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Pacific Waterfront #4
Jenny's Turn
Jenny's Turn by Vanessa Grant released on May 25, 1988 is available now for purchase.
188 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
50 people want to read
About the author
Vanessa Grant
92 books43 followers"I love writing fiction - it's the perfect occupation for someone who can't decide what they want to be when they grow up. With each new story, I get to explore a new world."
Vanessa Grant's love affair with writing fiction began during a protracted illness at the age of 12 when she decided to write a novel of her own, sitting up in bed using the typewriter she'd been given for her birthday. Not a computer, not an electric typewriter, but a then-state-of-the-art manual typewriter. The story ground to a halt on page 50 but Vanessa never forgot the excitement of bringing her own characters to life.
In 1985 Vanessa's novel Pacific Disturbance was published in hardcover by Mills and Boon. She now has over 10 million books sold and has been translated into 15 languages. She also has written what one critic described as, "by far the best writing book I've ever read." Writing Romance, published by Self Counsel Press, won the Under the Covers Best Writing Book Award, and is currently in its third edition.
Over the years her love of storytelling and curiosity about people led Vanessa to study psychology, volunteer on a crisis line, complete individual and relationship counselor training, volunteer as a peer counselor for a family life organization, and tell stories about life, love, and secrets. Vanessa is also a university professor, a publisher of educational materials and eBooks, and has given workshops to writers' groups in Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Canada.
Vanessa and her husband live on Vancouver Island in the Pacific Northwest with their two Australian Shepherd dogs.
Vanessa Grant's love affair with writing fiction began during a protracted illness at the age of 12 when she decided to write a novel of her own, sitting up in bed using the typewriter she'd been given for her birthday. Not a computer, not an electric typewriter, but a then-state-of-the-art manual typewriter. The story ground to a halt on page 50 but Vanessa never forgot the excitement of bringing her own characters to life.
In 1985 Vanessa's novel Pacific Disturbance was published in hardcover by Mills and Boon. She now has over 10 million books sold and has been translated into 15 languages. She also has written what one critic described as, "by far the best writing book I've ever read." Writing Romance, published by Self Counsel Press, won the Under the Covers Best Writing Book Award, and is currently in its third edition.
Over the years her love of storytelling and curiosity about people led Vanessa to study psychology, volunteer on a crisis line, complete individual and relationship counselor training, volunteer as a peer counselor for a family life organization, and tell stories about life, love, and secrets. Vanessa is also a university professor, a publisher of educational materials and eBooks, and has given workshops to writers' groups in Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Canada.
Vanessa and her husband live on Vancouver Island in the Pacific Northwest with their two Australian Shepherd dogs.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 2, 2021
Documentary filmmaker heroine has been in love with her boss for five years but refuses to be another notch on his bedpost. She was burned badly as a teenager by a married traveling salesman who pumped her and dumped her and she still hasn’t got over her trust issues with men. Since this story gives us dual povs, we find out that the boss has also been in lust with the heroine but since she has politely but firmly rejected him time and time again, he tries to forget his attraction to her by dating a bevy of girlfriends that he changes more often than I change my socks (and I am a VERY clean person). The ultimate tacky move is that he starts dating heroine’s roommate and implying he is going to marry her. Later, we find out he was only doing this in the hopes of finally getting a reaction from the heroine. How mature.
She gives him a reaction all right: She quits her job and joins her cousin for a months-long sailing trip from Alaska to the Carribs (Strange itinerary, I guess they are planning to cross the Panama Canal?) Anyhoo, this sends hero into a panic and he actually starts desperately stalking her, starting from the plane she takes to Alaska and then to every port she stops at on her trip. She thinks he just wants her back for work and that he is still involved with her roommate. He does nothing to disabuse her of this false notion. Even after a clam-poisoning episode that sends heroine to an emergency room and the hero into a terrifying tizzy, he STILL doesn’t clarify that Great, Big, Terrible Misunderstanding until the very last pages of the book. And then tries to sell the heroine THE BIG WHOPPER that he never had sex with the roommate and he was never serious about her or the strings of bimbos he paraded around during the past five years. He simply couldn’t get aroused by them because ALL he could think of was the heroine *eyeroll*
I liked the heroine in this one because she stood by her principles for a long time. It is so rare to find a Harlequin heroine with a backbone. She made the super-arrogant hero fret and sweat and really take a hold of himself and his BIG EGO when she finally quit her thankless job. Unfortunately for her, I don’t think she will find forever happiness with a lying, cheating, manwhoring, greedy workaholic who treated her so disrespectfully as an employee, consistently assigning her garbage, commercial assignments while promoting her male counterparts, all because as a woman, she was simply too "distracting" for him to work with. What an idjeet! Not to mention the shoddy way he treated heroine's roommate, a nice woman who fell for his act and genuinely cared for him and thought their relationship was leading to marriage. His crazy stalker ways and consistent prying into heroine’s past showed further that he learned nothing about boundaries and respect. I think she will continue to be his dogsbody, editing his films laboriously while he gets credit and fame, except now he won’t even pay her cause she will be his wife. Honestly can't even be happy that she is happy :(
She gives him a reaction all right: She quits her job and joins her cousin for a months-long sailing trip from Alaska to the Carribs (Strange itinerary, I guess they are planning to cross the Panama Canal?) Anyhoo, this sends hero into a panic and he actually starts desperately stalking her, starting from the plane she takes to Alaska and then to every port she stops at on her trip. She thinks he just wants her back for work and that he is still involved with her roommate. He does nothing to disabuse her of this false notion. Even after a clam-poisoning episode that sends heroine to an emergency room and the hero into a terrifying tizzy, he STILL doesn’t clarify that Great, Big, Terrible Misunderstanding until the very last pages of the book. And then tries to sell the heroine THE BIG WHOPPER that he never had sex with the roommate and he was never serious about her or the strings of bimbos he paraded around during the past five years. He simply couldn’t get aroused by them because ALL he could think of was the heroine *eyeroll*
I liked the heroine in this one because she stood by her principles for a long time. It is so rare to find a Harlequin heroine with a backbone. She made the super-arrogant hero fret and sweat and really take a hold of himself and his BIG EGO when she finally quit her thankless job. Unfortunately for her, I don’t think she will find forever happiness with a lying, cheating, manwhoring, greedy workaholic who treated her so disrespectfully as an employee, consistently assigning her garbage, commercial assignments while promoting her male counterparts, all because as a woman, she was simply too "distracting" for him to work with. What an idjeet! Not to mention the shoddy way he treated heroine's roommate, a nice woman who fell for his act and genuinely cared for him and thought their relationship was leading to marriage. His crazy stalker ways and consistent prying into heroine’s past showed further that he learned nothing about boundaries and respect. I think she will continue to be his dogsbody, editing his films laboriously while he gets credit and fame, except now he won’t even pay her cause she will be his wife. Honestly can't even be happy that she is happy :(
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2016
Re Jenny's Turn - Continuing her Pacific Waterfront and Haida Gwaii series (the two are interlinked with the same books - if you pick up the books in the PW series, you get all the Haida Gwaii books too.) The full list is here
http://www.fictiondb.com/author/vanes...
Jenny's Turn is linked to VG's first HP Storm - we see Storm's h and H again, as that H is distantly related to the H of Jenny's Turn, and really closely linked to Stray Lady - which is where the h's cousin George (Georgina) gets her own romance and becomes the h. Jenny's Turn is available in both HPlandia and re-released in e-book with some additions and some modification - the two are very similar, but I will point out the differences at the end.
This book is about the h, Jenny, who works as a production and photography assistant to her boss the H. She has been working for him for five years and has been in unrequited love for all that time. The H is a serial dater however, and when the h did not respond to his seduction attempts, he decides to date her roommate to show the h. In the HP version he even claims he is going to propose to the roommate when the h asks him.
He has been dating the roommate for six months and the h is really tired of it, especially when the roommate declares they are getting married and the H has hired another photographer to do the h's job. She is getting shoved off on the scut work and no longer goes out on assignment, she hates her job now and has for the last two years. She feels that she is being marginalized with grunt work, so when her widowed cousin George shows up and tells her she is sailing the boat her husband bought right before he died down from Alaska, the h decides to quit her job and join her.
The h tried to use the months vacation the H owed her to go on the trip, she hasn't had a vacation in two years, but the H kept dropping commercial jobs that were really boring on her and kept putting her holidays off, telling her she was too necessary to his company to go. The h resents that, she feels the commercial jobs are beneath the H's talents and that the company doesn't really need them when they are doing award winning documentaries. But the H is taking these jobs to keep the h busy and away from him on location - he has been just as interested as the h is but the h won't go out with him. The H is also a bit obsessed with proving to his father's side of the family that he is a big success, hence all the commercial work as it pays really big. Since the H won't let the h go on assignment and the cousin needs a hand with the boat and it seems the H is marrying her roommate, the h decides quitting a hopeless cause is the better part of valor and intends to use the trip down the Pacific coast to get over him.
The h also has a bad breakup in her past that makes her very wary of emotional involvement. Her parents were never around when she was a kid, they traveled for her father's job and the h is not close to them. She lived with her aunt and her cousin and when her cousin met and married her husband, she became involved with a salesman guy she met and fell in love with. They had a romance, then the h told the guy she was preggers (she wasn't but she was 17 and thought she wanted to get married,) and the guy took off. It shook her up pretty badly and she has never trusted men since. So when she see's the H with a succession of ladies that he dumps whenever he tires of them, she figures the H is the same as her past lover and resolves not to get involved with him. The H is frustrated that the h won't give him the time of day outside of work and so he dates her roommate to make her jealous. Then the h quits to sail with her cousin, but the H thinks the cousin is a lover and takes off after the h.
He books himself on the same plane the h is flying out on to convince her to stay (he booked himself on the same return flight too,) but the h is adamant that she is going. The H makes her promise to check in with him at their various stops and the h agrees to call him when she reaches the first two. Those stops will be on the Haida Gwaii islands, where the H has a lot of family and friends. The h is late for her second call, so the H calls all his friends on the islands to look for them, as well as the Coast guard.
They find the boat and the H flies to the islands to meet it. It seems the h and her cousin got delayed by bad weather and the boat's radio went out so they couldn't call anyone. George turns out to be a lady when the H meets the boat and the H decides that they will need a personal guide for a portion of their trip through some tricksy sea channels. Since he knows the islands from summer's spent with his relatives, he volunteers himself. He takes the h out for sightseeing and they talk about the h's past. The H tries to get closer to her, but the h is still wary as she thinks he is still involved with the roommate. He isn't at this point, he broke up with her, but it happens off page and the H feels pretty bad when he realizes that he led her on a bit in the e-book version.
George tells the h that she should take a chance with the H, she has accepted his services as a guide and she points out that the H has pretty much spent all his time tracking down and chasing after the h. The h insists it is because his film production company needs her, the photographer who took over the h's job hasn't been doing it and the h has been covering for him and the H really wants her to come back.
The h is working on her own wildlife film and tells the H she doesn't need him and isn't going to work with him again, but she can't help anticipating the H's return when he comes back to guide them. ( The H had to finish up some contract work and so the ladies delayed their departure until he could get back to the boat.) When the H does return he finds that the ladies have eaten paralytic toxin laced clams, so he and the H from Storm have to fly them to the hospital because they are in danger of dying - the cousin stops breathing from the toxin and the H has to do CPR. George winds up in the intensive care unit and the h is in a regular room, but both are going to live.
The H was terrified when he found them and we get a nice bit of his POV as he realizes that he has always been in love with the h and used the other women, including her roommate, to distract him. He wants the h forever as his wife and he also realizes that she isn't going to believe that based on his track record. He kicks himself a lot for being an idiot and when his aunt tells him off for his latest film being unartistic commercialism, the H resolves to fix his life. He is going to win the h and they are going to make wonderful films together, now he only has to convince the h.
The h recovers and agrees to go with the H to bring the boat over to the island they are on while her cousin recovers. The H is all out to convince the h to do a film on his mother's people, the Haida, with him and when they visit his aunt and the h and H from Storm, they encourage the film too. Then the h and H are on the boat together and navigate back to the h's cousin. They wind up having the big passionate lurve club moment and the H leaves with only a note the next day. George comes back to the boat and the h finally convinces her they need to go on with their trip. The h thinks the H has left her, he really went back to finish a film and figure out how to convince the h he loves her.
The h and her cousin sail over to an island where they can hang out for a few days and the H gets the H from Storm to pilot him around until he finds them. The h's cousin had left a message about where there would be. The cousin leaves the H and h together on her boat and the H confesses that he isn't going to marry her roommate, he only asked her out to get closer to the h and then she completely retreated from him.
He says he and the roommate weren't lovers because every time he was with another woman for the last several years the h got in the way. He claims that he never actually asked the roommate to marry him, tho he told the h he was going to because he wanted her to protest and make a play for him. He swears he loves the h, even if she won't work with him and the h finally admits that she loves him too and so we leave them on the boat anticipating their honeymoon and trying for a baby for the big HEA.
This one was really good, and the H has to really work to get the h to listen to him and win her over. The roommate thing was kinda tacky, but the H admits that he was wrong to use her and he does apologize pretty sincerely for his actions. VG has re-released this as an e-book and there are some differences between the two. The equipment is more modern with computers and things and in the e-book the H never says he is going to marry the roommate, the love scenes are much less descriptive in the e-book too. So with the HP version the H does tell the h about potentially marrying the roommate, and then has to explain a whole lot more when he decides that he really wants the h. The cousin George is much more proactive in the e-book version too, she doesn't have the scenes with the h where she is encouraging the h to be with the H that she does in the e-book version.
If you like more detailed love scenes go for the HP version, if you have a problem with H's saying they are marrying OW, go with the e-book version. I personally like both and thought the whole roommate thing was forgivable because of how hard the H worked to win the h - in both versions.
Either way you are in for a really good read with an h who just doesn't sit around and moan over her unrequited love and an H who really has to work for it to win his girl. That makes this one a pretty good edition to HPlandia and worth looking for in whatever version you prefer.
http://www.fictiondb.com/author/vanes...
Jenny's Turn is linked to VG's first HP Storm - we see Storm's h and H again, as that H is distantly related to the H of Jenny's Turn, and really closely linked to Stray Lady - which is where the h's cousin George (Georgina) gets her own romance and becomes the h. Jenny's Turn is available in both HPlandia and re-released in e-book with some additions and some modification - the two are very similar, but I will point out the differences at the end.
This book is about the h, Jenny, who works as a production and photography assistant to her boss the H. She has been working for him for five years and has been in unrequited love for all that time. The H is a serial dater however, and when the h did not respond to his seduction attempts, he decides to date her roommate to show the h. In the HP version he even claims he is going to propose to the roommate when the h asks him.
He has been dating the roommate for six months and the h is really tired of it, especially when the roommate declares they are getting married and the H has hired another photographer to do the h's job. She is getting shoved off on the scut work and no longer goes out on assignment, she hates her job now and has for the last two years. She feels that she is being marginalized with grunt work, so when her widowed cousin George shows up and tells her she is sailing the boat her husband bought right before he died down from Alaska, the h decides to quit her job and join her.
The h tried to use the months vacation the H owed her to go on the trip, she hasn't had a vacation in two years, but the H kept dropping commercial jobs that were really boring on her and kept putting her holidays off, telling her she was too necessary to his company to go. The h resents that, she feels the commercial jobs are beneath the H's talents and that the company doesn't really need them when they are doing award winning documentaries. But the H is taking these jobs to keep the h busy and away from him on location - he has been just as interested as the h is but the h won't go out with him. The H is also a bit obsessed with proving to his father's side of the family that he is a big success, hence all the commercial work as it pays really big. Since the H won't let the h go on assignment and the cousin needs a hand with the boat and it seems the H is marrying her roommate, the h decides quitting a hopeless cause is the better part of valor and intends to use the trip down the Pacific coast to get over him.
The h also has a bad breakup in her past that makes her very wary of emotional involvement. Her parents were never around when she was a kid, they traveled for her father's job and the h is not close to them. She lived with her aunt and her cousin and when her cousin met and married her husband, she became involved with a salesman guy she met and fell in love with. They had a romance, then the h told the guy she was preggers (she wasn't but she was 17 and thought she wanted to get married,) and the guy took off. It shook her up pretty badly and she has never trusted men since. So when she see's the H with a succession of ladies that he dumps whenever he tires of them, she figures the H is the same as her past lover and resolves not to get involved with him. The H is frustrated that the h won't give him the time of day outside of work and so he dates her roommate to make her jealous. Then the h quits to sail with her cousin, but the H thinks the cousin is a lover and takes off after the h.
He books himself on the same plane the h is flying out on to convince her to stay (he booked himself on the same return flight too,) but the h is adamant that she is going. The H makes her promise to check in with him at their various stops and the h agrees to call him when she reaches the first two. Those stops will be on the Haida Gwaii islands, where the H has a lot of family and friends. The h is late for her second call, so the H calls all his friends on the islands to look for them, as well as the Coast guard.
They find the boat and the H flies to the islands to meet it. It seems the h and her cousin got delayed by bad weather and the boat's radio went out so they couldn't call anyone. George turns out to be a lady when the H meets the boat and the H decides that they will need a personal guide for a portion of their trip through some tricksy sea channels. Since he knows the islands from summer's spent with his relatives, he volunteers himself. He takes the h out for sightseeing and they talk about the h's past. The H tries to get closer to her, but the h is still wary as she thinks he is still involved with the roommate. He isn't at this point, he broke up with her, but it happens off page and the H feels pretty bad when he realizes that he led her on a bit in the e-book version.
George tells the h that she should take a chance with the H, she has accepted his services as a guide and she points out that the H has pretty much spent all his time tracking down and chasing after the h. The h insists it is because his film production company needs her, the photographer who took over the h's job hasn't been doing it and the h has been covering for him and the H really wants her to come back.
The h is working on her own wildlife film and tells the H she doesn't need him and isn't going to work with him again, but she can't help anticipating the H's return when he comes back to guide them. ( The H had to finish up some contract work and so the ladies delayed their departure until he could get back to the boat.) When the H does return he finds that the ladies have eaten paralytic toxin laced clams, so he and the H from Storm have to fly them to the hospital because they are in danger of dying - the cousin stops breathing from the toxin and the H has to do CPR. George winds up in the intensive care unit and the h is in a regular room, but both are going to live.
The H was terrified when he found them and we get a nice bit of his POV as he realizes that he has always been in love with the h and used the other women, including her roommate, to distract him. He wants the h forever as his wife and he also realizes that she isn't going to believe that based on his track record. He kicks himself a lot for being an idiot and when his aunt tells him off for his latest film being unartistic commercialism, the H resolves to fix his life. He is going to win the h and they are going to make wonderful films together, now he only has to convince the h.
The h recovers and agrees to go with the H to bring the boat over to the island they are on while her cousin recovers. The H is all out to convince the h to do a film on his mother's people, the Haida, with him and when they visit his aunt and the h and H from Storm, they encourage the film too. Then the h and H are on the boat together and navigate back to the h's cousin. They wind up having the big passionate lurve club moment and the H leaves with only a note the next day. George comes back to the boat and the h finally convinces her they need to go on with their trip. The h thinks the H has left her, he really went back to finish a film and figure out how to convince the h he loves her.
The h and her cousin sail over to an island where they can hang out for a few days and the H gets the H from Storm to pilot him around until he finds them. The h's cousin had left a message about where there would be. The cousin leaves the H and h together on her boat and the H confesses that he isn't going to marry her roommate, he only asked her out to get closer to the h and then she completely retreated from him.
He says he and the roommate weren't lovers because every time he was with another woman for the last several years the h got in the way. He claims that he never actually asked the roommate to marry him, tho he told the h he was going to because he wanted her to protest and make a play for him. He swears he loves the h, even if she won't work with him and the h finally admits that she loves him too and so we leave them on the boat anticipating their honeymoon and trying for a baby for the big HEA.
This one was really good, and the H has to really work to get the h to listen to him and win her over. The roommate thing was kinda tacky, but the H admits that he was wrong to use her and he does apologize pretty sincerely for his actions. VG has re-released this as an e-book and there are some differences between the two. The equipment is more modern with computers and things and in the e-book the H never says he is going to marry the roommate, the love scenes are much less descriptive in the e-book too. So with the HP version the H does tell the h about potentially marrying the roommate, and then has to explain a whole lot more when he decides that he really wants the h. The cousin George is much more proactive in the e-book version too, she doesn't have the scenes with the h where she is encouraging the h to be with the H that she does in the e-book version.
If you like more detailed love scenes go for the HP version, if you have a problem with H's saying they are marrying OW, go with the e-book version. I personally like both and thought the whole roommate thing was forgivable because of how hard the H worked to win the h - in both versions.
Either way you are in for a really good read with an h who just doesn't sit around and moan over her unrequited love and an H who really has to work for it to win his girl. That makes this one a pretty good edition to HPlandia and worth looking for in whatever version you prefer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2013
This is the third old category reprint I've read in a row with the same basic set-up: heroine is afraid of involvement, hero is her demanding boss who is frustrated by her aloofness. I guess this is considered a theme that still plays well today? Anyway, this is a good emotional story and I thought it was the best of the bunch, up until the end when both characters were struck with a nasty case of terminal idiocy.
May 11, 2016
Shout out to the first romance book I ever read. I was 11 and already reading outside my comfort zone.
Good times.
Good times.
March 11, 2013
i really love this book. one of my first romances and among my favorites.
August 12, 2016
The story dragged where it should be short if the two characters honestly talked and understood! Not a really convincing story line.
September 24, 2024
The one that bored you.
January 14, 2025
Jenny goes sailing and her boss follows her there. You get the rest.
December 30, 2015
A good read.
Both Jenny and Jake are attracted to each other but both decide to ignor it in favor of their business relationship. As time passes this attraction proves to much and starts to effect their business. Neither realizes the other's feelings and the stress of holding back starts to get to them.
Jake not wanting to be alone with Jenny has stopped taking her on exciting jobs. Jenny tired of his playboy ways and crappy assisgnments has decided to leave. Jake afraid of her leaving tries to talk her into staying. Jenny leaves for a sea voyage were she encounters danger. Jake having time to think about his feelings flies to her rescue, but has he waited too long?
An enjoyable read full of Alaskan tidbits and sailing adventure. Lots of emotions and feelings jumping around but not a lot of passion, as is the way of these older Harlequins. There are some slow moments but overall a good read.
Both Jenny and Jake are attracted to each other but both decide to ignor it in favor of their business relationship. As time passes this attraction proves to much and starts to effect their business. Neither realizes the other's feelings and the stress of holding back starts to get to them.
Jake not wanting to be alone with Jenny has stopped taking her on exciting jobs. Jenny tired of his playboy ways and crappy assisgnments has decided to leave. Jake afraid of her leaving tries to talk her into staying. Jenny leaves for a sea voyage were she encounters danger. Jake having time to think about his feelings flies to her rescue, but has he waited too long?
An enjoyable read full of Alaskan tidbits and sailing adventure. Lots of emotions and feelings jumping around but not a lot of passion, as is the way of these older Harlequins. There are some slow moments but overall a good read.
January 3, 2013
Another one where I'd like to strangle the two characters because it would all be solved easily if they just spoke up instead of playing games. A decent story but I find it hard to believe a man would go to that extent after 5 years.
May 6, 2015
I liked the overall story line and characters, but there was much too much content for my tastes. As much as I liked Jenny and Jake, and George, I won't be rereading this book.
Content: over 30 swear words, a few sex scenes
Content: over 30 swear words, a few sex scenes
August 3, 2013
Definitely a decent heroine I was glad the hero did the bulk chasing, it made it more exciting when the hero gave it all.
April 22, 2016
I liked the scenery described in Haida Gwaii.
January 31, 2013
One of my favourite Mills and Boon
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews