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Lost Mountain
How could she convince Raoul?Dell Everett was in France under false pretenses - as the fiancee of the late Rhys Morgan, writer of erotic poetry.The engagement had been for publicity only - the lie should have ended with his death. But his mother insisted on meeting the woman to whom Rhys had dedicated his last searing poems. She found them romantic.Raoul de Briand, her other son, found them disgusting. He knew what kind of woman inspired verse like that. Somehow Dell must convince him that the poet's shameless muse had been somebody else!
- GenresHarlequin Presents
192 pages, Hardcover
First published October 12, 1979
1 person is currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Abra Taylor
26 books4 followersAbra Taylor is a pseudonym for Barbara Brouse, who also wrote as Araby Scott. Brouse died in 2005. She was the author of over a dozen novels.
As an author for Harlequin Presents, she published one novel. She also published one title for Harlequin Temptation.
As an author for Harlequin Presents, she published one novel. She also published one title for Harlequin Temptation.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 18, 2018
3 stars for the travelogue of the Auvergne region of central France that contains the remains of volcanoes, a lace making museum and a steep hike of 268 steps to reach the famous chapelle St. Michel de l'Aiguilhe. The author uses these regional delights in pivotal scenes. The story and setting go hand in hand.
The blurb does a great job describing the central conflict:
Dell Everett was in France under false pretenses - as the fiancee of the late Rhys Morgan, writer of erotic poetry.
The engagement had been for publicity only - the lie should have ended with his death. But his mother insisted on meeting the woman to whom Rhys had dedicated his last searing poems. She found them romantic.
Raoul de Briand, her other son, found them disgusting. He knew what kind of woman inspired verse like that. Somehow Dell must convince him that the poet's shameless muse had been somebody else!
Besides meeting dear old mom, heroine is also at the family chateau to sort through her "fiance's" papers since he was still under contract to the her uncle's publishing house. His half-brother, the hero, is a painter and the legitimate heir to the family money. He thinks his brother committed suicide because of the heroine, based on a letter he received from his brother shortly before his death.
Heroine is immediately attracted to the hero, but despairs of him ever liking her because of that misunderstanding and because of an OW who is the hero's muse. He's been working on her portrait for an exhibition in Paris and he shows it to the heroine to illustrate what he thinks a beautiful woman looks like. (Since the woman is short, curvy and with the dark hair, the heroine is convinced the hero will never think her beautiful. Heroine is tall and thin with red hair. But the hero is talking about outer vs. inner beauty and his portrait of the OW shows her ugly spirit.)
Hero insults the heroine at every turn, but she fights back. The hero's mother likes her and encourages her to go on sightseeing tours with the hero. Hero insists on buying her a handmade lace blouse during one of their expeditions. He also takes her up the 268 steps and then on to the inn and restaurant the OW owns. In an epic catfight, the OW disparages the heroine for looking so bedraggled after a day of sightseeing. Heroine doesn't take it lying down. Hero tells her she's being a bitch on the ride home.
And of course that's when the heroine realizes she's in love with the hero.
*checks publication date* 1980. Yup. About right.
The black moment occurs
As you can see this is chock full of vintage delights. The travelogue, the complicated family history, the misunderstandings, the OW. The romance is conducted with punishing kisses and insults and yearning. It's up to the reader to connect the dots and read between the lines. If you like this sort of vintage, you'll like this one.
The blurb does a great job describing the central conflict:
Dell Everett was in France under false pretenses - as the fiancee of the late Rhys Morgan, writer of erotic poetry.
The engagement had been for publicity only - the lie should have ended with his death. But his mother insisted on meeting the woman to whom Rhys had dedicated his last searing poems. She found them romantic.
Raoul de Briand, her other son, found them disgusting. He knew what kind of woman inspired verse like that. Somehow Dell must convince him that the poet's shameless muse had been somebody else!
Besides meeting dear old mom, heroine is also at the family chateau to sort through her "fiance's" papers since he was still under contract to the her uncle's publishing house. His half-brother, the hero, is a painter and the legitimate heir to the family money. He thinks his brother committed suicide because of the heroine, based on a letter he received from his brother shortly before his death.
Heroine is immediately attracted to the hero, but despairs of him ever liking her because of that misunderstanding and because of an OW who is the hero's muse. He's been working on her portrait for an exhibition in Paris and he shows it to the heroine to illustrate what he thinks a beautiful woman looks like. (Since the woman is short, curvy and with the dark hair, the heroine is convinced the hero will never think her beautiful. Heroine is tall and thin with red hair. But the hero is talking about outer vs. inner beauty and his portrait of the OW shows her ugly spirit.)
Hero insults the heroine at every turn, but she fights back. The hero's mother likes her and encourages her to go on sightseeing tours with the hero. Hero insists on buying her a handmade lace blouse during one of their expeditions. He also takes her up the 268 steps and then on to the inn and restaurant the OW owns. In an epic catfight, the OW disparages the heroine for looking so bedraggled after a day of sightseeing. Heroine doesn't take it lying down. Hero tells her she's being a bitch on the ride home.
And of course that's when the heroine realizes she's in love with the hero.
*checks publication date* 1980. Yup. About right.
The black moment occurs
As you can see this is chock full of vintage delights. The travelogue, the complicated family history, the misunderstandings, the OW. The romance is conducted with punishing kisses and insults and yearning. It's up to the reader to connect the dots and read between the lines. If you like this sort of vintage, you'll like this one.
September 28, 2018
This book brought back vivid memories for me of when I was dating an Italian guy many, many years ago. He was very critical of my physical appearance -- practically dissecting my flaws (too pale, my eyes were too big, etc. etc.) and seemed to only introduce me to very hostile women (were they OW? don't know, don't care). There is a scene in this book where the H basically discussed the h's appearance, in front of her, from head to toe, coldly and cruelly, and it rang very true. And, of course, he makes a point of introducing her to the OW, who is constantly mocking and needling her.
Anyhoo, after losing 20 pounds I didn't need to lose from the stress, I broke up with Simone and returned to the United States, because even as a college student I knew better. The h, however, did not. I predict that she'll be a nervous wreck and suicidal within 5 years.
Anyhoo, after losing 20 pounds I didn't need to lose from the stress, I broke up with Simone and returned to the United States, because even as a college student I knew better. The h, however, did not. I predict that she'll be a nervous wreck and suicidal within 5 years.
April 11, 2021
The best think about Lost Mountain is that through this book I now have Fred Oakley's name. He was one of the main HP cover artists between 1979 and 1984 and has a very recognizable style. This cover is pleasant but not a standout.
A weak 2 stars
Lost Mountain is an HP one-off by this author with some gothic elements and characters who are very old school. Much of it was dull though the best scenes and the worst were one and the same and fairly riveting; as the sheer rudeness, verbal cruelty and physical menace of the "hero" reveal him as a monster.
A weak 2 stars
Lost Mountain is an HP one-off by this author with some gothic elements and characters who are very old school. Much of it was dull though the best scenes and the worst were one and the same and fairly riveting; as the sheer rudeness, verbal cruelty and physical menace of the "hero" reveal him as a monster.
April 24, 2020
Not a bad vintage harley, but it could've been better. You can tell this is an early effort by a new author.
The writing itself is fine -- indeed, there are flashes of quality in a Winspear'ian vein -- but it's overly trope-happy & following what the author perceives as the Harlequin Romance Playbook; meanwhile, character motivations & consistency are stifled by conforming to those outlines. Example: the fake engagement. This is an unnecessary complication & totally not needed...except the author can't justify Raoul's misunderstanding without wedging in this silly artifice, because the idea of Nice Girls + sex outside marriage can only be conceived of when an engagement is confirmed. Now, I realize some of this is a product of the time, but it's still unnecessary clutter. Perhaps the hero *assumes* involvement that isn't there, but why include the cumbersome explanation of an actual engagement when the assumption of one would be sufficient? Another example: Dell fleeing the house & becoming ill from exposure. This is a frequent trope in HarleyLand, but again -- the reader already knows Dell is fleeing her emotions for Raoul *more* than she's fleeing the house itself. We-the-readers have also picked up that Raoul is in love with Dell, so what's the purpose of this unnecessary reveal? The pages could've been better spent resolving the question of Rhys' death -- was it suicide or not? -- or a better explanation of Dell's behavior re: the pearls & Rhys' poems.
In conclusion: Taylor planted the seeds of a lovely gothic harley...but then chickened out, instead opting for angles we've seen many times before. That said, there were things about it that I liked, so I'm willing to give her another try. This was the only HP she wrote; it seems she preferred the longer SuperRomance format, so that might help with the herky-jerky feel & forced tropes.
The writing itself is fine -- indeed, there are flashes of quality in a Winspear'ian vein -- but it's overly trope-happy & following what the author perceives as the Harlequin Romance Playbook; meanwhile, character motivations & consistency are stifled by conforming to those outlines. Example: the fake engagement. This is an unnecessary complication & totally not needed...except the author can't justify Raoul's misunderstanding without wedging in this silly artifice, because the idea of Nice Girls + sex outside marriage can only be conceived of when an engagement is confirmed. Now, I realize some of this is a product of the time, but it's still unnecessary clutter. Perhaps the hero *assumes* involvement that isn't there, but why include the cumbersome explanation of an actual engagement when the assumption of one would be sufficient? Another example: Dell fleeing the house & becoming ill from exposure. This is a frequent trope in HarleyLand, but again -- the reader already knows Dell is fleeing her emotions for Raoul *more* than she's fleeing the house itself. We-the-readers have also picked up that Raoul is in love with Dell, so what's the purpose of this unnecessary reveal? The pages could've been better spent resolving the question of Rhys' death -- was it suicide or not? -- or a better explanation of Dell's behavior re: the pearls & Rhys' poems.
In conclusion: Taylor planted the seeds of a lovely gothic harley...but then chickened out, instead opting for angles we've seen many times before. That said, there were things about it that I liked, so I'm willing to give her another try. This was the only HP she wrote; it seems she preferred the longer SuperRomance format, so that might help with the herky-jerky feel & forced tropes.
December 25, 2023
I'm going for a weak three because I love France, have a sentimental weakness for French bastards (salut, Manu, wherever you are) and a documented fondness for two brothers although in this case the virginal h, Dell (short for Delilah) was only fake engaged to dead poet Rhys. The H, artist Raoul, is a trademark vintage throat-grabbing dom but the travelogue and ancient maman take up a lot of space. (He's 36, his younger half brother was 30, so presumably she was early 70s at worst, but is described as if she was a blind, white haired, wrinkled nonagenarian, maybe it's the sun). It has one of the abruptest endings ever as well. She can write though.
June 24, 2023
I’m a little disappointed in this one. It left me greatly unsatisfied. The plot was kind of weak, too much scenery stuff & not writing about anything. The romance was so little, the misunderstanding was glossed over as the ending was rushed. Really, loose ends indeed ties loosely here. That was it?! Was my response to this unmemorable love story…
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February 3, 2015I read the translated edition. I really liked it.
April 19, 2019
How could she convince Raoul?
Dell Everett was in France under false pretenses - as the fiancee of the late Rhys Morgan, writer of erotic poetry.
The engagement had been for publicity only - the lie should have ended with his death. But his mother insisted on meeting the woman to whom Rhys had dedicated his last searing poems. She found them romantic.
Raoul de Briand, her other son, found them disgusting. He knew what kind of woman inspired verse like that. Somehow Dell must convince him that the poet's shameless muse had been somebody else! (less)
Dell Everett was in France under false pretenses - as the fiancee of the late Rhys Morgan, writer of erotic poetry.
The engagement had been for publicity only - the lie should have ended with his death. But his mother insisted on meeting the woman to whom Rhys had dedicated his last searing poems. She found them romantic.
Raoul de Briand, her other son, found them disgusting. He knew what kind of woman inspired verse like that. Somehow Dell must convince him that the poet's shameless muse had been somebody else! (less)
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews