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The Emerald Garden
The death of Vinney’s father had been a tragic accident—an accident, moreover, for which she had been unfairly blamed. The result was a bitter family quarrel which had kept Vinney apart for years from her mother and her sister Denise. Now, though, they were all together again, and Vinney was hoping for a happier relationship at last, with the past forgotten and forgiven. But all she succeeded in doing was to fall in love with Nick Wentworth, the man who was to marry Denise. And Denise, spoilt and jealous, was prepared to make all the trouble even she was capable of making ...
Paperback
First published June 1, 1976
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83 people want to read
About the author
Lilian Warren
87 books10 followersLilian Warren aka Rosalind Brett, Kathryn Blair, Katrina Britt, and Celine Conway.
Lilian Warren was born in London, England, UK. She worked as secretary, when at 19, her first magazine story was accepted. She married and moved to South Africa, where she continued writing. In the 1950s, she started to write to Rich & Cowan, and later to Mills & Boon, under various pseudonyms Rosalind Brett, Celine Conway, and Kathryn Blair. She passed away on 1961 in South Africa. Some of her books were published posthumuously.
Lilian Warren was born in London, England, UK. She worked as secretary, when at 19, her first magazine story was accepted. She married and moved to South Africa, where she continued writing. In the 1950s, she started to write to Rich & Cowan, and later to Mills & Boon, under various pseudonyms Rosalind Brett, Celine Conway, and Kathryn Blair. She passed away on 1961 in South Africa. Some of her books were published posthumuously.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 24, 2024
This family from hell makes the one from Flowers in the Attic seem downright cozy!
Heroine's older, Succubus-from-the-Fires-of-Hell sister lured her into the ocean in order to drown her, when heroine was 11 years old. Her dad was able to rescue her but he was the one who ended up drowning. Heroine's Black-Widow-From-Your-Worst-Nightmare mother told the 11 year old that she caused her dad's death and sent her away to relatives.
Ten years later, the nincompoop heroine goes back to live with Black Widow and Succubus because apparently her life was going too well and she needed to be abused some more.
I sincerely hope the heroine and the author who came up with this macabre world-building eventually received the help they so obvious needed.
Heroine's older, Succubus-from-the-Fires-of-Hell sister lured her into the ocean in order to drown her, when heroine was 11 years old. Her dad was able to rescue her but he was the one who ended up drowning. Heroine's Black-Widow-From-Your-Worst-Nightmare mother told the 11 year old that she caused her dad's death and sent her away to relatives.
Ten years later, the nincompoop heroine goes back to live with Black Widow and Succubus because apparently her life was going too well and she needed to be abused some more.
I sincerely hope the heroine and the author who came up with this macabre world-building eventually received the help they so obvious needed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 3, 2020
I read this in July and never posted my review! Doh!
The Emerald Garden refers to the ocean- the ocean where the eleven year-old heroine’s father drowned while saving her life. This tragic incident is what estranged the heroine from her socio-pathic mother and elder sister as well as being the stumbling block for the heroine’s romance with the hero.
Why yes, the angst is delicious.
However, the heroine is a flower-faced Mary Sue who has refused to dispute her sister’s account of their father’s death. Hint – it wasn’t the heroine’s fault.
Depending on how you feel about martyr heroines, stone-cold sociopathic family life and misunderstandings will determine your enjoyment of this story. Oh, and it’s slow-paced.
That being said, I am one of those readers who love when a heroine returns home after long absence being treated to cold stares and hurtful comment from grudge-holding villagers and family members.
Thankfully, the heroine doesn’t stay an underdog long. She returns beautiful, rich and poised, determined that nothing will get her down. Her aunt, whom she lived with in Malta, left her all her money.
In the first scene on the train, she meets the hero, who is “engaged” to heroine’s older sister (OW). The hero believes the gossip of course, but then falls head over heels for the heroine.
Since the romance is resolved in the first third of the story (heroine keeps refusing him for reasons) the author keeps the heroine busy with helping at the riding school, putting up with her evil mother and sister, winning a red Jaguar in charity lottery, lighting up her grandmother’s last days and winning a horse race against her evil sister.
It’s a lot of fun if you’re in the mood to watch the OW unravel under the heroine’s unrelenting kindness. The hero is angry all the time (sexual tension, poor dear), but he desperately tries to understand this rather fey heroine with deep secrets.
The HEA includes the mother decamping to London to jumpstart her acting career and the OW off to the US to terrorize that continent. So all is truly well for our H/h.
The Emerald Garden refers to the ocean- the ocean where the eleven year-old heroine’s father drowned while saving her life. This tragic incident is what estranged the heroine from her socio-pathic mother and elder sister as well as being the stumbling block for the heroine’s romance with the hero.
Why yes, the angst is delicious.
However, the heroine is a flower-faced Mary Sue who has refused to dispute her sister’s account of their father’s death. Hint – it wasn’t the heroine’s fault.
Depending on how you feel about martyr heroines, stone-cold sociopathic family life and misunderstandings will determine your enjoyment of this story. Oh, and it’s slow-paced.
That being said, I am one of those readers who love when a heroine returns home after long absence being treated to cold stares and hurtful comment from grudge-holding villagers and family members.
Thankfully, the heroine doesn’t stay an underdog long. She returns beautiful, rich and poised, determined that nothing will get her down. Her aunt, whom she lived with in Malta, left her all her money.
In the first scene on the train, she meets the hero, who is “engaged” to heroine’s older sister (OW). The hero believes the gossip of course, but then falls head over heels for the heroine.
Since the romance is resolved in the first third of the story (heroine keeps refusing him for reasons) the author keeps the heroine busy with helping at the riding school, putting up with her evil mother and sister, winning a red Jaguar in charity lottery, lighting up her grandmother’s last days and winning a horse race against her evil sister.
It’s a lot of fun if you’re in the mood to watch the OW unravel under the heroine’s unrelenting kindness. The hero is angry all the time (sexual tension, poor dear), but he desperately tries to understand this rather fey heroine with deep secrets.
The HEA includes the mother decamping to London to jumpstart her acting career and the OW off to the US to terrorize that continent. So all is truly well for our H/h.
August 26, 2013
I'm not sure what to make of this book. In some respects it was compelling and had me turning those pages. Yet at the same time, I think it could have been better executed. The first half of the book was exciting, but the middle dragged a bit so the element of tension and suspense withered away.
This is a story about two sisters and their relationship. The one sister is extremely jealous and manipulative, always demanding to be first and the center of attention. Her jealousy ends up destroying all of their lives when she ruthlessly manipulates her sister into a situation that ends with disastrous consequences . The story starts when our heroine returns home to reconcile with her family and try to move on from the past. Their mother was a cold hearted manipulative b*#$ that left me cold. (Both sister and mother deserved much worse than they got, especially the mother)
The hero was the only one in the story worth anything. I felt sorry that he had fallen in love with the heroine. I recognize that she carried a lot of baggage from her past, but she never really earned his love. For the life of me, I could not understand her logic. Especially her unwillingness to confess all and let the hero help her put the pieces back together again. He never once did anything that would have caused her not to trust him.
I give this 2.5 stars, but not good enough to round to 3.
This is a story about two sisters and their relationship. The one sister is extremely jealous and manipulative, always demanding to be first and the center of attention. Her jealousy ends up destroying all of their lives when she ruthlessly manipulates her sister into a situation that ends with disastrous consequences . The story starts when our heroine returns home to reconcile with her family and try to move on from the past. Their mother was a cold hearted manipulative b*#$ that left me cold. (Both sister and mother deserved much worse than they got, especially the mother)
The hero was the only one in the story worth anything. I felt sorry that he had fallen in love with the heroine. I recognize that she carried a lot of baggage from her past, but she never really earned his love. For the life of me, I could not understand her logic. Especially her unwillingness to confess all and let the hero help her put the pieces back together again. He never once did anything that would have caused her not to trust him.
I give this 2.5 stars, but not good enough to round to 3.
July 10, 2020
The Emerald Garden refers to the ocean- the ocean where the eleven year-old heroine’s father drowned while saving her life. This tragic incident is what estranged the heroine from her sociopath mother and elder sister as well as being the stumbling block for the heroine’s romance with the hero.
Why yes, the angst is delicious.
However, the heroine is a flower-faced Mary Sue who has refused to dispute her sister’s account of their father’s death. Hint – it wasn’t the heroine’s fault.
Depending on how you feel about martyr heroines, stone-cold sociopath family life and misunderstandings will determine your enjoyment of this story. Oh, and it’s slow-paced.
That being said, I am one of those readers who love when a heroine returns home after long absence being treated to cold stares and hurtful comment from grudge-holding villagers and family members.
Thankfully, the heroine doesn’t stay an underdog long. She returns beautiful, rich and poised, determined that nothing will get her down. Her aunt, whom she lived with in Malta, left her all her money.
In the first scene on the train, she meets the hero, who is “engaged” to heroine’s older sister (OW). The hero believes the gossip of course, but then falls head over heels for the heroine.
Since the romance is resolved in the first third of the story (heroine keeps refusing him for reasons) the author keeps the heroine busy with helping at the riding school, putting up with her evil mother and sister, winning a red Jaguar in charity lottery, lighting up her grandmother’s last days and winning a horse race against her evil sister.
It’s a lot of fun if you’re in the mood to watch the OW unravel under the heroine’s unrelenting kindness. The hero is angry all the time (sexual tension, poor dear), but he desperately tries to understand this rather fey heroine with deep secrets.
The HEA includes the mother decamping to London to jumpstart her acting career and the OW off to the US to terrorize that continent. So all is truly well for our H/h.
Why yes, the angst is delicious.
However, the heroine is a flower-faced Mary Sue who has refused to dispute her sister’s account of their father’s death. Hint – it wasn’t the heroine’s fault.
Depending on how you feel about martyr heroines, stone-cold sociopath family life and misunderstandings will determine your enjoyment of this story. Oh, and it’s slow-paced.
That being said, I am one of those readers who love when a heroine returns home after long absence being treated to cold stares and hurtful comment from grudge-holding villagers and family members.
Thankfully, the heroine doesn’t stay an underdog long. She returns beautiful, rich and poised, determined that nothing will get her down. Her aunt, whom she lived with in Malta, left her all her money.
In the first scene on the train, she meets the hero, who is “engaged” to heroine’s older sister (OW). The hero believes the gossip of course, but then falls head over heels for the heroine.
Since the romance is resolved in the first third of the story (heroine keeps refusing him for reasons) the author keeps the heroine busy with helping at the riding school, putting up with her evil mother and sister, winning a red Jaguar in charity lottery, lighting up her grandmother’s last days and winning a horse race against her evil sister.
It’s a lot of fun if you’re in the mood to watch the OW unravel under the heroine’s unrelenting kindness. The hero is angry all the time (sexual tension, poor dear), but he desperately tries to understand this rather fey heroine with deep secrets.
The HEA includes the mother decamping to London to jumpstart her acting career and the OW off to the US to terrorize that continent. So all is truly well for our H/h.
November 20, 2018
This one was satisfying. The h has really had a raw deal, and through the course of the book, wrongs are righted. Also, the H tells off the h's family (A Britt/Conway special and I never get tired of it), and it's very well done.
April 10, 2012
This book was alright, a bit slow paced. I can't believe Vinney was so kind to her mother and sister, especially after what they did to her. I would of loved to see Vinney's sister get hers but at the end of the book I was left unfulfilled with that. I'm glad that the truth came out in the end and Vinney got Nick, although I have to wonder if that "the first moment I saw you, I loved you" moment was actually true. In the book the whole love thing between them seemed kind of cheesy!
January 1, 2018
Angsty vintage romance with heroine falling for estranged sister’s boyfriend.
May 27, 2020
I loved this tale when I bought it on its release in 1976. It remains in my collection to this day. I liked Fenella and I loved the description of her midnight blue dress which I always wanted to wear myself. A 1970s Cinderella story.
SYNOPSIS:
The death of Vinney’s father had been a tragic accident—an accident, moreover, for which she had been unfairly blamed. The result was a bitter family quarrel which had kept Vinney apart for years from her mother and her sister Denise. Now, though, they were all together again, and Vinney was hoping for a happier relationship at last, with the past forgotten and forgiven. But all she succeeded in doing was to fall in love with Nick Wentworth, the man who was to marry Denise. And Denise, spoilt and jealous, was prepared to make all the trouble even she was capable of making .
SYNOPSIS:
The death of Vinney’s father had been a tragic accident—an accident, moreover, for which she had been unfairly blamed. The result was a bitter family quarrel which had kept Vinney apart for years from her mother and her sister Denise. Now, though, they were all together again, and Vinney was hoping for a happier relationship at last, with the past forgotten and forgiven. But all she succeeded in doing was to fall in love with Nick Wentworth, the man who was to marry Denise. And Denise, spoilt and jealous, was prepared to make all the trouble even she was capable of making .
November 8, 2013
Read it a REALLY LONG time ago. I don't remember the story anymore except for the poem and that back then, it was really good with lots of angst. It probably wouldn't appeal to me anymore if I read it now....
April 1, 2021
For a Mills and Boon book this one was quite good It had a good story to it some sad parts in it Well worth a read I thought
December 2, 2014
i disliked it bcoz vinney was so pathetic. her mum and sis treated her like a dog, yet she cud not help herself playing good Samaritan! nick admitted early on dat he loved her but she wud not accept him bcoz her sister wanted him too. i never saw what the hero saw in vinney. she was too good, too selfless to be true!dat it got on my nerves!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews