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Scenes of Passion
Maggie Stanton always did what was right and what was expected of her. But when she encounters a stranger who stirs her imagination so that she blushes, Maggie is moved to do the unimaginable--take a risk. Original.
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 24, 2003
63 people are currently reading
273 people want to read
About the author
Suzanne Brockmann
253 books3,571 followersAfter childhood plans to become the captain of a starship didn’t pan out, Suzanne Brockmann took her fascination with military history, her respect for the men and women who serve, her reverence for diversity, and her love of storytelling, and explored brave new worlds as a bestselling romance author.
Over the past thirty years she has written sixty-three novels, including her award-winning Troubleshooters series about Navy SEAL heroes and the women—and sometimes men—who win their hearts. Her personal favorite is the one where her most popular character, gay FBI agent Jules Cassidy, wins his happily-ever-after and marries the man of his dreams. Called All Through the Night, this mainstream romance novel with a hero and a hero hit the New York Times hardcover fiction bestseller list. In 2007, Suz donated all of her earnings from this book, in perpetuity, to MassEquality, to help win and preserve equal marriage rights in Massachusetts.
In addition to writing books, Suz writes and produces indie movies and TV including the award-winning romantic comedy The Perfect Wedding. Her recent feature, Out of Body, is streaming on Amazon Prime.
In 2018, Suz was given the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award from the Romance Writers of America. Her latest projects are Blame It on Rio (Tall, Dark & Dangerous # 14), available in print and e-book from Suzanne Brockmann Books, and Marriage of Inconvenience, a six-episode LBGTQ rom-com TV series, streaming on Dekkoo in April 2023.
Over the past thirty years she has written sixty-three novels, including her award-winning Troubleshooters series about Navy SEAL heroes and the women—and sometimes men—who win their hearts. Her personal favorite is the one where her most popular character, gay FBI agent Jules Cassidy, wins his happily-ever-after and marries the man of his dreams. Called All Through the Night, this mainstream romance novel with a hero and a hero hit the New York Times hardcover fiction bestseller list. In 2007, Suz donated all of her earnings from this book, in perpetuity, to MassEquality, to help win and preserve equal marriage rights in Massachusetts.
In addition to writing books, Suz writes and produces indie movies and TV including the award-winning romantic comedy The Perfect Wedding. Her recent feature, Out of Body, is streaming on Amazon Prime.
In 2018, Suz was given the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award from the Romance Writers of America. Her latest projects are Blame It on Rio (Tall, Dark & Dangerous # 14), available in print and e-book from Suzanne Brockmann Books, and Marriage of Inconvenience, a six-episode LBGTQ rom-com TV series, streaming on Dekkoo in April 2023.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
July 11, 2011
Opening Line:"Traffic on route 95 was a snarl again"
This book had everything that I hate in my romances so I’m at a loss to explain why I enjoyed it so much. Maybe because this fluffy, saccharine sweet romance was barely 200 pages long, I just didn’t have a chance to get as frustrated as I usually would with this kind of formulaic plot line. More the reason is I read this on my e-reader during a power outage and it was easier to see with the built in reader light then with candles.
Anyways as you can guess this isn’t the greatest Brockmann going, it is however enjoyable, short and shamefully addictive with a friends to lovers theme, interesting, somewhat complex hero, the usual bland Brockmann heroine that you want to slap on occasion, more subplots then necessary and except for the heroines little brother a ton of nasty secondary characters to hate.
The story here went in many different directions with things happening quickly (due to page limitations I guess) fake marriages, real marriages, annulments, I love you, I hate you, you’re a liar, I can’t live without you, lets take a bath together, what do you mean you do/don’t have cancer, how am I going to get my inheritance/save my fathers company, no I didn’t sleep with your sister, yes I look great with a mullet, lets break up in the last couple of chapters and you will think I’m a liar and I won’t do anything to change your misconceptions of me until you feel super guilty then because its Brockmann the hero will cry a few tears and voila HEA-ville. All of this has been tied together with a community theatre storyline and a really mean director. Ha,ha yes really.
Speaking of the director since when does community theatre require random drug testing for its actors? Anyways that has nothing to do with anything it just annoyed me, he also makes our hero (jungle man) cut his sexy long hair and that’s when I decided I really hated him and that I would never do a musical. LOL
This book had everything that I hate in my romances so I’m at a loss to explain why I enjoyed it so much. Maybe because this fluffy, saccharine sweet romance was barely 200 pages long, I just didn’t have a chance to get as frustrated as I usually would with this kind of formulaic plot line. More the reason is I read this on my e-reader during a power outage and it was easier to see with the built in reader light then with candles.
Anyways as you can guess this isn’t the greatest Brockmann going, it is however enjoyable, short and shamefully addictive with a friends to lovers theme, interesting, somewhat complex hero, the usual bland Brockmann heroine that you want to slap on occasion, more subplots then necessary and except for the heroines little brother a ton of nasty secondary characters to hate.
The story here went in many different directions with things happening quickly (due to page limitations I guess) fake marriages, real marriages, annulments, I love you, I hate you, you’re a liar, I can’t live without you, lets take a bath together, what do you mean you do/don’t have cancer, how am I going to get my inheritance/save my fathers company, no I didn’t sleep with your sister, yes I look great with a mullet, lets break up in the last couple of chapters and you will think I’m a liar and I won’t do anything to change your misconceptions of me until you feel super guilty then because its Brockmann the hero will cry a few tears and voila HEA-ville. All of this has been tied together with a community theatre storyline and a really mean director. Ha,ha yes really.
Speaking of the director since when does community theatre require random drug testing for its actors? Anyways that has nothing to do with anything it just annoyed me, he also makes our hero (jungle man) cut his sexy long hair and that’s when I decided I really hated him and that I would never do a musical. LOL
November 14, 2010
I've been on sort of a Brockmann-a-thon this week, trying to catch up on all the non-TDD and Troubleshooters books I have on the TBR mountain. This friends-to-lovers story wasn't bad, although the heroine irked me BIG TIME when she chose to believe everyone but the hero, the guy she supposedly was in love with. I just hate when that happens. This lawyer heroine was one of those insecure "why-would-he-love-me" types, and the first chance she had to doubt the former bad boy hero's sincerity about his feelings for her, she took it and ran with it.
The plot was okay, the hero was interesting enough (he had a few secrets) and rather sexy, the dialogue was typical Brockmann, and the love scenes were on the PG-13 side. I don't have much more to add except to say that if you're a fan of Brockmann, you'll probably enjoy it. It's not as good as any of her Troubleshooters or TDD books, but it's certainly not her worst. 3 1/2 stars
The plot was okay, the hero was interesting enough (he had a few secrets) and rather sexy, the dialogue was typical Brockmann, and the love scenes were on the PG-13 side. I don't have much more to add except to say that if you're a fan of Brockmann, you'll probably enjoy it. It's not as good as any of her Troubleshooters or TDD books, but it's certainly not her worst. 3 1/2 stars
July 20, 2014
Highly disappointing
There were interesting premises, with the hero coming back to his hometown after 10 years to take over the management of his father's firm, and thus try to prevent the workers from loosing their job, his past as the high-school girl-friend of Maggie's best friend, and both their involvement in musicals and shows. Alas it really failed to deliver.
The first and foremost reason would be Maggie. Supposedly she would be the heroine. Except her best friend while apologizing to her called her a pushover, because that was just so true, so inherent in her personality and actions or lack thereof. Almost everything about her either seemed cheesy and wimpy or just plain irritating. She could have been easily swayed, she could have had some failings, but here she was just so spineless through and through that I could not believe that anyone, besides her little brother, would ever fall in love with her.
The hero was more interesting, except his complete turnover from whom he used to be seemed a bit too extreme, well justified for sure, but too easy, as if he never missed any pleasures from his previously heavily self-indulging life. And that did not make him seem very humane or as likable as he should have. And when confronted to the need to cut his hair for the musical, he ended up having a mullet - the worst hairdo ever, the absolute unjustifiable, even worse than the comb-over trying to cover a balding scalp. And I did not even understand why he did it, as he stood his ground previously on this and the director seemed to reluctantly accept it. Probably that was love talking and his trying to turn into a bigger wimp than his wife.
There were interesting premises, with the hero coming back to his hometown after 10 years to take over the management of his father's firm, and thus try to prevent the workers from loosing their job, his past as the high-school girl-friend of Maggie's best friend, and both their involvement in musicals and shows. Alas it really failed to deliver.
The first and foremost reason would be Maggie. Supposedly she would be the heroine. Except her best friend while apologizing to her called her a pushover, because that was just so true, so inherent in her personality and actions or lack thereof. Almost everything about her either seemed cheesy and wimpy or just plain irritating. She could have been easily swayed, she could have had some failings, but here she was just so spineless through and through that I could not believe that anyone, besides her little brother, would ever fall in love with her.
The hero was more interesting, except his complete turnover from whom he used to be seemed a bit too extreme, well justified for sure, but too easy, as if he never missed any pleasures from his previously heavily self-indulging life. And that did not make him seem very humane or as likable as he should have. And when confronted to the need to cut his hair for the musical, he ended up having a mullet - the worst hairdo ever, the absolute unjustifiable, even worse than the comb-over trying to cover a balding scalp. And I did not even understand why he did it, as he stood his ground previously on this and the director seemed to reluctantly accept it. Probably that was love talking and his trying to turn into a bigger wimp than his wife.
April 17, 2012
Opening Line: "Traffic on Route 95 was in a snarl again."
This book had everything that I hate in my romances so I’m at a loss to explain why I enjoyed it so much. Maybe because this fluffy, saccharine sweet story was barely 200 pages I didn’t have time to get as frustrated as I usually would with this kind of formulaic plotline. More the reason is that I read this on my e-reader during a power outage and it was easier to see with the built in reader light then with candles.
Anyways as you can guess this isn’t the greatest Brockmann going, it is however enjoyable, short and shamefully addictive with a friends to lovers theme, interesting, somewhat complex hero, the usual bland Brockmann heroine that you want to slap on occasion but love to hate, more subplots then necessary and except for the heroines little brother a ton of nasty secondary characters.
The story here went in many different directions with things happening quickly (due to page limitations I guess) fake marriages, real marriages, annulments, I love you, I hate you, you’re a liar, I can’t live without you, lets take a bath together, what do you mean you do/don’t have cancer, how am I going to get my inheritance/save my fathers company, no I didn’t sleep with your sister, yes I look great with a mullet, lets break up in the last couple of chapters and you will think I’m a liar and I won’t do anything to change your misconceptions of me until you feel super guilty then because its Brockmann the hero will cry a few tears and voila HEA-ville. All of this has been tied together with a community theatre storyline and a really mean director. Ha, ha yes really.
Speaking of the director since when does community theatre require random drug testing for its actors? Anyways that has nothing to do with anything it just annoyed me, he also makes our hero (jungle man) cut his sexy long hair and that’s when I decided I really hated him and I would never do a musical. LOL
This book had everything that I hate in my romances so I’m at a loss to explain why I enjoyed it so much. Maybe because this fluffy, saccharine sweet story was barely 200 pages I didn’t have time to get as frustrated as I usually would with this kind of formulaic plotline. More the reason is that I read this on my e-reader during a power outage and it was easier to see with the built in reader light then with candles.
Anyways as you can guess this isn’t the greatest Brockmann going, it is however enjoyable, short and shamefully addictive with a friends to lovers theme, interesting, somewhat complex hero, the usual bland Brockmann heroine that you want to slap on occasion but love to hate, more subplots then necessary and except for the heroines little brother a ton of nasty secondary characters.
The story here went in many different directions with things happening quickly (due to page limitations I guess) fake marriages, real marriages, annulments, I love you, I hate you, you’re a liar, I can’t live without you, lets take a bath together, what do you mean you do/don’t have cancer, how am I going to get my inheritance/save my fathers company, no I didn’t sleep with your sister, yes I look great with a mullet, lets break up in the last couple of chapters and you will think I’m a liar and I won’t do anything to change your misconceptions of me until you feel super guilty then because its Brockmann the hero will cry a few tears and voila HEA-ville. All of this has been tied together with a community theatre storyline and a really mean director. Ha, ha yes really.
Speaking of the director since when does community theatre require random drug testing for its actors? Anyways that has nothing to do with anything it just annoyed me, he also makes our hero (jungle man) cut his sexy long hair and that’s when I decided I really hated him and I would never do a musical. LOL
September 21, 2010
I hate giving any book by such a personal favorite as Suzanne Brockmann a low rating, but this was dull. It depended on a tiresome staple of romance fiction, the stupid misunderstanding (or rather in this case, on the heroine misjudging the hero). I barely even finished the book, and scarcely remember any details because I was so uninterested. How can someone who wrote something as fun & fresh as STAND-IN GROOM or as intense as PRINCE JOE have produced something so bland and uninteresting?
March 10, 2014
Pretty good book. Maggie is living the life her parents pushed her into. Instead of going into acting, which had been her first love, she got pushed into law. Now she's working at a boring job and being pushed into an engagement with a "suitable" man. The only bright side to her life right now is the new guy she's been noticing at the gym. He's tall, has long hair, and muscles to make her drool. When she gets a call from her old high school friend Matt, asking for her legal help, she's stunned to discover they are one and the same.
Okay, I had some issues with Maggie. She has been a total wuss for the last ten years. Instead of standing up for what she wanted to do (study acting) she rolled over on her parents' demands and became a lawyer. Then she took the job her father found for her, which she hates. And the boyfriend she has was their choice too. He's pushing for marriage and she's trying to figure out how to get out of it. The one thing she stands firm on is her involvement in the local community theater. Matt's reappearance in her life seems to give her enough confidence to finally go after what she wants. I liked seeing her stand up for her decision to go work for Matt. She's also really attracted to him, but flip flops a bit here too. She sees his interest in her but keeps trying to convince herself that he only wants friendship. Their mutual work in the community theater adds a bit to the heat as their roles as the leads have them spending a lot of time kissing. It was great to see the relationship really take off as she and Matt got closer. It looked like all was going to be great once they got married. But here comes her waffling again, as both the play director and her former best friend (and Matt's former girlfriend) both tell her she's been played for a fool. Add in some pesky legal issues and suddenly she's convinced that Matt has been using her all this time. She had her good moments. I loved her reaction when she found out about his illness and what she said to him. She's also really good with her brother Steve who is a fun secondary character. I just got really mad at her when she was being so mean to Matt.
I liked Matt a lot. He has come home to take care of his inheritance from his father. He has three months to improve the factory he now owns or lose it all. He knows he's going to need help and Maggie is his first choice. He had been in love with her during high school but had never told her, especially since at the time he was her best friend's boyfriend. He still wants her but has no idea how she feels about him. He senses that she wants him too, but is frustrated by her determination to just be friends. He seems to have a few insecurities relating back to his illness, so he doesn't push when maybe he should. I love that he was so determined in his pursuit of her. I felt so bad for him when she went off on him at the end. He was stunned by what she said and did and the hurt was intense. I'm glad he fought back from it, but I have to say the method was kind of strange. I loved what he decided to do with the business.
Okay, I had some issues with Maggie. She has been a total wuss for the last ten years. Instead of standing up for what she wanted to do (study acting) she rolled over on her parents' demands and became a lawyer. Then she took the job her father found for her, which she hates. And the boyfriend she has was their choice too. He's pushing for marriage and she's trying to figure out how to get out of it. The one thing she stands firm on is her involvement in the local community theater. Matt's reappearance in her life seems to give her enough confidence to finally go after what she wants. I liked seeing her stand up for her decision to go work for Matt. She's also really attracted to him, but flip flops a bit here too. She sees his interest in her but keeps trying to convince herself that he only wants friendship. Their mutual work in the community theater adds a bit to the heat as their roles as the leads have them spending a lot of time kissing. It was great to see the relationship really take off as she and Matt got closer. It looked like all was going to be great once they got married. But here comes her waffling again, as both the play director and her former best friend (and Matt's former girlfriend) both tell her she's been played for a fool. Add in some pesky legal issues and suddenly she's convinced that Matt has been using her all this time. She had her good moments. I loved her reaction when she found out about his illness and what she said to him. She's also really good with her brother Steve who is a fun secondary character. I just got really mad at her when she was being so mean to Matt.
I liked Matt a lot. He has come home to take care of his inheritance from his father. He has three months to improve the factory he now owns or lose it all. He knows he's going to need help and Maggie is his first choice. He had been in love with her during high school but had never told her, especially since at the time he was her best friend's boyfriend. He still wants her but has no idea how she feels about him. He senses that she wants him too, but is frustrated by her determination to just be friends. He seems to have a few insecurities relating back to his illness, so he doesn't push when maybe he should. I love that he was so determined in his pursuit of her. I felt so bad for him when she went off on him at the end. He was stunned by what she said and did and the hurt was intense. I'm glad he fought back from it, but I have to say the method was kind of strange. I loved what he decided to do with the business.
March 25, 2010
This is a very odd book. I'm becoming more and more convinced that I should just stick to Brockmann's Navy Seals.
Here's the idea. Maggie Stanton still lives at home with her parents. She is 29 years old. Her sister, Val, is married to Mitch and Mitch's college roommate, Brock, has just proposed to Maggie. She's going to say no but is too chicken to tell him. It's been two weeks since he asked.
Maggie always wanted to be an actor but became a lawyer. She's going to audition for the local community theater.
Okay. Enter Matt. Matt and Maggie starred in their high school production of West Side Story where Matt, who used to drink and smoke, fell in love with Maggie while he dated Angie, Maggie's best friend. Angie found out about his love for Maggie and broke up with him. Maggie never knew of his feelings and sided with Angie.
He has returned because his father has died and he needs to run his father's business for 3 months and make it a success or he won't inherit millions of dollars and 250 people will lose their job. He hires Maggie, remember she's a lawyer?, to help him legally. Matt has also become 'hot' and wears his hair long and is broad shouldered. He's been in California trying to be an actor.
The two have sparks...sort of. It also turns out that Matt had cancer, Hodgkins Disease, and won't cut his hair because he had once lost his hair. They both audition, despite the stress of the business which they always talk about but never do anything about, for this community show where the director is a guy named Dan who Matt worked with in Cali who doesn't like Matt.
Now here's where it starts to get odd. Maggie catches Val kissing Brock, who always wanted Val and not maggie. Maggie gets upset, gets drunk, moves in with Matt, they pretend to be married so her parents won't get angry about her living with him (she's 29...) They actually get married, Matt goes back to Cali to see his Oncologist and see if his cancer has returned, it has not, lots of happiness. Then all of a sudden Maggie decides Matt must be a liar. She finds a document that says the other way he could inherit was to marry (kind of convenient) and that he must never have had cancer. They fight. She calls him a liar, leaves, and then after a production of their show, changes her mind with no explanation.
It's just very very very odd. Lot's of things happening. It's the whole liar issue. Why does she think he's a liar? Why does she change her mind? Why does Maggie's friend Angie, who we're told is very happily married, get jealous that Maggie is with Matt? Lots of questions. Disappointing book.
Here's the idea. Maggie Stanton still lives at home with her parents. She is 29 years old. Her sister, Val, is married to Mitch and Mitch's college roommate, Brock, has just proposed to Maggie. She's going to say no but is too chicken to tell him. It's been two weeks since he asked.
Maggie always wanted to be an actor but became a lawyer. She's going to audition for the local community theater.
Okay. Enter Matt. Matt and Maggie starred in their high school production of West Side Story where Matt, who used to drink and smoke, fell in love with Maggie while he dated Angie, Maggie's best friend. Angie found out about his love for Maggie and broke up with him. Maggie never knew of his feelings and sided with Angie.
He has returned because his father has died and he needs to run his father's business for 3 months and make it a success or he won't inherit millions of dollars and 250 people will lose their job. He hires Maggie, remember she's a lawyer?, to help him legally. Matt has also become 'hot' and wears his hair long and is broad shouldered. He's been in California trying to be an actor.
The two have sparks...sort of. It also turns out that Matt had cancer, Hodgkins Disease, and won't cut his hair because he had once lost his hair. They both audition, despite the stress of the business which they always talk about but never do anything about, for this community show where the director is a guy named Dan who Matt worked with in Cali who doesn't like Matt.
Now here's where it starts to get odd. Maggie catches Val kissing Brock, who always wanted Val and not maggie. Maggie gets upset, gets drunk, moves in with Matt, they pretend to be married so her parents won't get angry about her living with him (she's 29...) They actually get married, Matt goes back to Cali to see his Oncologist and see if his cancer has returned, it has not, lots of happiness. Then all of a sudden Maggie decides Matt must be a liar. She finds a document that says the other way he could inherit was to marry (kind of convenient) and that he must never have had cancer. They fight. She calls him a liar, leaves, and then after a production of their show, changes her mind with no explanation.
It's just very very very odd. Lot's of things happening. It's the whole liar issue. Why does she think he's a liar? Why does she change her mind? Why does Maggie's friend Angie, who we're told is very happily married, get jealous that Maggie is with Matt? Lots of questions. Disappointing book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2012
Datar, tanpa kejutan, membosankan, dan...banyak hal terasa dibuat-buat. Seperti itulah kesan yang tertinggal setelah menyelesaikan buku karya Suzanne Brockmann yang selama ini dikenal dengan serial NAVY SEAL ini.
Jangan tertipu dengan kover versi Indonesia buku ini. Tidak akan ditemukan deskripsi Matt yang mendekati visualisasi pria di kover buku sedikit pun. Deskripsi Matt yang berambut panjang dan disebut sebagai pria hutan idaman Maggie cukup menggangguku sepanjang cerita. Terkesan terlalu ’80-'90 an sekali-masa di saat rambut panjang untuk seorang pria menjadi tren kala itu, and reminds me of Tarzan! Suer, sepanjang cerita ini aku jadi membayangkan pemeran Tarzan series di RCTI dulu yang cakep sih, but definitely he’s not my type*nggak ada yang nanya*
Karakter Maggie diceritakan cenderung pasif, penurut, dan dan tidak percaya diri padahal dia sebenarnya sangat berbakat sebagai seorang aktris namun terlalu takut memperjuangkan mimpinya tersebut dan lebih mengalah pada keinginan kedua orangtuanya untuk menjadi pengacara.
Kembalinya Matt, a high school bad boy yang sudah ‘tobat’ karena sebuah peristiwa di masa selepas sekolah ke dalam kehidupan Maggie membuat semuanya berubah. Maggie menerima tawaran membantu Matt dan memberontak kepada orangtuanya dengan mengikuti audisi pementasan drama dan keluar dari pekerjaannya.
Berbagai konflik yang muncul kemudian terasa ‘biasa’ dan kurang dalam, seperti terpergoknya tunangan Maggie sedang dalam posisi mencurigakan dengan adiknya—Val, kepergian Maggie untuk pindah ke rumah Matt dan membohongi kedua orangtuanya bahwa mereka berdua sudah menikah—untuk apa coba?, dan kehadiran sutradara pementasan yang mendadak menaruh minat kepada Maggie. Selain itu saat Matt pergi untuk menghadapi keputusan yang menentukan masa depannya bersama Maggie, wanita itu malah menemukan berkas yang membuatnya mendadak ragu akan ketulusan Matt. Bukannya membicarakan kecurigaan tersebut dengan baik-baik, keduanya malah bertengkar dan mengalami fase tarik-ulur khas romance harlequin.
Akhirnya bisa ditebak, mendadak Maggie mau memaafkan ‘kebohongan’ Matt. Kemarahan sahabat Maggie, mantan kekasih Matt—yang telah berbahagia menikah dengan orang lain di luar negeri—terasa terlalu dibesar-besarkan untuk dijadikan konflik dan diselesaikan begitu saja di bagian akhir cerita.
Chemistry antara kedua tokoh utama sangat minim, terutama dari Maggie. Sejak awal hanya diceritakan bahwa Matt sudah menyukai Maggie saat mereka menjadi partner dalam drama sekolah, saat dia masih berstatus sebagai kekasih sahabat Maggie, sudah begitu saja. Perasaan Maggie ke Matt? Sangat kurang terlihat hingga berakhirnya cerita.
A non NAVY SEAL book series from Suzanne Brockmann? I give it a try and it failed :’(
Jangan tertipu dengan kover versi Indonesia buku ini. Tidak akan ditemukan deskripsi Matt yang mendekati visualisasi pria di kover buku sedikit pun. Deskripsi Matt yang berambut panjang dan disebut sebagai pria hutan idaman Maggie cukup menggangguku sepanjang cerita. Terkesan terlalu ’80-'90 an sekali-masa di saat rambut panjang untuk seorang pria menjadi tren kala itu, and reminds me of Tarzan! Suer, sepanjang cerita ini aku jadi membayangkan pemeran Tarzan series di RCTI dulu yang cakep sih, but definitely he’s not my type*nggak ada yang nanya*
Karakter Maggie diceritakan cenderung pasif, penurut, dan dan tidak percaya diri padahal dia sebenarnya sangat berbakat sebagai seorang aktris namun terlalu takut memperjuangkan mimpinya tersebut dan lebih mengalah pada keinginan kedua orangtuanya untuk menjadi pengacara.
Kembalinya Matt, a high school bad boy yang sudah ‘tobat’ karena sebuah peristiwa di masa selepas sekolah ke dalam kehidupan Maggie membuat semuanya berubah. Maggie menerima tawaran membantu Matt dan memberontak kepada orangtuanya dengan mengikuti audisi pementasan drama dan keluar dari pekerjaannya.
Berbagai konflik yang muncul kemudian terasa ‘biasa’ dan kurang dalam, seperti terpergoknya tunangan Maggie sedang dalam posisi mencurigakan dengan adiknya—Val, kepergian Maggie untuk pindah ke rumah Matt dan membohongi kedua orangtuanya bahwa mereka berdua sudah menikah—untuk apa coba?, dan kehadiran sutradara pementasan yang mendadak menaruh minat kepada Maggie. Selain itu saat Matt pergi untuk menghadapi keputusan yang menentukan masa depannya bersama Maggie, wanita itu malah menemukan berkas yang membuatnya mendadak ragu akan ketulusan Matt. Bukannya membicarakan kecurigaan tersebut dengan baik-baik, keduanya malah bertengkar dan mengalami fase tarik-ulur khas romance harlequin.
Akhirnya bisa ditebak, mendadak Maggie mau memaafkan ‘kebohongan’ Matt. Kemarahan sahabat Maggie, mantan kekasih Matt—yang telah berbahagia menikah dengan orang lain di luar negeri—terasa terlalu dibesar-besarkan untuk dijadikan konflik dan diselesaikan begitu saja di bagian akhir cerita.
Chemistry antara kedua tokoh utama sangat minim, terutama dari Maggie. Sejak awal hanya diceritakan bahwa Matt sudah menyukai Maggie saat mereka menjadi partner dalam drama sekolah, saat dia masih berstatus sebagai kekasih sahabat Maggie, sudah begitu saja. Perasaan Maggie ke Matt? Sangat kurang terlihat hingga berakhirnya cerita.
A non NAVY SEAL book series from Suzanne Brockmann? I give it a try and it failed :’(
February 12, 2012
The male character is likable enough. But the female protagonist? I feel like strangling her a few times. Not as good as other SB's works that I've read. :(
May 13, 2021
There are overdone tropes that kill every reader's buzz. One of them is the millionaire hero. Another is the actor bit (is he acting, or is it real?). Here, you get both.
Maggie is an emotional wimp. An emotional wimp who became a lawyer and got her MBA at the same time, because *smart* wimp. A lawyer/businesswoman who lives at home with mommy and daddy... for no apparent good reason, other than that she's apparently a NOT-smart, smart girl. But she's not just an MBA and lawyer, she's a community theatre supah-star, singing and acting unlike anyone else in the world. If only Mumsy and Daddy would've let her live her own life...!
I'm being snarky because I was basically Maggie, at that age. I know the frustration of being controlled by parents (only mine was a psychotic mind-game playing, controlling monster who didn't LET me finish college, because I'd have the ability to move out). Suzanne obviously doesn't know how it works with scenarios of parental control. And yeah, I did as much escaping as I could to the theatre, but thank GAWD all of my leading men were married or gay.
Matthew is not. He's an old HS bestie (again, my HS bestie was gay), who's had a thing for her for over a decade. And of course because he's a millionaire, he can hire her to work with him on top of acting with him, and because of her sister drama, even LIVE with him.
The story is super short and has a HEA, but I hated the 'play' they were in, the lack of use of the parents that were supposedly so influential (but aren't, in this book), and Maggie...
Maggie just doesn't GET it. At any point in the book. Her character is at odds with herself, at one moment whimsically weaving fantasies about a 'jungle man', but then next filing paperwork for a codacil. Then she's dancing on stage and 'heat in his arms', but the next moment she's completely stand-offish and prissy. It's... hard to reconcile.
I didn't hate it, but...
Maggie is an emotional wimp. An emotional wimp who became a lawyer and got her MBA at the same time, because *smart* wimp. A lawyer/businesswoman who lives at home with mommy and daddy... for no apparent good reason, other than that she's apparently a NOT-smart, smart girl. But she's not just an MBA and lawyer, she's a community theatre supah-star, singing and acting unlike anyone else in the world. If only Mumsy and Daddy would've let her live her own life...!
I'm being snarky because I was basically Maggie, at that age. I know the frustration of being controlled by parents (only mine was a psychotic mind-game playing, controlling monster who didn't LET me finish college, because I'd have the ability to move out). Suzanne obviously doesn't know how it works with scenarios of parental control. And yeah, I did as much escaping as I could to the theatre, but thank GAWD all of my leading men were married or gay.
Matthew is not. He's an old HS bestie (again, my HS bestie was gay), who's had a thing for her for over a decade. And of course because he's a millionaire, he can hire her to work with him on top of acting with him, and because of her sister drama, even LIVE with him.
The story is super short and has a HEA, but I hated the 'play' they were in, the lack of use of the parents that were supposedly so influential (but aren't, in this book), and Maggie...
Maggie just doesn't GET it. At any point in the book. Her character is at odds with herself, at one moment whimsically weaving fantasies about a 'jungle man', but then next filing paperwork for a codacil. Then she's dancing on stage and 'heat in his arms', but the next moment she's completely stand-offish and prissy. It's... hard to reconcile.
I didn't hate it, but...
June 28, 2021
I really enjoy this book. There were fun moments of interaction between characters. Also watching the slow growing relationship between the main characters was very pleasant. It was interesting the way the author put in the doubt at the end so that everything was brought to us complete close.
February 18, 2024
3.5
Me dolió mucho ver qué Maggie se dejaba influenciar por otras personas y dudaba de Matt.
Y que decir de el, es un hombre excelente, me enamoré de él por su forma de ser, por sus maneras de demostrar amor, realmente llevaba años enamorado de ella y su sueño se cumplió.
Me dolió mucho ver qué Maggie se dejaba influenciar por otras personas y dudaba de Matt.
Y que decir de el, es un hombre excelente, me enamoré de él por su forma de ser, por sus maneras de demostrar amor, realmente llevaba años enamorado de ella y su sueño se cumplió.
May 1, 2018
An old-fashioned "pattern" romance - no plot - no suspense.
July 20, 2018
I enjoyed newer Brockmann books much better. She's clearly matured as a writer since these novellas.
December 4, 2018
SD #1519 = 3.5 stars
April 3, 2019
Sometimes there's a character who's TSTL. This time it's the heroine. There's a big difference between charmingly hapless and too stupid to live. Only the hero kept me reading.
September 17, 2019
Loved this book!
Great book. I couldn’t stop reading it. Such a sweet story. I highly recommend this book... you will have a hard time putting it down!
Great book. I couldn’t stop reading it. Such a sweet story. I highly recommend this book... you will have a hard time putting it down!
March 25, 2013
Review of Kindle Edition of Silhouette Desire # 1519, from July 2003
The editing and formatting of this Kindle edition are excellent. I saw no problems at all with either anywhere in this ebook.
Maggie Stanton has never been able to say, "No," to her family. At age 30 she is living at home, on the verge of becoming engaged to a man she doesn't really love, and is working at a job she hates as an attorney rather than the career she really wanted, being an actress. The only moments of her life that have real meaning are playing the lead in local, community theater. Then suddenly, Matthew Stone comes back to town. He's a theater buddy from her high school days whom she hasn't seen in over a decade, and at first she doesn't recognize him. He's lean and muscular, with long, Tarzan hair, and instead of being her best friend's boyfriend, all his attention is on Maggie.
This heroine is a really fascinating departure for Suzanne Brockmann. She's not at all like the forceful, take-charge women Brockmann usually writes. Instead, Maggie is a self-professed wimp with low self-esteem who has arrived at a major crossroads in her life: Will she continue living her life to satisfy the demands of her family and closest friends, or will she at long last throw off the shackles she's allowed to bind her? It was a fun ride watching Maggie take control of her own destiny and stop wasting her life being a passive, people-pleasing Good Girl.
I am a fan of Brockmann's, and I thought I had read all of her early contemporary romances prior to recently checking out this Kindle edition from my local, public library, but somehow I missed this one. I wouldn't call this one of her most outstanding romance novels; it is "merely" very good. The hero and heroine are clearly and sympathetically drawn; there is compelling romantic conflict between them, and there is a great deal of emotional and physical passion between them. As always in a Brockmann novel, the writing itself is extremely well done.
I particularly appreciated the fact that both lead characters in this story have strong growth arcs, that is, both become far more emotionally secure, stable and capable when together than they were able to be apart. I've always found that approach much more entertaining in a romance plot than only having the hero be the one who is "wounded" and "redeemed" by the love of a good woman.
All in all, an enjoyable read, if not a stellar one.
The editing and formatting of this Kindle edition are excellent. I saw no problems at all with either anywhere in this ebook.
Maggie Stanton has never been able to say, "No," to her family. At age 30 she is living at home, on the verge of becoming engaged to a man she doesn't really love, and is working at a job she hates as an attorney rather than the career she really wanted, being an actress. The only moments of her life that have real meaning are playing the lead in local, community theater. Then suddenly, Matthew Stone comes back to town. He's a theater buddy from her high school days whom she hasn't seen in over a decade, and at first she doesn't recognize him. He's lean and muscular, with long, Tarzan hair, and instead of being her best friend's boyfriend, all his attention is on Maggie.
This heroine is a really fascinating departure for Suzanne Brockmann. She's not at all like the forceful, take-charge women Brockmann usually writes. Instead, Maggie is a self-professed wimp with low self-esteem who has arrived at a major crossroads in her life: Will she continue living her life to satisfy the demands of her family and closest friends, or will she at long last throw off the shackles she's allowed to bind her? It was a fun ride watching Maggie take control of her own destiny and stop wasting her life being a passive, people-pleasing Good Girl.
I am a fan of Brockmann's, and I thought I had read all of her early contemporary romances prior to recently checking out this Kindle edition from my local, public library, but somehow I missed this one. I wouldn't call this one of her most outstanding romance novels; it is "merely" very good. The hero and heroine are clearly and sympathetically drawn; there is compelling romantic conflict between them, and there is a great deal of emotional and physical passion between them. As always in a Brockmann novel, the writing itself is extremely well done.
I particularly appreciated the fact that both lead characters in this story have strong growth arcs, that is, both become far more emotionally secure, stable and capable when together than they were able to be apart. I've always found that approach much more entertaining in a romance plot than only having the hero be the one who is "wounded" and "redeemed" by the love of a good woman.
All in all, an enjoyable read, if not a stellar one.
February 24, 2017
Un piccolo romanzo, si trasforma in una grande storia... Suzanne Brockmann non delude!!!
July 26, 2008
07/25/08
TITLE/AUTHOR: SCENES OF PASSION by Suzanne Brockmann
RATING: 3.5/C+
GENRE/PUB DATE/# OF PGS: Romance/2003/186 pgs
SERIES/STAND ALONE: Stand Alone
TIME/PLACE: Early 2000's/Massachusetts
CHARACTERS: Maggie Stanton/attorney & actress; Matthew Stone/actor
FIRST LINES: Traffic on Route 95 was in a snarl again.
COMMENTS: 06/06/08 rec from Holly as RABCK; She's an attorney but her true passion is acting. She's reunited w/ a high school friend when he returns to town after his father's passing. Matthew hires Maggie to help w/ his legal affairs. He also is an actor. He was her best friend's boyfriend in HS and he always harbored feelings for Maggie but never acted on them. For Maggie, she could only see Matthew as Angie's boyfriend...until now.
TITLE/AUTHOR: SCENES OF PASSION by Suzanne Brockmann
RATING: 3.5/C+
GENRE/PUB DATE/# OF PGS: Romance/2003/186 pgs
SERIES/STAND ALONE: Stand Alone
TIME/PLACE: Early 2000's/Massachusetts
CHARACTERS: Maggie Stanton/attorney & actress; Matthew Stone/actor
FIRST LINES: Traffic on Route 95 was in a snarl again.
COMMENTS: 06/06/08 rec from Holly as RABCK; She's an attorney but her true passion is acting. She's reunited w/ a high school friend when he returns to town after his father's passing. Matthew hires Maggie to help w/ his legal affairs. He also is an actor. He was her best friend's boyfriend in HS and he always harbored feelings for Maggie but never acted on them. For Maggie, she could only see Matthew as Angie's boyfriend...until now.
August 11, 2016
If I had read this book not knowing it was written by Suzanne Brockmann, at the same time knowing it was a re-release of an earlier book, I could give it a much higher rating. Scenes of Passion had all the elements of a Harlequin-type book: an underestimated hero, a wimpy, judgmental heroine, annoying secondary characters and the dreaded big misunderstanding. The one thing that kept me interested throughout the book was that there was a lot more to Matthew than meets the eye.
Full review coming soon.
Full review coming soon.
June 4, 2011
A nice light read for a hot Saturday. After reading classics and "chunksters" it was nice to finish a book in a morning and Brockmann's characters are always fun. I think she could have done a lot more with this novel. I would have liked more depth in the story of the Potatoe Chip Factory, Matt's relationship with his father, Maggie's relationship with her sister, Vanessa, and even more about their community theater production would have been welcome.
January 14, 2015
Matthew and Maggie. I was afraid she was going to be too much of a doormat, but she wasn't, thankfully. They were friends in school and haven't seen each other in years. He loved her back then but was dating her friend, so he and Maggie were in the "friend zone". Shorter than most of her other books, I liked the characters and the writing, and I liked the unusual take on illness. Very enjoyable.
June 5, 2012
Dah b'harap ceritax bkal bagus,tnyata segitu ajaaa...Val ka2kx c maggie emg benar2 edan...Shrusx mag bisa n b'hak ngamuk wktu val selingkuh am tunanganx tp tnyata marahx cm alakadarx aj...
200an halmn tp slah pahamx banyk bkin critax jd mngada2...
200an halmn tp slah pahamx banyk bkin critax jd mngada2...
June 25, 2012
I have seen a lot negative reviews of this one but I really liked it. A nice bad boy comes home story. I could have disliked either or both hero and heroine but their mistakes were logical to the plot and their characters and I found myself rooting for them.
December 2, 2012
Good drama, original plot twists, unexpected reactions. Pretty good overall, it drops the ball a couple of times, such as with lines like "I'm madly in love with you... and if you don't go down on me right this second, I think I am going to die."
June 6, 2015
A bit of fluff. Not Brockman's best but enjoyable for what it is.The conflict between Maggie and Matt is pretty shallow and I'm not a fan of shallow conflicts. I dislike it when people get in the way of their own happiness.
October 20, 2015
This was a really fun, fast read. A wonderful beach read. I love the way this author writes to keep the reader so engrossed in the story. Lost tons of sleep getting to the end of this book! LOL! But well worth it. It's a must read if you like a fast, fun, sweet love story.
July 26, 2007
Even a master like Brockmann can have a bad day... I think this was a very early book, and I will leave it at that.
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