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El Poder de la Ambicion
El Poder De La Ambicion by Kay Thorpe released on Oct 25, 2001 is available now for purchase.
- GenresRomanceSecond Chance
Mass Market Paperback
Published November 1, 2001
2 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Kay Thorpe
181 books65 followersKay Thorpe was born on 1935 in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, UK. An avid reader from the time when words on paper began to make sense, she developed a lively imagination of her own, making up stories for the entertainment of her young friends. After leaving school, she tried a variety of jobs, including dental nursing, and a spell in the Women's Royal Airforce from which she emerged knowing a whole lot more about life - if only as an observer.
In 1960, she married with Tony, but didn't begin thinking about trying her hand at writing for a living until she gave up work some four years later to have a baby, John. Having read Mills & Boon novels herself, and done some market research in the local library asking readers what it was they particularly liked about the books, she decided to aim for a particular market, and was fortunate to have her very first, completed manuscript accepted - The Last of the Mallorys, published in 1968. Since then she has written over seventy five books, which doesn't begin to compare with the output of some Mills & Boon authors, but still leaves her wondering where all those words came from.
Sometimes, she finds she has become two different people: the writer at her happiest when involved in the world of books and authors; and the housewife, turning her hands to the everyday needs of husband and son. Once in a while, she finds it difficult to step from one role to the other. She likes cooking, for instance, but she finds that it can be an irritating interruption when she's preoccupied with work on a novel, so the quality of her efforts in the kitchen tend to be a little erratic. She says, "As my husband once remarked, my writing gives life a fascinating element of uncertainly: one day a perfect coq au vin, the next day a couple of burned chops!"
Luckily Kay has daily professional help with her housework, and that leaves her time to indulge in her hobbies. Like many other Mills & Boon authors, she admits to being a voracious consumer of books, a quality she shares with her readers. She likes music and horseback riding, which she does in the countryside near her home. But her favorite hobby is travel - especially to places that will make good settings for her books.
Kay now lives on the outskirts of Chesterfield in Derbyshire, along with husband, Tony, and a huge tabby cat called Mad Max, her one son having flown the coop. Some day she'll think about retiring, but not yet awhile.
In 1960, she married with Tony, but didn't begin thinking about trying her hand at writing for a living until she gave up work some four years later to have a baby, John. Having read Mills & Boon novels herself, and done some market research in the local library asking readers what it was they particularly liked about the books, she decided to aim for a particular market, and was fortunate to have her very first, completed manuscript accepted - The Last of the Mallorys, published in 1968. Since then she has written over seventy five books, which doesn't begin to compare with the output of some Mills & Boon authors, but still leaves her wondering where all those words came from.
Sometimes, she finds she has become two different people: the writer at her happiest when involved in the world of books and authors; and the housewife, turning her hands to the everyday needs of husband and son. Once in a while, she finds it difficult to step from one role to the other. She likes cooking, for instance, but she finds that it can be an irritating interruption when she's preoccupied with work on a novel, so the quality of her efforts in the kitchen tend to be a little erratic. She says, "As my husband once remarked, my writing gives life a fascinating element of uncertainly: one day a perfect coq au vin, the next day a couple of burned chops!"
Luckily Kay has daily professional help with her housework, and that leaves her time to indulge in her hobbies. Like many other Mills & Boon authors, she admits to being a voracious consumer of books, a quality she shares with her readers. She likes music and horseback riding, which she does in the countryside near her home. But her favorite hobby is travel - especially to places that will make good settings for her books.
Kay now lives on the outskirts of Chesterfield in Derbyshire, along with husband, Tony, and a huge tabby cat called Mad Max, her one son having flown the coop. Some day she'll think about retiring, but not yet awhile.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 2, 2019
Re Bride on Demand - Kay Thorpe is probably best approached only by the die hard old skool vintage HP Voyager.
Her H's are only interested in one thing from a woman, but if they can cook a decent dinner, the H is okay with that too. Her h's do conform to the official HP unicorn grooming standard, but a KT h will never marry a poor man and if they had a career, it would probably be in asset relocation and financial planning - KT ladies may be hormonally challenged jelly blobules, but they have a fine eye for the main chance.
There is a real reason for all the one star ratings of this book, the H and h had a fling for a few weeks seven years before the story starts. The H was a brash 30 yr old Captain of Industry working his way up the ladder and the h was a starry eyed office temp of 19 or so.
The H flat out told the h that she was great for desktop antics and passion moments, but corporate wife material she was NOT, so he dumped her and got himself hitched to another lady executive in the company he worked for.
The h was preggers in the aftermath and for six years she has been harboring the H's seekrit son. Until her current boss drags her to a business party and she runs into the H with yet another predatory woman clinging for dear life on his arm.
The h pretends the H is just some random guy, but after he corners her in the coat room and the h can't control her hip motion when he brushes up against her, the H knows he could tap that if he wanted to.
Enter the predatory OW, demanding to know what is going on - the h is feeling snarky and the lurve force mojo is driving her on- she tells the OW that she and the H have a child in common. Then the h regains her limited faculties and rushes off into the night.
A few hours later and the H is banging on her door. The h tries to play it off as a verbal jab in bad taste, but the H is on the prowl and the h knows the H won't let anything like a marriage vow hold him back.
The h manages to resist the roofie kissing and the thunder club of the lurve force mojo, but the H soon discovers that he has a son with the h and since he is now divorced, he figures the h can marry him.
(There is also the little tidbit of the H having a daughter from the woman he married, the ex apparently did not find the H's lurve club swings so enthralling as the h did, so she had a lot of affairs while married to the H and then took herself off for new pastures.)
The lady left her daughter behind and currently that daughter is living with the H's elderly parents. The H isn't a business genius for nothing. He quickly determines the h is still the same virtuous former unicorn grooming motherly type he first knew, but apparently she has been working on the mad boudoir bouncing skillz cause their reconnecting reunion was rapturous.
(The h hasn't actually been having affairs to learn the arts of the Kama Sutra, she just had a library card and a subscription to Cosmo.)
The H sees no problem with marrying his favorite recreation piece, plus she is a good mum, won't complain about living in the country while he stays in the City for the week and for the 10 pt bonus, she can take over the parenting for his four year old daughter too.
The H soon bullies the h into marriage and the H's parents are pretty standoffish. The h is lost in lust, but she isn't stupid either. She figures the H is rich and he is a workaholic.
Sure he will be bopping it up in the city and only showing up for regular marital deelites on weekends, but the h genuinely likes kids and puppies and she can make anything work for long enough to get her darling son off to a good start in life.
Plus she can stock up on extra Cosmo articles during the week to keep the passion burning with her amazing weekend moves, hiring household caretaking staff is not a problem.
Now at this point all KT HP readers know that we have to have some debates about gender roles and various feminist vs chauvinistic arguments, but KT tones it down a lot - mainly cause the new puppies are having really hard times getting house trained and the H's younger adopted brother keeps coming around a lot.
The H is getting really irritated that his younger, wanna be OM brother keeps showing up, but the h doesn't care - he is having it off in London during the week anyways and the lil' adopted bro is some adult company when the puppy training goes awry.
Finally it all comes out that the H is irked at his adopted brother cause he had an affair with his first wife, the H's mother is the purveyor of that gossipy tidbit and the h is fairly shocked.
(KT throws that in there so we know the h isn't completely mercenary - or maybe that the h is an honest business woman and gives loyal value for the money.)
Anyhows, after the h refuses to attend any business functions with the H and then spends a few pages angsting over whom he might be entertaining clients with, the H springs a big house warming party on her.
When the h is tired from having to quell the prerequisite predatory OW that all showed up, (and I was thinking that it was pure KT Tackiness that made a lot them the H's former lovers,) the h finds the adopted brother trying to break into the H's safe.
She sends the young whippersnapper off with a few choice words and the H then decides that the h is having an affair with the adopted scamp. The h is tired of all the drama and flatly informs him that he makes a great case for the pot calling the kettle black - she tells the H to think whatever he wants, when he gets all offended that the h thinks he is cheating - and she wanders off to go to bed.
The H chases her down and does a fairly decent "I love you" declaration. Strangely enough, KT threw enough little hints throughout the story that I actually believed him. Mostly cause this H is brutally honest and blunt, he told the h she wasn't good enough the first time around and he is NOT the type to pull his verbal punches.
Plus the H is near 40 and it is very clear that the Predatory OW he used to associate with were boring him. The H doesn't like domestic drama, his parenting skillz are abysmal and he isn't young enough to work 18 hr days and then party away the night with an aggressive predatory woman who values her own career as much as she covets his money anymore .
Sure the h is pretty snarky, but she keeps the house running and the kids smile at him on the weekends, so overall the H is pretty content to save the lurve club events for the weekends - his stamina is needed to grow his company and for as long as his lust for the h shall last, the H is pretty good with what he has.
As for the h, it isn't lost on her that 18 hours frenetic business driven days and mattress pounding weekends are rather hard on the heart. So while she does love the H, she also knows that about twenty more years is about all the mileage the H can probably offer.
(Plus the h messed up on the birth control again, so she will hangin' out in cabbage patch in about eight months. In twenty years the kids will be grown, the H will be seriously rich and it never hurts to make plans for a rainy day by just tucking away that classic funeral black dress with the adorable half veil hat for luck.)
The h declares her love for the H back and we leave them lurving it up for a long as the purple passion and the H's heart may last.
I do admit, this isn't a dreamily romantic HPlandia outing, but it was mildly entertaining and KT is just subtle enough to suggest where both the H and h's thoughts are going on thing. So I can safely say these two deserve each other and I had a good time envisioning the h's merry widowhood on this little HP excursion.
Her H's are only interested in one thing from a woman, but if they can cook a decent dinner, the H is okay with that too. Her h's do conform to the official HP unicorn grooming standard, but a KT h will never marry a poor man and if they had a career, it would probably be in asset relocation and financial planning - KT ladies may be hormonally challenged jelly blobules, but they have a fine eye for the main chance.
There is a real reason for all the one star ratings of this book, the H and h had a fling for a few weeks seven years before the story starts. The H was a brash 30 yr old Captain of Industry working his way up the ladder and the h was a starry eyed office temp of 19 or so.
The H flat out told the h that she was great for desktop antics and passion moments, but corporate wife material she was NOT, so he dumped her and got himself hitched to another lady executive in the company he worked for.
The h was preggers in the aftermath and for six years she has been harboring the H's seekrit son. Until her current boss drags her to a business party and she runs into the H with yet another predatory woman clinging for dear life on his arm.
The h pretends the H is just some random guy, but after he corners her in the coat room and the h can't control her hip motion when he brushes up against her, the H knows he could tap that if he wanted to.
Enter the predatory OW, demanding to know what is going on - the h is feeling snarky and the lurve force mojo is driving her on- she tells the OW that she and the H have a child in common. Then the h regains her limited faculties and rushes off into the night.
A few hours later and the H is banging on her door. The h tries to play it off as a verbal jab in bad taste, but the H is on the prowl and the h knows the H won't let anything like a marriage vow hold him back.
The h manages to resist the roofie kissing and the thunder club of the lurve force mojo, but the H soon discovers that he has a son with the h and since he is now divorced, he figures the h can marry him.
(There is also the little tidbit of the H having a daughter from the woman he married, the ex apparently did not find the H's lurve club swings so enthralling as the h did, so she had a lot of affairs while married to the H and then took herself off for new pastures.)
The lady left her daughter behind and currently that daughter is living with the H's elderly parents. The H isn't a business genius for nothing. He quickly determines the h is still the same virtuous former unicorn grooming motherly type he first knew, but apparently she has been working on the mad boudoir bouncing skillz cause their reconnecting reunion was rapturous.
(The h hasn't actually been having affairs to learn the arts of the Kama Sutra, she just had a library card and a subscription to Cosmo.)
The H sees no problem with marrying his favorite recreation piece, plus she is a good mum, won't complain about living in the country while he stays in the City for the week and for the 10 pt bonus, she can take over the parenting for his four year old daughter too.
The H soon bullies the h into marriage and the H's parents are pretty standoffish. The h is lost in lust, but she isn't stupid either. She figures the H is rich and he is a workaholic.
Sure he will be bopping it up in the city and only showing up for regular marital deelites on weekends, but the h genuinely likes kids and puppies and she can make anything work for long enough to get her darling son off to a good start in life.
Plus she can stock up on extra Cosmo articles during the week to keep the passion burning with her amazing weekend moves, hiring household caretaking staff is not a problem.
Now at this point all KT HP readers know that we have to have some debates about gender roles and various feminist vs chauvinistic arguments, but KT tones it down a lot - mainly cause the new puppies are having really hard times getting house trained and the H's younger adopted brother keeps coming around a lot.
The H is getting really irritated that his younger, wanna be OM brother keeps showing up, but the h doesn't care - he is having it off in London during the week anyways and the lil' adopted bro is some adult company when the puppy training goes awry.
Finally it all comes out that the H is irked at his adopted brother cause he had an affair with his first wife, the H's mother is the purveyor of that gossipy tidbit and the h is fairly shocked.
(KT throws that in there so we know the h isn't completely mercenary - or maybe that the h is an honest business woman and gives loyal value for the money.)
Anyhows, after the h refuses to attend any business functions with the H and then spends a few pages angsting over whom he might be entertaining clients with, the H springs a big house warming party on her.
When the h is tired from having to quell the prerequisite predatory OW that all showed up, (and I was thinking that it was pure KT Tackiness that made a lot them the H's former lovers,) the h finds the adopted brother trying to break into the H's safe.
She sends the young whippersnapper off with a few choice words and the H then decides that the h is having an affair with the adopted scamp. The h is tired of all the drama and flatly informs him that he makes a great case for the pot calling the kettle black - she tells the H to think whatever he wants, when he gets all offended that the h thinks he is cheating - and she wanders off to go to bed.
The H chases her down and does a fairly decent "I love you" declaration. Strangely enough, KT threw enough little hints throughout the story that I actually believed him. Mostly cause this H is brutally honest and blunt, he told the h she wasn't good enough the first time around and he is NOT the type to pull his verbal punches.
Plus the H is near 40 and it is very clear that the Predatory OW he used to associate with were boring him. The H doesn't like domestic drama, his parenting skillz are abysmal and he isn't young enough to work 18 hr days and then party away the night with an aggressive predatory woman who values her own career as much as she covets his money anymore .
Sure the h is pretty snarky, but she keeps the house running and the kids smile at him on the weekends, so overall the H is pretty content to save the lurve club events for the weekends - his stamina is needed to grow his company and for as long as his lust for the h shall last, the H is pretty good with what he has.
As for the h, it isn't lost on her that 18 hours frenetic business driven days and mattress pounding weekends are rather hard on the heart. So while she does love the H, she also knows that about twenty more years is about all the mileage the H can probably offer.
(Plus the h messed up on the birth control again, so she will hangin' out in cabbage patch in about eight months. In twenty years the kids will be grown, the H will be seriously rich and it never hurts to make plans for a rainy day by just tucking away that classic funeral black dress with the adorable half veil hat for luck.)
The h declares her love for the H back and we leave them lurving it up for a long as the purple passion and the H's heart may last.
I do admit, this isn't a dreamily romantic HPlandia outing, but it was mildly entertaining and KT is just subtle enough to suggest where both the H and h's thoughts are going on thing. So I can safely say these two deserve each other and I had a good time envisioning the h's merry widowhood on this little HP excursion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2018
My god the H has got a cheek and the h is just a total and utter doormat. Is this guy for real or was he totally high when he approached the h? I'd be telling him to take a long walk of a short pier the jerk.
The h wasn't good enough to marry a few years ago so off he goes to marry another woman who turns out to be a biatch who abandons him and daughter to go party. The h happens to let slip he fathered her child and our H comes along and demands they get married oh and she can mother his daughter from his first wife too because basically he can't be arsed - she lives with his parents during week because he's too busy to parent - what a prize this dude is - grrrrrrr!
The h wasn't good enough to marry a few years ago so off he goes to marry another woman who turns out to be a biatch who abandons him and daughter to go party. The h happens to let slip he fathered her child and our H comes along and demands they get married oh and she can mother his daughter from his first wife too because basically he can't be arsed - she lives with his parents during week because he's too busy to parent - what a prize this dude is - grrrrrrr!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 28, 2014
this was rubbish! i did not even finish reading it! regan had no pride at all, she was pathetic! i hate HPs where heroes moved on wid their lives while heroine is wallowing in self-pity! liam actually left her bcoz she was not good enough for marriage. he wanted someone wid the right connections ! so for 7 years, she brought up their son while pining for him. he actually came back wid his 4 year old daughter from his marriage! n she gladly took him back!?
October 31, 2023
Not very romantic, but realistic when two people who don’t know each other get married. But the couple doesn’t seem to reconnect or fall in love. Skip.
October 16, 2019
I ended up liking the H more in this one.
The story open at a party where the H and h bump into each other again after 7 years. She is at the party with her boss and the H with a girlfriend, when the girlfriend tries to be mean the h lets it slip that she is raising the H son and escapes into the night. H and h used to work together and had an affair, this ended when the H told her he was marrying someone else.
The H follows her home and she lies, she lies a few more times in between his kisses until they are interrupted by the son. The H proposes marriage immediately to make a blended family cause he has a daughter with his ex wife. The h doesn't say yes but she doesn't say no either. She even thinks to herself that if she hadn't fallen pregnant 7 years ago she would have taken the H back, so shes not really mad about his treatment of her. 7 years ago she was 22 and he was 30, it is well known that the H was and is a womanizer, but the h was the one that looked him up, when he told her what he wanted she got ample time to back off and not sleep with him, but she wanted it, he made no promises, so when he broke it off it sucked but it is what it is. The H was looking for a corporate wife and the h was too young, now at 30 and 37 they are both more mature and the H is ready to settle down., without being forced into it.
They get married and the H's adopted brother keeps coming around and the H forbids this and she doesn't really care for the guy but still lies that he didn't go to the house, which i didn't get, if you don't like the guy just tell the H. but anyway she lets it slip that she loves him, he says it back and HEA. It wasn't bad but not reread worthy.
The story open at a party where the H and h bump into each other again after 7 years. She is at the party with her boss and the H with a girlfriend, when the girlfriend tries to be mean the h lets it slip that she is raising the H son and escapes into the night. H and h used to work together and had an affair, this ended when the H told her he was marrying someone else.
The H follows her home and she lies, she lies a few more times in between his kisses until they are interrupted by the son. The H proposes marriage immediately to make a blended family cause he has a daughter with his ex wife. The h doesn't say yes but she doesn't say no either. She even thinks to herself that if she hadn't fallen pregnant 7 years ago she would have taken the H back, so shes not really mad about his treatment of her. 7 years ago she was 22 and he was 30, it is well known that the H was and is a womanizer, but the h was the one that looked him up, when he told her what he wanted she got ample time to back off and not sleep with him, but she wanted it, he made no promises, so when he broke it off it sucked but it is what it is. The H was looking for a corporate wife and the h was too young, now at 30 and 37 they are both more mature and the H is ready to settle down., without being forced into it.
They get married and the H's adopted brother keeps coming around and the H forbids this and she doesn't really care for the guy but still lies that he didn't go to the house, which i didn't get, if you don't like the guy just tell the H. but anyway she lets it slip that she loves him, he says it back and HEA. It wasn't bad but not reread worthy.
December 24, 2013
Bride on Demand is the 68th romance novel by British author, Kay Thorpe. When Regan Holmes spots Liam Bentley at a party, she is immediately taken back seven years to her torrid affair with the ambitious businessman. He, too, is aware the spark is still there between them, and when she unintentionally lets slip a secret, he begins a relentless pursuit. After all, he has a right to the six-year-old son he has only just discovered. This is the classic “secret baby” plot with a few twists. The characters are way too serious, except for the bad boy brother-in-law; the hero is arrogant and controlling; the heroine over-analytical, grumpy and easily overwhelmed by physical distraction; communication between these two leaves much to be desired and it’s a wonder they manage to get it together at all. Mediocre.
April 28, 2013
excelente libro, no trillado, y con encanto verdaderamente cliche, de pocos que me devoro rapidamente
hq-to-read
February 20, 2022"Marry me...now!"
Liam Bentley had always been a man who knew what he wanted. And when he discovered that Regan Holmes had given birth to his son seven years ago, he wanted her to be his wife!
When Regan had first met Liam she'd been awed by his power, by his ambition, by his sexual prowess. Now she was older, wiser, and ought to know better. But somehow when he demanded "Marry me," she still found herself saying yes!
Liam Bentley had always been a man who knew what he wanted. And when he discovered that Regan Holmes had given birth to his son seven years ago, he wanted her to be his wife!
When Regan had first met Liam she'd been awed by his power, by his ambition, by his sexual prowess. Now she was older, wiser, and ought to know better. But somehow when he demanded "Marry me," she still found herself saying yes!
March 21, 2022
Spoiler alert: the fact that the hero, after seducing the extremely young virginal heroine, immediately turned around and married someone "more appropriate" isn't addressed (beyond turning the first wife into a shrewish evil child-abandoning harpy, obvs). Like, there is no reason given beyond the fact that he's a jackass and he kind of halfheartedly apologizes. Ick.
June 16, 2023
I surprisingly liked this although the H is an asshat of the highest order. It was, however, realistic and he kind of admits his arrogance and error. But not enough grovelling. Never enough grovelling.
March 15, 2020
Was okay
July 4, 2020
Very good second chance romance
August 19, 2021
Boring and he's not much of a prize. Seven years ago he told her he loved her, then he married someone else, now he marries her because she has his son. Yawn.
May 3, 2025
Lousy husband and a lousy father.
April 14, 2016
A nice read.
Liam and Regan had met years before and had a red hot affair but he married someone else more suited for his business advancement and womanizing ways. Broken hearted Regan got on with her life never expecting to see him.
Surprise! They met again and Liam is determined to have her again but Regan wants nothing to do with that jerk. But she of course has a secret that will see them married.
I just didn't feel the spark between these two and the characters were somewhat lifeless....the kids and the dogs are what partly save the story.
Well written read but kind of bummed it was not a more entertaining one.
Liam and Regan had met years before and had a red hot affair but he married someone else more suited for his business advancement and womanizing ways. Broken hearted Regan got on with her life never expecting to see him.
Surprise! They met again and Liam is determined to have her again but Regan wants nothing to do with that jerk. But she of course has a secret that will see them married.
I just didn't feel the spark between these two and the characters were somewhat lifeless....the kids and the dogs are what partly save the story.
Well written read but kind of bummed it was not a more entertaining one.
March 10, 2018
Inicio con brios y lastima q terminó con escalofríos
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews