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結婚コンプレックス
How could she have let him kiss her?Besides her husband, no one had ever kissed Jessica until Matthew Sinclair did. And after seven years of coldness in a desperately unhappy marriage, she was shocked to find herself stirring in response to this stranger's lips, gravitating to the warmth of his arms.But she was a wife and mother, and Matthew was her husband's boss. There could be no future for them.Then her husband was killed, and suddenly Jessica was torn-between wanting to be loved and fearing another marriage as painful as her first.
Paperback Bunko
First published January 1, 1983
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268 people want to read
About the author
Carole Mortimer
1,299 books910 followersI have written almost 250 romance novels in contemporary and Regency.
I am a USA Today Bestselling Author and recipient of the 2015 RWA Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2014 I received a Pioneer of Romance Award from Romantic Times in the US and in 2012 I was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II for my 'outstanding service to literature'.
I am very happily married to Peter with six sons, and live on the Isle of Man
I am a USA Today Bestselling Author and recipient of the 2015 RWA Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2014 I received a Pioneer of Romance Award from Romantic Times in the US and in 2012 I was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II for my 'outstanding service to literature'.
I am very happily married to Peter with six sons, and live on the Isle of Man
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
October 24, 2018
So very 80s. Andrew Lloyd Weber/Tim Rice musical. Spousal abuse. Hint of post-natal depression diagnosis tossed around. Drunk driving with no lawsuits.
PLOT:
The frigid, po-faced heroine is married to an abusive womanizer. At a company party the big boss sees her and apparently the angels got together and decided to create a dream come true where they sprinkled moon dust in her hair of gold and starlight in her eyes of blue, the poor, poor bastard. Conveniently the husband and his viper mistress, the H’s secretary, are in a car accident that same night. The husband dies but not the mistress unfortunately. She’s a real pill.
The utterly spineless heroine finally straightens up only to bitch out the hero for daring to help her. Months later the hero tries to slide back into to the h and her mini-me moppet’s life. The heroine has had to use the useless hubby's life insurance to pay off all his debts only to find out he was fleecing the H’s company. Mary the Martyr offers herself up as a mistress to pay the debts as the H has made it very clear he wants her. The thing is he’s been pretty much a gentleman, been sweet to her little girl, and let’s face it, she’s no bargain because…She. Is. Frigid. He wants her for a wife instead. (Run H, run.)
They get married and she’s as big of a wet blanket as before just now enduring sex with the H. Yes, I know she has issues, was married to a horse's caboose, and this is early 1980s, but I don’t care. The evil and mean OW is back at the secretary’s desk, and she’s out for revenge because the heroine was married to the guy she wanted. So inconsiderate. In a sad little moment, the h has to meet the H at his office so she gets all dressed up in anticipation of seeing the beautiful OW. What does she wear? A red dress? A black power suit? Lacy bridal white to drive home the statement she’s a BRIDE. Hell no. She wears a beige suit. Beige? With a brown blouse. Woohoo. Call Vogue.
The poor sweet H thinks she’s still hung up on her husband. After all she admitted to enduring all his affairs because she loved him. No, not really, but she is just that dumb to let the H keep thinking that because, horrors, what would he think if he knew they hadn’t had sex in 5 years.
The heroine is such a dweeb that I think the sweet trolley lady on Harry Potter’s train could pull one over on her.
I am catching on s-l-o-w-l-y that Carole Mortimer is not into light-hearted or whimsical romances. She’s more than happy to create sad, tawdry little worlds full of shallow, sometimes hateful and VERY stupid people. And that’s just the heroine. Sad to say that when I should feel sympathy for the tiny h and her downtrodden, abused life because of her husband, I actually find her annoying and strident. Okay, I hated her. Luckily, after the last attempt by the evil OW to cause problems she FINALLY admits that she did not love her husband, never had good sex, actually loves the hero, and has no idea how to have good sex. I think there was teeth pulling involved.
Man deserves sainthood, and am hoping he gets his happy ever after.
PLOT:
The frigid, po-faced heroine is married to an abusive womanizer. At a company party the big boss sees her and apparently the angels got together and decided to create a dream come true where they sprinkled moon dust in her hair of gold and starlight in her eyes of blue, the poor, poor bastard. Conveniently the husband and his viper mistress, the H’s secretary, are in a car accident that same night. The husband dies but not the mistress unfortunately. She’s a real pill.
The utterly spineless heroine finally straightens up only to bitch out the hero for daring to help her. Months later the hero tries to slide back into to the h and her mini-me moppet’s life. The heroine has had to use the useless hubby's life insurance to pay off all his debts only to find out he was fleecing the H’s company. Mary the Martyr offers herself up as a mistress to pay the debts as the H has made it very clear he wants her. The thing is he’s been pretty much a gentleman, been sweet to her little girl, and let’s face it, she’s no bargain because…She. Is. Frigid. He wants her for a wife instead. (Run H, run.)
They get married and she’s as big of a wet blanket as before just now enduring sex with the H. Yes, I know she has issues, was married to a horse's caboose, and this is early 1980s, but I don’t care. The evil and mean OW is back at the secretary’s desk, and she’s out for revenge because the heroine was married to the guy she wanted. So inconsiderate. In a sad little moment, the h has to meet the H at his office so she gets all dressed up in anticipation of seeing the beautiful OW. What does she wear? A red dress? A black power suit? Lacy bridal white to drive home the statement she’s a BRIDE. Hell no. She wears a beige suit. Beige? With a brown blouse. Woohoo. Call Vogue.
The poor sweet H thinks she’s still hung up on her husband. After all she admitted to enduring all his affairs because she loved him. No, not really, but she is just that dumb to let the H keep thinking that because, horrors, what would he think if he knew they hadn’t had sex in 5 years.
The heroine is such a dweeb that I think the sweet trolley lady on Harry Potter’s train could pull one over on her.
I am catching on s-l-o-w-l-y that Carole Mortimer is not into light-hearted or whimsical romances. She’s more than happy to create sad, tawdry little worlds full of shallow, sometimes hateful and VERY stupid people. And that’s just the heroine. Sad to say that when I should feel sympathy for the tiny h and her downtrodden, abused life because of her husband, I actually find her annoying and strident. Okay, I hated her. Luckily, after the last attempt by the evil OW to cause problems she FINALLY admits that she did not love her husband, never had good sex, actually loves the hero, and has no idea how to have good sex. I think there was teeth pulling involved.
Man deserves sainthood, and am hoping he gets his happy ever after.
January 4, 2020
"Captive Loving" is the story of Jessica and Matthew.
An absolutely wonderful book with loads of heartbreak, obsession and angst. Our h is trapped in an abusive marriage with a serial cheater, but bears it for the sake of her daughter. Her callous husband openly disregards her, and soon dies in an accident the same night she meets the H. He is her husband's boss, and after a single look, he is smitten.
Soon the h pushes the H away from her life to heal, and deal with not just her recent widowhood, but also her daughter's mental health and her own complicated emotions. However, a few months later the H reenters their life with the news that the POS had been embezzling from him. The h offers herself as a repayment, but the smitten H wants not just her body, but also her heart..
Im pretty sure I've read a very similar book before- never the less- I LOVED it. A very very lovable and caring hero who was head over heels in love with the h, gave her time to heal but did not leave her periphery, slowly wooing her to fall for him in return is exactly what I needed today. He was a perfect balance of stern yet soft. I felt really bad for the h, but it was understandable with all the trauma she had gone through. I liked how her "frigidity" was dealt with. However, the OW should have been punched, she was not, and hence I removed a star. Still, a wonderful read!
Safe
4/5
An absolutely wonderful book with loads of heartbreak, obsession and angst. Our h is trapped in an abusive marriage with a serial cheater, but bears it for the sake of her daughter. Her callous husband openly disregards her, and soon dies in an accident the same night she meets the H. He is her husband's boss, and after a single look, he is smitten.
Soon the h pushes the H away from her life to heal, and deal with not just her recent widowhood, but also her daughter's mental health and her own complicated emotions. However, a few months later the H reenters their life with the news that the POS had been embezzling from him. The h offers herself as a repayment, but the smitten H wants not just her body, but also her heart..
Im pretty sure I've read a very similar book before- never the less- I LOVED it. A very very lovable and caring hero who was head over heels in love with the h, gave her time to heal but did not leave her periphery, slowly wooing her to fall for him in return is exactly what I needed today. He was a perfect balance of stern yet soft. I felt really bad for the h, but it was understandable with all the trauma she had gone through. I liked how her "frigidity" was dealt with. However, the OW should have been punched, she was not, and hence I removed a star. Still, a wonderful read!
Safe
4/5
July 7, 2011
There's quite a lot going on in this book:
1-Hero is crazy about the heroine and its a tender loving not just 'I want you' crap...
2-Heroine has been through an abusive relationship ( there is much emphasis on the O and thats not it at all - her husband had her believe that she's worthless)
3-Heroine has a daughter so the hero has to woo them both
The way the story deals with love, patience and caring touched a chord in me. Highly recommended...
1-Hero is crazy about the heroine and its a tender loving not just 'I want you' crap...
2-Heroine has been through an abusive relationship ( there is much emphasis on the O and thats not it at all - her husband had her believe that she's worthless)
3-Heroine has a daughter so the hero has to woo them both
The way the story deals with love, patience and caring touched a chord in me. Highly recommended...
April 22, 2009
The song to put on the background as you are reading this is Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing". Features a passive heroine who is totally beat down by her first marriage and has trouble achieving the O.
May 4, 2012
Rating 3.5
Hero is bonkers about the heroine when he meets her at his company party even when he finds out she is married to a guy who can't keep his fly zipped. The h of course knows this since she hasn't shared a bed with her husband in 5 years & they have been married for 7 years. She was raised by a strict aunt and got married at eighteen to a jerk who told her she was frigid and kind of abused her emotionally but she stays because she fears losing her daughter. Then her husband dies and the hero keeps coming around but she sends him away, but 7 months later he is back and has won over her daughter, so she marries him because her husband stole from him, and the hero wants to make her and her daughter happy. Of course she doesn't confide the truth about her unhappy marriage which lets the hero think she loved her pig of a husband and she is also unable to let go sexually since she has so many fears.
Of course once she opens herself to him fully they are happy, and she confesses that her husband threatened her by saying he would take away their daughter(she got post-partum depression).
The reason I liked the book was the hero, he was awesome and so crazy for her. One thing I didn't understand was why didn't he get rid of his secretary/ex sooner.
All in all the h didn't do much for me, though she had a super sad past coz I didn't get how she couldn't open herself up to the awesome hero.
Hero is bonkers about the heroine when he meets her at his company party even when he finds out she is married to a guy who can't keep his fly zipped. The h of course knows this since she hasn't shared a bed with her husband in 5 years & they have been married for 7 years. She was raised by a strict aunt and got married at eighteen to a jerk who told her she was frigid and kind of abused her emotionally but she stays because she fears losing her daughter. Then her husband dies and the hero keeps coming around but she sends him away, but 7 months later he is back and has won over her daughter, so she marries him because her husband stole from him, and the hero wants to make her and her daughter happy. Of course she doesn't confide the truth about her unhappy marriage which lets the hero think she loved her pig of a husband and she is also unable to let go sexually since she has so many fears.
Of course once she opens herself to him fully they are happy, and she confesses that her husband threatened her by saying he would take away their daughter(she got post-partum depression).
The reason I liked the book was the hero, he was awesome and so crazy for her. One thing I didn't understand was why didn't he get rid of his secretary/ex sooner.
All in all the h didn't do much for me, though she had a super sad past coz I didn't get how she couldn't open herself up to the awesome hero.
November 13, 2012
I actually loved this novel. The hero and heroine got what they deserved and the villains got what they did as well. It was one of the first novels where I snickered when the villains got what was coming to them. I was so impressed but I usually am when Carole Mortimer writes.
March 28, 2020
4.5 stars
Love the hero in this one.
Love the hero in this one.
June 26, 2012
This is a story about a young woman trapped in an ugly, abusive marriage. It's about how she grows as a person and finds the ability to trust and love again. This is about a wonderful, loving and kind hero who has the patience to heal a broken heart.
I will seek out more by this author.
I will seek out more by this author.
February 19, 2012
4 Stars! ~ Jessica Baxter was trapped in a loveless bitter marriage, with an abusive cheating husband. Andrew held all the cards that kept her in line; the trump card bearing the grounds that would take her daughter away from her should she ever divorce him. Mathew Sinclair was immediately enchanted with the beauty that appeared at his Company’s summer dance. And was then dismayed to discover she was married to the man known as Randy Andy, the office Romeo. Humiliated by a confrontation with Andrew’s current lover, Jessica left the party by taxi. That was the night that Jessica became finally free, Andrew was dead in an auto crash, his lover seriously injured. Stepping in to take care of her and her daughter, Penny, is Mathew Sinclair. A man determined to be a part of her life to a point where Jessica fears his obsession with her is just like Andrews. And he too holds a trump card; Andrew had been embezzling funds and she owed Mathew more money than she could ever hope to repay.
This was a riveting read about a woman emotionally abused and terrified of her husband. Ms. Mortimer makes Jessica’s plight thoroughly believable. Jessica’s sole concern is her daughter’s welfare, and she’s willing to do anything, even marry Mathew to ensure her daughter has a good life. Mathew’s in love with his wife but he thinks she’s still mourning Andrew. He’s unaware of her dark marriage, and her detachment threatens to push him away. Jessica has to overcome her fears and find the inner strength to fight for the love she deserves. Well done!
This was a riveting read about a woman emotionally abused and terrified of her husband. Ms. Mortimer makes Jessica’s plight thoroughly believable. Jessica’s sole concern is her daughter’s welfare, and she’s willing to do anything, even marry Mathew to ensure her daughter has a good life. Mathew’s in love with his wife but he thinks she’s still mourning Andrew. He’s unaware of her dark marriage, and her detachment threatens to push him away. Jessica has to overcome her fears and find the inner strength to fight for the love she deserves. Well done!
May 8, 2020
Another 5-star by Carole Mortimer!
"Captive Loving" involves a different plot,more uniqe then most of her books,where the hero is more besotted towards the heroine than the heroine is.
The heroine Jessica Baxter is a married woman to an selfish,cheating,weak and violent bastard from the beginning,but stays with his because of their daughter.
On a event she meets the handsome businessman Matthew Sinclair,who falls in love with her on the first sight.
Matthews whole world will be about Jessica and after her husbands death,he will with an arrogance wait to claim her,being sure that she will fall in love with him too.
...it`s easier said than done.
I just loved that man.For his patience and oh so passionate love towards the heroine.He loved her with all his heart,and knowing she couldn`t give when it comes to their love-making broke his heart.
Jessica Baxter is a uniqe soul,who only ever can find pleasure in touching when it comes to the person she love,and she didn`t love the hero from the start,but will gradually and slowly fall in love with him...
She had such goodness in her,that she even cried for the bastard husband of hers after his death,but only because he was the father of her daughter.She had an golden heart,and i know that Matthew saw that instantly when he saw her.I just love it how he couldn`t keep away from her!
Once again,You made my day Carole!
"Captive Loving" involves a different plot,more uniqe then most of her books,where the hero is more besotted towards the heroine than the heroine is.
The heroine Jessica Baxter is a married woman to an selfish,cheating,weak and violent bastard from the beginning,but stays with his because of their daughter.
On a event she meets the handsome businessman Matthew Sinclair,who falls in love with her on the first sight.
Matthews whole world will be about Jessica and after her husbands death,he will with an arrogance wait to claim her,being sure that she will fall in love with him too.
...it`s easier said than done.
I just loved that man.For his patience and oh so passionate love towards the heroine.He loved her with all his heart,and knowing she couldn`t give when it comes to their love-making broke his heart.
Jessica Baxter is a uniqe soul,who only ever can find pleasure in touching when it comes to the person she love,and she didn`t love the hero from the start,but will gradually and slowly fall in love with him...
She had such goodness in her,that she even cried for the bastard husband of hers after his death,but only because he was the father of her daughter.She had an golden heart,and i know that Matthew saw that instantly when he saw her.I just love it how he couldn`t keep away from her!
Once again,You made my day Carole!
August 18, 2013
Hmmm, the hero was a bit OTT. He fell in love at first sight and then tried to convince her they were meant to be together the week of her husband's funeral! The guy sure didn't know how to play it cool. The heroine had been smacked around by the dead hubby but this really didn't seem to be dealt with adequately. Yeah she didn't want to get married again and depend on a man but you'd think she would have had some sort of trust issues that had to be dealt with. I guess it was the times that this book was written that spousal abuse wasn't really talked about.
Still it was fairly interesting and readable.
Still it was fairly interesting and readable.
May 17, 2016
My review from from 2006. Gave it 5 stars almost 10 years ago so Im going to have re-read this at a future date and see if that still holds true for me. But for now, my old review below:
From the back cover: How could she have let him kiss her? Besides her husband, no one had ever kissed Jessica until Matthew Sinclair did. And after seven years of coldness in a desperately unhappy marriage she was shocked to find herself stirring in response to this stranger's lips, gravitating to the warmth of his arms. But she was a wife and mother, and Matthew was her husband's boss. There could be no future for them. Then her husband was killed and suddenly Jessica was torn - between wanting ot be loved and fearing another marriage as painful as her first.
Review: What can I say? The book was extremely sweet! Even though it was written in 1983, I still loved it. I figured I'd revisit all the Harlequin romance novels I missed during my "addicted to romance novels phase" when I was just 12 years old (26 now) So I actually searched Amazon for highly rated Harlequin novels and bought them ^_^ I have quite a bunch in my collection and will start reviewing them. I loved it that Matthew was waiting for love and thats why he never got married. Of course, the fact that he is gorgeous and rich doesn't hurt too. Jessica being gorgeous is cool too. I think they make a great match. I love it, love it love it!!
From the back cover: How could she have let him kiss her? Besides her husband, no one had ever kissed Jessica until Matthew Sinclair did. And after seven years of coldness in a desperately unhappy marriage she was shocked to find herself stirring in response to this stranger's lips, gravitating to the warmth of his arms. But she was a wife and mother, and Matthew was her husband's boss. There could be no future for them. Then her husband was killed and suddenly Jessica was torn - between wanting ot be loved and fearing another marriage as painful as her first.
Review: What can I say? The book was extremely sweet! Even though it was written in 1983, I still loved it. I figured I'd revisit all the Harlequin romance novels I missed during my "addicted to romance novels phase" when I was just 12 years old (26 now) So I actually searched Amazon for highly rated Harlequin novels and bought them ^_^ I have quite a bunch in my collection and will start reviewing them. I loved it that Matthew was waiting for love and thats why he never got married. Of course, the fact that he is gorgeous and rich doesn't hurt too. Jessica being gorgeous is cool too. I think they make a great match. I love it, love it love it!!
March 21, 2015
“Why the hell did you have to be married!”
Hero: boss man - wealthy and handsome
Heroine: was in a abusive relationship with a guy who destroyed her faith in herself as a woman
The catch: Hero was love at first sight with the heroine. She had a daughter with her previous marriage. The mistress of the heroine's first husband was also the secretary of the hero and his (hero's) former bedmate.
My take: The novel was published in 1982. Same plot line like others of that era. Abusive husband, frightened wife that couldn't leave her husband for reasons she thinks can damaged her and her daughter’s life, a vile mistress, knight in shining armor boss man. For some reason, I kept thinking of the hero with dark hair and eyes rather than the Nordic looks he was described having. I don't know why but I just did. What I like about the novel was male protagonist’s gentle, patient loving for the heroine and her daughter. Though there were a few moments where he acted harshly towards the heroine in general as a male protagonist of his era he fairs well.
On a side note: I just realized that most of CM's male protagonists are blonde.
Hero: boss man - wealthy and handsome
Heroine: was in a abusive relationship with a guy who destroyed her faith in herself as a woman
The catch: Hero was love at first sight with the heroine. She had a daughter with her previous marriage. The mistress of the heroine's first husband was also the secretary of the hero and his (hero's) former bedmate.
My take: The novel was published in 1982. Same plot line like others of that era. Abusive husband, frightened wife that couldn't leave her husband for reasons she thinks can damaged her and her daughter’s life, a vile mistress, knight in shining armor boss man. For some reason, I kept thinking of the hero with dark hair and eyes rather than the Nordic looks he was described having. I don't know why but I just did. What I like about the novel was male protagonist’s gentle, patient loving for the heroine and her daughter. Though there were a few moments where he acted harshly towards the heroine in general as a male protagonist of his era he fairs well.
On a side note: I just realized that most of CM's male protagonists are blonde.
November 28, 2025
For seven long years, Jessica stayed married to a man who mentally abused her, called her frigid and cheated her with endless women for the sake of her little daughter, Penny. She was terrified of him divorcing him and taking her daughter away from her. Then, one night he wanted her to attend one of his company's parties and there she met Mathew, her husband's boss, who kissed her! The party's events opened her eyes to the follies of her life especially after her husband dies in a sudden accident and Mathew pursues her in every possible way! Her problem was she still things she's frigid and no match to his sensuality.
I don't know whether anyone would agree with my estimation of this novel or not, but I though it was sordid and awful in the first chapter. Full of cheating and immortality that I didn't have much joy while reading it till the end. The heroine's character didn't help that much either in the way it developed. She's innocent enough, but I'd much have liked it if she had more strength and force of character while that inhuman husband of hers was still alive.
I don't know whether anyone would agree with my estimation of this novel or not, but I though it was sordid and awful in the first chapter. Full of cheating and immortality that I didn't have much joy while reading it till the end. The heroine's character didn't help that much either in the way it developed. She's innocent enough, but I'd much have liked it if she had more strength and force of character while that inhuman husband of hers was still alive.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2021
I love the hero. He is so sweet and caring. He’s crazy about her and he does not hide his feelings for her.
The h was married to a guy who beat her and who cheated on her. The marriage was terrible, but she stayed married to him because they have a daughter together and she doesn’t work and she was financially dependent on him. Her husband dies and the H then stands by her and takes care of her. Finding a job to take care of herself and her daughter is not on her mind. I find the h annoying and weak.
The 5 stars are only for the H. What a man, what a man, what a mighty good man.
The h was married to a guy who beat her and who cheated on her. The marriage was terrible, but she stayed married to him because they have a daughter together and she doesn’t work and she was financially dependent on him. Her husband dies and the H then stands by her and takes care of her. Finding a job to take care of herself and her daughter is not on her mind. I find the h annoying and weak.
The 5 stars are only for the H. What a man, what a man, what a mighty good man.
March 9, 2015
Omg I read the manga and the book and when he slapped Lisa I was dying laughing that's what she gets I loved this book wish I can find a man like that one day seems like all the good ones are taken or made-up
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2014
Gotta love any book where the cheating, abusive husband gets his comeuppance and the wife gets a new man ten times better.
December 13, 2014
Love at the first sight?? Hmmmm kinda boring actually. But i read it anyway. Mortimer is one of my fav writer but this book is not her best for me.
June 9, 2021
An author I have always loved.
I felt like bashing Jessica over the head.
