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Past Secrets
She had a secret past?
Mae had never dreamed that anything eventful would happen to her - at least not until the day she was followed by a tall, dark stranger.
When confronted, he introduced himself as Lyndon Hyde, journalist - and then began to tell her startling things about her past. Things Mae hadn't know and couldn't quite believe.
But he was very persuasive and finally Mae reluctantly began a journey that would lead to the truth behind his disclosure. And, of course, it meant spending time with Lyndon Hyde - a man who soon became less and less a stranger.
Mae had never dreamed that anything eventful would happen to her - at least not until the day she was followed by a tall, dark stranger.
When confronted, he introduced himself as Lyndon Hyde, journalist - and then began to tell her startling things about her past. Things Mae hadn't know and couldn't quite believe.
But he was very persuasive and finally Mae reluctantly began a journey that would lead to the truth behind his disclosure. And, of course, it meant spending time with Lyndon Hyde - a man who soon became less and less a stranger.
189 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 1992
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33 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 18, 2017
What happens with a Lynne Graham or Jacqueline Baird heroine stays in a dingy bedsit after her hero abandons her and refuses to acknowledge his child because he has just found out he's infertile? What happens as said hero goes on to have multiple mistresses and makes more and more money?
What happens?
I'll tell you what happens.
The love child gets to star in this dreary story called Past Secrets. Yes, the past secrets belong to her parents. Her mother is bitter and the heroine stopped asking about her father when she realized her mother would reject her all together if she persisted.
The story opens when our hero, an intrepid reporter, tracks down a very rich man's illegitimate daughter. He offers to take the heroine to her father. After a lot of sulky, stormy behavior, the heroine agrees and after a very long and boring (for the reader) trip they arrive at Daddy Dearest's Greek island villa. He's not in, so the housekeeper lets them stay while they wait for a few days.
They pass the time by the hero making Pepe Le Pew passes at the heroine and the heroine stridently denying any attractions to the hero. Yes, she even stomps her foot at one point. This was very tedious.
We find out that the hero is interested in this story because he was doorstep baby and has no idea who his parents are. He wants to help the heroine solve her mystery.
Then Daddy Dearest shows up and throws them out but not before blurting out that he was infertile and no way was she his daughter even though she has his dark red hair and yellow (ew) eyes and her mother was the only woman who ever mattered. Yes, he paid for the h's schooling and medical bills, but only because he actually liked her mother.
The H/h spend the night on the beach and then they return to the villa to talk to DD.
DD has finally realized that this sulky heroine is his daughter. Instead of rejoicing - he warns her that the hero is using her to get to his fortune and that he'll cut her off without a penny if she doesn't disavow him right then and there.
Heroine sticks with the hero. They finally have sex and decide to marry. Hero explains he'll have to give up his luxury flat, etc when they get married because the royalties from his novel and movie rights are drying up. He really likes being a journalist and that won't pay as well. Heroine doesn't care about money.
They return to England and the heroine confronts her mother who is still very angry until the heroine tells her that her father thought he was infertile. This is the first her mother heard of this but it does make her feel better.
And that's it! I wanted the Lynne Graham/Jacqueline Baird hero to come crawling back to the he's mother and grovel *hard.* I wanted him to pry open the wallet and spread some cheer. But no - all that page time was wasted on the heroine trying to ignore the tingles in her hand when the hero touched her and arguing about sleeping arrangements. She is her father's annoying daughter all right.
Read as a cautionary tale about next generation HP characters.
What happens?
I'll tell you what happens.
The love child gets to star in this dreary story called Past Secrets. Yes, the past secrets belong to her parents. Her mother is bitter and the heroine stopped asking about her father when she realized her mother would reject her all together if she persisted.
The story opens when our hero, an intrepid reporter, tracks down a very rich man's illegitimate daughter. He offers to take the heroine to her father. After a lot of sulky, stormy behavior, the heroine agrees and after a very long and boring (for the reader) trip they arrive at Daddy Dearest's Greek island villa. He's not in, so the housekeeper lets them stay while they wait for a few days.
They pass the time by the hero making Pepe Le Pew passes at the heroine and the heroine stridently denying any attractions to the hero. Yes, she even stomps her foot at one point. This was very tedious.
We find out that the hero is interested in this story because he was doorstep baby and has no idea who his parents are. He wants to help the heroine solve her mystery.
Then Daddy Dearest shows up and throws them out but not before blurting out that he was infertile and no way was she his daughter even though she has his dark red hair and yellow (ew) eyes and her mother was the only woman who ever mattered. Yes, he paid for the h's schooling and medical bills, but only because he actually liked her mother.
The H/h spend the night on the beach and then they return to the villa to talk to DD.
DD has finally realized that this sulky heroine is his daughter. Instead of rejoicing - he warns her that the hero is using her to get to his fortune and that he'll cut her off without a penny if she doesn't disavow him right then and there.
Heroine sticks with the hero. They finally have sex and decide to marry. Hero explains he'll have to give up his luxury flat, etc when they get married because the royalties from his novel and movie rights are drying up. He really likes being a journalist and that won't pay as well. Heroine doesn't care about money.
They return to England and the heroine confronts her mother who is still very angry until the heroine tells her that her father thought he was infertile. This is the first her mother heard of this but it does make her feel better.
And that's it! I wanted the Lynne Graham/Jacqueline Baird hero to come crawling back to the he's mother and grovel *hard.* I wanted him to pry open the wallet and spread some cheer. But no - all that page time was wasted on the heroine trying to ignore the tingles in her hand when the hero touched her and arguing about sleeping arrangements. She is her father's annoying daughter all right.
Read as a cautionary tale about next generation HP characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2020
Journalist hero browbeats heroine into confronting her deadbeat dad, a tycoon who got her mother pregnant then dumped her because he thought he was infertile and concluded that she must have been cheating on him. If it wasn’t bad enough that hero manipulated, forced, and pressured heroine into meeting her atrocious dad, resulting in more hurt to her than any type of real resolution, he then makes the epically tacky move of demanding they have sex right then and there in her deadbeat dad’s house in order to seal their relationship. WTF? This book was a long, tedious bickerfest that culminated in an inexplicable HEA, with parental issues still far from being resolved. Weird and tacky 😳
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2017
RE Past Secrets - August 1992 is passion month in HPlandia, JM does her passion contribution with an h who says 'NO' but really means yes and the H who is determined to make a big story headline.
This one has a 24 yr old h who lives an ordinary life and has no clue who her father is. The h's mother would never discuss him and since she is a cold and distant woman anyways, the h's questions were soon frozen out and the h stopped asking.
The story starts with the h noticing a really snazzy black car with a personalized license plate following her around. She gets a bit alarmed, but this is HPlandia so obviously she isn't thinking lurve club traffickers here. Instead she gets angry and goes out to slam her hands on the car's roof a few times.
Out pops the H, who claims that he is an investigative journalist who knows who the h's father is. The h dithers about for a few pages, but her long red curls and yellow tinted cat eyes convince the H that he is on the right track and he bullies the h into going to Greece to meet her mega-wealthy but dubious businessman father.
The h pulls a sickie from work and off to Greece for lurve club trafficking, er, investigative reporting we go. The h's supposed father has a little vacation villa on a remote island and in between non-witty banter that the H wants the h and she wants him but claims she doesn't and various other H bullying moments, we finally get to the place.
The h's potential chromosome donor is off on his yacht, but the motherly housekeeper is pleased to offer the H and h the guest apartment until the h's maybe dad shows up. Cue up more H flirty/bully moments and the h's no/yes torture of the reader.
While we are waiting for the h's dad to show, we get the H's backstory of being abandoned as a child and now he claims he wants the h to find her father as a panacea to his own lack of parental knowledge that he has no hope of ever attaining. (That I did believe, being a dumped kid really affected this H and JM does a decent job of showing it.)
Eventually the h's dad arrives, right as the H is roofie kissing the h. He throws them out of his house, but the h really does look like him, right down to eye color, so we can tell there is some doubt.
The h wants to leave period, the H bullies her into trying again and after a night spent on the open beach, (which had me cringing cause they had no tent and beaches are full of bugs at night, so EWWW!) the h goes to talk to her father again.
He claims he threw her mother out when she came up preggers because he was told he was infertile and even tho he loved her mum, he hated that she cheated on him- or so he thought. He did pay the h's school fees and for her tonsils to be removed, but other than that he hasn't even thought of her mother for 25 years.
Then the father claims that the H wants to seduce and marry the h to get a shot at the chromosome donor's wealth. The h doesn't believe him and yells at him that all he cares about is money. The h's now accepting of fatherhood donor explains. It seems the H wrote a flashy big money making book and lived a life of luxury for a bit but then the royalties went down and now he needs another big money maker and the h and her potential as an heiress to her father is it. The h tells him that she doesn't want his money, she can see why her mother hates him and she doesn't want to know him either.
The h storms off back to her father's house and ends up lurving it up with the H when he demands she sleep with him to prove she believes in him. (Seriously, the h has to go to bed with this guy in her unknown father's house to prove she doesn't think he is a fortune hunter, can it get any more tackily whacktastic than that? That is truly an HPlandia first.)
The H and h have their purple aubergine mojo moment and it is all dark ecstasy and then they dress and leave the father's house. On the way out the father tries to buy the H off and then offers gobs of money to the h to hang around. The h spills out a nice little 'you don't want a daughter, you want a possession and my price is high cause it is virtually unobtainable for you but I reject you' speech and she and the H take off back to England.
Where they decide to get married and live in a grotty flat, cause the H can't afford the luxury pad he has now and the h's mother is finally told that the h met her dad and why the h's dad chucked the h's mum out to begin with.
That whole situation is just ripe for a sequel that we will never get and probably should have been part of the main story, as the h's mum finally shows some affection for the h and admits that if the h's dad calls she will probably talk to him. The h thinks she might want to meet the dad once again if he is nicer and so JM sets up the probable eventual HP approved family forgiveness reunion - another thing that isn't actually in the story and should have been.
We leave the H and h making out in the H's snazzy car that will probably have to be sold, the h will go to law school and the H will continue to be a journalist and they will have some kids and have a happy, but most likely poor life for the HEA.
This book was a whacktastic trip on the after-effects of assumed HP H infertility and the chucking out of mistresses. Really I wanted more on the h's parent's situation and I am not too keen on the h and H being poor, but it was interesting and a nice twist.
Tho there were incredibly tacky moments and the H was a bully for the first part of the book , his sincerity about being sorry he bullied the h into meeting her father and things going so badly kinda redeemed him a little and this definitely was a most unusual HPlandia outing. I gave extra points for the trope twist wackiness alone and because I did believe the H by the end - tho he was still kinda tacky.
This one has a 24 yr old h who lives an ordinary life and has no clue who her father is. The h's mother would never discuss him and since she is a cold and distant woman anyways, the h's questions were soon frozen out and the h stopped asking.
The story starts with the h noticing a really snazzy black car with a personalized license plate following her around. She gets a bit alarmed, but this is HPlandia so obviously she isn't thinking lurve club traffickers here. Instead she gets angry and goes out to slam her hands on the car's roof a few times.
Out pops the H, who claims that he is an investigative journalist who knows who the h's father is. The h dithers about for a few pages, but her long red curls and yellow tinted cat eyes convince the H that he is on the right track and he bullies the h into going to Greece to meet her mega-wealthy but dubious businessman father.
The h pulls a sickie from work and off to Greece for lurve club trafficking, er, investigative reporting we go. The h's supposed father has a little vacation villa on a remote island and in between non-witty banter that the H wants the h and she wants him but claims she doesn't and various other H bullying moments, we finally get to the place.
The h's potential chromosome donor is off on his yacht, but the motherly housekeeper is pleased to offer the H and h the guest apartment until the h's maybe dad shows up. Cue up more H flirty/bully moments and the h's no/yes torture of the reader.
While we are waiting for the h's dad to show, we get the H's backstory of being abandoned as a child and now he claims he wants the h to find her father as a panacea to his own lack of parental knowledge that he has no hope of ever attaining. (That I did believe, being a dumped kid really affected this H and JM does a decent job of showing it.)
Eventually the h's dad arrives, right as the H is roofie kissing the h. He throws them out of his house, but the h really does look like him, right down to eye color, so we can tell there is some doubt.
The h wants to leave period, the H bullies her into trying again and after a night spent on the open beach, (which had me cringing cause they had no tent and beaches are full of bugs at night, so EWWW!) the h goes to talk to her father again.
He claims he threw her mother out when she came up preggers because he was told he was infertile and even tho he loved her mum, he hated that she cheated on him- or so he thought. He did pay the h's school fees and for her tonsils to be removed, but other than that he hasn't even thought of her mother for 25 years.
Then the father claims that the H wants to seduce and marry the h to get a shot at the chromosome donor's wealth. The h doesn't believe him and yells at him that all he cares about is money. The h's now accepting of fatherhood donor explains. It seems the H wrote a flashy big money making book and lived a life of luxury for a bit but then the royalties went down and now he needs another big money maker and the h and her potential as an heiress to her father is it. The h tells him that she doesn't want his money, she can see why her mother hates him and she doesn't want to know him either.
The h storms off back to her father's house and ends up lurving it up with the H when he demands she sleep with him to prove she believes in him. (Seriously, the h has to go to bed with this guy in her unknown father's house to prove she doesn't think he is a fortune hunter, can it get any more tackily whacktastic than that? That is truly an HPlandia first.)
The H and h have their purple aubergine mojo moment and it is all dark ecstasy and then they dress and leave the father's house. On the way out the father tries to buy the H off and then offers gobs of money to the h to hang around. The h spills out a nice little 'you don't want a daughter, you want a possession and my price is high cause it is virtually unobtainable for you but I reject you' speech and she and the H take off back to England.
Where they decide to get married and live in a grotty flat, cause the H can't afford the luxury pad he has now and the h's mother is finally told that the h met her dad and why the h's dad chucked the h's mum out to begin with.
That whole situation is just ripe for a sequel that we will never get and probably should have been part of the main story, as the h's mum finally shows some affection for the h and admits that if the h's dad calls she will probably talk to him. The h thinks she might want to meet the dad once again if he is nicer and so JM sets up the probable eventual HP approved family forgiveness reunion - another thing that isn't actually in the story and should have been.
We leave the H and h making out in the H's snazzy car that will probably have to be sold, the h will go to law school and the H will continue to be a journalist and they will have some kids and have a happy, but most likely poor life for the HEA.
This book was a whacktastic trip on the after-effects of assumed HP H infertility and the chucking out of mistresses. Really I wanted more on the h's parent's situation and I am not too keen on the h and H being poor, but it was interesting and a nice twist.
Tho there were incredibly tacky moments and the H was a bully for the first part of the book , his sincerity about being sorry he bullied the h into meeting her father and things going so badly kinda redeemed him a little and this definitely was a most unusual HPlandia outing. I gave extra points for the trope twist wackiness alone and because I did believe the H by the end - tho he was still kinda tacky.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 19, 2023
This one was so ODD - OK straight up I gave it 5 stars because I adore optimistic bull-dozer heroes who swoop into the heroines life, announce they will be together forever, and takes over everything until he gets his own way. The H alone entertained me no end. He's also not remotely an asshole, no meanness, no deliberately hurting the h's feelings, just a determined dude who smiles a lot.
But then there is the main plot - the h discovering the identity of her father and being reunited with his was a huge emotional event in our heroines life and I couldn't help but think to myself 'girl you don't got TIME for romance right now'. It just seemed the absolute wrong time wrong place for the H to be putting on the moves. She would have a really massive, life changing encounter with her father and five seconds later the H is nagging her for sex and I'm like DUDE she's got more important shit on right now lol.
Also weird there was no love confession. The L word is not mentioned once. No bueno!
But then there is the main plot - the h discovering the identity of her father and being reunited with his was a huge emotional event in our heroines life and I couldn't help but think to myself 'girl you don't got TIME for romance right now'. It just seemed the absolute wrong time wrong place for the H to be putting on the moves. She would have a really massive, life changing encounter with her father and five seconds later the H is nagging her for sex and I'm like DUDE she's got more important shit on right now lol.
Also weird there was no love confession. The L word is not mentioned once. No bueno!
abrierto-to-read-hr-other
May 24, 2020She had a secret past?
Mae had never dreamed that anything eventful would happen to her - at least not until the day she was followed by a tall, dark stranger.
When confronted, he introduced himself as Lyndon Hyde, journalist - and then began to tell her startling things about her past. Things Mae hadn't know and couldn't quite believe.
But he was very persuasive and finally Mae reluctantly began a journey that would lead to the truth behind his disclosure. And, of course, it meant spending time with Lyndon Hyde - a man who soon became less and less a stranger
Mae had never dreamed that anything eventful would happen to her - at least not until the day she was followed by a tall, dark stranger.
When confronted, he introduced himself as Lyndon Hyde, journalist - and then began to tell her startling things about her past. Things Mae hadn't know and couldn't quite believe.
But he was very persuasive and finally Mae reluctantly began a journey that would lead to the truth behind his disclosure. And, of course, it meant spending time with Lyndon Hyde - a man who soon became less and less a stranger
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