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Sup with the Devil
Could he seduce her into forgetfulness?Courtney had always dreamed of one day desired by a lover and responding ardently to him. But with the right man--not ever with Blair Devereux!For three long years, the memory of how Blair had ruined her family and stolen their home had haunted her.Now she must do the impossible -- forget the past for her family's sake and become Blair's bride. And no one could have been more surprised than she to find the forgetfulness she needed in the oblivion of love's passion!
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
3 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
About the author
Sara Craven
493 books266 followersAnne Bushell was born on October 1938 in South Devon, England, just before World War II and grew up in a house crammed with books. She was always a voracious reader, some of her all-time favorites books are: "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen, "Middlemarch" by George Eliot, "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë, "Gone With the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell and "The Code of the Woosters" by P. G. Wodehouse.
She worked as journalist at the Paignton Observer, but after her marriage, she moved to the north of England, where she worked as teacher. After she returned to journalism, she joined the Middlesbrough Writers' Group, where she met other romance writer Mildred Grieveson (Anne Mather). She started to wrote romance, and she had her first novel "Garden of Dreams" accepted by Mills & Boon in 1975, she published her work under the pseudonym of Sara Craven. In 2010 she became chairman of the Southern Writers' Conference, and the next year was elected the twenty-six Chairman (2011–2013) of the Romantic Novelists' Association.
Divorced twice, Annie lives in Somerset, South West England, and shares her home with a West Highland white terrier called Bertie Wooster. In her house, she had several thousand books, and an amazing video collection. When she's not writing, she enjoys watching very old films, listening to music, going to the theatre, and eating in good restaurants. She also likes to travel in Europe, to inspire her romances, especially in France, Greece and Italy where many of her novels are set. Since the birth of her twin grandchildren, she is also a regular visitor to New York City, where the little tots live. In 1997, she was the overall winner of the BBC's Mastermind, winning the last final presented by Magnus Magnusson.
She worked as journalist at the Paignton Observer, but after her marriage, she moved to the north of England, where she worked as teacher. After she returned to journalism, she joined the Middlesbrough Writers' Group, where she met other romance writer Mildred Grieveson (Anne Mather). She started to wrote romance, and she had her first novel "Garden of Dreams" accepted by Mills & Boon in 1975, she published her work under the pseudonym of Sara Craven. In 2010 she became chairman of the Southern Writers' Conference, and the next year was elected the twenty-six Chairman (2011–2013) of the Romantic Novelists' Association.
Divorced twice, Annie lives in Somerset, South West England, and shares her home with a West Highland white terrier called Bertie Wooster. In her house, she had several thousand books, and an amazing video collection. When she's not writing, she enjoys watching very old films, listening to music, going to the theatre, and eating in good restaurants. She also likes to travel in Europe, to inspire her romances, especially in France, Greece and Italy where many of her novels are set. Since the birth of her twin grandchildren, she is also a regular visitor to New York City, where the little tots live. In 1997, she was the overall winner of the BBC's Mastermind, winning the last final presented by Magnus Magnusson.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 29, 2019
The saying goes: HE SHOULD HAVE A LONG SPOON THAT SUPS WITH THE DEVIL
Get it? Be on your guard, heroine!
But this reviewer can ask after reading the thing – which character is really the devil in this story?
Hero
In the heroine’s mind it’s the hero since she was attracted to him at 17 and he gave her a gentle mocking kiss in the rose garden.
The next time she saw him he was demanding her father bail his uncle out of jail. Heroine threw a heavy glass ashtray (remember those?) at him and gave him a scar above his eye.
Now he’s back, three years later, buying the heroine’s family manor house and jeopardizing her brother’s chance at making some easy money. Oh, and he wants to marry her.
But what about the OW, her boarding school "friend," whom the hero dangles in front of her?
Daddy
Daddy dearest doesn’t seem like the devil at first glance. He did lose everything trying make up for his business partner’s embezzlement (hero’s uncle).
And he had two strokes.
And he is mournful whenever he talks to the heroine.
Oh, and he never told the heroine about the priest’s hole (a secret hiding place from Elizabethan times) in the manor house. Very curious
Brother
Brother got into gambling.
Made a deal to be a front for a property developer.
Wanted heroine to keep gross proper developer “sweet”
Was angry and slut-shamed heroine when she kissed hero.
Flounced from the family when things didn’t go his way.
I think any HP reader with sense will see that Daddy and Brother were the baddies in this story and hero is the good guy who has carried a torch for the heroine for three years even though her family is ridiculously corrupt.
We won’t talk about the May/December age difference. It was the 1980’s.
Get it? Be on your guard, heroine!
But this reviewer can ask after reading the thing – which character is really the devil in this story?
Hero
In the heroine’s mind it’s the hero since she was attracted to him at 17 and he gave her a gentle mocking kiss in the rose garden.
The next time she saw him he was demanding her father bail his uncle out of jail. Heroine threw a heavy glass ashtray (remember those?) at him and gave him a scar above his eye.
Now he’s back, three years later, buying the heroine’s family manor house and jeopardizing her brother’s chance at making some easy money. Oh, and he wants to marry her.
But what about the OW, her boarding school "friend," whom the hero dangles in front of her?
Daddy
Daddy dearest doesn’t seem like the devil at first glance. He did lose everything trying make up for his business partner’s embezzlement (hero’s uncle).
And he had two strokes.
And he is mournful whenever he talks to the heroine.
Oh, and he never told the heroine about the priest’s hole (a secret hiding place from Elizabethan times) in the manor house. Very curious
Brother
Brother got into gambling.
Made a deal to be a front for a property developer.
Wanted heroine to keep gross proper developer “sweet”
Was angry and slut-shamed heroine when she kissed hero.
Flounced from the family when things didn’t go his way.
I think any HP reader with sense will see that Daddy and Brother were the baddies in this story and hero is the good guy who has carried a torch for the heroine for three years even though her family is ridiculously corrupt.
We won’t talk about the May/December age difference. It was the 1980’s.
January 31, 2016
Courtney’s daddy is posh and in business with Blair’s uncle. Courtney has known Blair for years, but she doesn’t like him. She particularly doesn’t like him when she’s 17. Her non-friend Kate Lydyard is being all salacious and hussy-like about him, and it makes Courtney uncomfortable. Then Blair kisses her in the rose garden and she’s all conflicted.
And then one night, Blair comes ‘round to shout at her father for not helping his uncle, who is now in prison for embezzlement. Courtney’s daddy is all hand flapping and pale, and Blair is all finger pointing and menace, so Courtney throws an ashtray at Blair.
Courtney has a good arm, and manages to scar Blair. He’s still got it when he returns to their village three years later to complete the ruin he brought to her family.
In the intervening years, Courtney has been living with her brother in a little cottage. It’s rent free, because Courtney is sort of not really dating the owner’s son. Courtney’s daddy is in a nursing facility nearby, slowly recovering from a stroke. He got off better than his business partner, who had a heart attack and died. The family still lost all their money, and Courtney’s useless older brother is being incredibly useless about it. He should be working for his godfather, a position Courtney regularly has to plead with the godfather over, because her brother is so useless.
He’s been gambling and has fallen in with a bad crowd. To clear his debts, he’s given one job: buy the family home, which is up at auction for a second time, for his thug developer boss.
The brother (naturally) fails auction by not realising that one must have the highest bid when the hammer comes down. Now the thug developer is threatening to break his legs. Can Courtney please take care of the problem for him? Obviously, she’ll need to do it without getting herself raped, because a brother can’t have his sister turn into a slag, because what would daddy say?
Blair’s bought the house. He’s probably used the embezzlement money. And now he wants Courtney.
So of course Blair is in love with Courtney, and Courtney is an idiot. Courtney’s family are parasites, but useful to Blair as emotional blackmail. Blair is not a terrible person. It’s difficult to credit, though, that he’s madly and passionately in love with Courtney. He seems more set on this vision of a life where he’s master of the mansion and she’s his gracious wife.
I was sympathetic towards Courtney. She didn’t understand why she was attracted to Blair, and didn’t want to be. And there’s no way she could have told her awful family to sod off, so she was stuck. She has to cope with knowing that Kate Lydyard has had her man first, with all the attendant tortures of jealousy and inadequacy. I didn’t dislike her, but she was sort of an idiot.
There’s nothing very new here – Sara Craven has used this set up a couple of times. I always enjoy hating on the heroine’s horrible family. I’m always amused by a marriage proposal where the hero hides how desperately in love he is by implying that all he wants is a dinner party hostess and baby maker.
And then one night, Blair comes ‘round to shout at her father for not helping his uncle, who is now in prison for embezzlement. Courtney’s daddy is all hand flapping and pale, and Blair is all finger pointing and menace, so Courtney throws an ashtray at Blair.
Courtney has a good arm, and manages to scar Blair. He’s still got it when he returns to their village three years later to complete the ruin he brought to her family.
In the intervening years, Courtney has been living with her brother in a little cottage. It’s rent free, because Courtney is sort of not really dating the owner’s son. Courtney’s daddy is in a nursing facility nearby, slowly recovering from a stroke. He got off better than his business partner, who had a heart attack and died. The family still lost all their money, and Courtney’s useless older brother is being incredibly useless about it. He should be working for his godfather, a position Courtney regularly has to plead with the godfather over, because her brother is so useless.
He’s been gambling and has fallen in with a bad crowd. To clear his debts, he’s given one job: buy the family home, which is up at auction for a second time, for his thug developer boss.
The brother (naturally) fails auction by not realising that one must have the highest bid when the hammer comes down. Now the thug developer is threatening to break his legs. Can Courtney please take care of the problem for him? Obviously, she’ll need to do it without getting herself raped, because a brother can’t have his sister turn into a slag, because what would daddy say?
Blair’s bought the house. He’s probably used the embezzlement money. And now he wants Courtney.
So of course Blair is in love with Courtney, and Courtney is an idiot. Courtney’s family are parasites, but useful to Blair as emotional blackmail. Blair is not a terrible person. It’s difficult to credit, though, that he’s madly and passionately in love with Courtney. He seems more set on this vision of a life where he’s master of the mansion and she’s his gracious wife.
I was sympathetic towards Courtney. She didn’t understand why she was attracted to Blair, and didn’t want to be. And there’s no way she could have told her awful family to sod off, so she was stuck. She has to cope with knowing that Kate Lydyard has had her man first, with all the attendant tortures of jealousy and inadequacy. I didn’t dislike her, but she was sort of an idiot.
There’s nothing very new here – Sara Craven has used this set up a couple of times. I always enjoy hating on the heroine’s horrible family. I’m always amused by a marriage proposal where the hero hides how desperately in love he is by implying that all he wants is a dinner party hostess and baby maker.
December 28, 2018
Nice, decent story; medium angst. exactly what I've come to expect from an average SC book.
January 19, 2016
Ok so maybe I am a vengeful bitch but I wanted her father and brother to rot in jail!!! Those bastards deserve to be in jail for stealing that money and then killing the poor innocent uncle. Im so glad she finally told him she loved him. He so deserved it. What a great guy I mean he was and angel and she deserved him in the end. They are too nice to be true. I would have made those bastards suffer they were both willing to sacrifice her for their own end even wanting her sister to "be nice" to his mobster creditor. Hell to the no! He did not just pimp out his Virgin sister!!! I wanted revenge!!!!
February 20, 2021
A nice vintage read.
A besotted H who relentlessly pursues the h. He has loved her since she was 17 (or before) and he has waited for her to grow up. So three years later he comes back. Not sure if the h has grown up, even after the years has gone by. Some people, like this h, never mature.
I don’t know how many times this h was crying, was having a headache, was extremely tired, was looking pale. She always had some sort of inner crisis.
Because of the h, I take one star off. But I do like the H and I like the story.
And oh yeah. I’ve read a lot of Sara Craven’s books. Her heroines are always blondes. This book from 1983 has a heroine with dark hair.
A besotted H who relentlessly pursues the h. He has loved her since she was 17 (or before) and he has waited for her to grow up. So three years later he comes back. Not sure if the h has grown up, even after the years has gone by. Some people, like this h, never mature.
I don’t know how many times this h was crying, was having a headache, was extremely tired, was looking pale. She always had some sort of inner crisis.
Because of the h, I take one star off. But I do like the H and I like the story.
And oh yeah. I’ve read a lot of Sara Craven’s books. Her heroines are always blondes. This book from 1983 has a heroine with dark hair.
August 1, 2022
cw: internalized misogyny
Absolutely awful. Not only was the hero unfaithful to the heroine while they were separated, he had her in contact with one of his fuck buddies. I’m definitely disappointed that a reviewer lied about the hero being faithful. Sara Craven, who hurt you enough to write these books? Because I know that this book isn’t the only one in which you write a hero who is shit personified.
Absolutely awful. Not only was the hero unfaithful to the heroine while they were separated, he had her in contact with one of his fuck buddies. I’m definitely disappointed that a reviewer lied about the hero being faithful. Sara Craven, who hurt you enough to write these books? Because I know that this book isn’t the only one in which you write a hero who is shit personified.
July 4, 2023
Ok. This one I felt did not tie up the loose ends properly.
Long story short. The hero Blair is nephew to heroine, Courtney’s, father’s business partner.
Since her father took the partner on, the hero has been in and out of her house.
There’s some age gap. She’s 16, he’s 22.
Her boarding school friends come to visit during a summer holiday and all is going well. Then Blair arrives and suddenly all the girls are vying for his attention. He pays them no attention. One of the oldest girls, Kate, says he’s waiting for Courtney to grow up.
Courtney is not thrilled. She declares that he would have to wait for ever. He is standing on a terrace and overhears.
As any young man would do (not) he finds her alone in a rose garden and kisses her and says he’ll wait or something like that.
But then fate takes a turn. Money disappears from the company. Blair’s uncle is arrested.
Blair arrives trying to make Courtney’s father do something to get his uncle out of prison. There’s a showdown.
Courtney arrives, sees her father cowering and picks up an ashtray and throws it at Blair. Scarring him for life!
Anyway. Cut to current moment.
The big house is going to be auctioned.
Courtney and her young brother live in a cottage given to them for a peanut rent by her boyfriend ,Clive’s father, Colonel something something.
The relationship is quite platonic as Clive’s family has other plans. Courtney is quite content to let things be.
She’s had a terrible few years. Having had to leave school and take a secretarial job. She’s also taking care of her weakling shitty brother. The brother is working at a bank owned by family friend who is godparent to them.
The brother gambles, gets into debt. Now the creepy property developer who is owed money tells him, go to the auction for your old house. Buy it for me. The locals will look more favourably on you. (Weird logic)
A new development occurs. The hero arrives back.
He’s come back for the house and for Courtney.
She hates him. She blames his uncle for her fathers shattered health. Father had stroke. Is in a nursing home. They are poor. Blair looks wealthy. He must have the stolen money.
The girl hates him. Yet her emotions were always involved. She can’t say no to him.
He steamrolls into her life. Settles her brother’s debt.
Marries her.
Brings her father home.
Lots of heart burning on both sides happens which could have been avoided if they sat down and talked to each other.
Alls well. She finds out that her father was the embezzler.
The end.
We never find if the money was returned to its rightful owners. Biggest flaw.
The hero’s name needed to be cleared too after all. Doesn’t happen.
Sara Craven erred in this one.
Still it’s a good read if you want vintage harlequin reading.
There are characters. There’s a story. There’s a build up.
Good solid reading.
Long story short. The hero Blair is nephew to heroine, Courtney’s, father’s business partner.
Since her father took the partner on, the hero has been in and out of her house.
There’s some age gap. She’s 16, he’s 22.
Her boarding school friends come to visit during a summer holiday and all is going well. Then Blair arrives and suddenly all the girls are vying for his attention. He pays them no attention. One of the oldest girls, Kate, says he’s waiting for Courtney to grow up.
Courtney is not thrilled. She declares that he would have to wait for ever. He is standing on a terrace and overhears.
As any young man would do (not) he finds her alone in a rose garden and kisses her and says he’ll wait or something like that.
But then fate takes a turn. Money disappears from the company. Blair’s uncle is arrested.
Blair arrives trying to make Courtney’s father do something to get his uncle out of prison. There’s a showdown.
Courtney arrives, sees her father cowering and picks up an ashtray and throws it at Blair. Scarring him for life!
Anyway. Cut to current moment.
The big house is going to be auctioned.
Courtney and her young brother live in a cottage given to them for a peanut rent by her boyfriend ,Clive’s father, Colonel something something.
The relationship is quite platonic as Clive’s family has other plans. Courtney is quite content to let things be.
She’s had a terrible few years. Having had to leave school and take a secretarial job. She’s also taking care of her weakling shitty brother. The brother is working at a bank owned by family friend who is godparent to them.
The brother gambles, gets into debt. Now the creepy property developer who is owed money tells him, go to the auction for your old house. Buy it for me. The locals will look more favourably on you. (Weird logic)
A new development occurs. The hero arrives back.
He’s come back for the house and for Courtney.
She hates him. She blames his uncle for her fathers shattered health. Father had stroke. Is in a nursing home. They are poor. Blair looks wealthy. He must have the stolen money.
The girl hates him. Yet her emotions were always involved. She can’t say no to him.
He steamrolls into her life. Settles her brother’s debt.
Marries her.
Brings her father home.
Lots of heart burning on both sides happens which could have been avoided if they sat down and talked to each other.
Alls well. She finds out that her father was the embezzler.
The end.
We never find if the money was returned to its rightful owners. Biggest flaw.
The hero’s name needed to be cleared too after all. Doesn’t happen.
Sara Craven erred in this one.
Still it’s a good read if you want vintage harlequin reading.
There are characters. There’s a story. There’s a build up.
Good solid reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2014
this was so boring!courteney was pathetic! she was jealous of kate lydyard without cause! just bcoz she's rich n beautiful!? it was obvious dat blair loved courteney. however, the hot-scorching chemistry was lacking. mrs craven told us all the facts, as if she gathered them all 2 be narrated but cud not create any emotions nor lasting impressions on the reader. this is indeed her usual trope. she thrives on besotted heroes n virginal heroines who do not want hero at 1st while he falls her 4 her the very 1st time. unfortunately, this 1 did not work.
August 30, 2024
3.5 stars
December 8, 2015
description
Could he seduce her into forgetfulness?
Courtney had always dreamed of one day desired by a lover and responding ardently to him. But with the right man--not ever with Blair Devereux!
For three long years, the memory of how Blair had ruined her family and stolen their home had haunted her.
Now she must do the impossible -- forget the past for her family's sake and become Blair's bride. And no one could have been more surprised than she to find the forgetfulness she needed in the oblivion of love's passion!
Could he seduce her into forgetfulness?
Courtney had always dreamed of one day desired by a lover and responding ardently to him. But with the right man--not ever with Blair Devereux!
For three long years, the memory of how Blair had ruined her family and stolen their home had haunted her.
Now she must do the impossible -- forget the past for her family's sake and become Blair's bride. And no one could have been more surprised than she to find the forgetfulness she needed in the oblivion of love's passion!
January 17, 2020
Could he seduce her into forgetfulness?
Courtney had always dreamed of one day desired by a lover and responding ardently to him. But with the right man--not ever with Blair Devereux!
For three long years, the memory of how Blair had ruined her family and stolen their home had haunted her.
Now she must do the impossible -- forget the past for her family's sake and become Blair's bride. And no one could have been more surprised than she to find the forgetfulness she needed in the oblivion of love's passion! (l
Courtney had always dreamed of one day desired by a lover and responding ardently to him. But with the right man--not ever with Blair Devereux!
For three long years, the memory of how Blair had ruined her family and stolen their home had haunted her.
Now she must do the impossible -- forget the past for her family's sake and become Blair's bride. And no one could have been more surprised than she to find the forgetfulness she needed in the oblivion of love's passion! (l
June 10, 2012
7-10 June 2012
This could've been classic Harlequin Presents, but it was just so drawn out and too tentative that all the momentum built from the tension between the hero and heroine just spluttered and died.
[edit 10/11/13 -- I actually read this again without realising I'd already read it. And I actually enjoyed it a lot more than the first time. Weird. ]
This could've been classic Harlequin Presents, but it was just so drawn out and too tentative that all the momentum built from the tension between the hero and heroine just spluttered and died.
[edit 10/11/13 -- I actually read this again without realising I'd already read it. And I actually enjoyed it a lot more than the first time. Weird. ]
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November 25, 2008LP Cra
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June 28, 2018Could he seduce her into forgetfulness?
Courtney had always dreamed of one day desired by a lover and responding ardently to him. But with the right man--not ever with Blair Devereux!
For three long years, the memory of how Blair had ruined her family and stolen their home had haunted her.
Now she must do the impossible -- forget the past for her family's sake and become Blair's bride. And no one could have been more surprised than she to find the forgetfulness she needed in the oblivion of love's passion!
Courtney had always dreamed of one day desired by a lover and responding ardently to him. But with the right man--not ever with Blair Devereux!
For three long years, the memory of how Blair had ruined her family and stolen their home had haunted her.
Now she must do the impossible -- forget the past for her family's sake and become Blair's bride. And no one could have been more surprised than she to find the forgetfulness she needed in the oblivion of love's passion!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews