hero and heroine are stuck together for 3 weeks. They decide to not talk about Tansy. Along the way the hero falls in love with the heroine and she falls in love with him. Of course she doesn’t want to act on it as she still believes he was her daughter’s lover. There is an ow wannabe, that I think the Hero just uses to get back at the h for pushing him away. The H stays an extra week after all the other educators have left. He helps the h out with the inn, but really just wants more time with her. They have some kisses. The H goes back to school.
Basically, the rest of the story continues with the h fighting a losing battle with her attraction for the H. The H insists she is the one for him. More of the daughter’s scary stalker tactics happen. She finds out about the H and her mom, and is quick to cause problems. The H is not having any of it and paints a picture for the heroine by telling all about the daughter’s exploits…But mommy just sees her little girl
and not the girl the H is describing.
The H is waiting patiently for the h to choose him, and while the daughter is visiting mom yet again she has a psychotic break and asks for help. The h goes to the H, tells him what is going on and asks him how long he will wait for her. She also tells him she loves him and that she told her daughter this as well.
The daughter gets the help she needs and then tells her mom to go after the man she loves. She is totally over the H and realizes that it had more to do with needing someone(her father died when she was 16, shortly after the divorce) So after 4 months of waiting the h and H finally get married and finally consummate their relationship. There is also hopes for future babies, but the h doesn’t have time to waste as her eggs have an expiration date. I left out a lot of the nitty gritty details that make this story a better read than what I am portraying. I don’t regret reading it, but I don’t think this has to go on a must reads list.
There is some good angsty moments. I’m not sure I am a big fan of crazy daughters or mother daughter love entanglements. (To be fair there was no great love affair between the daughter and the H, as it was in the now cured daughter’s fantasy land head). I actually liked the H and I felt DC did a good job showing his intense love for the h. I don’t see him ending up as a womanizer like her ex husband, and I have a feeling he is going to find an educational type job closer to the h and they will continue to live in and run the inn together.
Heroine: Fler, 37 year old divorced single mom of an 18 year old daughter. She married her husband when she was 18, he has been her only lover. Sad to say that was not the case for him. He loved his wife, but he required side dishes to go with the main course. She denied, then cried, and finally divorced him 5 years ago. He provided for his daughter, but his lifestyle was not one where he wanted to share custody. Anyhoo, Fler is pretty down on men and has decided to be the best mama bear out there.
The ow/daughter, Tansy: 18 year old Tansy is off to university. While at a party(not a college party) She meets the hero. She is dressed older and seems intelligent. They get along and go out on a couple of dates(nothing private and sweet, more like museum or gallery openings) She throws herself at him after the 2nd outing and he kindly puts her off. Then she shows up in his classroom as a late enrollee. Our little Tansy is a smitten kitten. She is a very eager student and would love nothing more than to be teacher’s pet. The hero has some stern talks with her, and when he rips up a letter she left for him on his podium in front of her she goes a little ballistic and takes a handful of pills that night. She chooses to call him.
Hero, 30, Kyle- Kyle seems to be a fairly decent guy. He doesn’t come off as a womanizer. His life is being turned upside down by the 18 year old Tansy. He has tried to reason with her, but she has pretty much convinced herself that they are an item. He meets her very angry mom at the hospital the nights the daughter takes the pills and tries to tell the mom that her daughter needs help. But mama bear is Team Tansy, and Kyle is probably one of those men just like her husband. Really, Kyle just doesn’t have anytime for these crazy women, and shoves off.
So Mummy takes Tansy back home since school is on a little break. Tansy assures her mom that she is good to go when it is time to go back. Her mom checks on her often and when she sees her daughter, her daughter doesn’t look so vibrant. Then her daughter decides to go on an archaeological dig instead of coming home for break. Mom operates an inn which hosts a 3 week educational summer course where educators come and teach a wide variety of topics. Guess who shows up as one of the teachers?
Now the hero and heroine are stuck together for 3 weeks. They decide to not talk about Tansy. Along the way the hero falls in love with the heroine and she falls in love with him. Of course she doesn’t want to act on it as she still believes he was her daughter’s lover. There is an ow wannabe, that I think the Hero just uses to get back at the h for pushing him away. The H stays an extra week after all the other educators have left. He helps the h out with the inn, but really just wants more time with her. They have some kisses. The H goes back to school.
Basically, the rest of the story continues with the h fighting a losing battle with her attraction for the H. The H insists she is the one for him. More of the daughter’s scary stalker tactics happen. She finds out about the H and her mom, and is quick to cause problems. The H is not having any of it and paints a picture for the heroine by telling all about the daughter’s exploits…But mommy just sees her little girl
and not the girl the H is describing. The H is waiting patiently for the h to choose him, and while the daughter is visiting mom yet again she has a psychotic break and asks for help. The h goes to the H, tells him what is going on and asks him how long he will wait for her. She also tells him she loves him and that she told her daughter this as well.
The daughter gets the help she needs and then tells her mom to go after the man she loves. She is totally over the H and realizes that it had more to do with needing someone(her father died when she was 16, shortly after the divorce) So after 4 months of waiting the h and H finally get married and finally consummate their relationship. There is also hopes for future babies, but the h doesn’t have time to waste as her eggs have an expiration date. I left out a lot of the nitty gritty details that make this story a better read than what I am portraying. I don’t regret reading it, but I don’t think this has to go on a must reads list.
There is some good angsty moments. I’m not sure I am a big fan of crazy daughters or mother daughter love entanglements. (To be fair there was no great love affair between the daughter and the H, as it was in the now cured daughter’s fantasy land head). I actually liked the H and I felt DC did a good job showing his intense love for the h. I don’t see him ending up as a womanizer like her ex husband, and I have a feeling he is going to find an educational type job closer to the h and they will continue to live in and run the inn together.
October 31, 2021
More challenging themes and characters than most Harlequins, with a widowed/divorced mom coping with an obsessional daughter who lives in her own fantasy world fixated on Kyle, the man who’s falling in love with her mom. Mom and Kyle meet when daughter tries suicide to get college lecturer to love her. Story proceeds from there with immensely patient Kyle, loving and torn mom.
November 16, 2024
3.5 stars Surprisingly engaging—unusual premise, dealt with in a decently non-icky and compassionate way. A little more romance would be nice, though, after all the dramatic ups and downs—it’s there, I just wanted a bit more.
October 14, 2015
Remember the movie the Crush with Alicia Silverstone and Cary Elwes (back when he was hot)? Ok, so the story of this book is like that except Alicia Silverstone has a mother and she is reluctantly, but slowly becoming enthralled by the object of her daughter's obsession. Older Woman/Younger Man, my favorite trope!
January 11, 2015
An interesting read.
A twisted tale of love and obession. I really liked this different storyline as it was kind of an unique one and entertaining.
A twisted tale of love and obession. I really liked this different storyline as it was kind of an unique one and entertaining.
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