What do you think?
Rate this book
Lovers Touch
Nog nooit heeft Lady Eleanor de Tressail zich zo vernederd gevoeld. Het is al erg genoeg dat haar ouderwetse grootvader er vóór zijn dood voor heeft gezorgd dat ze het vervallen familielandgoed niet kan verkopen, maar nu moet ze ook nog trouwen! Nota bene met Joss Wycliffe, een selfmade miljonair die haar lijkt te verachten...
Joss, die Eleanors schuchterheid voor adellijke arrogante aanziet, aarzelt niet om haar duidelijk te maken dat hij haar alleen vanwege haar sociale status wil. Wat hij niet weet, is dat ze hopeloos verliefd op hem is...
Joss, die Eleanors schuchterheid voor adellijke arrogante aanziet, aarzelt niet om haar duidelijk te maken dat hij haar alleen vanwege haar sociale status wil. Wat hij niet weet, is dat ze hopeloos verliefd op hem is...
221 pages, Paperback
Published June 1, 1998
10 people are currently reading
182 people want to read
About the author
Penny Jordan
1,125 books667 followersPenelope Jones Halsall
aka Caroline Courtney, Annie Groves, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".
She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialized bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her younger sister Prue, who was always the heroine. At eleven, she fell in love with Mills & Boon, and with their heroes. In those days the books could only be obtained via private lending libraries, and she quickly became a devoted fan; she was thrilled to bits when the books went on full sale in shops and she could have them for keeps.
Penny left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography. She first discovered Mills & Boon books, via a girl she worked with. She married Steve Halsall, an accountant and a "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, and suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity. Her husband bought her the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first novels, at a time when he could ill afford it. He died at the beginning of 21st century.
She earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, Penny found an agent who was looking for a new Georgette Heyer. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her nom de plume to Melinda Wright for three air-hostess romps and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her more historical romance novels, she adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70 of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
Penny Halsall lived in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, with her Alsatian Sheba and cat Posh. She worked from home, in her kitchen, surrounded by her pets, and welcomed interruptions from her friends and family.
aka Caroline Courtney, Annie Groves, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".
She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialized bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her younger sister Prue, who was always the heroine. At eleven, she fell in love with Mills & Boon, and with their heroes. In those days the books could only be obtained via private lending libraries, and she quickly became a devoted fan; she was thrilled to bits when the books went on full sale in shops and she could have them for keeps.
Penny left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography. She first discovered Mills & Boon books, via a girl she worked with. She married Steve Halsall, an accountant and a "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, and suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity. Her husband bought her the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first novels, at a time when he could ill afford it. He died at the beginning of 21st century.
She earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, Penny found an agent who was looking for a new Georgette Heyer. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her nom de plume to Melinda Wright for three air-hostess romps and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her more historical romance novels, she adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70 of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
Penny Halsall lived in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, with her Alsatian Sheba and cat Posh. She worked from home, in her kitchen, surrounded by her pets, and welcomed interruptions from her friends and family.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
August 1, 2017
Re Lover's Touch - This one is very mixed on the likeability scale, but I give it big kudos. However it must be said that PJ was definitely hanging out with Robyn Donald before she wrote this, so consider RD's backlist and PJ's talent for truly cruel H's before you dive in. The H is an utter nematode parasite blobfish for all but the last three pages of the book, but it is the h that I truly like in this one.
She is a true introvert, she very much lives in her own head and yet she is more stubborn than my cat Chester when he thinks his sister is getting a treat that he isn't. In fact our h, Lady Eleanor de Tressail (and how I love that name,) is a true pig-iron-headed Saxon who can trace her stubbornness all the way back to before the Norman invasion of England. That is a looong line of stubbornness and tho Lady E NEVER raised her voice and is another PJ h raised Medieval Style, this girl could go head to head with Gen. MacArthur and win on writing letters to Congress. So she is a subtly suitable match for the brash, worked his way up from the gutter H, (who is boringly named Joss for Joseph, BTW).
Let's put it this way, our Lady E is perfectly nice and usually very helpful and accommodating and can out Stewart Martha in home decor skills, but if she doesn't want to do it, she isn't doing it and no one can gainsay otherwise, not even the H. But oh, how he is going to try, and the battle is looooong and angsty.
There is not one but two potential OW, the h's spoilt stepsister and the H's (who is a big time commodity broker and filthy rich,) secretary. The stepsister is more mouthiness than fact, but the secretary is the OW HPLandia Witch Queen of London, and I have to say she is one of better PJ evil OW. It was like PJ just watched a ton of Marlene Dietrich/Sharon Stone films and rolled them all up into one Evil OW and came out a winner. Then she added a stepsister that made Cinderella's look like Girl Guides, just to stir the pot.
The story starts with the h running a wedding business out of her ancient Norman manoral estate. She got dumped by her father to live with her Grandfather and repressive aunt right after her mum died when she was born. They were nice people but very, very Old Skool. When her father eventually remarried to an Italian woman with a young daughter, the h did not really fit in - tho the step sister seems to think that she has a right to the h's ancient home and probably the title of lady too. What the step sister really wants is money, even tho she is a successful model, she is always hitting up the Estate's executor - which is the H- for an advance on her allowance. The h doesn't like this, she knows that the H essentially gives the step-sister money out of his own pocket, death duties from her father dying so close to her grandfather's death have really taken a toll on the family finances, not that there was a lot of money to begin with.
The h's grandfather was srsly into his Estate and his lineage, the h has had it beaten into her head that the Estate must come before all. PJ adds lots of little historical tidbits that relay the family's long history. The step sister wants the h to sell and give her part of the money, but the h made a deathbed promise to her Grandfather not to do it. (The Grandfather excluded the step sister cause she wasn't blood related and she was a mini tart to boot and he did NOT APPROVE.)
Plus, in the area of Cheshire the h lives in, there is very little work available and the h and her Grandfather are big local employers. If the h sells the Estate, half the population will be homeless, as they live in the Estates cottages and the other half will be out of work. So when the H wanders by and lets Lady E know that he will be marrying her for the title his son will inherit and because her Grandfather, (who was his friend, they met when the Grandfather keeled over while the H was out jogging,) asked him to marry Lady E and save the Estate with his money, the h is hoping she can make a go of the wedding business and doesn't want to marry the H.
(A small note here on accuracy. Yes the h's son can in fact inherit the title. Considering the antiquity of this title, which apparently goes back yonks, the title can be held by the h in abeyance until she produces a male progeny, who will inherit it if there are no other male relations to take it. It really depends on when and where and how the title was granted, and I don't think it happens today, but it was possible under English law.)
Then the H blackmails her by saying he will support her step-sister's non existent claim to the Estate in court and force the Estate to be sold. Lady E doesn't consult with the young solicitor who is in love with her, (she is actually in love with the H and has been since she met him, but hides it cause he has a HUGE chip on his shoulder about the aristocracy and inherited wealth and birth status,) she just mutely accepts the decree.
But really it was what she wanted anyways and plus the H went out and tracked down one of the h's family's heritage engagement rings, there is a big romantic story attached about a Kingsman who married a former Countess who threw in with Bonnie Prince Charlie and the h is rather touched by that, as well as liking the huge sapphire.
So we get a round of shopping with designers and a makeover for the h. Then the fun starts, the OW secretary shows up and she is a dictatorial, patronizing Witch who demands to run the h's wedding and redecorate her house cause the H is paying the bills. (Word to the wise here, DO NOT ATTEMPT to Patronize a person whose family has been practicing the Art Of Patronage since before there was a London Tower, YOU WILL LOSE and pretty badly too.)
Lady E isn't having any of that and does her best "Grand Lady of Manor" style, (she was imitating her school headmistress,) and totally wipes the floor with the floozy who doesn't know that you don't serve summer menus in the autumn game season. Besides, the h is selling the old, ugly Victorian dinner service to a wealthy collector and she can pay for her own clothes and wedding and still keep the Sèvres for her progeny.
Then Lady E really sets the cat upon the pigeons when she dictates that no one will be redecorating her home but her, and she dictates that just like a Regency Grande Dame refusing admission to Almacks. The OW floozy secretary is sent away with her tail between her legs and the H is totally shocked that the h is defying his edicts. The h doesn't care, if he wants to run with the Aristocracy, he better learn to act like one - at least in public anyway. (I laughed myself silly over this, it was soooo English Old Skool high society, I expected the very proper butler to suggest a gentleman's gentleman - the Estate still has one- to help the H learn his manners.)
Essentially the gist of what goes on is that once the H makes his move, and we do get H pov but are unsure of his motives, every time he, the step-sister or the floozy OW try to belittle or put the h down, she politely and sooo genteely crushes them under her foot like dirty tissues. This doesn't stop them trying, but the h is more than a match for all of them put together, even tho she is totally scared and worried inside. The big kicker comes when the H has a fit of jealousy when the h wants to delay or stop the wedding and the H decides that lurve clubbing is in effect. He has a very dubious consent seduction that the h winds up liking and here is where the usual PJ neuroticism kicks in. The H and h have a great time in bed, but the H is all distant and sardonic and the h is worried she betrayed how much she loves him. She reverts to the Lady of the Manor act and the H acts like a piker from the boonies with his language and he runs off like a big old scaredy cat when the h wants to talk things out.
The wedding goes off, the h deliberately gets the most aristocratic people she knows to come and the Lord Lieutenant Governor to give her away, (He is her godmother's current amore.) She even invites the H's distant family trying to mend his rift with them, but the H doesn't want to know. The h figures the H ought to get his expectations met with the guest list and she finds a really great dress, which irks the OW to no end.
Then the honeymoon is cut short by a business crisis and the OW tries to belittle the h some more. The step sister gets run off when the h refuses to give her any money and the H is gone all the time. The h is redecorating the house and trying to hold herself together when the OW floozy shows up with her resignation and some more threats. It seems the H has lost a lot of money and is now bankrupt. The OW is leaving but she lets the h know that the H has filed for divorce and the h will soon be dumped like yesterday's trash.
The h is worried even more, she reads the Financial Times to see if she can figure out what happened, but the H isn't mentioned. So she puts on her best Lady of the Manor outfit and goes to see her bank manger. She offers her Estate as a surety to back the H's business. The bank manager is very surprised to see her, but he assures her that her Estate is solely hers, tho if she wants to back the H's business with it, the value will cover any ventures he might choose. The h is relieved she has saved the H and goes home.
Then the H shows up two hours later and starts kissing her madly, he isn't bankrupt, it was just a tricky deal he had to sort out. The OW tried it on with him and got totally rejected, so she lied to the h about everything. The H is overwhelmed that the h would put her whole life's work up for grabs to help him, no one has ever done that before and he has been in love with her ever since he met her, but she was so shy and he was so stupid, he just wants to puppy worship at her feet forever more. Since he is now richer than Virgin Industries, he is going to retire to the life of a Country Squire and lurve up the h and their future progeny. The h loves him back so we get the first daughter's christening and an h and H lurving up epilogue for the big sparklie HEA.
This one is not for everyone, it is very Aristo Englishy, but I really liked how the h used her iron will and good manners to hold her own against some really awful people. Plus the H grovel at the end was good - Robyn Donald couldn't have done it better. Then again, the way he acted, he NEEDED a big declaration finish by the end.
Fortunately the draggy part and angsting bit was relatively quick and the OW got her hiney kicked by the h - very genteely but very well kicked. Sadly the h took the OW a bit too personally, but that is the way PJ rolls and so I went with it cause I had a great time with the rest of it. If you like the English Aristocrat Rareified, you will have a lot of fun with this one. Readers inclined to the less refined hot house atmosphere will be driven nuts by this one, so keep that in mind if you take this one for an HPlandia outing.
She is a true introvert, she very much lives in her own head and yet she is more stubborn than my cat Chester when he thinks his sister is getting a treat that he isn't. In fact our h, Lady Eleanor de Tressail (and how I love that name,) is a true pig-iron-headed Saxon who can trace her stubbornness all the way back to before the Norman invasion of England. That is a looong line of stubbornness and tho Lady E NEVER raised her voice and is another PJ h raised Medieval Style, this girl could go head to head with Gen. MacArthur and win on writing letters to Congress. So she is a subtly suitable match for the brash, worked his way up from the gutter H, (who is boringly named Joss for Joseph, BTW).
Let's put it this way, our Lady E is perfectly nice and usually very helpful and accommodating and can out Stewart Martha in home decor skills, but if she doesn't want to do it, she isn't doing it and no one can gainsay otherwise, not even the H. But oh, how he is going to try, and the battle is looooong and angsty.
There is not one but two potential OW, the h's spoilt stepsister and the H's (who is a big time commodity broker and filthy rich,) secretary. The stepsister is more mouthiness than fact, but the secretary is the OW HPLandia Witch Queen of London, and I have to say she is one of better PJ evil OW. It was like PJ just watched a ton of Marlene Dietrich/Sharon Stone films and rolled them all up into one Evil OW and came out a winner. Then she added a stepsister that made Cinderella's look like Girl Guides, just to stir the pot.
The story starts with the h running a wedding business out of her ancient Norman manoral estate. She got dumped by her father to live with her Grandfather and repressive aunt right after her mum died when she was born. They were nice people but very, very Old Skool. When her father eventually remarried to an Italian woman with a young daughter, the h did not really fit in - tho the step sister seems to think that she has a right to the h's ancient home and probably the title of lady too. What the step sister really wants is money, even tho she is a successful model, she is always hitting up the Estate's executor - which is the H- for an advance on her allowance. The h doesn't like this, she knows that the H essentially gives the step-sister money out of his own pocket, death duties from her father dying so close to her grandfather's death have really taken a toll on the family finances, not that there was a lot of money to begin with.
The h's grandfather was srsly into his Estate and his lineage, the h has had it beaten into her head that the Estate must come before all. PJ adds lots of little historical tidbits that relay the family's long history. The step sister wants the h to sell and give her part of the money, but the h made a deathbed promise to her Grandfather not to do it. (The Grandfather excluded the step sister cause she wasn't blood related and she was a mini tart to boot and he did NOT APPROVE.)
Plus, in the area of Cheshire the h lives in, there is very little work available and the h and her Grandfather are big local employers. If the h sells the Estate, half the population will be homeless, as they live in the Estates cottages and the other half will be out of work. So when the H wanders by and lets Lady E know that he will be marrying her for the title his son will inherit and because her Grandfather, (who was his friend, they met when the Grandfather keeled over while the H was out jogging,) asked him to marry Lady E and save the Estate with his money, the h is hoping she can make a go of the wedding business and doesn't want to marry the H.
(A small note here on accuracy. Yes the h's son can in fact inherit the title. Considering the antiquity of this title, which apparently goes back yonks, the title can be held by the h in abeyance until she produces a male progeny, who will inherit it if there are no other male relations to take it. It really depends on when and where and how the title was granted, and I don't think it happens today, but it was possible under English law.)
Then the H blackmails her by saying he will support her step-sister's non existent claim to the Estate in court and force the Estate to be sold. Lady E doesn't consult with the young solicitor who is in love with her, (she is actually in love with the H and has been since she met him, but hides it cause he has a HUGE chip on his shoulder about the aristocracy and inherited wealth and birth status,) she just mutely accepts the decree.
But really it was what she wanted anyways and plus the H went out and tracked down one of the h's family's heritage engagement rings, there is a big romantic story attached about a Kingsman who married a former Countess who threw in with Bonnie Prince Charlie and the h is rather touched by that, as well as liking the huge sapphire.
So we get a round of shopping with designers and a makeover for the h. Then the fun starts, the OW secretary shows up and she is a dictatorial, patronizing Witch who demands to run the h's wedding and redecorate her house cause the H is paying the bills. (Word to the wise here, DO NOT ATTEMPT to Patronize a person whose family has been practicing the Art Of Patronage since before there was a London Tower, YOU WILL LOSE and pretty badly too.)
Lady E isn't having any of that and does her best "Grand Lady of Manor" style, (she was imitating her school headmistress,) and totally wipes the floor with the floozy who doesn't know that you don't serve summer menus in the autumn game season. Besides, the h is selling the old, ugly Victorian dinner service to a wealthy collector and she can pay for her own clothes and wedding and still keep the Sèvres for her progeny.
Then Lady E really sets the cat upon the pigeons when she dictates that no one will be redecorating her home but her, and she dictates that just like a Regency Grande Dame refusing admission to Almacks. The OW floozy secretary is sent away with her tail between her legs and the H is totally shocked that the h is defying his edicts. The h doesn't care, if he wants to run with the Aristocracy, he better learn to act like one - at least in public anyway. (I laughed myself silly over this, it was soooo English Old Skool high society, I expected the very proper butler to suggest a gentleman's gentleman - the Estate still has one- to help the H learn his manners.)
Essentially the gist of what goes on is that once the H makes his move, and we do get H pov but are unsure of his motives, every time he, the step-sister or the floozy OW try to belittle or put the h down, she politely and sooo genteely crushes them under her foot like dirty tissues. This doesn't stop them trying, but the h is more than a match for all of them put together, even tho she is totally scared and worried inside. The big kicker comes when the H has a fit of jealousy when the h wants to delay or stop the wedding and the H decides that lurve clubbing is in effect. He has a very dubious consent seduction that the h winds up liking and here is where the usual PJ neuroticism kicks in. The H and h have a great time in bed, but the H is all distant and sardonic and the h is worried she betrayed how much she loves him. She reverts to the Lady of the Manor act and the H acts like a piker from the boonies with his language and he runs off like a big old scaredy cat when the h wants to talk things out.
The wedding goes off, the h deliberately gets the most aristocratic people she knows to come and the Lord Lieutenant Governor to give her away, (He is her godmother's current amore.) She even invites the H's distant family trying to mend his rift with them, but the H doesn't want to know. The h figures the H ought to get his expectations met with the guest list and she finds a really great dress, which irks the OW to no end.
Then the honeymoon is cut short by a business crisis and the OW tries to belittle the h some more. The step sister gets run off when the h refuses to give her any money and the H is gone all the time. The h is redecorating the house and trying to hold herself together when the OW floozy shows up with her resignation and some more threats. It seems the H has lost a lot of money and is now bankrupt. The OW is leaving but she lets the h know that the H has filed for divorce and the h will soon be dumped like yesterday's trash.
The h is worried even more, she reads the Financial Times to see if she can figure out what happened, but the H isn't mentioned. So she puts on her best Lady of the Manor outfit and goes to see her bank manger. She offers her Estate as a surety to back the H's business. The bank manager is very surprised to see her, but he assures her that her Estate is solely hers, tho if she wants to back the H's business with it, the value will cover any ventures he might choose. The h is relieved she has saved the H and goes home.
Then the H shows up two hours later and starts kissing her madly, he isn't bankrupt, it was just a tricky deal he had to sort out. The OW tried it on with him and got totally rejected, so she lied to the h about everything. The H is overwhelmed that the h would put her whole life's work up for grabs to help him, no one has ever done that before and he has been in love with her ever since he met her, but she was so shy and he was so stupid, he just wants to puppy worship at her feet forever more. Since he is now richer than Virgin Industries, he is going to retire to the life of a Country Squire and lurve up the h and their future progeny. The h loves him back so we get the first daughter's christening and an h and H lurving up epilogue for the big sparklie HEA.
This one is not for everyone, it is very Aristo Englishy, but I really liked how the h used her iron will and good manners to hold her own against some really awful people. Plus the H grovel at the end was good - Robyn Donald couldn't have done it better. Then again, the way he acted, he NEEDED a big declaration finish by the end.
Fortunately the draggy part and angsting bit was relatively quick and the OW got her hiney kicked by the h - very genteely but very well kicked. Sadly the h took the OW a bit too personally, but that is the way PJ rolls and so I went with it cause I had a great time with the rest of it. If you like the English Aristocrat Rareified, you will have a lot of fun with this one. Readers inclined to the less refined hot house atmosphere will be driven nuts by this one, so keep that in mind if you take this one for an HPlandia outing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2017
This was fun. Boogenhagen has a very thorough review so I won't go into all of the plot details. I liked the story for the same reason she did - the heroine is great. She is cross between Miss Manners and Honey Badger. Sure she might be trembling with love for the hero and feeling angst about her "plain appearance" but she is not going to let the world (or the hero) know. Yes, she needs his money to fulfill her deathbed promise to her grandfather, but she is not going be a doormat to the hero, his skanky secretary or her stepsister. Sure she was self-sacrificing for her grandfather and the estate and it's servants - but that is self-sacrifice, a noble character trait from her noble family. Doormats are for the service entrance - not for public display.
And Honey Badger gets things done. She finds the money for her trousseau and the wedding and the interior design changes so that she can find some equal footing with the hero. She sets her plans in motion and follows up - all without breaking a sweat or letting anyone know how terrified she is of the hero discovering the flame she's held for him for three years.
Hero sees what he wants to see - that Miss Manners is looking down on his humble background -
not the Honey Badger that admires that kind of drive and feels a similar passion.
The hero tries to communicate his feelings with sex which never works in pre-2000 HPs* They are physically compatible, but they each take the what the other says the wrong way, leaving matters more confused and fraught. And that's the conflict - a series of misunderstandings where only the reader can enjoy the dramatic irony of the smitten H/h not being able to untangle themselves.
I really liked how their communication/trust problem was solved. The heroine proved she was willing to self-sacrifice for the hero. (She thought the hero was going bankrupt and she was going to put up the estate as collateral) Miss Manners and Honey Badger were on his side and this touched the lonely foster child within. He has a great grovel and declaration - which she so totally deserved.
*Post 2000's HPs - it's the easy shortcut that is used too often, imo.
And Honey Badger gets things done. She finds the money for her trousseau and the wedding and the interior design changes so that she can find some equal footing with the hero. She sets her plans in motion and follows up - all without breaking a sweat or letting anyone know how terrified she is of the hero discovering the flame she's held for him for three years.
Hero sees what he wants to see - that Miss Manners is looking down on his humble background -
not the Honey Badger that admires that kind of drive and feels a similar passion.
The hero tries to communicate his feelings with sex which never works in pre-2000 HPs* They are physically compatible, but they each take the what the other says the wrong way, leaving matters more confused and fraught. And that's the conflict - a series of misunderstandings where only the reader can enjoy the dramatic irony of the smitten H/h not being able to untangle themselves.
I really liked how their communication/trust problem was solved. The heroine proved she was willing to self-sacrifice for the hero. (She thought the hero was going bankrupt and she was going to put up the estate as collateral) Miss Manners and Honey Badger were on his side and this touched the lonely foster child within. He has a great grovel and declaration - which she so totally deserved.
*Post 2000's HPs - it's the easy shortcut that is used too often, imo.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2018
Misery loves company? Or misery wants to make others equally miserable. Readers included.
Typical PJ shaming and name-calling of the h by a completely unlikable H with serious issues and complexes.
Typical PJ shaming and name-calling of the h by a completely unlikable H with serious issues and complexes.
January 26, 2025
3.5 💖
April 9, 2019
"Lovers Touch" is the story of Nell and Joss.
A sort of historical take in a very contemporary romance, this book has Lady Eleanor de Tressail, known as Nell, a shy and introverted heroine, who has been left incharge of her massive estate since her grandfather passed away unexpectedly .
She is struggling to keep it afloat, earning meagerly by renting it out as a wedding venue, and also fighting an ungrateful stepsister for her non existent rights.
Things only get worse, when Joss Wycliffe, her solicitor and grandfather's friend demands marriage to her, based on her grandfather's last wish. His reasons- born out of gentry as a commoner, this marriage would give him the social standing he deserves as well as aristocratic heirs, while she will get the financial help she so desperately needs!
Nell is reluctant. She is a plain shadow compared to her vivacious sister, and has loved Joss for ages- while he mistakes her timidity for contempt and has always scorned her. But Joss refuses to take regards of her virginal fears, and hurtles her towards the wedding preparations. There they have tiffs over an OM who likes Nell, the rings, and soon Nell decides to get a makeover, to see if it changes anything- it does not.
Throughout most of the book, we see Joss pushing Nell away, rebuking and verbally chiding her, the OW and her sister trying to drive a wedge between them- which Nell does fight against- and the H still misinterprets her every move.
Utterly distraught, when she makes one last attempt to back out, he ruthlessly seduces her, potentially puts a bun in the oven, and ultimately Nell marries Joss. They continue their tumultuous relationship, until a selfless act by her breaks the barrier, the H has a good grovel, and all ends in a HEA.
An overall interesting read which made me smile, cry and a bit uncomfortable- but in the end I was rooting for the h, who did get her HEA. The epilogue is sweet!
SWE/ Safe
3/5
A sort of historical take in a very contemporary romance, this book has Lady Eleanor de Tressail, known as Nell, a shy and introverted heroine, who has been left incharge of her massive estate since her grandfather passed away unexpectedly .
She is struggling to keep it afloat, earning meagerly by renting it out as a wedding venue, and also fighting an ungrateful stepsister for her non existent rights.
Things only get worse, when Joss Wycliffe, her solicitor and grandfather's friend demands marriage to her, based on her grandfather's last wish. His reasons- born out of gentry as a commoner, this marriage would give him the social standing he deserves as well as aristocratic heirs, while she will get the financial help she so desperately needs!
Nell is reluctant. She is a plain shadow compared to her vivacious sister, and has loved Joss for ages- while he mistakes her timidity for contempt and has always scorned her. But Joss refuses to take regards of her virginal fears, and hurtles her towards the wedding preparations. There they have tiffs over an OM who likes Nell, the rings, and soon Nell decides to get a makeover, to see if it changes anything- it does not.
Throughout most of the book, we see Joss pushing Nell away, rebuking and verbally chiding her, the OW and her sister trying to drive a wedge between them- which Nell does fight against- and the H still misinterprets her every move.
Utterly distraught, when she makes one last attempt to back out, he ruthlessly seduces her, potentially puts a bun in the oven, and ultimately Nell marries Joss. They continue their tumultuous relationship, until a selfless act by her breaks the barrier, the H has a good grovel, and all ends in a HEA.
An overall interesting read which made me smile, cry and a bit uncomfortable- but in the end I was rooting for the h, who did get her HEA. The epilogue is sweet!
SWE/ Safe
3/5
July 15, 2025
Just finished this and I would like to read it again! It was such a great story perfect for the time it was written (1988).
A perfect vintage Harlequin in every way, down to the evil OW.
A nice epilogue.
A perfect vintage Harlequin in every way, down to the evil OW.
A nice epilogue.
April 17, 2010
Typical Jordan romance, in which the hero treats the heroine like dirt from the beginning to five pages from the end. Unusually though, it's not because he thinks she's a golddigging ho, but because he thinks she (titled member of the upper crust) despises him (slum kid who clawed his way to the top.) Her utterly self-absorbed obliviousness to his feelings (she's too busy being all miserable and martyred to notice) almost justify the meanness. A good read if you're in the mood for that sort of thing.
October 5, 2013
I usually adore PJ but this one was bad. Zero interaction between H/h, zero plot, zero chemistry.
July 12, 2025
“Oh, Nell.. what idiots we’ve both been.”
July 7, 2020
Oh jeez, THESE TWO. I wanted to bang their heads together. Even for a PJ hero/heroine, the lack of communication was just ridiculous. Seriously, does it never occur to Harley denizens that if you like/are attracted to/love someone, it might, just might, be worthwhile to ask them on a date instead of building up all kinds of misconceptions about that person and their feelings toward you? (Ah, but then we wouldn’t have a angsty tale to wallow in, would we?)
Having said that, I liked both of them. The hero’s words and attitude are totally interpreted through the heroine’s perception, so every time he said something “cruelly,” I looked at it side-eye and thought, hmmm, well, not so much, he just said something that you misinterpreted. We only get some very brief and incomplete POV from him which HINTS that he doesn’t see her at all the way she thinks he does, but doesn’t really reveal his true feelings either (angst must be sustained, after all!). And the hero’s unwavering belief that the heroine is a snob of the first order is understandable to a degree given her awkward, smitten-kitten shyness that she desperately hides with cool reserve and the fact that he has an outsized chip about his own humble beginnings (at least where she is concerned; he doesn’t really seem to give a crap about outmoded “class” concepts otherwise).
Add a couple of OW (including her horrible stepsister—just once, PLEASE, could a Harley heroine have a nice sister?) to add to the tension and misunderstanding and we definitely have two head-over-heels MCs who just cannot get themselves together until way past the wedding night.
Things I liked: the heroine's awesome friend Liz (who suggests putting the horrible step-sister in the most unflattering bridesmaid outfit the heroine can find, hee); the heroine herself, who lacked self-confidence but who was steely when she had to be—particularly when smacking down OW. I particularly loved how she did not take any direct OW abuse, calling on imitations of her imposing great-aunt and her school mistress to great effect. It’s a pity she privately believed everything they had to say, silly heroine. I also liked the hero’s obvious (to everyone but the heroine) smitten-ness—I do like tormented heroines but only if the hero is equally tormented. Pretty good heat, too, in the too-few let’s-get-physical scenes.
Things I didn’t like: too much time spent describing the house renovations (I think PJ likes home decorating; it crops up a lot), clothing, and family history. I actually didn’t NOT enjoy the descriptive writing, I just felt that it detracted from relationship between the hero and heroine—we don’t even get the first kiss until page 117! (Btw, I find it super hot when heroes tell heroines to open their mouths for kissing. Just sayin’.) I would also have liked both of the OW to get some kind of comeuppance, but alas, they never do. Also: the silly misunderstandings between the hero and heroine went on for too long—I get that it’s necessary to keep them apart for 187 or so pages, but come up with something other than “if only they would sit down and talk.” (“Oh Nell, what idiots we’ve both been,” says the hero upon the mutual declarations of love—yes, hero, EXACTLY.) And, you know, just once I would love a PJ (or most any) heroine to stress-eat and GAIN weight rather than stop eating and fade away. Just once, eat the cake mindlessly while you have a good cry. Salty tears and chocolate, mmmm. Seriously.
Overall, an okay-not-great one from PJ with a sort of “arranged marriage” throwback feel to it. Would have made a pretty good PJ-as-Caroline-Courtney Georgian/Regency, as a matter of fact
Having said that, I liked both of them. The hero’s words and attitude are totally interpreted through the heroine’s perception, so every time he said something “cruelly,” I looked at it side-eye and thought, hmmm, well, not so much, he just said something that you misinterpreted. We only get some very brief and incomplete POV from him which HINTS that he doesn’t see her at all the way she thinks he does, but doesn’t really reveal his true feelings either (angst must be sustained, after all!). And the hero’s unwavering belief that the heroine is a snob of the first order is understandable to a degree given her awkward, smitten-kitten shyness that she desperately hides with cool reserve and the fact that he has an outsized chip about his own humble beginnings (at least where she is concerned; he doesn’t really seem to give a crap about outmoded “class” concepts otherwise).
Add a couple of OW (including her horrible stepsister—just once, PLEASE, could a Harley heroine have a nice sister?) to add to the tension and misunderstanding and we definitely have two head-over-heels MCs who just cannot get themselves together until way past the wedding night.
Things I liked: the heroine's awesome friend Liz (who suggests putting the horrible step-sister in the most unflattering bridesmaid outfit the heroine can find, hee); the heroine herself, who lacked self-confidence but who was steely when she had to be—particularly when smacking down OW. I particularly loved how she did not take any direct OW abuse, calling on imitations of her imposing great-aunt and her school mistress to great effect. It’s a pity she privately believed everything they had to say, silly heroine. I also liked the hero’s obvious (to everyone but the heroine) smitten-ness—I do like tormented heroines but only if the hero is equally tormented. Pretty good heat, too, in the too-few let’s-get-physical scenes.
Things I didn’t like: too much time spent describing the house renovations (I think PJ likes home decorating; it crops up a lot), clothing, and family history. I actually didn’t NOT enjoy the descriptive writing, I just felt that it detracted from relationship between the hero and heroine—we don’t even get the first kiss until page 117! (Btw, I find it super hot when heroes tell heroines to open their mouths for kissing. Just sayin’.) I would also have liked both of the OW to get some kind of comeuppance, but alas, they never do. Also: the silly misunderstandings between the hero and heroine went on for too long—I get that it’s necessary to keep them apart for 187 or so pages, but come up with something other than “if only they would sit down and talk.” (“Oh Nell, what idiots we’ve both been,” says the hero upon the mutual declarations of love—yes, hero, EXACTLY.) And, you know, just once I would love a PJ (or most any) heroine to stress-eat and GAIN weight rather than stop eating and fade away. Just once, eat the cake mindlessly while you have a good cry. Salty tears and chocolate, mmmm. Seriously.
Overall, an okay-not-great one from PJ with a sort of “arranged marriage” throwback feel to it. Would have made a pretty good PJ-as-Caroline-Courtney Georgian/Regency, as a matter of fact
March 27, 2022
Penny Jordan is an HP writer who’s all over the place for me. One book can be great, another full of crazy sauce, and others on the blah side. Sadly, her Lovers Touch is kind of blah. The two protagonists are kept apart by big misunderstandings and lack of communication, which is never fun.
Whenever I see an “Award of Excellence” ribbon on a Harlequin-published romance, I know I’m in for a mediocre read. I think they handed those accolades out simply to massage the egos of their big-name authors. It was never about the quality of the story.
Lady Eleonor de Tressail–or Nell as she is called–inherits a huge, impoverished estate. It’s a home she cherishes. Unfortunately, she has no money for the upkeep. But it must remain in the family. Selling it is out of the question. What is she to do?
Enter Joss Wycliffe. Joss was a working-class boy who grew up near the de Tressail estate. He had great aspirations of wealth. So he built himself from the bottom up to become a wealthy millionaire.
Before his passing, Nell’s grandfather devised an arrangement to keep the family’s home: a marriage between Nell and Joss.
In Lovers Touch, Nell has harbored feelings for Joss for years. However, she is painfully shy, which Joss mistakes for haughtiness. He brutally informs Nell that he’s only marrying her for her family name and status. Of course, any romance reader worth his or her salt knows this frank declaration means Joss is in love with Nell. Silly Nelly, with her insecurities, takes him at his word.
A couple of “other women” characters vie for Joss’s attention, and he doesn’t seem to be pushing them away. If only that silly Nelly would open her eyes!
Nell is not a bad person, though she’s sort of self-centered. She’s not very empathetic, spending much time wallowing in her own misery. Joss is contemptuous of her, lashing out cruelly at her. Nell shallowly believes that he resents her because of their class differences. But although she is very reserved, Nell can steel her will. She always keeps her dignity intact, giving as good as she gets, especially to the nasty other women.
Nell spends time preparing for her wedding, finding a way to do it using her limited budget. Pride demands she not depend upon Joss’ charity. Joss thinks his bride-to-be is attempting to belittle him by refusing his money. More misunderstandings ensue.
The two get married, and their good sexual chemistry is incredible. Despite this, their lack of communication and internal insecurities keep them apart.
Somehow, the misunderstandings prove useful in the end. Nell believes that Joss’ business is going under. He needs funds to put him into the black. Nell would do anything for the man she loves, so she’s willing to sell her estate to help him out.
That is when Joss realizes they’ve both been fools. He reveals his true feelings to Nell, and she melts in his arms, happy and loving.
Penny Jordan’s heroines tend to have these irrational insecurities that cause them never to speak up and express the truth. This leads to major misunderstandings, which drive the plots. If the plot is chock full of nuttiness, I don’t mind. When it’s a simple lack of communication in a basic story that could be resolved in under 100 pages, I feel like throttling the characters.
In Lovers Touch, both the hero and the heroine are tight-lipped about their true feelings, making it doubly frustrating.
This wasn’t one of Jordan’s worst books. Despite my complaints, it had some interesting attributes. Nor was this one of her best.
Lovers Touch is middling fare, meant to be read over a couple of hours and then forgotten.
2.8 stars
October 27, 2022
She's an aristocratic virgin ice queen called Eleanor with a death duties problem, he's a self made magnate of Glaswegian descent called Joss seeking a title and an heir, ostensibly. Of course they are both in love with each other but believe the worst of each other. It's pretty cold in places but not badly paced and as PJs go not bad. (I find she can be very good or very bad, this is in the middle of the spectrum).
July 17, 2025
Good angsty read. Hero is smitten with h who has no clue and thinks he is marrying her for her title.
December 14, 2023
One of the better PJ's classics...
December 8, 2020
I think by the time you get to page 30, the h has thought about 6 times (or something like that) that she is not as beautiful as her stepsister and that she is not as beautiful as the women the H has dated. It gets annoying that she is so much thinking about how she looks.
She is a bit of an arrogant snob. She is from an aristocratic family, but is now not so rich. He is a selfmade millionaire. She looks down on another woman because that woman doesn’t know you can’t serve a summer menu in certain periods of the season. She as an aristocrat knows that. Pff.
She completely lacks in communication. She wants to plan the wedding herself and she wants to decorate the house herself, but she never says that to the H. When the H arranges for his secretary to help her with that, she feels insulted by him.
I like a besotted H who pursues the h relentlessly and who is open about what he feels for the h and who can’t keep his hands off the h and who wants to spend time with the h all the time. This H is the opposite. He has sex with her, but he gives as a reason that he can’t lose her to her former boyfriend (she is a virgin).
I can’t blame the H that he is not obsessed with her. She is cold and she wallows in selfpity that she is not as beautiful as other women. All she cares about is her big house that her grandfather left her. She has no job, she’s not funny or witty, she’s just plain boring.
She is a bit of an arrogant snob. She is from an aristocratic family, but is now not so rich. He is a selfmade millionaire. She looks down on another woman because that woman doesn’t know you can’t serve a summer menu in certain periods of the season. She as an aristocrat knows that. Pff.
She completely lacks in communication. She wants to plan the wedding herself and she wants to decorate the house herself, but she never says that to the H. When the H arranges for his secretary to help her with that, she feels insulted by him.
I like a besotted H who pursues the h relentlessly and who is open about what he feels for the h and who can’t keep his hands off the h and who wants to spend time with the h all the time. This H is the opposite. He has sex with her, but he gives as a reason that he can’t lose her to her former boyfriend (she is a virgin).
I can’t blame the H that he is not obsessed with her. She is cold and she wallows in selfpity that she is not as beautiful as other women. All she cares about is her big house that her grandfather left her. She has no job, she’s not funny or witty, she’s just plain boring.
December 29, 2023
It was okay,boring at times.
March 6, 2012
Same old story told just so-so...the h spends way too much time feeling sorry for herself, made me want to slap her around. And there is only lip service played to the idea that the H has any kind of feelings for her until the end. The evil cousin and secretary are just too stereotypical to even make an impression. Decent read but not one of PJ best.
July 21, 2012
Read a while ago, I think 4.5 stars. I really liked this one despite the unrelentingly cruel hero -- usually Penny Jordan's heroes have a few moments of softness or showing that they care, this one, not so much. But she gets me with these obsessed-from-forever, smitten heroes.
January 1, 2024
A rather sweet story of an arranged marriage between Nell (aka Lady Eleanor) who wants to save the family home and millionaire Joss Wycliffe who wants a title.
Of course there are misunderstandings and an evil "other woman", but the ending was good.
Of course there are misunderstandings and an evil "other woman", but the ending was good.
March 10, 2025
An aristocratic English Rose fallen on hard times agrees, under duress, to marry the social-climbing, self-made tycoon with a huge chip on his shoulders. It’s a tale as old as time lol.
What made this story better than average:
-Despite her mousy,meek exterior, the heroine is stubborn and has a backbone. She does not let the slimy OW, her husband’s right hand woman, ride roughshod over her. The scenes when heroine channels the spirit of her stern great-aunt and her formidable, former headmistress to send OW packing were very satisfying.
-The hero is undeniably, undoubtedly, 1000% obsessed with his wife, though he tries so hard to hide it. And it’s not because of her pedigree or her social connections, though he likes to pretend it is. He is obsessed with her as HIS woman, terribly jealous and possessive just like you would want a Harlequin hero to be. Despite his rake reputation, the hero shows his loyalty to heroine time and again. He does not even SEE other women. The scene where heroine’s slutty stepsister tries to run up at him and kiss him and he artfully dodges her and keeps her at arms length was perfect!
-there is a cute Cinderella makeover scene thanks to heroine’s fairy godmother, in this case her very nice and supportive best friend. The hero does not show an over-reaction to her fashion, hair and makeup transformation. He is polite about it but he does not make somersaults of astonishment or let his jaw hit the floor. Heroine thinks it’s because he doesn’t care about her but we, seasoned Harlequin readers, know the truth: Hero is in love with her, the person, not the gloss and frills of a nice outfit or new haircut. He has always found her beautiful even in her frumpy clothes.
The less than good:
-Slimy OW and rude, demeaning stepsister do not get much of a comeuppance other than losing the hero lol. It would have been nice if the hero fired his inappropriate assistant rather than she resign. And the leech stepsister will undoubtedly continue to get financial support and make her insulting innuendos to heroine. I really wish she got a telling off or some public embarrassment.
-the hero has such a huge chip on his shoulder about his perceived inferior stock that he persists in misinterpreting every single statement and action of the heroine. It got to be tiresome because on one hand, we are supposed to believe this is a savvy businessman who manipulates stocks to make millions but on the other hand, he is that blind to the fact that the heroine is NOT a snob in any way, shape, or form, if she keeps her distance from him, it’s because she is shy and sheltered, not to mention in unrequited love with him… sigh… where would we be in Harlequinlandia without Great, Big, Terrible Misunderstanding?
Overall, I enjoyed the story. The author managed to create a relatable heroine who was not a Mary Sue and had just the right mix of vulnerability and strength to make me root for her. There is no doubt these two have achieved a long-standing Happily Ever After by the epilogue :)
What made this story better than average:
-Despite her mousy,meek exterior, the heroine is stubborn and has a backbone. She does not let the slimy OW, her husband’s right hand woman, ride roughshod over her. The scenes when heroine channels the spirit of her stern great-aunt and her formidable, former headmistress to send OW packing were very satisfying.
-The hero is undeniably, undoubtedly, 1000% obsessed with his wife, though he tries so hard to hide it. And it’s not because of her pedigree or her social connections, though he likes to pretend it is. He is obsessed with her as HIS woman, terribly jealous and possessive just like you would want a Harlequin hero to be. Despite his rake reputation, the hero shows his loyalty to heroine time and again. He does not even SEE other women. The scene where heroine’s slutty stepsister tries to run up at him and kiss him and he artfully dodges her and keeps her at arms length was perfect!
-there is a cute Cinderella makeover scene thanks to heroine’s fairy godmother, in this case her very nice and supportive best friend. The hero does not show an over-reaction to her fashion, hair and makeup transformation. He is polite about it but he does not make somersaults of astonishment or let his jaw hit the floor. Heroine thinks it’s because he doesn’t care about her but we, seasoned Harlequin readers, know the truth: Hero is in love with her, the person, not the gloss and frills of a nice outfit or new haircut. He has always found her beautiful even in her frumpy clothes.
The less than good:
-Slimy OW and rude, demeaning stepsister do not get much of a comeuppance other than losing the hero lol. It would have been nice if the hero fired his inappropriate assistant rather than she resign. And the leech stepsister will undoubtedly continue to get financial support and make her insulting innuendos to heroine. I really wish she got a telling off or some public embarrassment.
-the hero has such a huge chip on his shoulder about his perceived inferior stock that he persists in misinterpreting every single statement and action of the heroine. It got to be tiresome because on one hand, we are supposed to believe this is a savvy businessman who manipulates stocks to make millions but on the other hand, he is that blind to the fact that the heroine is NOT a snob in any way, shape, or form, if she keeps her distance from him, it’s because she is shy and sheltered, not to mention in unrequited love with him… sigh… where would we be in Harlequinlandia without Great, Big, Terrible Misunderstanding?
Overall, I enjoyed the story. The author managed to create a relatable heroine who was not a Mary Sue and had just the right mix of vulnerability and strength to make me root for her. There is no doubt these two have achieved a long-standing Happily Ever After by the epilogue :)
September 15, 2020
I enjoyed the story, I do think the two main characters should have spent more time together maybe slowly work out that Fiona was lying , and that they had more in common. Maybe more flirting with each other instead of just anger.
The ending was too rushed, which is why I think they should have slowly seen that they was attracted to each other and the end be the no doubt I loved you stuff.
Too much spending time or avoiding each other to sort out there differences.
Should have took more time and less rush.
The ending was too rushed, which is why I think they should have slowly seen that they was attracted to each other and the end be the no doubt I loved you stuff.
Too much spending time or avoiding each other to sort out there differences.
Should have took more time and less rush.
February 16, 2024
2.5 star.
It started out quite promising. A (not so) secret mutual pining. Misunderstandings. And there's that "matter of class". Yes, it's historical romance in modern outfit but hey I'm a sucker for that! But then, after spending more than 3/4 of the book in a will-she-won't-she-will-he-won't-he game, it was getting tiring and annoying. I mean, CAN'T YOU JUST TALK, PEOPLE? Both hero and heroine need therapy more than lovey-dovey moment. And after all that angst, it was solved...just like that? Are you kidding me?
That being said, the book has some of the best misunderstanding moments.
It started out quite promising. A (not so) secret mutual pining. Misunderstandings. And there's that "matter of class". Yes, it's historical romance in modern outfit but hey I'm a sucker for that! But then, after spending more than 3/4 of the book in a will-she-won't-she-will-he-won't-he game, it was getting tiring and annoying. I mean, CAN'T YOU JUST TALK, PEOPLE? Both hero and heroine need therapy more than lovey-dovey moment. And after all that angst, it was solved...just like that? Are you kidding me?
That being said, the book has some of the best misunderstanding moments.
January 25, 2022
I think I have read this before, the couple take up until the last 5 pages to be honest! They both fell in love at first sight…and kept it to themselves and dragged out everything. Hero was very rude. Heroine was very introverted, she couldn’t open up. But you do root for those kids. I say read it.
June 14, 2022
Wow. A true romance with all the heartache Penny Jordan writes and without the endless mental soliloquies. Excellent characters including a real evil OW, nasty stepsister, miscellaneous minions and the h and H
May 12, 2017
Pure late eighties smoop. I enjoyed this more than I should have.
December 14, 2023
3.5 stars
March 22, 2025
I'd read reviews of the FMC having backbone, but I must have read a different book. This one only had one role, that of a martyr obsessing over a worthless asshat of a MMC.
September 9, 2017
This one was a little better not that much arguing but it did have some. I think they need to come up with a better idea for the two to fall in love. People don't always fall in love with someone if they argue all the time. They fall in love all different kinds of ways. I will read something different soon but right now I am still trying to finish some of these. I give this one 4 1/2 stars only because it was a little better then even the last one. They knew they was in love before they told each other in the last pages. They do need to tell each other sooner that way we can read more of the romance. On to the next.
May 4, 2017
This was one of my favorite HP reads when I was about 14. I adored it. I used to make up stories about this couple, change the storyline, etc. Basically, I wrote fanfiction in my head to this book as a teen.
Reading it again after so many years was weird. I noticed a lot of things I'd forgotten about, noticed some new things I'd not really paid attention to back then. If it weren't for the obvious sentimental attachment I remember having for this book - if I had read this today with no prior history or knowledge, I doubt I would have rated this above 2 stars.
Reading it again after so many years was weird. I noticed a lot of things I'd forgotten about, noticed some new things I'd not really paid attention to back then. If it weren't for the obvious sentimental attachment I remember having for this book - if I had read this today with no prior history or knowledge, I doubt I would have rated this above 2 stars.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews