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An Unbroken Marriage
Their antagonism was instant and mutual
Simon Herries was dominating and arrogant, and he had readily jumped to the wrong conclusions about India. "You don't know me, " she stated, "yet you accuse me of trying to steal someone else's husband!"
Evidence and appearance seemed to support his claim, and Simon had his own method of dealing with the problem.
At the time it proved an effective solution, but when his scheme backfired, India was left to face a future of heartbreak and unhappiness.
Simon Herries was dominating and arrogant, and he had readily jumped to the wrong conclusions about India. "You don't know me, " she stated, "yet you accuse me of trying to steal someone else's husband!"
Evidence and appearance seemed to support his claim, and Simon had his own method of dealing with the problem.
At the time it proved an effective solution, but when his scheme backfired, India was left to face a future of heartbreak and unhappiness.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
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About the author
Penny Jordan
1,125 books668 followersPenelope Jones Halsall
aka Caroline Courtney, Annie Groves, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".
She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialized bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her younger sister Prue, who was always the heroine. At eleven, she fell in love with Mills & Boon, and with their heroes. In those days the books could only be obtained via private lending libraries, and she quickly became a devoted fan; she was thrilled to bits when the books went on full sale in shops and she could have them for keeps.
Penny left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography. She first discovered Mills & Boon books, via a girl she worked with. She married Steve Halsall, an accountant and a "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, and suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity. Her husband bought her the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first novels, at a time when he could ill afford it. He died at the beginning of 21st century.
She earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, Penny found an agent who was looking for a new Georgette Heyer. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her nom de plume to Melinda Wright for three air-hostess romps and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her more historical romance novels, she adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70 of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
Penny Halsall lived in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, with her Alsatian Sheba and cat Posh. She worked from home, in her kitchen, surrounded by her pets, and welcomed interruptions from her friends and family.
aka Caroline Courtney, Annie Groves, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".
She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialized bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her younger sister Prue, who was always the heroine. At eleven, she fell in love with Mills & Boon, and with their heroes. In those days the books could only be obtained via private lending libraries, and she quickly became a devoted fan; she was thrilled to bits when the books went on full sale in shops and she could have them for keeps.
Penny left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography. She first discovered Mills & Boon books, via a girl she worked with. She married Steve Halsall, an accountant and a "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, and suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity. Her husband bought her the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first novels, at a time when he could ill afford it. He died at the beginning of 21st century.
She earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, Penny found an agent who was looking for a new Georgette Heyer. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her nom de plume to Melinda Wright for three air-hostess romps and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her more historical romance novels, she adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70 of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
Penny Halsall lived in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, with her Alsatian Sheba and cat Posh. She worked from home, in her kitchen, surrounded by her pets, and welcomed interruptions from her friends and family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
January 30, 2019
This was one of those books where the writer spends time creating an independent hardworking heroine only to tear it all down. What is exceptional here is that, it’s all done within the first chapter.
Heroine owns and runs an exclusive boutique where she designs and makes her own clothing line. She is close friends with a married man but it’s clear everyone thinks they are dating. Her client thinks so based on seeing them together at her party, her assistant thinks so based on the proprietary way he calls her up and by the time the H walks out of her shop, it’s clear he thinks so.
But then this H swops between two characteristics: Judgmental Jerk and Dumb Dickhead. So we’ll take his opinion with a sack of salt.
The h’s father had an affair when she was a child. She remembers clearly how painful this was for her mother and the family and swears she will never do the same. And yet she succumbs to her married friend’s invitation to dinner at a fancy restaurant, knowing he fancies her and dresses up for him, doing her hair and makeup exactly how he likes it.
So there she is, at their cozy dinner date, with H in judgement mode a few tables away. She is shocked when her friend aka cheating-husband-and-father-of-two and soon-to-be-father of three professes his love in the most flattering way; he will dump his pregnant wife if she agrees to marry him.
She declines this charming proposition but later outside her apartment allows him a full-blown passionate kiss in the name of a last goodbye, in full plain sight of H driving by.
Now H, is cousin to the cheater’s wife. Instead of sending the slimeball sprawling across the road, he kidnaps the h for a weekend to stop the affair.
Condensed version of the rest of the book: Oops-virgin moment, marriage, boring pages where H isn’t around, h and cheater’s wife bonding moments, boring OW machinations, HEA.
Detailed version:
- Description of how h designed interior of her apartment
- Description of how h designed interior of her shop
- Description of restored but unfurnished country house where H kidnaps her
- Description of how she would redesign the room H has locked her in
It would help to note at this point that h operates in either of two modes: Blown-up Doll or Malfunctioning Robot
Best example: They hear the cousin coming into the house, together with the cheater husband. H tears off her top, throws her on bed and gets on top, hurting her, forcefully kissing her. They walk into the room and does she scream for help? Nope. There are awkward introductions, plans for lunch and she’s explaining the origin of her exotic name: her father worked as an engineer in India, so she’s named India. Riveting stuff. All this with H still on top of her with a cover on her naked breasts. And still no yelp for help.
- They leave and he orders her to make breakfast. She does not even remotely consider, if I poison him, I could escape. Nope, H gets a lovely breakfast and she, a sneering thanks.
- On to lunch where she still doesn’t tell “friend” and wife she’s been kidnapped. Because H will ruin her business. Or something. Lost interest, sorry.
- H proves he is an under-achieving and smug kidnapper. He lets her go after the lunch thinking, mission accomplished.
- Cheater’s wife becomes h’s biggest fan, singing her praises to anyone who will give her a moment, from Grandma to OW.
- OW appears in h’s shop angry/screeching/warning her to back off
- Cheater calls to demand an explanation as to why h, who is single, is doing the naked tango with the H, who is also single, but not with him who is married and about to be father to a third child
- h tells him she’s in love with H to get him to back off
- Press prints news item that h and H are going out. And are S-E-R-I-O-U-S
- H is furious, accuses h of … something, anything, everything
- Grandma believes all she reads and wants to meet the h
- H forces h to go meet Grandma because Grandma is a smart judge of character and will see for herself, what a lying fake the h is
- Instead, Grandma eyes the position of president of h’s fan club
- h decides to revenge H by lying to Grandma that they’re going to get married.
- Pricks. Why can’t they leave Grandma out of it?
-Now H is MAD. Assumes h wants money to cancel the fake engagement
- Anger leads to Passion, to Virgin Discovery Moment, to Fear of Pregnancy, to Marriage Proposal
- h says yes, because ... Friendly Reminder: Blown Up Doll, Malfunctioning Robot
- h is positively exploding in non-sexual orgasms as she asks H if he trusts her to do the interior design of his unfurnished country house aka scene of half-assed kidnapping
- H decides Virgin Robot Doll is now Above Reproach, offers check book and free hand to refurnish his country home and a proper marriage.
- 17 pages where Hero is not around. Cousin goes into premature labour and h saves the day
- Cousin names baby after h
- I start imagining the day when she finds out she named her daughter after the woman who almost broke her marriage.
- Obviously, I am bored
- h makes peace with cheater, and also makes omelette for him and also hugs him. H walks in on cozy scene
- Angry Sex leads to Remorse then H disappearing for another 10 pages where they both stupidly believe the OW that neither wants to be with the other
- Harsh winter leads to h almost having hypothermia
- H saves her but... no hypothermia sex! What on earth, PJ.
- She leaves hospital, he finds her, HEA
Perhaps this was fairly original for 1982 and I’m being unfair. This one got its share of good ratings.
Or perhaps the real star of the show was the cousin/cheater’s wife? Either way, it’s going to be awkward one day at a family dinner when she finds out everyone deceived in some way and that her husband was quite ready to divorce her and for whom.
I call this the book where PJ came out of the writer's closet about her interior decorator alter ego. And boy did she come out in a big way.
I love you, PJ and I will never quit you but this one didn’t work for me at all
Heroine owns and runs an exclusive boutique where she designs and makes her own clothing line. She is close friends with a married man but it’s clear everyone thinks they are dating. Her client thinks so based on seeing them together at her party, her assistant thinks so based on the proprietary way he calls her up and by the time the H walks out of her shop, it’s clear he thinks so.
But then this H swops between two characteristics: Judgmental Jerk and Dumb Dickhead. So we’ll take his opinion with a sack of salt.
The h’s father had an affair when she was a child. She remembers clearly how painful this was for her mother and the family and swears she will never do the same. And yet she succumbs to her married friend’s invitation to dinner at a fancy restaurant, knowing he fancies her and dresses up for him, doing her hair and makeup exactly how he likes it.
So there she is, at their cozy dinner date, with H in judgement mode a few tables away. She is shocked when her friend aka cheating-husband-and-father-of-two and soon-to-be-father of three professes his love in the most flattering way; he will dump his pregnant wife if she agrees to marry him.
She declines this charming proposition but later outside her apartment allows him a full-blown passionate kiss in the name of a last goodbye, in full plain sight of H driving by.
Now H, is cousin to the cheater’s wife. Instead of sending the slimeball sprawling across the road, he kidnaps the h for a weekend to stop the affair.
Condensed version of the rest of the book: Oops-virgin moment, marriage, boring pages where H isn’t around, h and cheater’s wife bonding moments, boring OW machinations, HEA.
Detailed version:
- Description of how h designed interior of her apartment
- Description of how h designed interior of her shop
- Description of restored but unfurnished country house where H kidnaps her
- Description of how she would redesign the room H has locked her in
It would help to note at this point that h operates in either of two modes: Blown-up Doll or Malfunctioning Robot
Best example: They hear the cousin coming into the house, together with the cheater husband. H tears off her top, throws her on bed and gets on top, hurting her, forcefully kissing her. They walk into the room and does she scream for help? Nope. There are awkward introductions, plans for lunch and she’s explaining the origin of her exotic name: her father worked as an engineer in India, so she’s named India. Riveting stuff. All this with H still on top of her with a cover on her naked breasts. And still no yelp for help.
- They leave and he orders her to make breakfast. She does not even remotely consider, if I poison him, I could escape. Nope, H gets a lovely breakfast and she, a sneering thanks.
- On to lunch where she still doesn’t tell “friend” and wife she’s been kidnapped. Because H will ruin her business. Or something. Lost interest, sorry.
- H proves he is an under-achieving and smug kidnapper. He lets her go after the lunch thinking, mission accomplished.
- Cheater’s wife becomes h’s biggest fan, singing her praises to anyone who will give her a moment, from Grandma to OW.
- OW appears in h’s shop angry/screeching/warning her to back off
- Cheater calls to demand an explanation as to why h, who is single, is doing the naked tango with the H, who is also single, but not with him who is married and about to be father to a third child
- h tells him she’s in love with H to get him to back off
- Press prints news item that h and H are going out. And are S-E-R-I-O-U-S
- H is furious, accuses h of … something, anything, everything
- Grandma believes all she reads and wants to meet the h
- H forces h to go meet Grandma because Grandma is a smart judge of character and will see for herself, what a lying fake the h is
- Instead, Grandma eyes the position of president of h’s fan club
- h decides to revenge H by lying to Grandma that they’re going to get married.
- Pricks. Why can’t they leave Grandma out of it?
-Now H is MAD. Assumes h wants money to cancel the fake engagement
- Anger leads to Passion, to Virgin Discovery Moment, to Fear of Pregnancy, to Marriage Proposal
- h says yes, because ... Friendly Reminder: Blown Up Doll, Malfunctioning Robot
- h is positively exploding in non-sexual orgasms as she asks H if he trusts her to do the interior design of his unfurnished country house aka scene of half-assed kidnapping
- H decides Virgin Robot Doll is now Above Reproach, offers check book and free hand to refurnish his country home and a proper marriage.
- 17 pages where Hero is not around. Cousin goes into premature labour and h saves the day
- Cousin names baby after h
- I start imagining the day when she finds out she named her daughter after the woman who almost broke her marriage.
- Obviously, I am bored
- h makes peace with cheater, and also makes omelette for him and also hugs him. H walks in on cozy scene
- Angry Sex leads to Remorse then H disappearing for another 10 pages where they both stupidly believe the OW that neither wants to be with the other
- Harsh winter leads to h almost having hypothermia
- H saves her but... no hypothermia sex! What on earth, PJ.
- She leaves hospital, he finds her, HEA
Perhaps this was fairly original for 1982 and I’m being unfair. This one got its share of good ratings.
Or perhaps the real star of the show was the cousin/cheater’s wife? Either way, it’s going to be awkward one day at a family dinner when she finds out everyone deceived in some way and that her husband was quite ready to divorce her and for whom.
I call this the book where PJ came out of the writer's closet about her interior decorator alter ego. And boy did she come out in a big way.
I love you, PJ and I will never quit you but this one didn’t work for me at all
March 4, 2019
I thought I had read this one before since it opens at the heroine’s bespoke dress salon with the hero accompanying his actress girlfriend(OW#1) to a fitting and then making all kinds of insinuating remarks about the heroine’s friendship with a married man.
Hero thinks the heroine is sleeping with his cousin’s husband (OM)in exchange for financial backing. Heroine is too proud to defend herself since she has earned her business through hard work.
There’s another category that begins this same way, hence my confusion. But this one has kidnapping and hypothermia.
So, note to self- this is the one with hypothermia.
Okay, back to the story.
Heroine goes out with OM to tell him she is not interested in an affair. OM confesses his wife is pregnant, but he’d still leave her anyway if h wanted. OM finally gets the message and slinks off. Hero is also at the restaurant and interprets their meeting in the worst way.
A week later, hero arranges to drive the heroine to a party they are both attending. Heroine is wearing a strapless gold dress. Hero drives her to his cottage in the country and locks her in a bedroom. His cousin and OM stop by the next morning. Hero quickly climbs into bed with the h for the cousin and OM to find them together.
His cousin is a nice lady and thinks the heroine is just right for the hero. Having made his point, the hero returns the h to London.
Heroine thinks this nonsense with the H is all over until the hero calls and says his grandmother heard about the H/h from the cousin and wants to meet her. At granny’s dinner party the heroine pretends they are engaged. Hero is angry but goes along with it.
Then OW #2 shows up at the dress salon. She was waiting for OM #1 to go on location before she campaigned to get the hero back. She warns the heroine and then gives a story to a tabloid about the H/h’s engagement. Hero thinks heroine planted the story. One angry kiss leads to another and they have sex. Heroine was a virgin- now hero realizes he was wrong about the OM. He says they have to marry in case heroine is pregnant.
H/h marry. Hero puts heroine in charge of remodeling the family manor while he stays in London. Heroine thinks he’ stashed her in the country to be back with OW#2. Hero’s cousin goes into early labor. Heroine is with her and saves the day. Hero sees OM hugging the heroine after finding out his wife is going to be okay and again misinterprets.
H/h have angry sex again. Then hero leaves heroine in the cottage after threatening divorce. A blizzard comes. No heat. Heroine is too depressed to do anything but huddle under blankets.
Hero finally rescues her after two days. They cuddle for warmth until he can get her to a hospital.
It’s all over but for the explanations and declarations of love.
This story had a lot going on. Cousin’s husband needed a good skilleting and not a happy ending with his clueless wife. Hero was obviously smitten from the beginning. Heroine had more backbone than the usual PJ heroine, which kept the angst fact low. She barely freaked out about being kidnapped or losing her virginity or having two OWs to work against. This is an earlier effort by PJ and I don’t think she had honed her high emotions skill quite yet.
Still, it’s a fun vintage.
Hero thinks the heroine is sleeping with his cousin’s husband (OM)in exchange for financial backing. Heroine is too proud to defend herself since she has earned her business through hard work.
There’s another category that begins this same way, hence my confusion. But this one has kidnapping and hypothermia.
So, note to self- this is the one with hypothermia.
Okay, back to the story.
Heroine goes out with OM to tell him she is not interested in an affair. OM confesses his wife is pregnant, but he’d still leave her anyway if h wanted. OM finally gets the message and slinks off. Hero is also at the restaurant and interprets their meeting in the worst way.
A week later, hero arranges to drive the heroine to a party they are both attending. Heroine is wearing a strapless gold dress. Hero drives her to his cottage in the country and locks her in a bedroom. His cousin and OM stop by the next morning. Hero quickly climbs into bed with the h for the cousin and OM to find them together.
His cousin is a nice lady and thinks the heroine is just right for the hero. Having made his point, the hero returns the h to London.
Heroine thinks this nonsense with the H is all over until the hero calls and says his grandmother heard about the H/h from the cousin and wants to meet her. At granny’s dinner party the heroine pretends they are engaged. Hero is angry but goes along with it.
Then OW #2 shows up at the dress salon. She was waiting for OM #1 to go on location before she campaigned to get the hero back. She warns the heroine and then gives a story to a tabloid about the H/h’s engagement. Hero thinks heroine planted the story. One angry kiss leads to another and they have sex. Heroine was a virgin- now hero realizes he was wrong about the OM. He says they have to marry in case heroine is pregnant.
H/h marry. Hero puts heroine in charge of remodeling the family manor while he stays in London. Heroine thinks he’ stashed her in the country to be back with OW#2. Hero’s cousin goes into early labor. Heroine is with her and saves the day. Hero sees OM hugging the heroine after finding out his wife is going to be okay and again misinterprets.
H/h have angry sex again. Then hero leaves heroine in the cottage after threatening divorce. A blizzard comes. No heat. Heroine is too depressed to do anything but huddle under blankets.
Hero finally rescues her after two days. They cuddle for warmth until he can get her to a hospital.
It’s all over but for the explanations and declarations of love.
This story had a lot going on. Cousin’s husband needed a good skilleting and not a happy ending with his clueless wife. Hero was obviously smitten from the beginning. Heroine had more backbone than the usual PJ heroine, which kept the angst fact low. She barely freaked out about being kidnapped or losing her virginity or having two OWs to work against. This is an earlier effort by PJ and I don’t think she had honed her high emotions skill quite yet.
Still, it’s a fun vintage.
September 15, 2021
Nobody can pass a psychopath for a good husband as PJ!
This is really insane.
The heroine is not much better.
She’s a woman with a career and I’d like to know if on the end she will keep it or not. We don’t know.
The hero’s cousin is married to a man, a slimy excuse for a man, who’s in love with the heroine and wants to leave his wife- pregnant wife, with a pregnancy at risk, and two children to marry the h.
The heroine, while not in love with him, keeps on dating him, dressing up for him.
This is where I wondered what her IQ could be.
If you don’t want to encourage a man you don’t go out to dinner with him and you don’t dress up for him.
Can’t you have female friends? Or single male friends???
Whatever.
The hero sees her in very compromising situations as at a charming restaurant with him, kissing him in front of his apartment, and obviously thinks she’s his lover.
So what does the psycho do? He kidnaps her of course, taking her to his cottage where his cousin and husband see them in bed together.
Yes, he mauls her, manhandles her, leaves her bruise and also throws her into his bed and takes off her pajama, all this because he wants his cousin’s husband understand they have been together.
Then he takes her back to her flat and she goes to the police. No, of course not! Why, a man kidnaps you, manhandles you, slut-shames you and you don’t go to the police straight away?? You’re crazy or you’re stupid. The second I suppose.
The day after they are engaged on all newspapers. Of course H mistreats the h because he thinks she told the newspaper, while it was one of his ex mistresses.
There’s a forced seduction scene, other insults and then he finds out that she is a virgin so offers marriage. Actually she could be pregnant!
I have a question.
I know it’s in the 80, but since this man is supposed to be a womanizer, does he have dozens of children all around the world? Because he doesn’t seem to be very careful with his bed partners. He thinks she’s the ultimate wh**e and he has sex with her without any protection ??? And what about STD???
The madness goes on.
The h accepts marriage and he asks her to have a new start and to forget about the past.
She accepts, being the mother of all doormats.
And then he finds her with om again and decides to leave her. Because he’s a big and strong (crybaby) and knows how you cope with problems in a marriage: running away! The utter coward.
A blizzard occurs and the h almost freezes. H saves her and when she says he wants a divorce he is all no, I love you, I’ve always loved you, I was jealous and all that craps. And the heroine has enough so decides to have her divorce and finds herself a real man. No! Not at all! She forgives him and they have their hea. No! I’m telling you those two won’t ever have a hea because he’s a psychopath and she’s a doormat. They will be unhappy and eventually they divorce! And they will not have children, poor souls!
Oh, I must stop and drink something serious.
Two stars only because it was not boring and it was real fantasy. Only crazy as hell.
This is really insane.
The heroine is not much better.
She’s a woman with a career and I’d like to know if on the end she will keep it or not. We don’t know.
The hero’s cousin is married to a man, a slimy excuse for a man, who’s in love with the heroine and wants to leave his wife- pregnant wife, with a pregnancy at risk, and two children to marry the h.
The heroine, while not in love with him, keeps on dating him, dressing up for him.
This is where I wondered what her IQ could be.
If you don’t want to encourage a man you don’t go out to dinner with him and you don’t dress up for him.
Can’t you have female friends? Or single male friends???
Whatever.
The hero sees her in very compromising situations as at a charming restaurant with him, kissing him in front of his apartment, and obviously thinks she’s his lover.
So what does the psycho do? He kidnaps her of course, taking her to his cottage where his cousin and husband see them in bed together.
Yes, he mauls her, manhandles her, leaves her bruise and also throws her into his bed and takes off her pajama, all this because he wants his cousin’s husband understand they have been together.
Then he takes her back to her flat and she goes to the police. No, of course not! Why, a man kidnaps you, manhandles you, slut-shames you and you don’t go to the police straight away?? You’re crazy or you’re stupid. The second I suppose.
The day after they are engaged on all newspapers. Of course H mistreats the h because he thinks she told the newspaper, while it was one of his ex mistresses.
There’s a forced seduction scene, other insults and then he finds out that she is a virgin so offers marriage. Actually she could be pregnant!
I have a question.
I know it’s in the 80, but since this man is supposed to be a womanizer, does he have dozens of children all around the world? Because he doesn’t seem to be very careful with his bed partners. He thinks she’s the ultimate wh**e and he has sex with her without any protection ??? And what about STD???
The madness goes on.
The h accepts marriage and he asks her to have a new start and to forget about the past.
She accepts, being the mother of all doormats.
And then he finds her with om again and decides to leave her. Because he’s a big and strong (crybaby) and knows how you cope with problems in a marriage: running away! The utter coward.
A blizzard occurs and the h almost freezes. H saves her and when she says he wants a divorce he is all no, I love you, I’ve always loved you, I was jealous and all that craps. And the heroine has enough so decides to have her divorce and finds herself a real man. No! Not at all! She forgives him and they have their hea. No! I’m telling you those two won’t ever have a hea because he’s a psychopath and she’s a doormat. They will be unhappy and eventually they divorce! And they will not have children, poor souls!
Oh, I must stop and drink something serious.
Two stars only because it was not boring and it was real fantasy. Only crazy as hell.
May 18, 2021
Edited for cover info:
A lovely nearly monochrome image by Will Davies. Too good for the story it graces.
I only remembered the first half of it which upon re-reading makes sense because yuck. In the days of yore I read anything with an artist or designer as a protagonist but in this story, India, an up and coming fashion designer pretty much abandons her career and business halfway through the book after a rush marriage post unprotected sex. Which includes in classic PJ style, an angry man who apparently can only get it up while angry, an undeclared virgin who is initially horrified at HIS actions until her nerve endings and treacherous body kicks in and she can transfer all that horror and blame on to herself, as is right and proper. (There was no mention of protection whatsoever but there was a mention of termination as a choice so that it could be quickly repudiated by all concerned. I totally get that many readers don't appreciate such realism in their escapist reading, I don't mind it—an unplanned pregnancy is pretty real too—but if it's only going to be brought up with horror and to demonstrate character sanctimony I'd prefer they leave it out entirely.)
These characters are all unpleasant people. They exhibit horrible judgement and poor impulse control and by the end of the book I'm still not convinced that the H and h have ever had a meaningful conversation.
A lovely nearly monochrome image by Will Davies. Too good for the story it graces.
I only remembered the first half of it which upon re-reading makes sense because yuck. In the days of yore I read anything with an artist or designer as a protagonist but in this story, India, an up and coming fashion designer pretty much abandons her career and business halfway through the book after a rush marriage post unprotected sex. Which includes in classic PJ style, an angry man who apparently can only get it up while angry, an undeclared virgin who is initially horrified at HIS actions until her nerve endings and treacherous body kicks in and she can transfer all that horror and blame on to herself, as is right and proper. (There was no mention of protection whatsoever but there was a mention of termination as a choice so that it could be quickly repudiated by all concerned. I totally get that many readers don't appreciate such realism in their escapist reading, I don't mind it—an unplanned pregnancy is pretty real too—but if it's only going to be brought up with horror and to demonstrate character sanctimony I'd prefer they leave it out entirely.)
These characters are all unpleasant people. They exhibit horrible judgement and poor impulse control and by the end of the book I'm still not convinced that the H and h have ever had a meaningful conversation.
February 27, 2019
Despite of OTT issues of h being nominated as OW, her extreme silliness and asshatness of jerk H, I very much liked this trainwreck.
June 17, 2021
So sometimes a “how bad can it be book” is just that bad. Penny Jordan isn’t my favorite HP author, but this mess was phoned in, maybe literally, dictated over a phone it’s a disjointed train wreck.
We have a supposedly smart fashion designer heroine who is dating/not dating a married man. She might not be sleeping with him but she’s got the OW thing going on. She’s supposedly giving him the brush off, but while getting ready for their final date, she’s doing her hair and make up in styles that he likes... how is that for mixed signals. Does he take her to a little out of the way place? Nope he takes her to a place where people go to be seen. Everyone thinks she’s his mistress, that he’s funded her fashion house. But she knows the truth why should she care if people get it wrong.
Enter the pissed off hero. His sister like cousin is married to the OM. And pregnant with baby #3. Which is hysterical considering the OM actually explains that he still sleeps with the wife, but he’ll divorce the wife if the heroine will only promise to marry him. Is he somehow hedging his bets?
Back to the hero, he’s got two OW and is mad that he’s attracted to his BIL’s mistress and he rides roughshod over her in every encounter they have... she can’t get a word in edgewise, that’s if she even wants to. I think PJ is trying for a self contained heroine, what we get is a voiceless heroine.
He keeps at her until he decides to kidnap her for the weekend. The plan goes awry when the sister/cousin/wife and the OM show up for an uninvited visit. The wife immediately likes the heroine and they are going to be fast friends, never mind the heroine has been friend dating her husband, stringing him along forever.
Now, the idiot hero has to continue the fake relationship going because grandma has heard about it. More boorish behavior leads to a dubious consent encounter that may or may not have left her pregnant. He’s pissed off that she didn’t tell him she was a virgin, what would have been the point, he wouldn’t have believed her.
Of course they get married, because honestly, she’s a freaking idiot and doormat. Is this the end? Is this their HEA... it’s Penny Jordan, of course it’s not the end. The cousin/sister/wife isn’t feeling well, she’s going into premature labor and the only person around to help is our doormat heroine. The OM shows up at the hospital and is so thankful he hugs the heroine... bad move. The hero witnesses this and somehow she ends up alone in their country house when an unexpected blizzard rolls in...
Yes, a blizzard, a days on end blizzard, where she’s alone with no heat, slowly freezing to death and our intrepid hero fights the weather to get to her just before hypothermia takes her away.
Are you freaking kidding me? Can this book just end?
How bad can it be? Not just bad but ridiculous.
We have a supposedly smart fashion designer heroine who is dating/not dating a married man. She might not be sleeping with him but she’s got the OW thing going on. She’s supposedly giving him the brush off, but while getting ready for their final date, she’s doing her hair and make up in styles that he likes... how is that for mixed signals. Does he take her to a little out of the way place? Nope he takes her to a place where people go to be seen. Everyone thinks she’s his mistress, that he’s funded her fashion house. But she knows the truth why should she care if people get it wrong.
Enter the pissed off hero. His sister like cousin is married to the OM. And pregnant with baby #3. Which is hysterical considering the OM actually explains that he still sleeps with the wife, but he’ll divorce the wife if the heroine will only promise to marry him. Is he somehow hedging his bets?
Back to the hero, he’s got two OW and is mad that he’s attracted to his BIL’s mistress and he rides roughshod over her in every encounter they have... she can’t get a word in edgewise, that’s if she even wants to. I think PJ is trying for a self contained heroine, what we get is a voiceless heroine.
He keeps at her until he decides to kidnap her for the weekend. The plan goes awry when the sister/cousin/wife and the OM show up for an uninvited visit. The wife immediately likes the heroine and they are going to be fast friends, never mind the heroine has been friend dating her husband, stringing him along forever.
Now, the idiot hero has to continue the fake relationship going because grandma has heard about it. More boorish behavior leads to a dubious consent encounter that may or may not have left her pregnant. He’s pissed off that she didn’t tell him she was a virgin, what would have been the point, he wouldn’t have believed her.
Of course they get married, because honestly, she’s a freaking idiot and doormat. Is this the end? Is this their HEA... it’s Penny Jordan, of course it’s not the end. The cousin/sister/wife isn’t feeling well, she’s going into premature labor and the only person around to help is our doormat heroine. The OM shows up at the hospital and is so thankful he hugs the heroine... bad move. The hero witnesses this and somehow she ends up alone in their country house when an unexpected blizzard rolls in...
Yes, a blizzard, a days on end blizzard, where she’s alone with no heat, slowly freezing to death and our intrepid hero fights the weather to get to her just before hypothermia takes her away.
Are you freaking kidding me? Can this book just end?
How bad can it be? Not just bad but ridiculous.
April 4, 2023
The beginning, when the h is giving off all the signals of a woman just fine with having an affair with a married man, while claiming to be totally innocent of a such a thing 🙄) was super off-putting. If you don’t want to date a married man, then… 👀 … DON’T?! 🤷🏼♀️ Her actions just don’t make sense. And they make her terribly unrelatable and unlikable.
If you don’t want the married dude to think there’s anything romantic between you, here’s my hot tips:
1. Don’t go an a date with him
2. Don’t dress up specifically to attract him
3. Don’t go on a date with him
4. Don’t do your make up and hair to entice him specifically
5. Don’t go on a date with him
6. Don’t kiss him good night
7. Don’t go on a date with him
8. Remember that someone else’s husband is not your new best friend.
9. Don’t go on a date with him
10. And also… don’t go on a date with him 🤷🏼♀️
And that’s how you avoid dating a married man when you are aware he’s married. Unless you’re a homewrecking ho with no self-respect or morals. 🤷🏼♀️
Anywho. Glad we could straighten that out.
The rest of the book was pretty decent. Lots of fun drama. I never quite got over the h’s introduction tho. I hold a grudge. Kinda like the hero. 🤣
If you don’t want the married dude to think there’s anything romantic between you, here’s my hot tips:
1. Don’t go an a date with him
2. Don’t dress up specifically to attract him
3. Don’t go on a date with him
4. Don’t do your make up and hair to entice him specifically
5. Don’t go on a date with him
6. Don’t kiss him good night
7. Don’t go on a date with him
8. Remember that someone else’s husband is not your new best friend.
9. Don’t go on a date with him
10. And also… don’t go on a date with him 🤷🏼♀️
And that’s how you avoid dating a married man when you are aware he’s married. Unless you’re a homewrecking ho with no self-respect or morals. 🤷🏼♀️
Anywho. Glad we could straighten that out.
The rest of the book was pretty decent. Lots of fun drama. I never quite got over the h’s introduction tho. I hold a grudge. Kinda like the hero. 🤣
June 11, 2022
What we have here is another hero jumping to conclusions
and defending his dear cousin’s honor by harassing the innocent heroine. Oh, not to mention his use of kidnapping and false imprisonment. Of course, between all of this craziness the h falls in love with her tormentor. So, here we go!
India(heroine)- 25 year old virgin who is a rising sought after designer. She owns her own business and has gotten there on her own steam. For the most part, I like India, however, I do think she made some errors in judgement concerning the om in the story. Now, she doesn’t love the om, and she has told him that she will not date married men, yet they have known each other for 3 years and at times attend functions together. So attending functions with the wife’s knowledge and approval is one thing(although I don’t think any healthy marriage would make a habit of it) But the wife doesn’t even know about India specifically. So now, this makes the heroine a dirty little secret. IMO, the heroine should know better and since the gossip mongers are all agog over the two, she shouldn’t go to his city apartment late at night for a drink and then grab his face while he gives you the final goodby kiss in public. This is not the way to dispel rumors. The om believes he is in love with the h. So, I am going to hop to him next.
MelFord(om)is a wealthy man who married a woman above his station and he, not his wife has a chip on his shoulder about it(although he did indicate she tried to change him when they first married). The om believes he is in love with the h. He has told her he will leave his pregnant wife for her as long as she gives the go ahead. Anyhoo, they had a couple of sons and his wife had difficulty with the pregnancies, the doctor warned her not to have anymore children. The pill doesn’t agree with her. So, they decided to sleep separately(several years ago I guess, Because both boys are in boarding school). Now lets look at this for a moment. (Vasectomy? Tubal Ligation? ) I know each of these were available in 1982. If your marriage was based on love….and you knew that your wife could possibly die…I would think one of you would seek out a way to prevent future pregnancies and then continue to cohabitate. It is a long wait to menopause, although he indicates that he has slept with his wife(hence the pregnancy one night when they had to share a room to make room for the inlaws) so maybe they got together on occasion and implemented the use of a condom or the less trustworthy “pulling out” method. So why is the hero all hot and bothered by the going’s on of an adult woman and male? I mean it isn’t as though he leads a life of celibacy.
Hero, Simon, 35 ish(has mommy issues=all women bad)- He meets the h when he escorts his lady of the hour(although I don’t think they are bed partners) to the h’s shop. It is there he finds out that the h is often seen with the wealthy OM and there is talk that she trades sex for investments. This talk is happening as she is fitting the ow with gowns. She doesn’t even attempt to dispel the talk and just ignores the blatant innuendos. Meanwhile, the H is stewing because the OM in question is married to his sweet cousin Alison. Alison is more sister than cousin to him. It doesn’t help later when he runs into the h and om at dinner, then later sees the goodbye kiss. So operation revenge starts to hatch in his brain, and our story really takes a lot of turns to keep the angst and drama alive.
The next part I will sum up in a spoiler. So stop if you don’t want to know the revenge and fall outs from it. 🛑SPOILERS 🛑
This story does have some good angst, but it didn’t grab me like other angsty reads of PJ. It was still entertaining however. The h sounds like she will happily become a wife and mother and let her protege run the shop while she does designs from home. So, I am sure the H will be very happy with his wifey.
and defending his dear cousin’s honor by harassing the innocent heroine. Oh, not to mention his use of kidnapping and false imprisonment. Of course, between all of this craziness the h falls in love with her tormentor. So, here we go!
India(heroine)- 25 year old virgin who is a rising sought after designer. She owns her own business and has gotten there on her own steam. For the most part, I like India, however, I do think she made some errors in judgement concerning the om in the story. Now, she doesn’t love the om, and she has told him that she will not date married men, yet they have known each other for 3 years and at times attend functions together. So attending functions with the wife’s knowledge and approval is one thing(although I don’t think any healthy marriage would make a habit of it) But the wife doesn’t even know about India specifically. So now, this makes the heroine a dirty little secret. IMO, the heroine should know better and since the gossip mongers are all agog over the two, she shouldn’t go to his city apartment late at night for a drink and then grab his face while he gives you the final goodby kiss in public. This is not the way to dispel rumors. The om believes he is in love with the h. So, I am going to hop to him next.
MelFord(om)is a wealthy man who married a woman above his station and he, not his wife has a chip on his shoulder about it(although he did indicate she tried to change him when they first married). The om believes he is in love with the h. He has told her he will leave his pregnant wife for her as long as she gives the go ahead. Anyhoo, they had a couple of sons and his wife had difficulty with the pregnancies, the doctor warned her not to have anymore children. The pill doesn’t agree with her. So, they decided to sleep separately(several years ago I guess, Because both boys are in boarding school). Now lets look at this for a moment. (Vasectomy? Tubal Ligation? ) I know each of these were available in 1982. If your marriage was based on love….and you knew that your wife could possibly die…I would think one of you would seek out a way to prevent future pregnancies and then continue to cohabitate. It is a long wait to menopause, although he indicates that he has slept with his wife(hence the pregnancy one night when they had to share a room to make room for the inlaws) so maybe they got together on occasion and implemented the use of a condom or the less trustworthy “pulling out” method. So why is the hero all hot and bothered by the going’s on of an adult woman and male? I mean it isn’t as though he leads a life of celibacy.
Hero, Simon, 35 ish(has mommy issues=all women bad)- He meets the h when he escorts his lady of the hour(although I don’t think they are bed partners) to the h’s shop. It is there he finds out that the h is often seen with the wealthy OM and there is talk that she trades sex for investments. This talk is happening as she is fitting the ow with gowns. She doesn’t even attempt to dispel the talk and just ignores the blatant innuendos. Meanwhile, the H is stewing because the OM in question is married to his sweet cousin Alison. Alison is more sister than cousin to him. It doesn’t help later when he runs into the h and om at dinner, then later sees the goodbye kiss. So operation revenge starts to hatch in his brain, and our story really takes a lot of turns to keep the angst and drama alive.
The next part I will sum up in a spoiler. So stop if you don’t want to know the revenge and fall outs from it. 🛑SPOILERS 🛑
This story does have some good angst, but it didn’t grab me like other angsty reads of PJ. It was still entertaining however. The h sounds like she will happily become a wife and mother and let her protege run the shop while she does designs from home. So, I am sure the H will be very happy with his wifey.
April 15, 2016
this was a reread for me from March 2014 and i did not like the book dat much the second time around. it had an implausible plot. the lengths to which the hero went to turn Mel against India were ludicrous and against the law. he thought India was a cheap little tart who used men to advance in life. his opinion was not without prejudice but then the heroine somehow lacked morals. she hanged out wid a married man and wished she was in love wid him ! in other words, she was willing to break the home of a couple already wid 2 kids. we learned later dat Mel was never in love wid her but suffering from middle-life crisis. Alison never got to know about India's duplicity.
August 9, 2020
Hero is an asshole and heroine a homewrecker!
March 11, 2022
Wonderfully old school. The H believes the worst of her on all occasions, making stupendous leaps of logic to shore up his belief that she is a man-stealing tramp with the morals of an alley cat. Even when he reluctantly realizes he must have been wrong, he swings back to his old beliefs the second something triggers his jealousy, and there is a lot that triggers his jealousy.
It's not necessarily anything new, but his OTT irrationality is very fun if you are in the mood for it.
It's not necessarily anything new, but his OTT irrationality is very fun if you are in the mood for it.
March 16, 2014
The return of the asshat hero! Oh how I missed him. He jumps to conclusions,calls the heroine all kinds of names, practically "rapes" her. He even kidnaps her. Why? Well because he is immensely attracted to her and the poor man is fighting his attraction to the best of his ability. The untouched heroine is woken up from her slumber of chastity by the brute of a man. He awakens feelings in her hitherto unknown to her. She is immensely attracted to him but fights it until in one of those moments of enlightenment realizes that she is actually madly in love with him
So after a lot of asshatted moments, the hero and heroine finally confess their love for each other and we get our HEA.
Now don't ask me what did she ever see in him to make her fall in love with the despicable man. And I have no idea when the hero fell in love with her because he had been busy calling her names, thinking very badly of her, accusing her of being a home wrecker and a gold digger.
I don't think very highly of the heroine either. I don't see the reason why she went out of her way to make herself look attractive to the OM who was a married man with two children and a third on the way since his wife was very much pregnant.
Entertaining but so not politically correct.
So after a lot of asshatted moments, the hero and heroine finally confess their love for each other and we get our HEA.
Now don't ask me what did she ever see in him to make her fall in love with the despicable man. And I have no idea when the hero fell in love with her because he had been busy calling her names, thinking very badly of her, accusing her of being a home wrecker and a gold digger.
I don't think very highly of the heroine either. I don't see the reason why she went out of her way to make herself look attractive to the OM who was a married man with two children and a third on the way since his wife was very much pregnant.
Entertaining but so not politically correct.
July 6, 2020
The Penny Jordan H/h Communication Kit – For those times that nonverbal communication simply doesn’t do the trick! A series of flashcards with space for your personal, essential messages to that special someone who can’t be trusted to listen.
Sample cards:
I am __________ (sample heroine responses: a fashion designer, a virgin, financially independent, a nice person, really attracted to you, in love with you, sad because you don’t love me; sample hero responses: a successful entrepreneur, a passionate lover, a cruel bastard at times, a devoted cousin and grandson, a jealous and ruthless man, very attracted to you, angry because I want you and think you are the worst, angry because I want you even when I know all my suspicions were wrong, angry that I love you, angry that you don’t love me).
I am not _______ (sample heroine responses: a slut, a gold-digger, a home wrecker, having an affair with your cousin’s husband; sample hero responses: a manwhore, a completely ruthless bastard, a cheater, in love with that OW, going to let you see how I really feel until the bitter end)
I think you are ________ (sample responses (general): very sexy, a complete jerk, cheating on me, not in love with me, in love with me, a slut, a gold digger, just looking to get laid, going to leave me at any moment for another woman/man, our top person really)
I ________ (sample responses (general): hate you, despise you, don’t trust you, want you, hate wanting you, love what you do to me, hate that I love what you do to me, want you even more, LOVE YOU).
Our patented H/h communication kit includes similar open-ended questions and blank cards upon which you can craft your own clear and unambiguous messages and read equally unambiguous responses! Why risk the unreliability of longing glances, hints, body language, unjustifiable anger, treacherous body syndrome, weight loss, and touch when you can avoid all misunderstandings through the use of our clear and concise communication kit? And as a special bonus, we’ll send you the exclusive *PENNY JORDAN SPONGING KIT*, complete with a sea wool natural bath sponge, a handcrafted water bowl, Egyptian cotton towel, and a thermometer for those feverish encounters! Don’t delay! Order today! Your relationship may depend on it!
A good old-skool asshat alpha vintage read from Ms. Jordan. StMargarets has the deets.
Sample cards:
I am __________ (sample heroine responses: a fashion designer, a virgin, financially independent, a nice person, really attracted to you, in love with you, sad because you don’t love me; sample hero responses: a successful entrepreneur, a passionate lover, a cruel bastard at times, a devoted cousin and grandson, a jealous and ruthless man, very attracted to you, angry because I want you and think you are the worst, angry because I want you even when I know all my suspicions were wrong, angry that I love you, angry that you don’t love me).
I am not _______ (sample heroine responses: a slut, a gold-digger, a home wrecker, having an affair with your cousin’s husband; sample hero responses: a manwhore, a completely ruthless bastard, a cheater, in love with that OW, going to let you see how I really feel until the bitter end)
I think you are ________ (sample responses (general): very sexy, a complete jerk, cheating on me, not in love with me, in love with me, a slut, a gold digger, just looking to get laid, going to leave me at any moment for another woman/man, our top person really)
I ________ (sample responses (general): hate you, despise you, don’t trust you, want you, hate wanting you, love what you do to me, hate that I love what you do to me, want you even more, LOVE YOU).
Our patented H/h communication kit includes similar open-ended questions and blank cards upon which you can craft your own clear and unambiguous messages and read equally unambiguous responses! Why risk the unreliability of longing glances, hints, body language, unjustifiable anger, treacherous body syndrome, weight loss, and touch when you can avoid all misunderstandings through the use of our clear and concise communication kit? And as a special bonus, we’ll send you the exclusive *PENNY JORDAN SPONGING KIT*, complete with a sea wool natural bath sponge, a handcrafted water bowl, Egyptian cotton towel, and a thermometer for those feverish encounters! Don’t delay! Order today! Your relationship may depend on it!
A good old-skool asshat alpha vintage read from Ms. Jordan. StMargarets has the deets.
April 7, 2011
Rating: 1.5/5
God this was painful. Douchebag of a man makes numerous assumptions about innocent woman, virtually kidnapping her at one point, but no, this actually means he's in love with her! How silly of me to have thought otherwise!
God this was painful. Douchebag of a man makes numerous assumptions about innocent woman, virtually kidnapping her at one point, but no, this actually means he's in love with her! How silly of me to have thought otherwise!
May 5, 2021
Heroine is a 25-year old dress maker with auburn hair. She's friends with an older married man who fancies himself in love with her and offers to leave his pregnant wife for her. Heroine refuses and confirms that he is only a friend in her eyes.
Hero is a mid-30s businessman. His close cousin is the wife of the married guy. Hero is now out for revenge because he catches heroine out with the other man. This leads to forced seduction, a virgin surprise moment, and the hero offering marriage.
An ex-other woman intervenes with a few lies, resulting in the heart broken heroine having no will to keep a fire going during a snowstorm. Luckily hero comes to the rescue.
The h/H seemed to hardly have any time together alone to even develop feelings. Nothing particularly interesting or compelling about this one... just blah.
Hero is a mid-30s businessman. His close cousin is the wife of the married guy. Hero is now out for revenge because he catches heroine out with the other man. This leads to forced seduction, a virgin surprise moment, and the hero offering marriage.
An ex-other woman intervenes with a few lies, resulting in the heart broken heroine having no will to keep a fire going during a snowstorm. Luckily hero comes to the rescue.
The h/H seemed to hardly have any time together alone to even develop feelings. Nothing particularly interesting or compelling about this one... just blah.
February 22, 2021
This book is like a freakshow. You know they’re all stupid, but you can’t help but watch.
This h can hardly talk. All the time she is either interrupted or she doesn’t know how to explain herself or she thinks it is no use to talk.
The h dates a man who is married and has children. She doesn’t have feelings for him, but she finds out he feels for her. So what does this stupid woman do: she agrees to have dinner with him and she wears the dress she knows he likes and she does her make-up the way she knows he likes it.
The man tells her in the restaurant that his wife is pregnant. After they leave the restaurant, she goes to his apartment late at night for a drink. When she says goodbye, he kisses her and she doesn’t push him away because she feels sympathy for him. The H sees them kissing. The man is the husband of his female cousin.
Later on, she says to the H that she didn’t encourage that man to feel for him. But everything she says and does, is leading him on. So she is not innocent.
This h can hardly talk. All the time she is either interrupted or she doesn’t know how to explain herself or she thinks it is no use to talk.
The h dates a man who is married and has children. She doesn’t have feelings for him, but she finds out he feels for her. So what does this stupid woman do: she agrees to have dinner with him and she wears the dress she knows he likes and she does her make-up the way she knows he likes it.
The man tells her in the restaurant that his wife is pregnant. After they leave the restaurant, she goes to his apartment late at night for a drink. When she says goodbye, he kisses her and she doesn’t push him away because she feels sympathy for him. The H sees them kissing. The man is the husband of his female cousin.
Later on, she says to the H that she didn’t encourage that man to feel for him. But everything she says and does, is leading him on. So she is not innocent.
August 18, 2023
Such utter rubbish.
I hated the heroine with gut deep hatred. She was cheating or almost cheating with the hero’s cousin’s husband.
The hero kidnapped her and then by some confused rigamarole of unlikely events married her.
There was neither head nor tail to the story. The heroine seemed like a heartless bitch.
Nothing much happened.
They got married without knowing each other. Then the hero dumped her in the back of beyond and disappeared. She of course was caught by him sharing dinner and wine with her ex.
Then she almost died of hypothermia.
She was a dumb woman. The hero was dumb and stupid and also extremely cruel and disrespectful of women.
The heroine had no thoughts in her head at all. She was apparently a businesswoman but she abandoned all her own work to wait in a dilapidated empty house in the country while the hero left her and went to London.
I found them both truly odd. Cardboard cutouts characters.
There were typos. The plot was not well thought out. The strategies to move story forward were stiff.
Terrible. One of Penny Jordan’s rubbish ones of which she wrote quite a few.
What’s with the title ?? An unbroken marriage?? Huh??
I hated the heroine with gut deep hatred. She was cheating or almost cheating with the hero’s cousin’s husband.
The hero kidnapped her and then by some confused rigamarole of unlikely events married her.
There was neither head nor tail to the story. The heroine seemed like a heartless bitch.
Nothing much happened.
They got married without knowing each other. Then the hero dumped her in the back of beyond and disappeared. She of course was caught by him sharing dinner and wine with her ex.
Then she almost died of hypothermia.
She was a dumb woman. The hero was dumb and stupid and also extremely cruel and disrespectful of women.
The heroine had no thoughts in her head at all. She was apparently a businesswoman but she abandoned all her own work to wait in a dilapidated empty house in the country while the hero left her and went to London.
I found them both truly odd. Cardboard cutouts characters.
There were typos. The plot was not well thought out. The strategies to move story forward were stiff.
Terrible. One of Penny Jordan’s rubbish ones of which she wrote quite a few.
What’s with the title ?? An unbroken marriage?? Huh??
September 22, 2023
one of those fabio books u kno what im sayin
September 10, 2021
Not the best, not the worst. Hero treats h badly because of misunderstandings and assumptions. The h does not react as predicted and moves from an independent successful woman to vanilla. Interesting that an OW wanna be who is disliked by the main characters is believed by both!!?? This further adds to their misunderstandings and assumptions. These people need to learn to talk to each other...a novel concept, I know.
September 5, 2012
HORRIBLE!!! Gah! The novel started off fine but then the hero went and ruined it. The hero made claims about the heroine thinking she was a gold digging whore, out to steal another womans husband, when in fact she was innocent. Then the hero kidnaps her and basically emotionally abuses her. WOW! I mean I wanted to throw the book across the room. Painful to read, no doubt.
June 25, 2014
This book is a great way to point out that you can't always believe everything you see. That is what happens between Simon and India.
This book sure has lots of things happening and you are going back just like watching a tennis match. Sometimes I think the characters are just too dense.
This book sure has lots of things happening and you are going back just like watching a tennis match. Sometimes I think the characters are just too dense.
February 13, 2013
2.5 stars
July 12, 2022
Infidelity, cheating is what my wife accused me of and wants divorce. she filled for divorce after 22 years of marriage.
she is angry I once had a relationship with her sister when I was in Vegas. I hadn´t even met my wife then, she found out and told me because she can´t bear the pain that I didn´t tell her all this years of our marriage. I do not think it´s important because It happened 4 years before I met my wife at the airport and we started being friends and we dated for about a month or two and we got married. It was when we were getting married I found out they were sisters. She was the elder sister to my wife. We have 4 grown up teenagers together, I do not understand why all these matters. Her sister is also married to someone else and they are happy, I do not know why my wife can´t let go even after so much apology.
But to my greatest surprise, I came across a psychic I found that helped my marriage, (sangopriesteslovesolution(At)gmail. com) whom so many people where talking good reviews about on Yelp. He helped me out to cast a love reuniting forgiving spell that made my wife come to me just last week to reconcile back to me and cancel the on going divorce. we have immediately renew our marriage vows and promise to love each other more than ever till death do us part.
What would I have done if not for this love solution temple priestess sango?? (lovesolutiontemple. com) send messages to get quick reply on 561 412 1776. I have never been this happen with my wife in years ever since she found out.
she is angry I once had a relationship with her sister when I was in Vegas. I hadn´t even met my wife then, she found out and told me because she can´t bear the pain that I didn´t tell her all this years of our marriage. I do not think it´s important because It happened 4 years before I met my wife at the airport and we started being friends and we dated for about a month or two and we got married. It was when we were getting married I found out they were sisters. She was the elder sister to my wife. We have 4 grown up teenagers together, I do not understand why all these matters. Her sister is also married to someone else and they are happy, I do not know why my wife can´t let go even after so much apology.
But to my greatest surprise, I came across a psychic I found that helped my marriage, (sangopriesteslovesolution(At)gmail. com) whom so many people where talking good reviews about on Yelp. He helped me out to cast a love reuniting forgiving spell that made my wife come to me just last week to reconcile back to me and cancel the on going divorce. we have immediately renew our marriage vows and promise to love each other more than ever till death do us part.
What would I have done if not for this love solution temple priestess sango?? (lovesolutiontemple. com) send messages to get quick reply on 561 412 1776. I have never been this happen with my wife in years ever since she found out.
April 14, 2024
This was a good story, though I'm sorry the H and h didn't spend more time in the house they were renovating, and all the h's ideas for decorating (she was a talented artist/designer who was making a name for herself with wealthy clientele) were left in limbo. I also wanted the OW to get some comeuppance for being such a first-class bitch, and in my opinion the OM (or so to speak) got off too easy with his silly behavior, his wife deserved better than him!
Though they got off to a really rocky start, the MC were so crazy about each other it was a shame it took so long for them each to realize how the other felt. He was too quick to believe circumstantial evidence and she was too quick to believe the OW's lies. And they both had too much pride.
I would also have liked to see more of the H's grandmother. Well, you can't have everything!
Though they got off to a really rocky start, the MC were so crazy about each other it was a shame it took so long for them each to realize how the other felt. He was too quick to believe circumstantial evidence and she was too quick to believe the OW's lies. And they both had too much pride.
I would also have liked to see more of the H's grandmother. Well, you can't have everything!
July 30, 2025
India is a couturier. Melisande, an actress, is a friend of hers who likes to wear her designs. Melisande's boyfriend is millionaire financier Simon. Melisande loves to talk, and mentions India's rich boyfriend, Melford (Mel). So, India and Simon - the actual main characters of this story - kind of get off on the wrong foot. It's obvious to India that Melisande dates Simon for his money, he's one step up from a sugar daddy. Simon judges India for doing the same thing, dating a rich man, actually a rich married man. (And she dresses very modestly, so Simon is annoyed that she projects innocence while trying to steal someone's husband.)
But Mel isn't really her boyfriend. Well, sort of. She considers it a friendship, until Mel tried to take it to the next level. She told him no, she won't date a married man. But she also keeps him as a close friend, which I thought was wrong of her to do. It's like they are having an emotional affair, but it never occurred to her that it's immoral.
So, Simon is going to try and seduce India with the excuse that he's saving Melford's marriage from a homewrecker.
But honestly, I DNF because I didn't get hooked in the beginning. It's a lot of stuff to slog through, like the descriptions of clothes, the conversations with Melisande, etc. It's boring.
But Mel isn't really her boyfriend. Well, sort of. She considers it a friendship, until Mel tried to take it to the next level. She told him no, she won't date a married man. But she also keeps him as a close friend, which I thought was wrong of her to do. It's like they are having an emotional affair, but it never occurred to her that it's immoral.
So, Simon is going to try and seduce India with the excuse that he's saving Melford's marriage from a homewrecker.
But honestly, I DNF because I didn't get hooked in the beginning. It's a lot of stuff to slog through, like the descriptions of clothes, the conversations with Melisande, etc. It's boring.
August 6, 2018
This book made me smile and love it so much, the over domering male character, her response to him and her pride in her innocense.
The intant love that he has for her got him to make the dessicion that she was not be a stealing husband, so for thta he had to make her his wife; it is great to see how everything they knew about each other, mainly from the male POV, gets to nothing truhfull and gets to the point where he has to reconsider where he stands in his belief of her character and morals.
The intant love that he has for her got him to make the dessicion that she was not be a stealing husband, so for thta he had to make her his wife; it is great to see how everything they knew about each other, mainly from the male POV, gets to nothing truhfull and gets to the point where he has to reconsider where he stands in his belief of her character and morals.
Want to read
September 13, 2024Yes well I read this and it was all going well with a clearly besotted hero who seemed to have completely lost his mind and the use of his faculties in the pursuit of the heroine, just how one likes them to be in romance novels, except that the OW2 didn’t get a satisfactory comeuppance, and the way they made their explanations and declarations of love was very disappointing and bollywoodian for want of a better word.
August 1, 2019
A garden variety love story of a rich playboy falling hard for the heroine and taking 10 chapters to figure out they both love each other. *yawn*
April 7, 2021
I really liked this book.
May 18, 2021
Yikes
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