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Destiny Decrees
Destiny DecreesWhen Coralie found herself in a difficult situation in a foreign country she was only too glad that there was someone competent to come to her rescue.But she was to discover, once she had resigned control of her actions to the masterful Dom Ricardo, that he was in no hurry to relinquish his authority...
- GenresHarlequin
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1974
8 people want to read
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March 14, 2020
When Coralie Grey finds herself stranded without her luggage, or her money in Portugal, Dom Ricardo Casimiro Carvalho comes to her rescue.
Coralie is one of those early Harlequin/Mills & Boon heroines, that tends to drive me nuts. She stupidly enough, leaves her money in her luggage. The luggage that is now missing!
When Dom Ricardo steps in and offers her a lift (they’re going to the same place), she is immediately suspicious of Dom Ricardo’s motives, despite the fact that he is helping her, and while I consider that perfectly natural, and yes normal, the rudeness she exhibits with it is annoying.
Typically of such fluttery heroines, Coralie decides that her dark saviour is filled with nefarious ideas, and the fact he is a matador (and quite famous with it) only compounds this idea in her mind. So she decides to use the very last of her money to rent a car, and drive herself through this unfamiliar country, to the loving arms of her fiancé... the fiancé that doesn’t actually know she is coming!
Of course, she wrecks the car. And of course, it is Dom Ricardo that saves her again.
Since her fiancé has disappeared without any reason, Coralie is forced to stay with Dom Ricardo. Here she becomes the Mrs. Radcliffe style heroine, fainting for no reason (or is she falling asleep where she stands?), running into handsome men who try to use her or scare her, and making Dom Ricardo mad, at which point he kisses her, and scares her to death!
Then the Other Woman is introduced, a beautiful Portuguese Lady, elegant, and rather manipulative, she immediately works to make our intrepid heroine distrust Dom Ricardo.
A few trips out en masse, another fainting episode at a bullfight, getting lost in Lisbon, and fighting a storm, lead to Coralie finding out what’s going on with her erstwhile fiancé, and finally, the love story bears fruit in the last couple of pages of the book. I mean BAM, it’s suddenly all working out!
The author’s overuse of the terms “girl” and “pagan” will leave you rolling your eyes, while there is a definite tendency towards purple prose throughout.
Ultimately though, this is a lovely example of a vintage Harlequin/Mills & Boon romance, with some hint of influence by Mrs. Radcliffe.
Read for some beautiful descriptions of Portugal in the 1970s, and for a romance with a silly heroine!
Coralie is one of those early Harlequin/Mills & Boon heroines, that tends to drive me nuts. She stupidly enough, leaves her money in her luggage. The luggage that is now missing!
When Dom Ricardo steps in and offers her a lift (they’re going to the same place), she is immediately suspicious of Dom Ricardo’s motives, despite the fact that he is helping her, and while I consider that perfectly natural, and yes normal, the rudeness she exhibits with it is annoying.
Typically of such fluttery heroines, Coralie decides that her dark saviour is filled with nefarious ideas, and the fact he is a matador (and quite famous with it) only compounds this idea in her mind. So she decides to use the very last of her money to rent a car, and drive herself through this unfamiliar country, to the loving arms of her fiancé... the fiancé that doesn’t actually know she is coming!
Of course, she wrecks the car. And of course, it is Dom Ricardo that saves her again.
Since her fiancé has disappeared without any reason, Coralie is forced to stay with Dom Ricardo. Here she becomes the Mrs. Radcliffe style heroine, fainting for no reason (or is she falling asleep where she stands?), running into handsome men who try to use her or scare her, and making Dom Ricardo mad, at which point he kisses her, and scares her to death!
Then the Other Woman is introduced, a beautiful Portuguese Lady, elegant, and rather manipulative, she immediately works to make our intrepid heroine distrust Dom Ricardo.
A few trips out en masse, another fainting episode at a bullfight, getting lost in Lisbon, and fighting a storm, lead to Coralie finding out what’s going on with her erstwhile fiancé, and finally, the love story bears fruit in the last couple of pages of the book. I mean BAM, it’s suddenly all working out!
The author’s overuse of the terms “girl” and “pagan” will leave you rolling your eyes, while there is a definite tendency towards purple prose throughout.
Ultimately though, this is a lovely example of a vintage Harlequin/Mills & Boon romance, with some hint of influence by Mrs. Radcliffe.
Read for some beautiful descriptions of Portugal in the 1970s, and for a romance with a silly heroine!
Displaying 1 of 1 review