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Beloved Benefactor
Although she had never met him, Toni felt through his letters that she knew the unknown benefactor who had been so kind and generous to her ever since she was a ten-year-old orphan, and she relied on him heavily.
So it was a sad blow when he wrote to say he thought it best that their correspondence should come to an end. It was fortunate that at just this time Toni should have met Tarquin Radloff, a man she knew she could love and who could perhaps take the place of her benefactor.
But Tarquin persisted in treating her as a child and keeping himself at a distance. Could Toni put up with this situation for long?
So it was a sad blow when he wrote to say he thought it best that their correspondence should come to an end. It was fortunate that at just this time Toni should have met Tarquin Radloff, a man she knew she could love and who could perhaps take the place of her benefactor.
But Tarquin persisted in treating her as a child and keeping himself at a distance. Could Toni put up with this situation for long?
186 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
1 person is currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
Yvonne Whittal
56 books81 followersYvonne Whittal was born and raised in South Africa, the setting of most of her romances. She started writing stories at a young age, but didn't really get serious about writing until after she married and had children. She got many rejection letters from publishers, until a friend who loved romances gave her to encouragement to continue.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 16, 2016
2 BLAH STARS
Well it was a good book just too long and no drama.
I kept hoping for something to happen. A death, a murder, heck I would have settled for a screaming match at this point but sadly nothing.
They just love and respect each other... In a word it was completely BORING.
I wished I could say it was horrible but it wasn't. Maybe if it had been 4 chapters shorter it might have been a good book.
Give me a crazy stalker revenge book any day other this!
THIS WAS JUST...
Well it was a good book just too long and no drama.
I kept hoping for something to happen. A death, a murder, heck I would have settled for a screaming match at this point but sadly nothing.
They just love and respect each other... In a word it was completely BORING.
I wished I could say it was horrible but it wasn't. Maybe if it had been 4 chapters shorter it might have been a good book.
Give me a crazy stalker revenge book any day other this!
THIS WAS JUST...
February 12, 2022
Some heroines tremble so often I fear they will transform into a human vibrator, while others cry so easily they must somehow be connected to a running faucet. Toni isn't guilty of the trembling, but cry she does and frequently. I know such characteristics are meant to signify vulnerability so it's really not a criticism so much as it is an observation. Truly.
One criticism I do have though is, how blind could Toni be? She stayed in ignorant bliss for what seemed like forever regarding the identity of her benefactor. I was hoping she'd figure it on her own since it seemed obvious who her secret sugar-daddy was. Okay, so Toni wasn't the brightest bulb but I still liked her.
And for those who are wondering, the benefactor's name just so happens to rhyme with a major publisher of category romance. The reason why he came to Toni's aid made logical sense in light of their history.
Tarquin, meanwhile, wasn't as dim as Toni but his quirks outnumbered hers in comparison. Traits like, and I'm really just nitpicking, moodiness and acting more with his head than his heart. Oh, and his creepy habit of calling Toni "child". I'm sure it was Tarquin's way of emotionally distancing himself, but the nickname had me shuddering. (Look who's trembling now!)
As for the May-December romance between Toni and Tarquin, it simmered slowly in tandem with their friendship. Toni comes to recognize her feelings for what they are, while Tarquin's task is to reconcile his feelings of love, duty, and fear with each other—when he's a crusty old fool of 48 ready for the nursing home Toni will still be a spring chicken at 30. However, since this is a romance love obviously wins in the end.
One final note… The angst, passion and drama levels are quite mild. If this doesn't sound bothersome, then I recommend taking a stab at this vintage romance.
One criticism I do have though is, how blind could Toni be? She stayed in ignorant bliss for what seemed like forever regarding the identity of her benefactor. I was hoping she'd figure it on her own since it seemed obvious who her secret sugar-daddy was. Okay, so Toni wasn't the brightest bulb but I still liked her.
And for those who are wondering, the benefactor's name just so happens to rhyme with a major publisher of category romance. The reason why he came to Toni's aid made logical sense in light of their history.
Tarquin, meanwhile, wasn't as dim as Toni but his quirks outnumbered hers in comparison. Traits like, and I'm really just nitpicking, moodiness and acting more with his head than his heart. Oh, and his creepy habit of calling Toni "child". I'm sure it was Tarquin's way of emotionally distancing himself, but the nickname had me shuddering. (Look who's trembling now!)
As for the May-December romance between Toni and Tarquin, it simmered slowly in tandem with their friendship. Toni comes to recognize her feelings for what they are, while Tarquin's task is to reconcile his feelings of love, duty, and fear with each other—when he's a crusty old fool of 48 ready for the nursing home Toni will still be a spring chicken at 30. However, since this is a romance love obviously wins in the end.
One final note… The angst, passion and drama levels are quite mild. If this doesn't sound bothersome, then I recommend taking a stab at this vintage romance.
November 16, 2016
Oh, a Daddy Long-legs story from YW! Even though the copyright date says 1978, it feels like it is set in a much earlier era. The orphaned heroine is 20 years old and just graduating from college. The hero is an "engineering tycoon", 18 years her senior and a friend of her foster parents. Three guesses who has been her anonymous benefactor whom she has poured her heart out to in letters for years?
What I didn't guess is why he was her benefactor.
I liked how the heroine grew and changed and went after her man once all of the secrets were revealed. She is his equal in maturity by the end. The author also gives lots of their interactions and they do seem a good fit - no matter the age difference. This is a sweet little story with sympathetic characters. (Although the heroine's boyfriend is a junior alpha of the type YW likes to write. I'm sure he'll be embittered and sexy in about 10 years so he can star in his own book.)
What I didn't guess is why he was her benefactor.
I liked how the heroine grew and changed and went after her man once all of the secrets were revealed. She is his equal in maturity by the end. The author also gives lots of their interactions and they do seem a good fit - no matter the age difference. This is a sweet little story with sympathetic characters. (Although the heroine's boyfriend is a junior alpha of the type YW likes to write. I'm sure he'll be embittered and sexy in about 10 years so he can star in his own book.)
April 16, 2021
I loved this one! Warm and fuzzy feels all over, I read it in one go :)
It’s a low drama book where almost everyone is nice and the the H and h have a nice comfy friendship going from the start. I guessed half his secret early on but there was a bit of a twist that surprised me. Our hero and heroine though, don’t guess a thing. So let me rephrase: the protagonists are nice and but not the brightest people around.
Tarquin is one of the rare TSTL vintage males. He says he is a bachelor by choice but I don’t believe him. The man couldn’t tell a woman is hitting on him to save his life. Thankfully Toni is a great heroine that goes after him with all the subtlety of a bulldozer and at the end -during the love confessions- tells our hero straight out that he was too “obtuse” to notice what was going on. He was, Toni. He was. Good luck with the lovable dummy :P
I really enjoyed the early and mid book scenes of them together. They’re so comfy and Toni has these little moments where she “takes care” of him. Heartwarming. Those two just fit together.
On the other hand Toni should cry a bit less. Hankie sales went up a notch just cause of her.
Mood: 🥰
It’s a low drama book where almost everyone is nice and the the H and h have a nice comfy friendship going from the start. I guessed half his secret early on but there was a bit of a twist that surprised me. Our hero and heroine though, don’t guess a thing. So let me rephrase: the protagonists are nice and but not the brightest people around.
Tarquin is one of the rare TSTL vintage males. He says he is a bachelor by choice but I don’t believe him. The man couldn’t tell a woman is hitting on him to save his life. Thankfully Toni is a great heroine that goes after him with all the subtlety of a bulldozer and at the end -during the love confessions- tells our hero straight out that he was too “obtuse” to notice what was going on. He was, Toni. He was. Good luck with the lovable dummy :P
I really enjoyed the early and mid book scenes of them together. They’re so comfy and Toni has these little moments where she “takes care” of him. Heartwarming. Those two just fit together.
On the other hand Toni should cry a bit less. Hankie sales went up a notch just cause of her.
Mood: 🥰
December 23, 2013
Now did I just read a book by Yvonne Whittal?
What happened to her ruthless, manipulative (but oh so gorgeous and sexy) asshat heroes? How did we end up with a benevolent, kind, caring (still gorgeous and sexy) alpha who wanted to be there for the heroine????????????
If you like a "daddy long legs" plot, I highly recommend. The tension dial was on low, and the "big reveal" was a dead giveaway from chapter 1, but I believe that was intentional. This made for a great change of pace and was well done. (of course, I expect nothing less from Whittal)
I just can't believe it came from the same author who wrote, Price of Happiness, Bitter Enchantment, Valley Of The Devil, Love Is Eternal....
4.5 stars
What happened to her ruthless, manipulative (but oh so gorgeous and sexy) asshat heroes? How did we end up with a benevolent, kind, caring (still gorgeous and sexy) alpha who wanted to be there for the heroine????????????
If you like a "daddy long legs" plot, I highly recommend. The tension dial was on low, and the "big reveal" was a dead giveaway from chapter 1, but I believe that was intentional. This made for a great change of pace and was well done. (of course, I expect nothing less from Whittal)
I just can't believe it came from the same author who wrote, Price of Happiness, Bitter Enchantment, Valley Of The Devil, Love Is Eternal....
4.5 stars
January 5, 2021
"Beloved Benefactor" is the story of Toni and Tarquin.
Ever since our heroine was orphaned as a ten year old, she has been protected and cared for by a mysterious benefactor. Now reaching majority, she goes to her foster family and meets the enigmatic hero, who is older, caring and super helpful and protective.. and oh look the benefactor has cut all ties with her! Suddenly she's being courted by her fiancé, but falling madly in love with the hero. But the age is a huge issue for him, and he continues to push her away despite her being obviously, madly in love with him. And he is smitten too. But why is OM jealous. And oh look an OW. And we have the *obvious* identity revealed. Oh no, he's pretending to be the bad guy. But he's the very good guy. Loooooooooads of pushing away and drama later, the heroine finally makes the hero kiss her and confess his love.
Frustrating.
Safe..ish/SWE
2/5
Ever since our heroine was orphaned as a ten year old, she has been protected and cared for by a mysterious benefactor. Now reaching majority, she goes to her foster family and meets the enigmatic hero, who is older, caring and super helpful and protective.. and oh look the benefactor has cut all ties with her! Suddenly she's being courted by her fiancé, but falling madly in love with the hero. But the age is a huge issue for him, and he continues to push her away despite her being obviously, madly in love with him. And he is smitten too. But why is OM jealous. And oh look an OW. And we have the *obvious* identity revealed. Oh no, he's pretending to be the bad guy. But he's the very good guy. Loooooooooads of pushing away and drama later, the heroine finally makes the hero kiss her and confess his love.
Frustrating.
Safe..ish/SWE
2/5
September 11, 2018
This was a light sweet story. May December and the hero has interesting name.
August 14, 2014
Imagine Daddy long legs with a serious dark twist, that is what this book is about. Very enjoyable!
February 11, 2022
I have great affection for this story, and I can’t even pinpoint what it is that makes it such a sweet read for me. Before I go on, I would like to point out that once again Stmargarets has a nice review on this without spoilers ➡️ https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...) I am glad I read her review ahead of time. As she said, this feels like it is written in an older time.
This story is told with lots and lots of dialogue between characters, so there aren’t pages and pages of introspection going on. There is some; but mainly you are watching a love story unfold between the two main characters with a good supporting cast. There is a couple of kissing episodes, but this is very tame(especially when comparing it to today’s books). The angst(low as it is) in the story is there, but I think it is mainly created in the readers mind. I could feel the hero’s battle within himself, even though I didn’t get his pov. I thought the h was sweet and people around her picked up on her sweetness. I realize some readers may feel she is just a little too much in the innocent department. This story is going to be slow going for some, but the only reason I put it down was because I had tickets to Hamilton(finally, after lots of negotiating with the husband) However, as soon as I got home I finished it.
May/December Romance ✅(18 +)
Virgin heroine✅(I don’t need this for a story to be good, but I appreciate it.
Guardian/ward 🤔It isn’t exactly a guardian ward story, but he is the benefactor and took care of lots of monetary things for her as she grew up, he actually didn’t meet her until she was 20)
Deep relationship(not instant)-✅ This relationship unknowingly developed through years of letter writing, it continued to develop over several months of seeing each other.
OM✅He is ott in love with the h and comes on strong, although he mellows at the end which made me realize he truly cared for the h to help her with her true love
OW✅She makes an appearance here and there, she isn’t diabolical(no pot boiling) but she sets her sights on the H(even though she could have had him 10 years earlier)1st
Basically, the h loses her parents when she is 10. She goes to an orphanage for a hot minute before a nice couple who have been married 16 years without children become her foster parents. There is also a benefactor involved who pays for expensive schooling etc…
The h starts writing the kindly, “elderly” anonymous gentleman when she is 14. He writes back and a bond is formed.
One day, a friend of her foster parents, the 38 year old hero Tarquin, offers to give her a lift to her parents house. They hit it off right away. It is almost as if they have known each other forever.(look, I don’t want to insult anyones intelligence here, but it is obvious to the reader that the H is the unknown benefactor)
The two of them have a lot in common, however, he refers to her as a child often(probably to keep up barriers). He has to leave to go out of town for weeks at a time. He always encourages her to live her life. He tells her if she ever needs him to not hesitate to call him. She appreciates the hero as a close friend.
Meanwhile, she dates her best friend’s brother Markus but can never seem to generate enough feeling for him. He has no problem expressing his love for her, and she tries to make something of it, but it just isn’t happening. The H assumes that the h will eventually marry Markus, and he thinks that is good as Markus is close to her age, where he is an “old confirmed bachelor’.
The h is starting to sense something more with the H, but he often pushes her away. Now, his ex fiancée is getting a divorce and has decided the handsome, rich H would be great as her next Mr.
After dismissing the h from his life, it is up to the h to confront the H with her feelings and hope that his is the same. He tries to fight it, but in the end he succumbs to the h’s pleas and kisses. He is a very fit 38 year old(although he needs to give up the pipes) and will most likely live to be in his 90’s. By the time he passes the h will be surrounded by their kids and grandkids. She isn’t as young as Charlie Chaplin’s last wife, so he won’t be getting her pregnant when he is 73 as she will be in her 50’s!
Overall, this felt like a sweet story and I didn’t feel like it was pervy even though he saw a picture of the h when she was 18 and felt a pull to her. He still was trying to keep things in a fatherly friend zone capacity until the very end of the story with a few minor slip ups along the way.
This story is told with lots and lots of dialogue between characters, so there aren’t pages and pages of introspection going on. There is some; but mainly you are watching a love story unfold between the two main characters with a good supporting cast. There is a couple of kissing episodes, but this is very tame(especially when comparing it to today’s books). The angst(low as it is) in the story is there, but I think it is mainly created in the readers mind. I could feel the hero’s battle within himself, even though I didn’t get his pov. I thought the h was sweet and people around her picked up on her sweetness. I realize some readers may feel she is just a little too much in the innocent department. This story is going to be slow going for some, but the only reason I put it down was because I had tickets to Hamilton(finally, after lots of negotiating with the husband) However, as soon as I got home I finished it.
May/December Romance ✅(18 +)
Virgin heroine✅(I don’t need this for a story to be good, but I appreciate it.
Guardian/ward 🤔It isn’t exactly a guardian ward story, but he is the benefactor and took care of lots of monetary things for her as she grew up, he actually didn’t meet her until she was 20)
Deep relationship(not instant)-✅ This relationship unknowingly developed through years of letter writing, it continued to develop over several months of seeing each other.
OM✅He is ott in love with the h and comes on strong, although he mellows at the end which made me realize he truly cared for the h to help her with her true love
OW✅She makes an appearance here and there, she isn’t diabolical(no pot boiling) but she sets her sights on the H(even though she could have had him 10 years earlier)1st
Basically, the h loses her parents when she is 10. She goes to an orphanage for a hot minute before a nice couple who have been married 16 years without children become her foster parents. There is also a benefactor involved who pays for expensive schooling etc…
The h starts writing the kindly, “elderly” anonymous gentleman when she is 14. He writes back and a bond is formed.
One day, a friend of her foster parents, the 38 year old hero Tarquin, offers to give her a lift to her parents house. They hit it off right away. It is almost as if they have known each other forever.(look, I don’t want to insult anyones intelligence here, but it is obvious to the reader that the H is the unknown benefactor)
The two of them have a lot in common, however, he refers to her as a child often(probably to keep up barriers). He has to leave to go out of town for weeks at a time. He always encourages her to live her life. He tells her if she ever needs him to not hesitate to call him. She appreciates the hero as a close friend.
Meanwhile, she dates her best friend’s brother Markus but can never seem to generate enough feeling for him. He has no problem expressing his love for her, and she tries to make something of it, but it just isn’t happening. The H assumes that the h will eventually marry Markus, and he thinks that is good as Markus is close to her age, where he is an “old confirmed bachelor’.
The h is starting to sense something more with the H, but he often pushes her away. Now, his ex fiancée is getting a divorce and has decided the handsome, rich H would be great as her next Mr.
After dismissing the h from his life, it is up to the h to confront the H with her feelings and hope that his is the same. He tries to fight it, but in the end he succumbs to the h’s pleas and kisses. He is a very fit 38 year old(although he needs to give up the pipes) and will most likely live to be in his 90’s. By the time he passes the h will be surrounded by their kids and grandkids. She isn’t as young as Charlie Chaplin’s last wife, so he won’t be getting her pregnant when he is 73 as she will be in her 50’s!
Overall, this felt like a sweet story and I didn’t feel like it was pervy even though he saw a picture of the h when she was 18 and felt a pull to her. He still was trying to keep things in a fatherly friend zone capacity until the very end of the story with a few minor slip ups along the way.
did-not-finish
April 20, 2021This was boring and I knew what was coming so I decided to stop at about 60%. I was uncomfortable with the hero being someone who corresponded with heroine since she was 14. When, along the way did, did he start getting feelings?? I thought it was kind of Pervy. I don’t mind May/December romance as long as things don’t start before 18. There was a Lynne Graham book where hero and heroine marry when she was 16 and even though the marriage wasn’t consummated at that point, it still made me squeamish.
July 24, 2020
Not as cute as I had hoped. I was expecting something more like a Betty Neels or a Jessica Steel story. It felt like the h did all the work in this one whilst the H blew hot and cold. The h would have been justified in being much more angry with him. Guess I forgot it was a Yvonne Whittal book.
May 18, 2020
Following the big revelation I would have liked to have seen a bit more soul searching from the heroine.
December 7, 2023
Although she had never met him, Toni felt through his letters that she knew the unknown benefactor who had been so kind and generous to her ever since she was a ten-year-old orphan, and she relied on him heavily.
So it was a sad blow when he wrote to say he thought it best that their correspondence should come to an end. It was fortunate that at just this time Toni should have met Tarquin Radloff, a man she knew she could love and who could perhaps take the place of her benefactor.
But Tarquin persisted in treating her as a child and keeping himself at a distance. Could Toni put up with this situation for long?
So it was a sad blow when he wrote to say he thought it best that their correspondence should come to an end. It was fortunate that at just this time Toni should have met Tarquin Radloff, a man she knew she could love and who could perhaps take the place of her benefactor.
But Tarquin persisted in treating her as a child and keeping himself at a distance. Could Toni put up with this situation for long?
June 16, 2011
Daddy Long Legs plot.
December 23, 2014
3.5 stars
March 30, 2016
This was a good one...
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews