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The White Wave
It was unbelievable, too good to be true
Jenny had taken the job in London to escape her memories and her grief...and found herself thrust into a whirlwind courtship with her stunningly handsome boss.
Adam was a man who wined and dined some of the most beautiful women in London, so Jenny couldn't help wondering what he saw in a rather simple, unglamorous girl like herself.
And then he proposed marriage...but marriage with an unusual twist.
Jenny had taken the job in London to escape her memories and her grief...and found herself thrust into a whirlwind courtship with her stunningly handsome boss.
Adam was a man who wined and dined some of the most beautiful women in London, so Jenny couldn't help wondering what he saw in a rather simple, unglamorous girl like herself.
And then he proposed marriage...but marriage with an unusual twist.
188 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 23, 2024
Though the heroine is called Jennifer, her legal name is Guinevere. The name was chosen by her scholarly father because it means “white wave” in Celtic and he considered that her birth brought happiness to him and his wife like a joyful white wave from the sea.
After her parents die within a few months from each other, the desolate heroine takes up a secretarial job at a London publishing company, where she personally assists the owner’s son and future CEO. The hero is a handsome rake but doesn’t chase his secretary around the desk. He has too many gorgeous lionesses prowling around in his harem and gives scarce attention to the pretty, but simple, country girl heroine, except for a mocking look here and there.
The hero does eventually ask the heroine on a date but it is only to thwart a pushy mistress. The heroine is only too happy to lap up the crumbs of his attention. More chaste dates follow, until the hero very cold bloodedly proposes a marriage of convenience because he is becoming “bored” of being a playboy and wants a permanent barrier against his clingy harem. With a lovely proposal like that, is it any wonder the heroine immediately says YES????!!!!
The hero’s father, stepmother and step siblings lovingly welcome the heroine into the bosom of their family and the heroine loves adopting them as her own too. The hero, on the other hand, is an ass to her. For her birthday, he gives her the same musky, suffocating, French perfume that he gives to all his mistresses. As for her engagement ring, it is a lovely piece made of sapphire (for her eyes) and opal (for her warm nature), but he mars her happiness when she attempts to thank him by pretending he was forced to buy her an ostentatious ring because his family and friends would expect an expensive ring for his fiancée.
The first few weeks of their marriage are a disaster because the hero mocks the heroine’s desire to be a “real” wife to him and he only wants to stay “friends.” He reiterates that he doesn’t believe in love and even if he did, he would never want to be infected by it since it is a temporary feeling that soon burns up, leaving only a wreck of a marriage behind, like it happened to his parents. Another one with Mommy Dearest issues *eyeroll*
There is an artist OM who is desperately in love with the heroine and a much better man than the hero imho. Of course, the noble heroine lets him down gently and keeps pining for her husband. H and h are both going into a decline, the h because she can’t stop loving him, the H because he can’t admit he has fallen in love with her. Finally, one night of overindulging in some restorative brandy succeeds in bringing these two crazy kids together. All seems to be going well until...
DUN!
DUN!
DUUUUUNNNNNN!
The very next morning after their belated wedding night, the hero gets into a severe car accident that may leave him paralyzed.
Oh, the melodrama of it all!
The hero goes back into his fortress of ice, kicking the heroine out of his life with a letter demanding divorce. The heroine dutifully takes herself off to Scotland, carrying an impending bundle of joy with her, but refusing to inform her husband of the glad tidings since she doesn’t want to trap him.
The hero has many surgeries and can finally walk again. He tries to drown his sorrows by becoming a workaholic but he still can’t forget his Guinevere. He drives to Cornwall to see her, thinking she moved back to her family home. He walks into the unlocked house and discovers hundreds of paintings and drawings of her made by the OM artist who loves her. He goes back to his parents’ home where he unleashes a bitter rant to his stepmom that the heroine let HIM down by being able to jump into another man’s bed so soon after the demise of their marriage and he is happy she gave him a refresher course in the perfidy of women since he had almost forgotten the lesson taught to him by his skanky, neglectful mother.
Follows what is imho the best scene of the book where someone finally FINALLY tells off this self-centered, cold fish, manchild. That person is his stepmother and she does it in such a merciless way that I was applauding her all the way. I loved how she bided her time sweetly and let him torture himself some more and let him realize what an ass he had been and that he had lost the best thing to happen in his life. When she thinks he has suffered enough, she relents and tells him the truth: The heroine rented out her Cornwall home to the artist but never lived there with him. Instead, she moved to Scotland. The only thing that would have made it better is if the heroine had been the one to stand up for herself and tell him off.
As it is, the hero rushes to Scotland to find her and our Mary Sue instantly forgives him, and really, you would have to have a heart of stone not to forgive his lovely grovel as he stumbles towards her, losing his cane in the process, and falls to his knees, looking at her and their son with tears in his eyes and choking out the words “Just like a great wave of joy.”
After her parents die within a few months from each other, the desolate heroine takes up a secretarial job at a London publishing company, where she personally assists the owner’s son and future CEO. The hero is a handsome rake but doesn’t chase his secretary around the desk. He has too many gorgeous lionesses prowling around in his harem and gives scarce attention to the pretty, but simple, country girl heroine, except for a mocking look here and there.
The hero does eventually ask the heroine on a date but it is only to thwart a pushy mistress. The heroine is only too happy to lap up the crumbs of his attention. More chaste dates follow, until the hero very cold bloodedly proposes a marriage of convenience because he is becoming “bored” of being a playboy and wants a permanent barrier against his clingy harem. With a lovely proposal like that, is it any wonder the heroine immediately says YES????!!!!
The hero’s father, stepmother and step siblings lovingly welcome the heroine into the bosom of their family and the heroine loves adopting them as her own too. The hero, on the other hand, is an ass to her. For her birthday, he gives her the same musky, suffocating, French perfume that he gives to all his mistresses. As for her engagement ring, it is a lovely piece made of sapphire (for her eyes) and opal (for her warm nature), but he mars her happiness when she attempts to thank him by pretending he was forced to buy her an ostentatious ring because his family and friends would expect an expensive ring for his fiancée.
The first few weeks of their marriage are a disaster because the hero mocks the heroine’s desire to be a “real” wife to him and he only wants to stay “friends.” He reiterates that he doesn’t believe in love and even if he did, he would never want to be infected by it since it is a temporary feeling that soon burns up, leaving only a wreck of a marriage behind, like it happened to his parents. Another one with Mommy Dearest issues *eyeroll*
There is an artist OM who is desperately in love with the heroine and a much better man than the hero imho. Of course, the noble heroine lets him down gently and keeps pining for her husband. H and h are both going into a decline, the h because she can’t stop loving him, the H because he can’t admit he has fallen in love with her. Finally, one night of overindulging in some restorative brandy succeeds in bringing these two crazy kids together. All seems to be going well until...
DUN!
DUN!
DUUUUUNNNNNN!
The very next morning after their belated wedding night, the hero gets into a severe car accident that may leave him paralyzed.
Oh, the melodrama of it all!
The hero goes back into his fortress of ice, kicking the heroine out of his life with a letter demanding divorce. The heroine dutifully takes herself off to Scotland, carrying an impending bundle of joy with her, but refusing to inform her husband of the glad tidings since she doesn’t want to trap him.
The hero has many surgeries and can finally walk again. He tries to drown his sorrows by becoming a workaholic but he still can’t forget his Guinevere. He drives to Cornwall to see her, thinking she moved back to her family home. He walks into the unlocked house and discovers hundreds of paintings and drawings of her made by the OM artist who loves her. He goes back to his parents’ home where he unleashes a bitter rant to his stepmom that the heroine let HIM down by being able to jump into another man’s bed so soon after the demise of their marriage and he is happy she gave him a refresher course in the perfidy of women since he had almost forgotten the lesson taught to him by his skanky, neglectful mother.
Follows what is imho the best scene of the book where someone finally FINALLY tells off this self-centered, cold fish, manchild. That person is his stepmother and she does it in such a merciless way that I was applauding her all the way. I loved how she bided her time sweetly and let him torture himself some more and let him realize what an ass he had been and that he had lost the best thing to happen in his life. When she thinks he has suffered enough, she relents and tells him the truth: The heroine rented out her Cornwall home to the artist but never lived there with him. Instead, she moved to Scotland. The only thing that would have made it better is if the heroine had been the one to stand up for herself and tell him off.
As it is, the hero rushes to Scotland to find her and our Mary Sue instantly forgives him, and really, you would have to have a heart of stone not to forgive his lovely grovel as he stumbles towards her, losing his cane in the process, and falls to his knees, looking at her and their son with tears in his eyes and choking out the words “Just like a great wave of joy.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2017
Such a lovely vintage story! The heroine was named Guinevere by her historian father. And this is important because it refers to the title.
“It’s from Gwenhwyfar, Celtic for white wave.” In a small voice she added, “He liked to say that I came into their lives like a joyful wave breaking on the Cornish coast.”
And you know what? She is a lot like a joyful wave, from Cornwall to London to Surrey to Kent and finally to Edinburgh – making friends wherever she goes.
Our heroine, called Jennifer and Jenny and on occasion Guinevere by the hero at critical moments, is first-rate secretary who has only worked for her father. When he dies and she filled with grief, the friendly family doctor advises her to go to London for a change of scene and to rent the family home to an artist who is staying with an elderly aunt and wants more privacy.
The heroine is offered a job from her father’s publisher and quickly forms a friendship with the artist before she goes off to London. The elderly secretary she is replacing also becomes a friend and clues her into some of the undercurrents that exist at the family publishing firm. There’s the playboy hero who basically runs the place and his kindly father who founded the firm, but is semi-retired so he can spend time with his second family in their Elizabethan hall in Surrey.
The hero is very cynical about women and we only get the real story of how his mother left him and his father at an impressionable age toward the end, but there are enough hints dropped to realize his mother did a number on him. You can tell he is absolutely entranced with the heroine, but keeps holding back.
The heroine fills her time mooning over the hero, enhancing her wardrobe with lovely clothes, visiting the hero’s family in Surrey and the retired secretary in Kent, all while soaking up English history. (Reviewer’s note: It doesn’t sound that exciting, but I read every word with enjoyment.)
After a few months working together and going out on dates(!), hero proposes a marriage of convenience and friendship. The heroine is in love with him, but tries not to show it. The descriptions of their New Year’s Wedding at the Elizabethan hall are gorgeous. I hate wedding descriptions – so I chalk that up to the author’s descriptive language and the wish for this lovely heroine and complicated hero to be happy.
After several months of celibate tension, with the artist showing up in London for a showing of his paintings that reflect his unrequited love for the heroine, the hero finally snaps and they come together in a sweet, fade-to-black moment. The hero sends flowers the next day, everything is great for a few hours and then the heroine receives word that the hero has been injured in a car accident.
He has hurt his spine and may never walk again, so he sends the heroine away and tells her to divorce him. Heroine goes to Edinburgh as a secretary-companion to the hero’s stepmother’s aunt (got that?) and has a quick tour of the sights including St. Margaret’s chapel (the inspiration for my name here Goodreads) and then settles in for nine months to have a baby boy.
The hero finally recovers from his three surgeries and drives to Cornwall to find the heroine – then to Surrey – and then to Edinburgh where his grovel is appropriately on his knees. It is only on the last page that he finally meets his own “white wave of joy” with tears on his cheeks. HEA
This is an old-fashioned tale, told in a leisurely manner with well-rounded characters that are likable, but all too human. The publication date is 1983, but the world-building made it feel older – like a Betty Neels book – an idealized England that only existed in her imagination. It’s a nice break from the modern world.
“It’s from Gwenhwyfar, Celtic for white wave.” In a small voice she added, “He liked to say that I came into their lives like a joyful wave breaking on the Cornish coast.”
And you know what? She is a lot like a joyful wave, from Cornwall to London to Surrey to Kent and finally to Edinburgh – making friends wherever she goes.
Our heroine, called Jennifer and Jenny and on occasion Guinevere by the hero at critical moments, is first-rate secretary who has only worked for her father. When he dies and she filled with grief, the friendly family doctor advises her to go to London for a change of scene and to rent the family home to an artist who is staying with an elderly aunt and wants more privacy.
The heroine is offered a job from her father’s publisher and quickly forms a friendship with the artist before she goes off to London. The elderly secretary she is replacing also becomes a friend and clues her into some of the undercurrents that exist at the family publishing firm. There’s the playboy hero who basically runs the place and his kindly father who founded the firm, but is semi-retired so he can spend time with his second family in their Elizabethan hall in Surrey.
The hero is very cynical about women and we only get the real story of how his mother left him and his father at an impressionable age toward the end, but there are enough hints dropped to realize his mother did a number on him. You can tell he is absolutely entranced with the heroine, but keeps holding back.
The heroine fills her time mooning over the hero, enhancing her wardrobe with lovely clothes, visiting the hero’s family in Surrey and the retired secretary in Kent, all while soaking up English history. (Reviewer’s note: It doesn’t sound that exciting, but I read every word with enjoyment.)
After a few months working together and going out on dates(!), hero proposes a marriage of convenience and friendship. The heroine is in love with him, but tries not to show it. The descriptions of their New Year’s Wedding at the Elizabethan hall are gorgeous. I hate wedding descriptions – so I chalk that up to the author’s descriptive language and the wish for this lovely heroine and complicated hero to be happy.
After several months of celibate tension, with the artist showing up in London for a showing of his paintings that reflect his unrequited love for the heroine, the hero finally snaps and they come together in a sweet, fade-to-black moment. The hero sends flowers the next day, everything is great for a few hours and then the heroine receives word that the hero has been injured in a car accident.
He has hurt his spine and may never walk again, so he sends the heroine away and tells her to divorce him. Heroine goes to Edinburgh as a secretary-companion to the hero’s stepmother’s aunt (got that?) and has a quick tour of the sights including St. Margaret’s chapel (the inspiration for my name here Goodreads) and then settles in for nine months to have a baby boy.
The hero finally recovers from his three surgeries and drives to Cornwall to find the heroine – then to Surrey – and then to Edinburgh where his grovel is appropriately on his knees. It is only on the last page that he finally meets his own “white wave of joy” with tears on his cheeks. HEA
This is an old-fashioned tale, told in a leisurely manner with well-rounded characters that are likable, but all too human. The publication date is 1983, but the world-building made it feel older – like a Betty Neels book – an idealized England that only existed in her imagination. It’s a nice break from the modern world.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 11, 2018
Complete and total character betrayal by the author. I am still giving this a 3 star rating and recommend reading it for the absolutely charming glimpses of England and out and out lovely writing.
The Whit Wave is such a lyrically and beautifully written book with travelogue vignettes of Cornwall, Dorset and London with hints of Arthurian legends tossed in for more flair. Written in the mid-1980s, it has more of a hint of vintage England, maybe 1950s. Griffin’s prose reminded me of Elizabeth Goudge, a wonderful children’s and adult author that rhapsodizes about the beauty and whimsy of England.
Jenny, the he heroine is a straightforward heroine. She’s lost both parents fairly recently and is mourning them. On the suggestion of the family doctor she goes to London to serve as PA to the publishing house her father used.
She rents her house to a rough artist that shows promise as a hero in the brief glimpse we have of him, but in the time old tradition of fictional and real women she falls for the prettier package of the handsome hero. The handsome, semi-brooding hero that has no respect for women because of …mom.
The heroine ends up visiting the hero's homestead by the invitation of the H’s father due to his friendship with Jenny’s father. There she is welcomed by the dad’s second family. The setup, visit, the children are so well-written and fun to read. Then the hero shows up, and gosh darn it, she’s still in love with him.
He offers her a MOC because he’s tired of being the swain about London, and it turns out he actually means MOC. No friends with benefits. This complete disinterest on the part of the hero slowly destroys the heroine, and I hated him. The artist shows up with an art show, and it’s obvious that he loves her. She regrets not loving him. He really would have been the better choice as they enjoy each other, and she, country girl that she is, would be able to live in Cornwall rather than London.
Suddenly, the H is love with Jenny, and it’s true love and consummation time only to be derailed by an accident that paralyzes the hero THE VERY NEXT DAY.
The doctor explains to Jenny that it is up to her to convince her husband that there is hope in the operation he offers. Cynical H just thinks it’s window-dressing by the doctor as a sop. Sweet, sweet Jenny is turned away by H. The H’s father explains that the H does not want to see her. Here is the character betrayal.
The heroine hightails it to yet another part of the blessed plot of England for more lovely travelogue moments.
The hero gets his legs and a functioning brain back and goes for his girl.
Rant:
I was disappointed in the heroine for falling for the prettier, more vapid hero over the more interesting but truly loving OM, but, hey, most of us have been guilty of poor choices with men. But the spineless, I’m going into the garden and eat worms poor, pitiful me really destroyed my enthusiasm for the romance.
The Whit Wave is such a lyrically and beautifully written book with travelogue vignettes of Cornwall, Dorset and London with hints of Arthurian legends tossed in for more flair. Written in the mid-1980s, it has more of a hint of vintage England, maybe 1950s. Griffin’s prose reminded me of Elizabeth Goudge, a wonderful children’s and adult author that rhapsodizes about the beauty and whimsy of England.
Jenny, the he heroine is a straightforward heroine. She’s lost both parents fairly recently and is mourning them. On the suggestion of the family doctor she goes to London to serve as PA to the publishing house her father used.
She rents her house to a rough artist that shows promise as a hero in the brief glimpse we have of him, but in the time old tradition of fictional and real women she falls for the prettier package of the handsome hero. The handsome, semi-brooding hero that has no respect for women because of …mom.
The heroine ends up visiting the hero's homestead by the invitation of the H’s father due to his friendship with Jenny’s father. There she is welcomed by the dad’s second family. The setup, visit, the children are so well-written and fun to read. Then the hero shows up, and gosh darn it, she’s still in love with him.
He offers her a MOC because he’s tired of being the swain about London, and it turns out he actually means MOC. No friends with benefits. This complete disinterest on the part of the hero slowly destroys the heroine, and I hated him. The artist shows up with an art show, and it’s obvious that he loves her. She regrets not loving him. He really would have been the better choice as they enjoy each other, and she, country girl that she is, would be able to live in Cornwall rather than London.
Suddenly, the H is love with Jenny, and it’s true love and consummation time only to be derailed by an accident that paralyzes the hero THE VERY NEXT DAY.
The doctor explains to Jenny that it is up to her to convince her husband that there is hope in the operation he offers. Cynical H just thinks it’s window-dressing by the doctor as a sop. Sweet, sweet Jenny is turned away by H. The H’s father explains that the H does not want to see her. Here is the character betrayal.
The heroine hightails it to yet another part of the blessed plot of England for more lovely travelogue moments.
The hero gets his legs and a functioning brain back and goes for his girl.
Rant:
I was disappointed in the heroine for falling for the prettier, more vapid hero over the more interesting but truly loving OM, but, hey, most of us have been guilty of poor choices with men. But the spineless, I’m going into the garden and eat worms poor, pitiful me really destroyed my enthusiasm for the romance.
December 12, 2020
3,5 stars for silliness of both MCs!
October 5, 2017
A Harlequin novel from 1983 The White Wave is the usual Secretary falls in love with the boss who fights his feelings for her. This book does have some interesting characters and a very life changing accident that adds to it. And of course in the end all turns out well. I did cry at the end and I rarely cry, but I really felt for the characters.
February 24, 2020
Hero needed skilleting ... sweet story and I did like when the stepmother tells him off .... poor communication ... and I found myself rooting for OM ... he seemed such a sweet person too ...
June 8, 2023
A sweet but sad story. Jenny was the best thing to happen to Adam, but his cynicism about love made him afraid to accept it. Their marriage of convenience becomes very inconvenient for them both.
Then, he makes a mistake by making a sacrifice and almost loses her.
This is one story where the OM is neither a beta wimp nor a controlling jerk in disguise. Blair's a great guy as well as a great artist and deserves his own HEA.
I recommend this one.
Then, he makes a mistake by making a sacrifice and almost loses her.
This is one story where the OM is neither a beta wimp nor a controlling jerk in disguise. Blair's a great guy as well as a great artist and deserves his own HEA.
I recommend this one.
May 15, 2022
3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ I took off a half a star because the H should have had to grovel more for being an idiot!!
December 28, 2020
It was unbelievable, too good to be true
Jenny had taken the job in London to escape her memories and her grief...and found herself thrust into a whirlwind courtship with her stunningly handsome boss.
Adam was a man who wined and dined some of the most beautiful women in London, so Jenny couldn't help wondering what he saw in a rather simple, unglamorous girl like herself.
And then he proposed marriage...but marriage with an unusual twist.
Jenny had taken the job in London to escape her memories and her grief...and found herself thrust into a whirlwind courtship with her stunningly handsome boss.
Adam was a man who wined and dined some of the most beautiful women in London, so Jenny couldn't help wondering what he saw in a rather simple, unglamorous girl like herself.
And then he proposed marriage...but marriage with an unusual twist.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews