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Sins #6
Angry Desire
It was supposed to be the happiest day of Gabriella's life, her wedding day.But last night the fear had finally begun to tear her apart and she knew she couldn't go through with it. She could walk out, vanish. But Stephen would search for her until he found her, and then she would have to face the truth—that she was frightened by the strength of his desire ...
186 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 9, 1996
11 people are currently reading
118 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte Lamb
261 books314 followersSheila Ann Mary Coates Holland
aka Sheila Holland, Sheila Coates, Charlotte Lamb, Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Woolf, Laura Hardy
Sheila Ann Mary Coates was born on 1937 in Essex, England, just before the Second World War in the East End of London. As a child, she was moved from relative to relative to escape the bombings of World War II. Sheila attended the Ursuline Convent for Girls. On leaving school at 16, the convent-educated author worked for the Bank of England as a clerk. Sheila continued her education by taking advantage of the B of E's enormous library during her lunch breaks and after work. She later worked as a secretary for the BBC. While there, she met and married Richard Holland, a political reporter. A voracious reader of romance novels, she began writing at her husband's suggestion. She wrote her first book in three days with three children underfoot! In between raising her five children (including a set of twins), Charlotte wrote several more novels. She used both her married and maiden names, Sheila Holland and Sheila Coates, before her first novel as Charlotte Lamb, Follow a Stranger, was published by Mills & Boon in 1973. She also used the pennames: Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Wolf and Laura Hardy. Sheila was a true revolutionary in the field of romance writing. One of the first writers to explore the boundaries of sexual desire, her novels often reflected the forefront of the "sexual revolution" of the 1970s. Her books touched on then-taboo subjects such as child abuse and rape, and she created sexually confident - even dominant - heroines. She was also one of the first to create a modern romantic heroine: independent, imperfect, and perfectly capable of initiating a sexual or romantic relationship. A prolific author, Sheila penned more than 160 novels, most of them for Mills & Boon. Known for her swiftness as well as for her skill in writing, Sheila typically wrote a minimum of two thousand words per day, working from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. While she once finished a full-length novel in four days, she herself pegged her average speed at two weeks to complete a full novel. Since 1977, Sheila had been living on the Isle of Man as a tax exile with her husband and four of their five children: Michael Holland, Sarah Holland, Jane Holland, Charlotte Holland and David Holland. Sheila passed away on October 8, 2000 in her baronial-style home 'Crogga' on the Island. She is greatly missed by her many fans, and by the romance writing community.
aka Sheila Holland, Sheila Coates, Charlotte Lamb, Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Woolf, Laura Hardy
Sheila Ann Mary Coates was born on 1937 in Essex, England, just before the Second World War in the East End of London. As a child, she was moved from relative to relative to escape the bombings of World War II. Sheila attended the Ursuline Convent for Girls. On leaving school at 16, the convent-educated author worked for the Bank of England as a clerk. Sheila continued her education by taking advantage of the B of E's enormous library during her lunch breaks and after work. She later worked as a secretary for the BBC. While there, she met and married Richard Holland, a political reporter. A voracious reader of romance novels, she began writing at her husband's suggestion. She wrote her first book in three days with three children underfoot! In between raising her five children (including a set of twins), Charlotte wrote several more novels. She used both her married and maiden names, Sheila Holland and Sheila Coates, before her first novel as Charlotte Lamb, Follow a Stranger, was published by Mills & Boon in 1973. She also used the pennames: Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Wolf and Laura Hardy. Sheila was a true revolutionary in the field of romance writing. One of the first writers to explore the boundaries of sexual desire, her novels often reflected the forefront of the "sexual revolution" of the 1970s. Her books touched on then-taboo subjects such as child abuse and rape, and she created sexually confident - even dominant - heroines. She was also one of the first to create a modern romantic heroine: independent, imperfect, and perfectly capable of initiating a sexual or romantic relationship. A prolific author, Sheila penned more than 160 novels, most of them for Mills & Boon. Known for her swiftness as well as for her skill in writing, Sheila typically wrote a minimum of two thousand words per day, working from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. While she once finished a full-length novel in four days, she herself pegged her average speed at two weeks to complete a full novel. Since 1977, Sheila had been living on the Isle of Man as a tax exile with her husband and four of their five children: Michael Holland, Sarah Holland, Jane Holland, Charlotte Holland and David Holland. Sheila passed away on October 8, 2000 in her baronial-style home 'Crogga' on the Island. She is greatly missed by her many fans, and by the romance writing community.
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October 29, 2018
Re Angry Desire - Charlotte Lamb's sixth book in her Sins Series is both a meditation and a very suspenseful build up to the Sin of Anger.
Dante tells us that the Vice of Anger is "love of justice perverted to revenge and spite". This means that in its purest form, Wrath/Anger is expressed with injuries, violence, and hate and very frequently is expressed as a desire for vengeance leading to ruinous repercussions than can echo throughout the years, if not the centuries, wreaking havoc on many peoples lives.
But Anger can be directed inward too. This type of Anger is much more subversive and perfidious, because Wrath directed inward once again cuts a person off from connection with others and Divine Love.
When one sees things through the haze of Anger, it is impossible to see the true heart of another. Rage turned inward often leads to self destructive emotional immolation and leads behind a burned out husk of what used to be a fertile human soul.
Charlotte Lamb explores both the outward manifestation of Anger and the inward in this one, she leaves it to us to determine which is the more destructive.
Once again we get a little note from CL:
This one starts with the h running away from her wedding that is scheduled to take place in London in five hours. The h is engaged to the typical Uber Intense Alpha Male that CL specializes in and the h is typical fragile fairy old skool Ultra Feminine female that CL also likes to use on occasion.
The h has come to this rather startling conclusion in the wake of a very punishing roofie kiss by the H at a party the night before. The H, who is a big time Captain of Industry, has been very circumspect with out sweet little h up until they went to a party the H's family hosted for the couple and the H's younger cousin got a bit handsy with the h when she danced with him.
CL H's have a long, long history of being possessive, territorial, mark a circle around their property kinda guys with their ladies - this one is no exception. Except the H's sudden burst of roofie kissing passion scares this h witless.
She wakes up from the typical CL dreamy stupor the girl has been living in for the past several years and she realizes that she JUST CANNOT marry this man. The h is half Italian and has dual citizenship.
So she grabs her things and her cash, backs a bag or six and drives her car on the ferry to France. Her goal is the Lake Como region of Italy, where her BFF/Brother from another Mother is currently living the life in a Maestro's house while he does artistic frescoes around the place.
There is a supremely tense journey by car as the h makes her stealthy getaway, coupled with a lovely HP travelogue of the French coastal road to Italy, (the h was too scared to drive through the mountains.)
The h makes it to Lake Como, finds a vintage palatial hotel to hide away in and calls her BFF up. He lets her know that her jilted H is hot on her trail and there is h frettings and ditherings while her BFF gallantly declares he will help her hide forever if she needs it.
The BFF didn't like the H's attitude when he tracked the man down to demand if the BFF ran off with his h. We learn that the h has some deep trauma that is still shattering her life to this very day, the BFF wants her to get therapy. But the h's inner rage and pain is twisted too deep for that, she can't even talk about it, the BFF just reads her mind a lot.
We get some lovely Lake Como travelogue and the h cuts off her waist length hair, to the horror of everyone around her, including the BFF. The BFF and h are off for dinner, when the H shows up in his dark green Jaguar. There is a chase and a near wreck of the BFF's Lamborghini.
The h tries to run away, but the BFF will have to deal with the Italian police and the h knows the other driver, who was on the wrong side of the road, will try to say the BFF is at fault. The h is a loyal little thing to those closest to her, so she goes back to the scene of the accident and the H is ready to pounce, like a big black dragon hunting his prey.
There is a semi-forced kidnapping by the H and the h can see that he is FURIOUS. Surprisingly tho, this time CL doesn't give into her traditional stance of a physically punishing H response to the h's incitement of his ire.
The H is really irked, anyone would be, but he doesn't overly bully or berate the h. When her terror leads to her cutting her hand on broken glass, he gently cleans the wound, feeds her the usual CL food feast and then coaxes her into actually talking to him.
The H immediately explains he knows there is some serious trauma and after some huge h verbal smackdowns, the h's sad and dark truth comes out. Her parents died when she was a pre-teen. She was taken to England and put in boarding schools and summered with her father's brother and his family.
The h adored her uncle, who so much like her father, and his own family never seemed to have much time for him. When the h was 13, her uncle tried to molest her. They were in a field and there were ramblers nearby. They came running when the h screamed and there were police and hospital visits and the h was sent to grandmother's for holidays after that.
The uncle ended up killing himself and his family moved back to Scotland. The h's grandmother lost both of her son's in one summer and bitterly blamed the h. The h's big secret is that she believes she was at fault and she also is full of repressed anger, cause she also believes it really wasn't her fault. But her grandmother's hatred for her never abated, even when the h held her hand and tried to apologize while the woman was dying..
This mixture of fear, repulsion, repression and misdirected anger at herself based on the vile accusations of a bitter old woman have started to twist her thinking processes. When the H did his roofie kissing moment on her, she was highly attracted and highly repelled - the two emotional extremes twisted into a maelstrom of guilt and fear and inner hatred and the h is unable deal with any of it, so she hightailed it off into the wilderness of Italy.
After the h explains all this to the H, he is very understanding and he takes her back to her hotel after she promises not to run away. The next day the H, the h and the BFF all are at the h's hotel. The H got a little to exuberant in his gropey hand moves and roofie kisses again and the h panics, cause she believes the H just wants revenge.
The BFF shows up to help the h if she needs it and there is a big argument. The management comes to kick them all out and they think the h is a tart for hire. The BFF then explains his connections in the area and that the h is his cousin.
The h is quick to jump in with the H being her fiance and between the BFF's high society contacts and the Italian's love of Opera-worthy family drama, everything is smoothed over. They all go to the BFF's luxurious borrowed villa and the H drags the h off into the gardens.
The h tries to push the H away again, but he finally tells her that he loves her and has since he first saw her. In CL's HPlandia, Love conquers even the Sin of Anger and the h and H make plans to get married right there in Italy. (The H also insists that the h is going to therapy as soon as they get back from their honeymoon.)
The BFF does a food porn feast that soothes everyone's savage beasts inside and with lashings of a great Italian Red Wine, we have a quick but lovely Italian Al Fresco Wedding with a last minute rush of imported English guests and we leave these two hopefully ready to start off on their HEA.
This one is very intense emotionally and very short on time. The entire book takes place in the space of three days. There is much more focus on the h's panic and a whole lot of dramatic suspense as CL builds the story up to the h's big reveal.
The food is lovely, as is the travelogue. This H is definitely one of CL's most nurturing and I liked the twist she put into his character of being patient and concerned, instead of a the usual Alpha Bully CL hero. (Tho he did have those Alpha Bully traits, he was able to reign them in to get the h to talk.)
The h was fragile and helpless and a bit pathetic, but I did have a lot sympathy for her plight. She was kinda like a blind kitten stumbling around until she bumped into things, so I had a lot more patience than most readers will.
There is not a lot of romance in this, but the exploration of the damaging inward results of the h's repressed anger was a great contrast to the H's more healthy expressions of his wrath and worth the time spent on this little HPlandia outing.
The next book is the last and it explores the sin of Sloth. Inaction or delayed actions can be a mortal blow - just think of those smiling Three Toed Bradypus Sloths in Panama. They need a Special Sloth Crossing Guard just to make it across the highway without risking a very grim and untimely end before they even really begin.
Dante tells us that the Vice of Anger is "love of justice perverted to revenge and spite". This means that in its purest form, Wrath/Anger is expressed with injuries, violence, and hate and very frequently is expressed as a desire for vengeance leading to ruinous repercussions than can echo throughout the years, if not the centuries, wreaking havoc on many peoples lives.
But Anger can be directed inward too. This type of Anger is much more subversive and perfidious, because Wrath directed inward once again cuts a person off from connection with others and Divine Love.
When one sees things through the haze of Anger, it is impossible to see the true heart of another. Rage turned inward often leads to self destructive emotional immolation and leads behind a burned out husk of what used to be a fertile human soul.
Charlotte Lamb explores both the outward manifestation of Anger and the inward in this one, she leaves it to us to determine which is the more destructive.
Once again we get a little note from CL:
Dear Reader,
The Seven Deadly Sins have been defined as Anger, Covetousness, Envy, Greed, Lust, Pride and Sloth.
In this book I deal with the sin of Anger. It is a normal human reaction to get angry when people hurt or offend us, and it helps to get over it if you tell someone they have upset you. It clears the air to tell people how you feel; it makes us understand each other better.
But what happens when anger is hidden or repressed because we are taught to feel guilty about expressing our rage? Or told it was all our own fault and we deserved what happened? People can spend years with a secret burning rage inside them, torn between guilt and resentment. Sooner or later, that rage will either twist a personality and wreck a life, or it will break out in violence.
This one starts with the h running away from her wedding that is scheduled to take place in London in five hours. The h is engaged to the typical Uber Intense Alpha Male that CL specializes in and the h is typical fragile fairy old skool Ultra Feminine female that CL also likes to use on occasion.
The h has come to this rather startling conclusion in the wake of a very punishing roofie kiss by the H at a party the night before. The H, who is a big time Captain of Industry, has been very circumspect with out sweet little h up until they went to a party the H's family hosted for the couple and the H's younger cousin got a bit handsy with the h when she danced with him.
CL H's have a long, long history of being possessive, territorial, mark a circle around their property kinda guys with their ladies - this one is no exception. Except the H's sudden burst of roofie kissing passion scares this h witless.
She wakes up from the typical CL dreamy stupor the girl has been living in for the past several years and she realizes that she JUST CANNOT marry this man. The h is half Italian and has dual citizenship.
So she grabs her things and her cash, backs a bag or six and drives her car on the ferry to France. Her goal is the Lake Como region of Italy, where her BFF/Brother from another Mother is currently living the life in a Maestro's house while he does artistic frescoes around the place.
There is a supremely tense journey by car as the h makes her stealthy getaway, coupled with a lovely HP travelogue of the French coastal road to Italy, (the h was too scared to drive through the mountains.)
The h makes it to Lake Como, finds a vintage palatial hotel to hide away in and calls her BFF up. He lets her know that her jilted H is hot on her trail and there is h frettings and ditherings while her BFF gallantly declares he will help her hide forever if she needs it.
The BFF didn't like the H's attitude when he tracked the man down to demand if the BFF ran off with his h. We learn that the h has some deep trauma that is still shattering her life to this very day, the BFF wants her to get therapy. But the h's inner rage and pain is twisted too deep for that, she can't even talk about it, the BFF just reads her mind a lot.
We get some lovely Lake Como travelogue and the h cuts off her waist length hair, to the horror of everyone around her, including the BFF. The BFF and h are off for dinner, when the H shows up in his dark green Jaguar. There is a chase and a near wreck of the BFF's Lamborghini.
The h tries to run away, but the BFF will have to deal with the Italian police and the h knows the other driver, who was on the wrong side of the road, will try to say the BFF is at fault. The h is a loyal little thing to those closest to her, so she goes back to the scene of the accident and the H is ready to pounce, like a big black dragon hunting his prey.
There is a semi-forced kidnapping by the H and the h can see that he is FURIOUS. Surprisingly tho, this time CL doesn't give into her traditional stance of a physically punishing H response to the h's incitement of his ire.
The H is really irked, anyone would be, but he doesn't overly bully or berate the h. When her terror leads to her cutting her hand on broken glass, he gently cleans the wound, feeds her the usual CL food feast and then coaxes her into actually talking to him.
The H immediately explains he knows there is some serious trauma and after some huge h verbal smackdowns, the h's sad and dark truth comes out. Her parents died when she was a pre-teen. She was taken to England and put in boarding schools and summered with her father's brother and his family.
The h adored her uncle, who so much like her father, and his own family never seemed to have much time for him. When the h was 13, her uncle tried to molest her. They were in a field and there were ramblers nearby. They came running when the h screamed and there were police and hospital visits and the h was sent to grandmother's for holidays after that.
The uncle ended up killing himself and his family moved back to Scotland. The h's grandmother lost both of her son's in one summer and bitterly blamed the h. The h's big secret is that she believes she was at fault and she also is full of repressed anger, cause she also believes it really wasn't her fault. But her grandmother's hatred for her never abated, even when the h held her hand and tried to apologize while the woman was dying..
This mixture of fear, repulsion, repression and misdirected anger at herself based on the vile accusations of a bitter old woman have started to twist her thinking processes. When the H did his roofie kissing moment on her, she was highly attracted and highly repelled - the two emotional extremes twisted into a maelstrom of guilt and fear and inner hatred and the h is unable deal with any of it, so she hightailed it off into the wilderness of Italy.
After the h explains all this to the H, he is very understanding and he takes her back to her hotel after she promises not to run away. The next day the H, the h and the BFF all are at the h's hotel. The H got a little to exuberant in his gropey hand moves and roofie kisses again and the h panics, cause she believes the H just wants revenge.
The BFF shows up to help the h if she needs it and there is a big argument. The management comes to kick them all out and they think the h is a tart for hire. The BFF then explains his connections in the area and that the h is his cousin.
The h is quick to jump in with the H being her fiance and between the BFF's high society contacts and the Italian's love of Opera-worthy family drama, everything is smoothed over. They all go to the BFF's luxurious borrowed villa and the H drags the h off into the gardens.
The h tries to push the H away again, but he finally tells her that he loves her and has since he first saw her. In CL's HPlandia, Love conquers even the Sin of Anger and the h and H make plans to get married right there in Italy. (The H also insists that the h is going to therapy as soon as they get back from their honeymoon.)
The BFF does a food porn feast that soothes everyone's savage beasts inside and with lashings of a great Italian Red Wine, we have a quick but lovely Italian Al Fresco Wedding with a last minute rush of imported English guests and we leave these two hopefully ready to start off on their HEA.
This one is very intense emotionally and very short on time. The entire book takes place in the space of three days. There is much more focus on the h's panic and a whole lot of dramatic suspense as CL builds the story up to the h's big reveal.
The food is lovely, as is the travelogue. This H is definitely one of CL's most nurturing and I liked the twist she put into his character of being patient and concerned, instead of a the usual Alpha Bully CL hero. (Tho he did have those Alpha Bully traits, he was able to reign them in to get the h to talk.)
The h was fragile and helpless and a bit pathetic, but I did have a lot sympathy for her plight. She was kinda like a blind kitten stumbling around until she bumped into things, so I had a lot more patience than most readers will.
There is not a lot of romance in this, but the exploration of the damaging inward results of the h's repressed anger was a great contrast to the H's more healthy expressions of his wrath and worth the time spent on this little HPlandia outing.
The next book is the last and it explores the sin of Sloth. Inaction or delayed actions can be a mortal blow - just think of those smiling Three Toed Bradypus Sloths in Panama. They need a Special Sloth Crossing Guard just to make it across the highway without risking a very grim and untimely end before they even really begin.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 26, 2020
Heavy on the dysfunction, light on the romance.
This would have been a 1-star read but it was the wonderful hero, Stephen, who elevated it AND Gabriella, the heroine. Stephen loved Gabriella despite her tendency to shut him out: she was traumatized because of a childhood incident, and, boy, that train never stopped running!
I don't mind dysfunctional heroines, but there comes a time in the story when said characters need to develop some inner strength. Otherwise, they just become annoying—to the point where one pities the hero and the happy ending remains unconvincing. I really didn't see much emotional growth on Gabriella's part by the novel's end. It also didn't help that the present events of the narrative occurred in just a few days, so the chances of Gabriella bailing again seemed highly probable.
In an ideal world Gabriella would have received the professional therapy she *desperately* needed. (Love has the power to transform, but I don't believe Stephen's love alone was enough to heal Gabriella.) Stephen certainly deserved a HEA, but he didn't deserve Gabriella.
This would have been a 1-star read but it was the wonderful hero, Stephen, who elevated it AND Gabriella, the heroine. Stephen loved Gabriella despite her tendency to shut him out: she was traumatized because of a childhood incident, and, boy, that train never stopped running!
I don't mind dysfunctional heroines, but there comes a time in the story when said characters need to develop some inner strength. Otherwise, they just become annoying—to the point where one pities the hero and the happy ending remains unconvincing. I really didn't see much emotional growth on Gabriella's part by the novel's end. It also didn't help that the present events of the narrative occurred in just a few days, so the chances of Gabriella bailing again seemed highly probable.
In an ideal world Gabriella would have received the professional therapy she *desperately* needed. (Love has the power to transform, but I don't believe Stephen's love alone was enough to heal Gabriella.) Stephen certainly deserved a HEA, but he didn't deserve Gabriella.
September 23, 2020
Holy daddy issues, Batman!
Heroine jilts the hero the morning of the wedding. She flees to a family friend in Italy (OM). Although she can't articulate - even to herself - why she can't marry the hero, she does know that she was so traumatized by something that happened when she was 13 that she can’t risk getting close to anyone.
Hero catches up with her in Italy. The truth wins out. Hero forgives her and confesses his love for an HEA
That’s pretty much the plot. The heroine is truly neurotic and the hero is beyond patient. The OM, the family friend, sacrifices his white Lamborghini to help her. CL really didn’t give heroine much of a personality beyond “freaked out” to judge why these men were so protective of her. But they were and that’s why there is an unearned HEA.
Boogenhagen tackles why CL filed this story under “anger” in her seven deadly sins series, so I won’t go into it. Let’s just say I’m not buying what CL is selling.
However – the setting of Lake Como in Italy is heavenly and worth reading for those descriptions alone. CL really has a knack for bringing a place alive with few words.
Heroine jilts the hero the morning of the wedding. She flees to a family friend in Italy (OM). Although she can't articulate - even to herself - why she can't marry the hero, she does know that she was so traumatized by something that happened when she was 13 that she can’t risk getting close to anyone.
Hero catches up with her in Italy. The truth wins out. Hero forgives her and confesses his love for an HEA
That’s pretty much the plot. The heroine is truly neurotic and the hero is beyond patient. The OM, the family friend, sacrifices his white Lamborghini to help her. CL really didn’t give heroine much of a personality beyond “freaked out” to judge why these men were so protective of her. But they were and that’s why there is an unearned HEA.
Boogenhagen tackles why CL filed this story under “anger” in her seven deadly sins series, so I won’t go into it. Let’s just say I’m not buying what CL is selling.
However – the setting of Lake Como in Italy is heavenly and worth reading for those descriptions alone. CL really has a knack for bringing a place alive with few words.
March 2, 2013
3.5 stars rounded up.
Ok, let me think. To start, this one was not named correctly at all. It should've been Jerked Around and Justifiably Pissed or some similar title. Angry Desire?, eh, didn't quite fit.
I picked this one up thinking that I was going to read about some hostile alpha hero bullying on a Mary Sue and instead got a irritated and fact-seeking beta trying to find out what's really wrong with his little escaped pigeon (he knew all along that there was something... surprise, surprise.) Don't get me wrong, he did his fair share of wrist grabbing and punishing kisses but he was actually more or less stable...ish.
What was wrong floored my arse. Yeah, I saw the shelves and knew she had an abusive background but it wasn't all over the top and unbelievable. It was really sad! I admit I sprung a leak or two. If the bad guy had been some greasy, shifty eyed dude, it wouldn't have bothered me so bad. Good job there on the tragedy, Charlotte.
And then there was that extra guy. I kinda thought she should have ended up with him. They had history and telepathy and all. But he wasn't tall so you know that just won't do.
So in general, this one wasn't the total trainwreck that I expected but it was heavy. Those with issues with sexual abuse might want to avoid this one. Otherwise, not half bad.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2016
I had honestly forgotten that I ever read this until I read a friend's review of it on GR. What I remember is that it takes place in Italy, where our heroine runs off to after jilting her groom back in England. The reason? She realized that she wasn't able to consummate the marriage after the Big, Terrible, Trauma in her Past. I thought the story overall lackluster and not CL's best (obviously, since I had forgotten I even read it!).
November 5, 2016
People will either love this book or hate. I am definitely in the I HATE IT category due to one of the worst heroine's ever. Given the nature and level of angst which some readers will love, I'll just leave it at a 3 star.
Gabriela the h leaves Stephen at the altar. The morning of her wedding she wakes up terrified at the thought of marrying him. Why? He kissed her and put the moves on her the night before, waking her up to the fact that she might have to have sex after the wedding. Hmm, who would think.
She runs to Italy and the only person that ever really knew her, an Italian boy from the deep dark past. The h is an orphan from way back. Her mother died and her father died shortly after upon which she was shuffled around the family and boarding school. She's a teensy bit shut down; she even says she was sleepwalking through her engagement.
Stephen tracks her down and while abSOLUTEly furious that she dumped AND humiliated him is much more reasonable about everything than I was. Apply two by four. Her whining and blame-gaming was nauseatingly irritating. Ugh. The truth is revealed, and I'll stop being flippant. Her backstory is terrible and explains some of her sexual issues as well as emotional sleepwalking. The H actually makes a statement that is rarely heard in Harley-land but should be stated repeatedly, You needed therapy. Lots of therapy. That's putting it mildly. I am going to skip the spoiler.
Well, apparently he has therapeutic hands and mouth as she is cured. It's a romance miracle. They marry in Italy, and poor guy, he's a basket case hoping she'll make it to the altar.
Frankly, he should have done a runner as do not see HEA in this couple's future.
Gabriela the h leaves Stephen at the altar. The morning of her wedding she wakes up terrified at the thought of marrying him. Why? He kissed her and put the moves on her the night before, waking her up to the fact that she might have to have sex after the wedding. Hmm, who would think.
She runs to Italy and the only person that ever really knew her, an Italian boy from the deep dark past. The h is an orphan from way back. Her mother died and her father died shortly after upon which she was shuffled around the family and boarding school. She's a teensy bit shut down; she even says she was sleepwalking through her engagement.
Stephen tracks her down and while abSOLUTEly furious that she dumped AND humiliated him is much more reasonable about everything than I was. Apply two by four. Her whining and blame-gaming was nauseatingly irritating. Ugh. The truth is revealed, and I'll stop being flippant. Her backstory is terrible and explains some of her sexual issues as well as emotional sleepwalking. The H actually makes a statement that is rarely heard in Harley-land but should be stated repeatedly, You needed therapy. Lots of therapy. That's putting it mildly. I am going to skip the spoiler.
Well, apparently he has therapeutic hands and mouth as she is cured. It's a romance miracle. They marry in Italy, and poor guy, he's a basket case hoping she'll make it to the altar.
Frankly, he should have done a runner as do not see HEA in this couple's future.
August 27, 2017
No plot and sadly no romance! :(
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March 18, 2021
I picked this one picked up because the premise seemed really interesting. Half-Italian Gabriella is about to be married to the wealthy, domineering Stephen, but events in her past make her wary of intimacy. So she flees to Italy on the day of the wedding... but it doesn't take her erstwhile fiancé long to track her down.
This could've been really excellent. The bones of the plot are satisfying, and I can imagine how sensual and dramatic their reunion would've been. Unfortunately, Lamb chose to bleed those things out of the book. Instead, there's more psychoanalysis than romance. The heroine's repeated assertion that she wishes to die didn't inspire me with confidence, and Stephen is a cardboard caricature of the usual HP hero.
This could've been really excellent. The bones of the plot are satisfying, and I can imagine how sensual and dramatic their reunion would've been. Unfortunately, Lamb chose to bleed those things out of the book. Instead, there's more psychoanalysis than romance. The heroine's repeated assertion that she wishes to die didn't inspire me with confidence, and Stephen is a cardboard caricature of the usual HP hero.
November 18, 2012
This is fairly typical Charlotte Lamb fare, I think, with a domineering and apparently frightening hero and a shrinkingly delicate heroine who frequently lashes out in shrill and immature behaviour. The entire book is basically a push-pull between them, as the book begins with her ditching him practically at the altar, and he chases after her. (The running away part is particularly hilarious, as apparently the hero can get phone lines bugged at the drop of a hat.) Naturally he finds her almost immediately, and the drama really gets underway.
Neither of the characters seem to have much to them, other than their tortured relationship, and it's hard to imagine them having any kind of a real life together. The hero does nevertheless have some appeal, though, and there was something kind of cracktastically compelling about the story.
The one thing that was a real fly in the ointment is the "Seven Deadly Sins" theme imposed on the book. This particular story is the "Anger" installment, and Lamb peppers the story with references to anger in a most artificial and distracting way.
Neither of the characters seem to have much to them, other than their tortured relationship, and it's hard to imagine them having any kind of a real life together. The hero does nevertheless have some appeal, though, and there was something kind of cracktastically compelling about the story.
The one thing that was a real fly in the ointment is the "Seven Deadly Sins" theme imposed on the book. This particular story is the "Anger" installment, and Lamb peppers the story with references to anger in a most artificial and distracting way.
April 10, 2018
Poor Stephen! He gets stood up at the altar and chases after his runaway bride to find out why she dumped him. To me you could tell from the start that he was in love with the h but she was a bit of a cow to him tbh - even at the end of the book. Stephen handles himself admirably throughout the majority of the book and despite being obviously jealous of her friend (OM) he never calls her out on it.
Our H does let himself down slightly by continuing a seduction after our h Gabriella says no although he does eventually get a clue and stops. Our h is traumatised by an incident in childhood but she really need some counselling and to grab her man before he realises he can find a woman willing to love him.
The main bulk of the story actually takes place over a very short timespan of days rather than weeks/months if angst.
I would have rated the story higher if our h had grown a spine and told our H she loved him before the last page and also I want the OM (her childhood friend) to have his own HEA in another story as he is one of the few in these books that's a nice guy.
Our H does let himself down slightly by continuing a seduction after our h Gabriella says no although he does eventually get a clue and stops. Our h is traumatised by an incident in childhood but she really need some counselling and to grab her man before he realises he can find a woman willing to love him.
The main bulk of the story actually takes place over a very short timespan of days rather than weeks/months if angst.
I would have rated the story higher if our h had grown a spine and told our H she loved him before the last page and also I want the OM (her childhood friend) to have his own HEA in another story as he is one of the few in these books that's a nice guy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2015
this had so much potential but failed to live up to most of it. The Heroine was simply bizarre (although, to be fair, she had been through a traumatic life experience). But some of her thoughts and ideas were weird beyond comprehension or justification. The hero on the other hand, had grey eyes ( as is usual with CL's heroes) and none of the violence - even though there was enough scope and reason for him to be that way. He was understanding and didn't once drag the h across his knees for a spanking ( even after being jilted at the altar.)
And then, there was the childhood friend/cousin, who makes an appearance of such length that I started wondering if this was the actual H of the book (or if it was going to turn into a threesome of sorts). lol!
Thankfully, everything resolves itself amicably and we have a story that is interesting and different with Ms. Lamb's unique style of writing (that I happen to enjoy very much.) So, 3 Stars!
And then, there was the childhood friend/cousin, who makes an appearance of such length that I started wondering if this was the actual H of the book (or if it was going to turn into a threesome of sorts). lol!
Thankfully, everything resolves itself amicably and we have a story that is interesting and different with Ms. Lamb's unique style of writing (that I happen to enjoy very much.) So, 3 Stars!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 18, 2016
Heroine annoyed me, not believable enough to see why leads love/attracted to each other, October 2, 2013
MY THOUGHTS: Spoilers ahead. I was dissatisfied by the story. It seemed lacking and I did not get the sense that the leads really knew each that well at the end of the book to be married or even what attracted one to the other. The book starts out with the heroine running out on the hero on their wedding day. The book goes on to talk about her escape, hero coming after her, her "mysterious" reason for running out, then their eventual make up and wedding. The beginning seemed interesting because of the "mystery". The reader is lured into reading to determine why she ran out on the hero and you have no choice but to read almost to the very end to find out why. However, the book doesn't really give enough description or compelling reason (not sure if I'm using the right word) to show the reader why the hero was attracted/so into the heroine and vice versa. Sure the author said they went on dates and they talked a lot etc. etc. but saying it instead of showing/writing scenes of the leads together to demonstrate that chemistry/attraction wasn't the same. And I was faintly annoyed that the heroine kept referring to the other male character as being super close to her, can read her mind, etc. etc. Geez, then go be with the other man then! The heroine was annoying to me. Definitely childish, irritatingly naïve with no sense of the consequences of her actions. The hero was somewhat typical rich gorgeous alpha male and controlling. In this particular case I think he definitely needed to be as the heroine definitely needed some controlling and spanking lol. Yes, the mystery was certainly awful and traumatic but unfortunately, the heroine's character didn't make me too sympathetic for her. I think the heroine treated the hero somewhat unfairly. Somewhere in the middle or close to the end of the book, the heroine finally reveals what happens. I just felt there was a lot of talking and sharing and not much action/chemistry/attraction. And then wham at the end of the book she seemed to just realizes she really loves the hero and yes she is not traumatized anymore about marrying him. And then wham, it's revealed that the other male she is super duper duper close too is her cousin, so don't worry readers, he is not a contender. Yeah, a disappointing book for me. Will not bother reading again.
MY THOUGHTS: Spoilers ahead. I was dissatisfied by the story. It seemed lacking and I did not get the sense that the leads really knew each that well at the end of the book to be married or even what attracted one to the other. The book starts out with the heroine running out on the hero on their wedding day. The book goes on to talk about her escape, hero coming after her, her "mysterious" reason for running out, then their eventual make up and wedding. The beginning seemed interesting because of the "mystery". The reader is lured into reading to determine why she ran out on the hero and you have no choice but to read almost to the very end to find out why. However, the book doesn't really give enough description or compelling reason (not sure if I'm using the right word) to show the reader why the hero was attracted/so into the heroine and vice versa. Sure the author said they went on dates and they talked a lot etc. etc. but saying it instead of showing/writing scenes of the leads together to demonstrate that chemistry/attraction wasn't the same. And I was faintly annoyed that the heroine kept referring to the other male character as being super close to her, can read her mind, etc. etc. Geez, then go be with the other man then! The heroine was annoying to me. Definitely childish, irritatingly naïve with no sense of the consequences of her actions. The hero was somewhat typical rich gorgeous alpha male and controlling. In this particular case I think he definitely needed to be as the heroine definitely needed some controlling and spanking lol. Yes, the mystery was certainly awful and traumatic but unfortunately, the heroine's character didn't make me too sympathetic for her. I think the heroine treated the hero somewhat unfairly. Somewhere in the middle or close to the end of the book, the heroine finally reveals what happens. I just felt there was a lot of talking and sharing and not much action/chemistry/attraction. And then wham at the end of the book she seemed to just realizes she really loves the hero and yes she is not traumatized anymore about marrying him. And then wham, it's revealed that the other male she is super duper duper close too is her cousin, so don't worry readers, he is not a contender. Yeah, a disappointing book for me. Will not bother reading again.
August 19, 2018
Meh...taken in context of the title, the theme for this book, the sin of anger (rage) didn’t quite cut it. It’s as if the author forgot her theme and rather than do a whole re-write, inserted the emotion anger randomly.Although that being said, the fiancé definitely had cause to be angry when the heroine ran out on him on their wedding day.
If we completely ignore the intended theme, then it’s a decent story, it kept me riveted enough to want to know what her big trauma was and to see how her fiancé eventually found her.
SPOILERS:
When she was 13, her mother had just died and her father was too sick to take care of her. She stayed with the family of the aunt and uncle and she truly loved her uncle since he was so nice and caring towards her. Of course she didn’t know Uncle was a pedo until he tried to molest her. She screams, uncle is taken away and charged. Then he commits suicide. She goes to live with her grandmother who blames her for “seducing” her son. So the heroine is traumatised for life.
She agrees to marry the Hero, who has been treating her gently (obviously he knows she is skittish) but when he gets too passionate on the night before their wedding, she freaks out and does a runner.
She runs to an old friend in Italy, but the Hero tracks her down soon enough. A lot of the rest of the story is the angst over whether to tell him, or not, and the Hero trying to get an explanation.
All this happens in the span of 2-3 days. In the end they resolve their issues. The Hero makes it clear he has loved her at first sight, though he realised she didn’t feel the same immediately. They reschedule their wedding and decide to do it in Italy.
If we completely ignore the intended theme, then it’s a decent story, it kept me riveted enough to want to know what her big trauma was and to see how her fiancé eventually found her.
SPOILERS:
When she was 13, her mother had just died and her father was too sick to take care of her. She stayed with the family of the aunt and uncle and she truly loved her uncle since he was so nice and caring towards her. Of course she didn’t know Uncle was a pedo until he tried to molest her. She screams, uncle is taken away and charged. Then he commits suicide. She goes to live with her grandmother who blames her for “seducing” her son. So the heroine is traumatised for life.
She agrees to marry the Hero, who has been treating her gently (obviously he knows she is skittish) but when he gets too passionate on the night before their wedding, she freaks out and does a runner.
She runs to an old friend in Italy, but the Hero tracks her down soon enough. A lot of the rest of the story is the angst over whether to tell him, or not, and the Hero trying to get an explanation.
All this happens in the span of 2-3 days. In the end they resolve their issues. The Hero makes it clear he has loved her at first sight, though he realised she didn’t feel the same immediately. They reschedule their wedding and decide to do it in Italy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 23, 2022
It was good, but the ending was not satisfactory. She had always backed away for passion, frightened.
Then after the ‘I love you’ and the marriage ceremony her fear of intimacy, of touching and be touched has suddenly gone?
What happens in their wedding night should therefore have been included in the story, but it wasn’t. They never went all the way in the book.
As for the title, the writer points at the rage - or the anger - of the h. But I don’t see any rage in the h, only fear and imbalance and a sense of guilt and lots of drama. She is scared all the time.
Then after the ‘I love you’ and the marriage ceremony her fear of intimacy, of touching and be touched has suddenly gone?
What happens in their wedding night should therefore have been included in the story, but it wasn’t. They never went all the way in the book.
As for the title, the writer points at the rage - or the anger - of the h. But I don’t see any rage in the h, only fear and imbalance and a sense of guilt and lots of drama. She is scared all the time.
September 1, 2013
More like 4.5. Premise was different and played out well till the end. I think most people will like it. The thing that separates it from other formulatic stories is that you sympathise with the characters ( all of them). I don't know why but for some reason I thought it was written by Carole Mortimer...
October 1, 2012
Fairly predictable, but I still liked this one. Liked the hero particularly -- he seemed strong, protective, and very in love with the heroine.
March 9, 2025
This one really got on my nerves!! The h was in bad need of psychiatric help, resulting from an incident in her early adolescence for which she was blamed by her bat crap family. After losing her parents, she was starved for affection and turned to her uncle as a substitute father (her stone-cold aunt was no substitute mom), but this unhappy, troubled (as well as horny) man mistook her innocent affection for desire and tried to force himself on her when she was only 13! He killed himself (good riddance) and her crummy grandmother blamed her for leading him on! (WTF!!!!!) So, it's understandable that this messed her up, being made to feel like it was her fault!
Aside from a childhood friend she confided in (the OM in the story) she wanted to forget what happened but couldn't, and she'd go from feeling unworthy, to being unhappy, to getting angry, to acting irrationally (running out on the H on their wedding day, and running to the OM for help in "escaping", then having multiple mood swings, blaming the H, blaming herself, blaming the world, etc.), when if she had gotten the therapy she so desperately needed, all this mess could have been avoided.
She should have known she wasn't ready for marriage (or any kind of commitment) and never have gotten involved with the H. Her think he just wanted to settle down, have a family. etc. made her believe he wouldn't require emotions (like love) that she wasn't able to give (thinking she's not worthy), yet it's soon apparent she can't face the sexual side, either. She was really in a pathetic state, and H being the jealous, possessive e type didn't help matters any.
I thought it was a good bit of symbolism when the h decides to cut her long hair (after she plays the runaway bride), despite everyone's protests. At first, you think it's because she wants to appear different in case the H has people looking for her, but then you realize she wanted to get rid of a link to her younger days, as she had that long hair when her uncle got turned on by her. (I'm surprised she hadn't cut it a long time before that.)
It was a bit of a stretch when the H and OM, who seemed about ready to fight a duel over the h (though the OM's feelings were brotherly rather than romantic), suddenly become allies and agree on what's best for the h (who sure didn't know that herself), and suddenly everything's on the right track.
WRONG!!! While the h (finally) tells the H the whole story and agrees she needs help, the H decides he wants to marry her ASAP and then she can start therapy. Wouldn't it have made more sense for her to get therapy first, before taking on the commitment of marriage? I would think so!
If you like your books big on bat crap, you'll love this one!
Aside from a childhood friend she confided in (the OM in the story) she wanted to forget what happened but couldn't, and she'd go from feeling unworthy, to being unhappy, to getting angry, to acting irrationally (running out on the H on their wedding day, and running to the OM for help in "escaping", then having multiple mood swings, blaming the H, blaming herself, blaming the world, etc.), when if she had gotten the therapy she so desperately needed, all this mess could have been avoided.
She should have known she wasn't ready for marriage (or any kind of commitment) and never have gotten involved with the H. Her think he just wanted to settle down, have a family. etc. made her believe he wouldn't require emotions (like love) that she wasn't able to give (thinking she's not worthy), yet it's soon apparent she can't face the sexual side, either. She was really in a pathetic state, and H being the jealous, possessive e type didn't help matters any.
I thought it was a good bit of symbolism when the h decides to cut her long hair (after she plays the runaway bride), despite everyone's protests. At first, you think it's because she wants to appear different in case the H has people looking for her, but then you realize she wanted to get rid of a link to her younger days, as she had that long hair when her uncle got turned on by her. (I'm surprised she hadn't cut it a long time before that.)
It was a bit of a stretch when the H and OM, who seemed about ready to fight a duel over the h (though the OM's feelings were brotherly rather than romantic), suddenly become allies and agree on what's best for the h (who sure didn't know that herself), and suddenly everything's on the right track.
WRONG!!! While the h (finally) tells the H the whole story and agrees she needs help, the H decides he wants to marry her ASAP and then she can start therapy. Wouldn't it have made more sense for her to get therapy first, before taking on the commitment of marriage? I would think so!
If you like your books big on bat crap, you'll love this one!
hq-to-read
November 12, 2019Sins
Wedding nerves…
This was supposed to be the happiest day of Gabriella's life�her wedding day. But last night the fear had finally begun to tear her apart and she knew she couldn't go through with the ceremony.
She could walk out, vanish. But Stephen would search for her until he found her. And then she would have to face the truth: that she was frightened to make love with her husband-to-be!
Love can conquer the deadliest of Sins.
Wedding nerves…
This was supposed to be the happiest day of Gabriella's life�her wedding day. But last night the fear had finally begun to tear her apart and she knew she couldn't go through with the ceremony.
She could walk out, vanish. But Stephen would search for her until he found her. And then she would have to face the truth: that she was frightened to make love with her husband-to-be!
Love can conquer the deadliest of Sins.
October 22, 2019
I'm consistently surprised by the topics Charlotte Lamb tackles amidst the punishing kisses and overwrought drama - in this case, . On the other hand, she was writing in the 90s, which wasn't all that long ago... but romance novels always feel older for some reason.
October 11, 2017
No bad
Nice enough story with some good characters and it did hold your imagination. It was a bit dated in the way the female character was treated by her family. Not sure why the male lead did not force a confrontation sooner. He didn't hesitate to do so now.
Nice enough story with some good characters and it did hold your imagination. It was a bit dated in the way the female character was treated by her family. Not sure why the male lead did not force a confrontation sooner. He didn't hesitate to do so now.
June 18, 2017
2,5/5
July 23, 2019
Needed more emotional engagement from the H but wasn't too bad.
April 24, 2022
The H is sweet but the h need her head check
February 9, 2025
It was as usual for CL beautifully written, but not that much happens. She figures out his psychology and all will be well.
December 3, 2012
This book had me crying my eyes out. Gabriella walks out on Stephen on the day of their wedding. She runs off to Italy where her childhood friend meets her quickly followed by Stephen who wants to know her reasons for leaving him at the altar. Gabriella's reasons are heartwrenching and the hurt that Stephen feels at her rejection is palpable yet he is strong, loving and knows that he cannot heal her. Bravo. Wonderful book. My only reason for four rather than five stars was that the "angry" in the book didn't resonate for me. Yes, there was anger but the word was overused and I ended up ignoring the word as I read. This did not change the impact of the story for me at all.
PS the edition I read had a laughing couple on the cover (not listed on Goodreads). This showed to me how cover designers are not briefed properly and possibly the lack of interest/understanding from the publishing team doing the broefing.
PS the edition I read had a laughing couple on the cover (not listed on Goodreads). This showed to me how cover designers are not briefed properly and possibly the lack of interest/understanding from the publishing team doing the broefing.
June 1, 2024
It was not as good as the earlier M&B books, as I felt that there was too much analysing of feelings and guilt, although I know that these things are difficult, but it was taking ages to get on with the story. Nice romantic setting for the end, though. I was not very impressed with this story as a whole, which is why I only gave it 1 star. I'm disappointed with the characters, too, very mundane and boring!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2025
Reread: (not sure when started, a week ago? 2? I’m in a weird mood lately, it’s hard to read) - 8 December 2021
13 August 2025
13 August 2025
Read
December 31, 2017This was supposed to be the happiest day of Gabriella's life--her wedding day. But last night the fear had finally begun to tear her apart and she knew she couldn't go through with the ceremony.
She could walk out, vanish. But Stephen would search for her until he found her. And then she would have to face the truth: that she was frightened to make love with her husband-to-be!
She could walk out, vanish. But Stephen would search for her until he found her. And then she would have to face the truth: that she was frightened to make love with her husband-to-be!
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