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Second Time Around
Leigh swore she'd never love again!
In the two years since she'd left the Far East, Leigh's pain at losing her young husband had not eased.
Revisiting the exotic, alluring island of Singapore with its ornate temples and cosmopolitan crowds was a much-needed vacation. And until she was reunited with Jake St John, Leigh could almost believe she had put the past behind her.
His kisses and caresses were erotic beyond belief, but Leigh couldn't allow herself to fall in love. How could she possibly give her heart again when it had never healed?
In the two years since she'd left the Far East, Leigh's pain at losing her young husband had not eased.
Revisiting the exotic, alluring island of Singapore with its ornate temples and cosmopolitan crowds was a much-needed vacation. And until she was reunited with Jake St John, Leigh could almost believe she had put the past behind her.
His kisses and caresses were erotic beyond belief, but Leigh couldn't allow herself to fall in love. How could she possibly give her heart again when it had never healed?
190 pages, Paperback
First published December 10, 1982
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 19, 2020
A lot of interesting twists and turns in this one, with the romance as a backdrop. Front and center is the setting: the Singapore of British expats and later on, Hong Kong before the handover to China. Both places are fascinating and the author does a great travelogue.
The story opens with the heroine returning to Singapore for a month-long vacation. She had lived there three years before with her now-deceased husband. He had worked for the hero and died while driving home late at night. Heroine blamed the hero because she thought he worked her husband to death.
Hero runs the Singapore office of a British construction firm. His wife died in childbirth. He lives in a villa with his five year-old son and a beautiful Chinese housekeeper who has a baby of her own. Hero has always been attracted to the heroine, but he never showed it. Now that heroine is back, he is making his interest known.
Heroine is staying with a couple in their fifties. The wife is a matchmaker and gossip. She tries to hook the heroine up with the owner’s ( of the construction firm) son and then with the hero. Heroine is not at interested in a second marriage, but she realizes she is attracted to the hero when they are stuck in an elevator together.
Heroine goes out at different times with the owner’s son and the hero. Hero doesn’t trust the owner’s son – and he is right not to. When the H/h go to Hong Kong to secure a contract, the owner’s son sets up the heroine to deliver a bribe. Luckily she realizes this is a problem when the police are searching the hero’s hotel room, and she flushes thousands of dollars of cash down the toilet.
Back in Singapore, hero is grateful for her quick thinking (and the sex the night before). He is ready to propose marriage and heroine is willing until her gossipy friend tells her that the hero is keeping the Chinese housekeeper as his mistress and the baby is his.
Heroine doesn’t ask him (of course) and she rejects the hero. Hero doesn’t take it well.
There is a storm and the Chinese housekeeper calls in a panic – hero’s son is missing. Heroine goes to look for him and almost gets hit by lighting. Hero doesn’t visit her in the hospital. But the owner of the company does. He’s promoting the hero to the London office and letting his son move to Bali.
It’s almost time for heroine to return to England. But first there is a boat trip with the hero, the gossipy friends and the hero’s son. Hero is still angry with the heroine, but after his son is stung by a jelly fish he begins to open up and the last misunderstanding is cleared up: Chinese housekeeper’s baby is belongs to the owner’s son, not him. Heroine really doesn’t blame him for her husband’s death.
They’ll marry and live in England for their HEA.
It was a change of pace to have the heroine sincerely mourning her first husband, but the author did a good job of not making the hero second best. The hero’s first wife was barely mentioned. I did believe their romance, but the setting was the star of this story.
The story opens with the heroine returning to Singapore for a month-long vacation. She had lived there three years before with her now-deceased husband. He had worked for the hero and died while driving home late at night. Heroine blamed the hero because she thought he worked her husband to death.
Hero runs the Singapore office of a British construction firm. His wife died in childbirth. He lives in a villa with his five year-old son and a beautiful Chinese housekeeper who has a baby of her own. Hero has always been attracted to the heroine, but he never showed it. Now that heroine is back, he is making his interest known.
Heroine is staying with a couple in their fifties. The wife is a matchmaker and gossip. She tries to hook the heroine up with the owner’s ( of the construction firm) son and then with the hero. Heroine is not at interested in a second marriage, but she realizes she is attracted to the hero when they are stuck in an elevator together.
Heroine goes out at different times with the owner’s son and the hero. Hero doesn’t trust the owner’s son – and he is right not to. When the H/h go to Hong Kong to secure a contract, the owner’s son sets up the heroine to deliver a bribe. Luckily she realizes this is a problem when the police are searching the hero’s hotel room, and she flushes thousands of dollars of cash down the toilet.
Back in Singapore, hero is grateful for her quick thinking (and the sex the night before). He is ready to propose marriage and heroine is willing until her gossipy friend tells her that the hero is keeping the Chinese housekeeper as his mistress and the baby is his.
Heroine doesn’t ask him (of course) and she rejects the hero. Hero doesn’t take it well.
There is a storm and the Chinese housekeeper calls in a panic – hero’s son is missing. Heroine goes to look for him and almost gets hit by lighting. Hero doesn’t visit her in the hospital. But the owner of the company does. He’s promoting the hero to the London office and letting his son move to Bali.
It’s almost time for heroine to return to England. But first there is a boat trip with the hero, the gossipy friends and the hero’s son. Hero is still angry with the heroine, but after his son is stung by a jelly fish he begins to open up and the last misunderstanding is cleared up: Chinese housekeeper’s baby is belongs to the owner’s son, not him. Heroine really doesn’t blame him for her husband’s death.
They’ll marry and live in England for their HEA.
It was a change of pace to have the heroine sincerely mourning her first husband, but the author did a good job of not making the hero second best. The hero’s first wife was barely mentioned. I did believe their romance, but the setting was the star of this story.
August 2, 2022
I found both leads were too unlikeable for me to enjoy this book. The MFC was a doormat - she doesn't want to dine with the MMC but agrees to because her unbearably nosy (also bullying and racist) hostess "would consider it downright rude" if she refused? She lets the MMC kiss her "hard" on the mouth and call her "my beautiful girl" in front of others at the beginning of their reacquaintance when he has no right to be so intimate? Then again, she flirts with and teases him shamelessly then cowardly tries to retreat ... Meanwhile, he's hardly a prize - arrogant and chauvinistic and prone to violence, calling her a whore, telling her he could kill her when she turns down his offer of sex. (He even calls her a "stupid bitch" after his declaration of love!) The only good thing about this book was the Singapore travelogue, as it is one of my favourite cities and well worth visiting.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews