What do you think?
Rate this book
Forbidden Surrender
Forbidden Surrender by Carole Mortimer released on Sep 24, 1982 is available now for purchase.
186 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
36 people are currently reading
275 people want to read
About the author
Carole Mortimer
1,296 books907 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
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
November 20, 2019
*Not really a review, just random rants, ample spoilers too.*
I have more than few gripes here. And then there are a few things that are not explained or not tied up.
The first time the H sees the h at a casino/club (mistaking her for his fiancee/her long lost twin), he gives her a look of dislike and even roughs her up a bit, while usually he is an adoring and caring fiancé, which was confusing. It is later hinted that it was because he sensed the difference at some subliminal level. But if it is so, then why is he still getting confused between the two at the next few meets? Only the father btw, is able to identify them correctly. Even the other guy, Dan gets mixed up between the h and the love of his life- Marie - the twin. *eyeroll*
To begin with the twin, Marie is hinted as a heartless flirt who goes out with different men (even though she is engaged), and then later she metamorphoses into a sweet vivacious ingénue!
If she loves one man (Dan), and is engaged to another (Dominic, the H) whom she admires and adores, why does she need to date all these other men? Her breakup with Dan and engagement with Dominic is purportedly to save and spare Dan’s feeling (as she is dying..there I said it!). So why is she flitting around and flirting (only,I hope!) with whoever comes her way? Makes no sense as Dan has already got the message. Maybe to live her life out to the max before…? And meanwhile her fiancé looks on indulgently.
I disliked the h, Sara for the simple reason that she not only covets her long-lost twin’s fiancé, but also gets in bed with him and then hopes that he will now marry her and not the twin! Of course as a reader we are aware that it is the h whom the H desires and loves, and only duty binds him to the twin but the h is not aware that it's a fake engagement or of her twin's feelings, so it was nauseating. She never even gives a thought to her sister - no guilt /concern /remorse at all, not for a moment! They never even discuss his engaged status or his inappropriate attraction to the h, but just go at each other. The H does stop before the actual act as he realises she is an innocent. Well, buddy there may be different definitions of innocent but she would not be in any of mine.
Of course, no one can predict or stop who you are going to fall in love with, but still some morals, integrity is called for. And all this while she judges people by completely different standards. She cannot forgive her long lost father (a very sweet albeit clueless guy) for being unfaithful to her mother 20 years ago (fidelity and integrity are very important to her, you see) ... or for being a party to separating her from her twin when they were just infants. It is mentioned several times how much she loves and cares for her newly discovered twin, but it all seems patently false and over alluded as her actions never match her supposed feelings at any time.
At one time in the book … ‘She did something in that moment that she had never done before, she deliberately violated someone else's privacy, looking through the address book on her father's desk in his study..’
Never violated someone’s privacy?! I really sniggered here. This was after she repeatedly begs her sister’s fiancé to take her to bed. At no point in the book does she slap him off when he repeatedly grabs and gropes her; rather she barely puts in a token protest and joins in enthusiastically. She is never affronted on her friend/twin’s behalf, rather she only snipes at him when he stops and then she taunts him on his engaged status. One of the bitchiest hs ever!
And if it was only a pretend engagement (between the twin and the H) why are the ‘intendeds’ always having necking sessions every time they meet and for whose benefit is it? The h’s? Because the parents on both sides know the truth and no one else is present. I found it quite disturbing. And can it be just an innocent ‘enjoyment’ as the twin later says. The H supposedly loves the h at this point and the twin is not only aware of the mutual attraction (as she discloses later) but is also in love with someone else. And then sometimes the H is actually looking torn as to which of the identicals he actually wants to grab, and the twin happily teases him on this. Wow! Such mixed up creep-peeps!
And if the twin is dying/may die why isn't the h told? Can it really be excused? They have discovered each other after 20 odd years and she may lose her again, so wouldn't it be better to prepare her rather than throwing her at the deep end when/if the event occurs.*smh* Idiots! The lot!
Truly as the tagline says.. "It's not a situation. It's a bloody mess!"
The only person I truly like is the unassuming but discerning Eddie , the h’s friend/occasional date who seems the wisest and the coolest of the lot. I cannot even put this book on my 'i ship h-om' shelf as I wouldn't wish this lady on such a lovely lad!
I have more than few gripes here. And then there are a few things that are not explained or not tied up.
The first time the H sees the h at a casino/club (mistaking her for his fiancee/her long lost twin), he gives her a look of dislike and even roughs her up a bit, while usually he is an adoring and caring fiancé, which was confusing. It is later hinted that it was because he sensed the difference at some subliminal level. But if it is so, then why is he still getting confused between the two at the next few meets? Only the father btw, is able to identify them correctly. Even the other guy, Dan gets mixed up between the h and the love of his life- Marie - the twin. *eyeroll*
To begin with the twin, Marie is hinted as a heartless flirt who goes out with different men (even though she is engaged), and then later she metamorphoses into a sweet vivacious ingénue!
If she loves one man (Dan), and is engaged to another (Dominic, the H) whom she admires and adores, why does she need to date all these other men? Her breakup with Dan and engagement with Dominic is purportedly to save and spare Dan’s feeling (as she is dying..there I said it!). So why is she flitting around and flirting (only,I hope!) with whoever comes her way? Makes no sense as Dan has already got the message. Maybe to live her life out to the max before…? And meanwhile her fiancé looks on indulgently.
I disliked the h, Sara for the simple reason that she not only covets her long-lost twin’s fiancé, but also gets in bed with him and then hopes that he will now marry her and not the twin! Of course as a reader we are aware that it is the h whom the H desires and loves, and only duty binds him to the twin but the h is not aware that it's a fake engagement or of her twin's feelings, so it was nauseating. She never even gives a thought to her sister - no guilt /concern /remorse at all, not for a moment! They never even discuss his engaged status or his inappropriate attraction to the h, but just go at each other. The H does stop before the actual act as he realises she is an innocent. Well, buddy there may be different definitions of innocent but she would not be in any of mine.
Of course, no one can predict or stop who you are going to fall in love with, but still some morals, integrity is called for. And all this while she judges people by completely different standards. She cannot forgive her long lost father (a very sweet albeit clueless guy) for being unfaithful to her mother 20 years ago (fidelity and integrity are very important to her, you see) ... or for being a party to separating her from her twin when they were just infants. It is mentioned several times how much she loves and cares for her newly discovered twin, but it all seems patently false and over alluded as her actions never match her supposed feelings at any time.
At one time in the book … ‘She did something in that moment that she had never done before, she deliberately violated someone else's privacy, looking through the address book on her father's desk in his study..’
Never violated someone’s privacy?! I really sniggered here. This was after she repeatedly begs her sister’s fiancé to take her to bed. At no point in the book does she slap him off when he repeatedly grabs and gropes her; rather she barely puts in a token protest and joins in enthusiastically. She is never affronted on her friend/twin’s behalf, rather she only snipes at him when he stops and then she taunts him on his engaged status. One of the bitchiest hs ever!
And if it was only a pretend engagement (between the twin and the H) why are the ‘intendeds’ always having necking sessions every time they meet and for whose benefit is it? The h’s? Because the parents on both sides know the truth and no one else is present. I found it quite disturbing. And can it be just an innocent ‘enjoyment’ as the twin later says. The H supposedly loves the h at this point and the twin is not only aware of the mutual attraction (as she discloses later) but is also in love with someone else. And then sometimes the H is actually looking torn as to which of the identicals he actually wants to grab, and the twin happily teases him on this. Wow! Such mixed up creep-peeps!
And if the twin is dying/may die why isn't the h told? Can it really be excused? They have discovered each other after 20 odd years and she may lose her again, so wouldn't it be better to prepare her rather than throwing her at the deep end when/if the event occurs.*smh* Idiots! The lot!
Truly as the tagline says.. "It's not a situation. It's a bloody mess!"
The only person I truly like is the unassuming but discerning Eddie , the h’s friend/occasional date who seems the wisest and the coolest of the lot. I cannot even put this book on my 'i ship h-om' shelf as I wouldn't wish this lady on such a lovely lad!
June 14, 2020
Carole Mortimer uses the mistaken identity/identical twins trope to get this story off to an interesting start, but I got a bit bored midway when the "romance" between the H and h comes to an impasse because he is engaged to her sister. I liked the heroine and the hero was ok for an arrogant asshole but I hated her sick, dying sister. Seriously. Maybe I'm the bitch here but the sister just rubbed me the wrong way. She was sweet and kind to the heroine so that's not why I hated her.
She was just so fucking useless and whiny. The hero was the usual over the top type of entitled rich bastard that vintage Mortimer loved to create. It was so ironic that he got mad and accused the sweet innocent heroine of being slutty when he's engaged to the sister who is a veritable cock connoisseur. How hypocritical. Slutty sister gets away with her sluttiness while she's engaged to him but he gets mental about every guy who comes around the heroine. Jealousy in a H like this, who is engaged to another woman, just drives me up the effing wall.
The other big surprise out of left field is the supposed love between the H's little brother and the heroine's slutty sister. For a girl who is dying, engaged and supposedly in true love with this this guy, she sure got around ...
She was just so fucking useless and whiny. The hero was the usual over the top type of entitled rich bastard that vintage Mortimer loved to create. It was so ironic that he got mad and accused the sweet innocent heroine of being slutty when he's engaged to the sister who is a veritable cock connoisseur. How hypocritical. Slutty sister gets away with her sluttiness while she's engaged to him but he gets mental about every guy who comes around the heroine. Jealousy in a H like this, who is engaged to another woman, just drives me up the effing wall.
The other big surprise out of left field is the supposed love between the H's little brother and the heroine's slutty sister. For a girl who is dying, engaged and supposedly in true love with this this guy, she sure got around ...
April 23, 2015
Ummm well... the main reason I didn't like this book was because I couldn't feel the chemistry between Sara and Dominic. Everything was Marie (Sara's twin sister). I didn't feel any sparkle, sizzle between the main characters, both were more worried about Marie feelings and sickness than their relationship. Even at the end of the book, Marie helped them to confess their real feelings for each other :(
There wasn't any sex scene between Sara and Dominic, there was almost one, but they never ended the act :/
I try to find things to give this book more stars, but was impossible! I didn't like the hero and the heroine. She gave kisses to three different men during the whole story, she kissed Dominic, Eddie and Pete u_u*
I will give you more details later ;) I am almost asleep :3
There wasn't any sex scene between Sara and Dominic, there was almost one, but they never ended the act :/
I try to find things to give this book more stars, but was impossible! I didn't like the hero and the heroine. She gave kisses to three different men during the whole story, she kissed Dominic, Eddie and Pete u_u*
I will give you more details later ;) I am almost asleep :3
December 26, 2012
I always enjoy Carole Mortimer. For some reason, her books really seem to gel for me. Forbidden Surrender was certainly one of those books. Though this might not appeal to a whole lot of readers, it just seemed to work for me. The storyline mapped very closely to Walt Disney's classic film "The Parent Trap"....Only this time the twins weren't children, but rather grown-up sophisticated, beautiful women.
Two sisters, twins at birth, separated never knowing the other existed, all because their parents decide to divorce and simply divide them just like furniture, records, property, etc.. What the heck there are two of them. Years later, one twin decides to return to England to visit with long lost relatives. Of course, while there she keeps being mistaken for someone else. Someone who looks just like her.
This was fun and engaging...and I just went with the flow. This isn't a book that you can cling to reality for any length of time. It just doesn't work. But if you enjoyed the Parent Trap, then I think you will like this. It's a bit more sophisticated with a few secrets sprinkled here and there to keep the readers' interest. And of course, the main man is scrumptious. Throw in a beautiful OW, who just happens to be a long lost sister...and you can't go too wrong.
Two sisters, twins at birth, separated never knowing the other existed, all because their parents decide to divorce and simply divide them just like furniture, records, property, etc.. What the heck there are two of them. Years later, one twin decides to return to England to visit with long lost relatives. Of course, while there she keeps being mistaken for someone else. Someone who looks just like her.
This was fun and engaging...and I just went with the flow. This isn't a book that you can cling to reality for any length of time. It just doesn't work. But if you enjoyed the Parent Trap, then I think you will like this. It's a bit more sophisticated with a few secrets sprinkled here and there to keep the readers' interest. And of course, the main man is scrumptious. Throw in a beautiful OW, who just happens to be a long lost sister...and you can't go too wrong.
June 26, 2013
Wow! One hot man and twin sweet sisters all involved in a love triangle! This book was like watching an addictive soap opera, I just couldn't put it down so I read it in one sitting. It's full of intrigue and secrets. CM's old books are just fantastic! Her recent ones are nothing like that unfortunately.
September 28, 2018
"Forbidden Surrender" is the story of Sara and Dominic.
Sara, our heroine has recently suffered a heartbreaking tragedy- losing both her parents and career at once and getting dumped by her vain boyfriend. She travels to England to meet her uncle and aunt, only to come across an angry stranger who refers to her as "Marie".
The coincidences then start mounting up as her relatives continue being secretive, and soon she discovers her doppelganger as well as a family secret that goes years back!
If you enjoy mistaken identities/sister,sister/two sisters one man (but not really) trope- this book shall be an engaging read for you. Without giving away much of the story, I can say I really enjoyed it,and though it was a tad too dramatic, it did make for an entertaining read.
Crazy hero, confused heroine, family secrets, gay pretend boyfriends, heated kisses, boob sucking and relationship drama fill this one- but pretty low on angst except for the secret at the 70% point.
Safe for me/ SWE for some
3.5/5
Sara, our heroine has recently suffered a heartbreaking tragedy- losing both her parents and career at once and getting dumped by her vain boyfriend. She travels to England to meet her uncle and aunt, only to come across an angry stranger who refers to her as "Marie".
The coincidences then start mounting up as her relatives continue being secretive, and soon she discovers her doppelganger as well as a family secret that goes years back!
If you enjoy mistaken identities/sister,sister/two sisters one man (but not really) trope- this book shall be an engaging read for you. Without giving away much of the story, I can say I really enjoyed it,and though it was a tad too dramatic, it did make for an entertaining read.
Crazy hero, confused heroine, family secrets, gay pretend boyfriends, heated kisses, boob sucking and relationship drama fill this one- but pretty low on angst except for the secret at the 70% point.
Safe for me/ SWE for some
3.5/5
February 7, 2017
When pretty American model Sara loses her mother and her step-father in a tragic accident that leaves her injured, she travels to England to connect with her only living relatives.
She meets a nice mechanic and goes on a date, and then angry men start mistaking her for someone named Marie.
'I'm Sara,' she insists. 'Ha ha, nice accent,' they say. 'But you don't fool me! Now I shall say something cranky and puzzling, and tell you to bugger off!'
Sara's fine the first time, but a little blue about the second guy. He's older and handsome and gives her a fluttery feeling.
So it turns out that Sara has an identical twin, Marie. When the two of them were little their father cheated on their mother. She got a divorce and took Sara with her and remarried. Their father kept Marie and stayed in England, and regretted losing the love of his life.
Sara is devastated and angry, and points out that this is horrible. Marie, who is an odd duck of a character, shrugs it off.
Sara's older cranky encounter is Dominic. He's her father's business partner and Marie's fiancé. He's also the one who asks Sara how exactly all of this Parent Trap stuff should have gone down, to which the obvious answer is: bloody hell, not with telling me my dad's dead, and not telling me I have a sister!! Sara's mother was maybe going to bring Sara to England for her 21st birthday and be all: surprise! Can't imagine that would have gone down all that well either.
This is all gloriously angsty with Dominic being all cranky and going in for the snog, and Sara desperately wanting all the snogging she can get but destroying herself over the fact that Dominic probably thinks she's Marie when he's kissing her. She doesn't quite destroy herself enough over how snogging Dominic back is betraying her sister, but there's more angst going on there, and the sister had some interesting priorities underpinned by her own angst.
It's such a shame, because the mechanic was so nice! He was age appropriate, and while probably not much to look at, he was fun to be around and incredibly loyal. I hope he found someone to adore him as much as he deserved, because I'm sure he never for one second looked at how Sara took off with the guy who was treating her like crap and whined 'treat her mean and keep her keen,' or any of that other passive aggressive rubbish men who think they're nice but aren't like to spout.
The angst is fun, but there's some uncomfortably wrong-headed behaviour from most of the main characters that makes it difficult to completely enjoy.
She meets a nice mechanic and goes on a date, and then angry men start mistaking her for someone named Marie.
'I'm Sara,' she insists. 'Ha ha, nice accent,' they say. 'But you don't fool me! Now I shall say something cranky and puzzling, and tell you to bugger off!'
Sara's fine the first time, but a little blue about the second guy. He's older and handsome and gives her a fluttery feeling.
So it turns out that Sara has an identical twin, Marie. When the two of them were little their father cheated on their mother. She got a divorce and took Sara with her and remarried. Their father kept Marie and stayed in England, and regretted losing the love of his life.
Sara is devastated and angry, and points out that this is horrible. Marie, who is an odd duck of a character, shrugs it off.
Sara's older cranky encounter is Dominic. He's her father's business partner and Marie's fiancé. He's also the one who asks Sara how exactly all of this Parent Trap stuff should have gone down, to which the obvious answer is: bloody hell, not with telling me my dad's dead, and not telling me I have a sister!! Sara's mother was maybe going to bring Sara to England for her 21st birthday and be all: surprise! Can't imagine that would have gone down all that well either.
This is all gloriously angsty with Dominic being all cranky and going in for the snog, and Sara desperately wanting all the snogging she can get but destroying herself over the fact that Dominic probably thinks she's Marie when he's kissing her. She doesn't quite destroy herself enough over how snogging Dominic back is betraying her sister, but there's more angst going on there, and the sister had some interesting priorities underpinned by her own angst.
It's such a shame, because the mechanic was so nice! He was age appropriate, and while probably not much to look at, he was fun to be around and incredibly loyal. I hope he found someone to adore him as much as he deserved, because I'm sure he never for one second looked at how Sara took off with the guy who was treating her like crap and whined 'treat her mean and keep her keen,' or any of that other passive aggressive rubbish men who think they're nice but aren't like to spout.
The angst is fun, but there's some uncomfortably wrong-headed behaviour from most of the main characters that makes it difficult to completely enjoy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2018
"Forbidden Surrender" has now come to one of my ABSOLUTE FAVOURITES by Carole so far...she simply is the best!
Following Dominick and Sara`s passionate romance is one immensely pleasure i will never forget.
The plot is exciting,the twists blurring and the chemistry between hero and heroine HELLUVA HOT AS HELL!
Sara Hamille is disliked as a heroine by many,but as far as it goes for me,she is a honest and brave person,but she has her dignity and i knew there was a secret behind Dominicks and Sara´s twin sister Marie`s engagement.And the cause of it you will know when you read the book.
Dominick Thorne is a SEXY beast of an hero and such an demanding and possessive lover towards the heroine,and gosh...how i just LOVE him.Every time he pulled the heroine against him for a passionate kiss just made my heart ache,and everytime he scowled his jealousy and his intense anger...OH HOW I JUST LOVE HIM!!!!
The heroine Sara Hamille is the perfect woman for Dominick and a she has an great heart and really is honest when it comes to her feelings and emotions.She is a passionate woman and one i truly would like to be friend with in reality.
This book tore me apart many times.It was too emotional,too intense and so so so ROMANTIC!
Following Dominick and Sara`s passionate romance is one immensely pleasure i will never forget.
The plot is exciting,the twists blurring and the chemistry between hero and heroine HELLUVA HOT AS HELL!
Sara Hamille is disliked as a heroine by many,but as far as it goes for me,she is a honest and brave person,but she has her dignity and i knew there was a secret behind Dominicks and Sara´s twin sister Marie`s engagement.And the cause of it you will know when you read the book.
Dominick Thorne is a SEXY beast of an hero and such an demanding and possessive lover towards the heroine,and gosh...how i just LOVE him.Every time he pulled the heroine against him for a passionate kiss just made my heart ache,and everytime he scowled his jealousy and his intense anger...OH HOW I JUST LOVE HIM!!!!
The heroine Sara Hamille is the perfect woman for Dominick and a she has an great heart and really is honest when it comes to her feelings and emotions.She is a passionate woman and one i truly would like to be friend with in reality.
This book tore me apart many times.It was too emotional,too intense and so so so ROMANTIC!
June 8, 2021
The only man she wants… Arriving in England, Sara Hamille finds it odd that people keep mistaking her for someone else. Someone who looks so similar to her that even that person's fiancé—devastatingly handsome Dominic Thorne—mistakes Sara for his bride-to-be! …is the only man she can't have! Envying her own double, Sara is astonished to learn that the stranger is actually her long-lost twin! But the thrill of discovering a family she never knew dims when Sara realizes that Dominic—the only man she could ever love—belongs irrevocably to her sister…
October 1, 2021
Oh the kinky fetish of old!
Here we have a silly nice story of two identical twins who don't know they are twins since their parents have separated them when they were just babies and never told them they had a twin.
So they come across accidentally when one of them, the heroine, comes to England with her uncle and aunt to recover from an accident.
The hero is engaged to the heroine's twin, and as soon as he meets the heroine he's attracted to her and starts kissing and pawing her...
The thing escalates until they almost have sex, but the hero refuses to leave his fiancee and the heroine sends him where he deserves (I love CM heroines because they may make some mistakes but when they realize it they become killers)
Eventually there's a misunderstanding because the hero was engaged to the twin only to protect her, but she loved his brother, so they were never really in love.
All is well in the end, we have some very unbelievable situations, as the lost twin, the found twin, the ill twin, the swap couples, and the hero kissing and doing both twins (yeeeeaaaaa!)
And we will never know if he wanted the heroine or her twin, or if it's the same thing for him.
Spooky!
Here we have a silly nice story of two identical twins who don't know they are twins since their parents have separated them when they were just babies and never told them they had a twin.
So they come across accidentally when one of them, the heroine, comes to England with her uncle and aunt to recover from an accident.
The hero is engaged to the heroine's twin, and as soon as he meets the heroine he's attracted to her and starts kissing and pawing her...
The thing escalates until they almost have sex, but the hero refuses to leave his fiancee and the heroine sends him where he deserves (I love CM heroines because they may make some mistakes but when they realize it they become killers)
Eventually there's a misunderstanding because the hero was engaged to the twin only to protect her, but she loved his brother, so they were never really in love.
All is well in the end, we have some very unbelievable situations, as the lost twin, the found twin, the ill twin, the swap couples, and the hero kissing and doing both twins (yeeeeaaaaa!)
And we will never know if he wanted the heroine or her twin, or if it's the same thing for him.
Spooky!
February 26, 2017
After the death of her parents, Sara decided to visit her mother's sister in England. During her visit, Sara is mistaken for someone named Marie. She soon learns the truth, that Marie is her identical twin sister who she was separated from as an infant and birth father who she believed was dead.
She also meets Dominic. The man she falls in love with, but who is also her sister's fiancé. She tries to fight her attraction to Dominic, but he doesn't make it easy.
There are so many secrets to uncover in this book. It made it hard to put the book down. I loved all the characters. They all had their secrets, but they were all kept to protect someone else. My heart went out to Sara for everything she had to endure. Marie was sweet, almost to the point of being childlike. Dominic was overhearing and at times obnoxious, but his love for Marie seems so clear, until he has Sara in his arms.
A really good read. I expected something more sordid and I'm glad that it wasn't. It was beautifully written and the triangle aspect was well handled.
January 17, 2023
Everything happened because Marie wanted it to happen.
"and yet Sara realised that once again she was being used as a replacement. She had never felt second-best in her life before, but she did so now."
Oh yeah she was second best even for her father .. they wanted marie to be happy so they did everything she asked them too.
"and yet Sara realised that once again she was being used as a replacement. She had never felt second-best in her life before, but she did so now."
Oh yeah she was second best even for her father .. they wanted marie to be happy so they did everything she asked them too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2017
On occasion, I love going back and reading some cheesy Harlequin Presents titles...and this met all my exceptions. It was a fun little forbidden romance, albeit predictable.
My biggest irritation with this book was how everyone was keeping secrets from Sara and using the excuse of "She hasn't been part of the family for very long" or "She's new to the family and can't be told"....uh....no. I'm sorry but not. It wasn't her fault that she didn't spend her whole life around those family members. You can't convince her to move her life to another country to get to know her family, completely enfold her in said family and then treat her like an outsider who's "not family" when it's convenient! That just pissed me off.
My biggest irritation with this book was how everyone was keeping secrets from Sara and using the excuse of "She hasn't been part of the family for very long" or "She's new to the family and can't be told"....uh....no. I'm sorry but not. It wasn't her fault that she didn't spend her whole life around those family members. You can't convince her to move her life to another country to get to know her family, completely enfold her in said family and then treat her like an outsider who's "not family" when it's convenient! That just pissed me off.
December 8, 2015
"It's not a situation. It's a bloody mess!"
Dominic was right, and Sara had to agree that for them there could be no solution.
In England as a visitor, Sara had been embarrassed at being mistaken for someone else, even by that person's fiance--and it was then that she envied her own double.
But the other girl was not the stranger she had supposed. And the thrill of discovering a family she never knew existed was lost in knowing that the only man she could ever love belonged irrevocably to her sister.
Dominic was right, and Sara had to agree that for them there could be no solution.
In England as a visitor, Sara had been embarrassed at being mistaken for someone else, even by that person's fiance--and it was then that she envied her own double.
But the other girl was not the stranger she had supposed. And the thrill of discovering a family she never knew existed was lost in knowing that the only man she could ever love belonged irrevocably to her sister.
March 29, 2010
Mmmm, lost twins involved with one man... and his brother. Roooowr.
December 9, 2010
Ok....so, there were lots of "levels" in this book. Lost love. Misplaced kids. Sister swapping-just kidding.
February 28, 2018
This started of pretty well, but went downhill. Preeti summed up my problems with this book pretty well here
Uneven characters and plot devices that just didn't make sense.
Uneven characters and plot devices that just didn't make sense.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 19, 2020
Ridiculous, but I still read it.
October 29, 2025
Lo avevo letto secoli fa .
January 20, 2021
" Το τίμημα της χαράς" - Κάρολ Μόρτιμερ, Χρυσό 117, έτος έκδοσης:1982
ΜΟΥ ΑΡΕΣΕ ΠΟΛΎ!!!!!
ΜΟΥ ΑΡΕΣΕ ΠΟΛΎ!!!!!
February 20, 2016
This Plot is Just Too Crazy
FINAL DECISION: This plot was too crazy for me. The characters barely spent any time together before they were madly in love and the entire plot of Sara being in love with her twin's fiance was not pleasant even though it worked out.
THE STORY: Sara Hamille, a model, comes to England after the death of her mother and stepfather. When people keep mistaking her for someone else, Sara discovers that she has a twin she never knew about. One of the people who keeps mistaking her for her twin is Dominic Thorne who mistakes Sara for his fiance. Sara discovers that the man she has fallen for belongs to her newly found sister.
OPINION: This plot is just insane. Unknown twins, lies, deceptions, and secrets all pervade this story. This book is so based on secrets and lies that I didn't ever feel any connection with the characters. There are so many crazy situations that the characters are manipulated throughout the story. Then the resolution occurs so quickly that these characters never felt like they had anything real. This is instant attraction, instant lust, instant love. I couldn't really understand what Sara and Dominic had between them -- especially because Dominic spends most of the book engaged to Sara's twin sister.
WORTH MENTIONING: This book was originally published as a category romance in the early 1980s.
CONNECTED BOOKS: FORBIDDEN SURRENDER is a standalone.
STAR RATING: I give this book 2 stars.
FINAL DECISION: This plot was too crazy for me. The characters barely spent any time together before they were madly in love and the entire plot of Sara being in love with her twin's fiance was not pleasant even though it worked out.
THE STORY: Sara Hamille, a model, comes to England after the death of her mother and stepfather. When people keep mistaking her for someone else, Sara discovers that she has a twin she never knew about. One of the people who keeps mistaking her for her twin is Dominic Thorne who mistakes Sara for his fiance. Sara discovers that the man she has fallen for belongs to her newly found sister.
OPINION: This plot is just insane. Unknown twins, lies, deceptions, and secrets all pervade this story. This book is so based on secrets and lies that I didn't ever feel any connection with the characters. There are so many crazy situations that the characters are manipulated throughout the story. Then the resolution occurs so quickly that these characters never felt like they had anything real. This is instant attraction, instant lust, instant love. I couldn't really understand what Sara and Dominic had between them -- especially because Dominic spends most of the book engaged to Sara's twin sister.
WORTH MENTIONING: This book was originally published as a category romance in the early 1980s.
CONNECTED BOOKS: FORBIDDEN SURRENDER is a standalone.
STAR RATING: I give this book 2 stars.
June 22, 2015
I liked this much better the second time around. There was some angsty old school goodness. Secret twins, mistaken identities, grave illness, etc. The hero was too noble for his own good except when he wasn't...
Just an all around fun read for vintage HP lovers.
Just an all around fun read for vintage HP lovers.
May 15, 2021
Preeti gave a review with lots of spoilers and although I liked the book more, Preeti brings up a lot of the issues. Ivy, Chitra CJ. and Leona also had some great things to say.
So, there are secrets in the book, and unless you have not read a lot, you will figure them out before the heroine does.
The h/ H fell in love and declared their love early on yet I’m confused as to which times were conducive to falling in love. Seriously, either Cupid was shooting some arrows or they drank a love potion from the Weasleys shop at 93 Diagon Alley. The love was instant without any leading moments of conversations etc...in fact the h and H knew more about each other not from talking but from private investigations and rumors. Usually insta love doesn’t bother me but in this case I had a harder time with it. Maybe it had something to do with the relationship that H had with the h’s twin sister. Although these two are engaged they are not sexually intimate. Although they do engage in lots kissing where lip gloss is smeared.
Also the book covers a lot of ground in the last 15 pages...I was worried as the page numbers increased and we had not reached an HEA. I wish some of the things could have been pushed earlier in the book and maybe then the author could have had a nice epilogue. The h and H���s HEA was very abrupt. Overall the angst was minimal, but I did keep reading without interruption so the book had me engaged. I wouldn’t feel the need to read again, but it was a pleasant morning coffee read.
So, there are secrets in the book, and unless you have not read a lot, you will figure them out before the heroine does.
The h/ H fell in love and declared their love early on yet I’m confused as to which times were conducive to falling in love. Seriously, either Cupid was shooting some arrows or they drank a love potion from the Weasleys shop at 93 Diagon Alley. The love was instant without any leading moments of conversations etc...in fact the h and H knew more about each other not from talking but from private investigations and rumors. Usually insta love doesn’t bother me but in this case I had a harder time with it. Maybe it had something to do with the relationship that H had with the h’s twin sister. Although these two are engaged they are not sexually intimate. Although they do engage in lots kissing where lip gloss is smeared.
Also the book covers a lot of ground in the last 15 pages...I was worried as the page numbers increased and we had not reached an HEA. I wish some of the things could have been pushed earlier in the book and maybe then the author could have had a nice epilogue. The h and H���s HEA was very abrupt. Overall the angst was minimal, but I did keep reading without interruption so the book had me engaged. I wouldn’t feel the need to read again, but it was a pleasant morning coffee read.
January 23, 2021
I know it's just HP-landia and a very old book but I think it's funny that some HP readers will rate a book one star if the heroine is not a virgin and yet rank a book in which the Heroine cheats with her twin sister's fiance 4 stars. They cheat emotionally, they make out, they behave in a way that is reprehensible. Things get explained away in the ending but it was over for me when Yuck.
March 15, 2022
Reunited sisters...
Sara was involved in an accident where her parents died. She suffered injuries and after recuperating she decides to visit England. There she meets Dominic after he confuses her with her long lost sister. Her birth parents split twin girls when they divorced. Dominic is engaged to Sara's sister but falls for Sara. There are multiple twists and lots of angst before Dominic and Sara can be together. I read this book a long time ago and even though my perspectives have changed, I still thoroughly enjoyed the story.
Sara was involved in an accident where her parents died. She suffered injuries and after recuperating she decides to visit England. There she meets Dominic after he confuses her with her long lost sister. Her birth parents split twin girls when they divorced. Dominic is engaged to Sara's sister but falls for Sara. There are multiple twists and lots of angst before Dominic and Sara can be together. I read this book a long time ago and even though my perspectives have changed, I still thoroughly enjoyed the story.
May 12, 2022
Twin sisters and brothers (not twins). What can I say. Insanely possessive H (despite being engaged to h's twin sister). The h melted into a puddle at the slightest touch from her twin sister's fiance. Throw in a terminal illness and unfeasible lack of communication. Super high snorts per page quota. I skimmed and finished though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 24, 2021
Purely juvenile behaviour!
'Parents' trap' twins meet later in life and realise they're involved with the same man.
Dominic is engaged to Marie yet kisses, caresses and confesses his love to Sara.
'Parents' trap' twins meet later in life and realise they're involved with the same man.
Dominic is engaged to Marie yet kisses, caresses and confesses his love to Sara.
July 8, 2023
2 stars less because of heroine as far as she is concerned the hero was her sisters fiance then too she was ready to have relationship with the hero without thinking about her sisters feeling heroine with no honor.
Read
December 5, 2019The love between H and the sister was more convincing. It seemed that H spent all his love and care for the sister who was sick and vulnerable and seeking sexual pleasure with the h.
March 1, 2022
read for uni
no comments, simply do not have the energy tbh
no comments, simply do not have the energy tbh
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews