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Storm Warning
She was not his bride by right
Bold, brash and fabulously wealthy, Marcus Lowther had everything.
So why hadn't he stayed in South Africa, Briony wondered, instead of coming to England to claim his inheritance and strip his cousin Desmond of the title?
And did he really expect her to abandon Desmond and marry him instead, when it was obvious he only wanted her because he'd already acquired all of Desmond's other possessions?
Bold, brash and fabulously wealthy, Marcus Lowther had everything.
So why hadn't he stayed in South Africa, Briony wondered, instead of coming to England to claim his inheritance and strip his cousin Desmond of the title?
And did he really expect her to abandon Desmond and marry him instead, when it was obvious he only wanted her because he'd already acquired all of Desmond's other possessions?
- GenresRomanceHarlequin Romance
192 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1984
4 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 7, 2023
Lovely story with good characters, took a star off for slow pacing.
Briony leaves her home, now owned by vampish stepmother, to work for Desmond and his uncle, a baronet, to catalog their library and cook some meals. Their housekeeper is a bad cook. Desmond decides he needs to marry and asks her. Neither is in love, friends. Desmond is a born academic.
She doesn’t want to hurt Desmond or marry him so she says no but agrees to think about it. His uncle dies the day she tries to tell him definitely no, h holds off. Then Desmond learns he is not the rightful heir, he has little to offer h and tells h he can’t marry her.
Rightful new baronet helicopters in and h instantly dislikes him. He’s lived in England for years but grew up in South Africa, has an accent, is a little pushy, plus h is indignant on behalf of Desmond, now the OM. (Desmond isn’t upset, he can’t afford the crumbling house and only wants to go back to school.). H is somewhat abrasive to h, seems to think she might be sleeping with OM.
H hires h at much higher salary, expects her to cook, do flowers, oversee renovations help OM finish library, etc. she will be busy! H clashes with h several times, notably after a dinner party that she both cooks for and attends as a semi guest. A wannabe OW is offensive and h is a bit rude. H corners her after then kisses her. He says he knows she dumped OM when she learned he was not getting the title, not true at all but that’s the inference H put on OM’s comments.
Stepmom comes to lunch and makes a play for H, as does her beautiful but dim daughter, much to h’s disgust. H tells her he’s not interested in stepmom nor stepsister and proposes. She initially says no, but agrees to give answer next day after a send off party for OM who is going back to Oxford.
Next evening h says OM would be hurt, H calls OM to come answer that. Why no, OM would be delighted, he wants h to be the new Lady Lowden, that’s why he had proposed himself. Our stunned h agrees to marry with caveat they hold off a while on intimacy. H has a special license and airily tells her that if she said no he’d ask next lady on his list!
H takes her to his London mews home where she stays before they marry to get a dress and summer clothes fit a honeymoon on his yacht. Her old school friend helps and is her bridesmaid.
It is when h walks up the aisle to H that she realizes she loves him. Their second night on the yacht h decides to seduce her H, gets all dressed up when the wannabe OW rushes into the bedroom full of darlings. The h is furious and hurt, insists the OW stays for dinner where she practically climbs on the H. When h sees OW passionately embracing the H in the dusk, she is so angry she jumps in the small boat OW used and guns for shore, not paying attention to the rocks.
She crashes, swims to shore ruins her beautiful dress. When she sees H after her h panics, tears off the heavy wet dress, flings it at him. He tackles her and starts to make love on the sand, stops when h angrily accuses him about the OW. He denies, says it was his crew member, takes her back.
He tells off the crewman, gets rid of the OW, h showers off the salt and sand, puts on a romantic nightgown and waits for him. He comes in, they make love, he says he fell in love at first sight, she loves him back. H planned to spend honeymoon courting h, so glad to have her in his bed, life and heart. HEA.
Book would’ve been superb if pacing were better and without a couple continuity faux pas, and the OW incident on yacht was a little contrived and superficial.
Briony leaves her home, now owned by vampish stepmother, to work for Desmond and his uncle, a baronet, to catalog their library and cook some meals. Their housekeeper is a bad cook. Desmond decides he needs to marry and asks her. Neither is in love, friends. Desmond is a born academic.
She doesn’t want to hurt Desmond or marry him so she says no but agrees to think about it. His uncle dies the day she tries to tell him definitely no, h holds off. Then Desmond learns he is not the rightful heir, he has little to offer h and tells h he can’t marry her.
Rightful new baronet helicopters in and h instantly dislikes him. He’s lived in England for years but grew up in South Africa, has an accent, is a little pushy, plus h is indignant on behalf of Desmond, now the OM. (Desmond isn’t upset, he can’t afford the crumbling house and only wants to go back to school.). H is somewhat abrasive to h, seems to think she might be sleeping with OM.
H hires h at much higher salary, expects her to cook, do flowers, oversee renovations help OM finish library, etc. she will be busy! H clashes with h several times, notably after a dinner party that she both cooks for and attends as a semi guest. A wannabe OW is offensive and h is a bit rude. H corners her after then kisses her. He says he knows she dumped OM when she learned he was not getting the title, not true at all but that’s the inference H put on OM’s comments.
Stepmom comes to lunch and makes a play for H, as does her beautiful but dim daughter, much to h’s disgust. H tells her he’s not interested in stepmom nor stepsister and proposes. She initially says no, but agrees to give answer next day after a send off party for OM who is going back to Oxford.
Next evening h says OM would be hurt, H calls OM to come answer that. Why no, OM would be delighted, he wants h to be the new Lady Lowden, that’s why he had proposed himself. Our stunned h agrees to marry with caveat they hold off a while on intimacy. H has a special license and airily tells her that if she said no he’d ask next lady on his list!
H takes her to his London mews home where she stays before they marry to get a dress and summer clothes fit a honeymoon on his yacht. Her old school friend helps and is her bridesmaid.
It is when h walks up the aisle to H that she realizes she loves him. Their second night on the yacht h decides to seduce her H, gets all dressed up when the wannabe OW rushes into the bedroom full of darlings. The h is furious and hurt, insists the OW stays for dinner where she practically climbs on the H. When h sees OW passionately embracing the H in the dusk, she is so angry she jumps in the small boat OW used and guns for shore, not paying attention to the rocks.
She crashes, swims to shore ruins her beautiful dress. When she sees H after her h panics, tears off the heavy wet dress, flings it at him. He tackles her and starts to make love on the sand, stops when h angrily accuses him about the OW. He denies, says it was his crew member, takes her back.
He tells off the crewman, gets rid of the OW, h showers off the salt and sand, puts on a romantic nightgown and waits for him. He comes in, they make love, he says he fell in love at first sight, she loves him back. H planned to spend honeymoon courting h, so glad to have her in his bed, life and heart. HEA.
Book would’ve been superb if pacing were better and without a couple continuity faux pas, and the OW incident on yacht was a little contrived and superficial.
Displaying 1 of 1 review