Swoon worthy hero.
I felt like bashing Jessica over the head.
Swoon worthy hero.
July 31, 2025
Read half of the book but couldn't stand the stupidity and immaturity of the pathetic so called heroine, she was just unbelievable, with a cheating husband she could get divorce, sole custody of her child and half of his belonging and assets, if not even more, in every British court, but she was too brainless to comprehend it. She knew she had mental bruises during her marriage but not once seek professional consultation, instead prefferd too freeze inside and being a total shrew to the unlucky poor and besotted hero,...just what a shame
March 19, 2023
Definitely dated and not a favorite for sure. I do still love these old Harlequin Presents, but the heroine in this one was particularly meek and mild and wishy washy, letting her husband rule the roost and flaunt his mistresses in her face, and putting up with it out of fear that he would take her daughter if she ever left him. And when confronted by the latest mistress, she was completely intimidated and unable to stand up for herself. The ending, however, was still very satisfactory.
September 11, 2017
The good parts were the ending and the way Matthew loved Jessica and her daughter but in-between the communication was painful and a little frustrating
November 19, 2019
3.5 h's inability to communicate any real emotion until the end was maddening, so 3.5 instead of 4
February 9, 2020
Needed something special to bring it where I would have re-read it.
December 14, 2024
09 estrelas para o H...não dei 10 porque ele não demitiu o porco asqueroso bosta quando teve oportunidade, afinal ele colecionava queixas de funcionárias !!!!
July 28, 2020
Enjoyed this story by Carole Mortimer. Often her early books are character driven alongside the passionate side of their relationships balancing out the two very well.
SYNOPSIS:
How could she have let him kiss her?
Besides her husband, no one had ever kissed Jessica until Matthew Sinclair did. And after seven years of coldness in a desperately unhappy marriage, she was shocked to find herself stirring in response to this stranger's lips, gravitating to the warmth of his arms.
But she was a wife and mother, and Matthew was her husband's boss. There could be no future for them.
Then her husband was killed, and suddenly Jessica was torn-between wanting to be loved and fearing another marriage as painful as her first.
SYNOPSIS:
How could she have let him kiss her?
Besides her husband, no one had ever kissed Jessica until Matthew Sinclair did. And after seven years of coldness in a desperately unhappy marriage, she was shocked to find herself stirring in response to this stranger's lips, gravitating to the warmth of his arms.
But she was a wife and mother, and Matthew was her husband's boss. There could be no future for them.
Then her husband was killed, and suddenly Jessica was torn-between wanting to be loved and fearing another marriage as painful as her first.
August 11, 2024
This is a good book. I can never put it down. It is about Jessica Baxter, a widow with a young daughter who married her abusive dead husband's boss, Matthew Sinclair. At first, the marriage is shaky. You see, Andrew (the dead abusive husband) had always told Jessica that she was frigid, and Matthew didn't understand why Jessica wouldn't respond to him (He thought she loved Andrew's lovemaking, which wasn't the case). But when Jessica tells Matthew of her love for him and how her marriage to Andrew had affected her, then all is well for Jessica and Matthew. A year later, their son Jeremy is born.
February 16, 2022
Jessica has not had a loving marriage. Her husband never treated her with respect. His affairs have been numerous. She is done with it when his boss kisses her. She is in conflict this is not what a married woman does. Matthew is her husbands boss. His is there when her husband dies in an auto accident and she finds out that she is penniless. His solution is marriage. Can she once again marry for her child? Is that the reason he wants her? I have read this story several times and will again.
October 8, 2015
OH MY GOODNESS. THIS WAS SO.... BAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
I mean atrocious, horrendous, incomprehensibly horrid. Giving no stars would be a gross overestimation of the pleasure you will gain from it. It was so bad. OMG. Wow. I just have to laugh.
I mean atrocious, horrendous, incomprehensibly horrid. Giving no stars would be a gross overestimation of the pleasure you will gain from it. It was so bad. OMG. Wow. I just have to laugh.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews