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Gilded Cage
Emily couldn't help herself -- didn't want to...
Luc was the knight in shining armor who had come and swept her off her feet. How could she not imagine herself in love with him?
Luc's lips touched hers for the space of a heartbeat. Then, to their mutual surprise, a flame blazed in both of them as their mouths fused. They clung to each other, parting only when Emily gasped in wonder.
Only later did she doubt her passion -- when it was too late for second thoughts. And her affair with Luc took on the remoteness of a dream... .
Luc was the knight in shining armor who had come and swept her off her feet. How could she not imagine herself in love with him?
Luc's lips touched hers for the space of a heartbeat. Then, to their mutual surprise, a flame blazed in both of them as their mouths fused. They clung to each other, parting only when Emily gasped in wonder.
Only later did she doubt her passion -- when it was too late for second thoughts. And her affair with Luc took on the remoteness of a dream... .
- GenresHarlequin Presents
191 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
75 people want to read
About the author
Catherine George
444 books73 followersDeirdre Matthews was born in a village on the Welsh-English border, where the public library featured largely in her life. Her mother, who looked upon literature as a basic necessity of life, fervently encouraged her passion for reading, little knowing it would one day motivate her daughter into writing her first novel.
At 18, she met a future Engineer, who had set in a pendant a gold sovereign, that his grandmother put in his hand when he was born, and she have never taken off since. After their marriage he swept her off to Brazil, where he worked as Chief Engineer of a large gold-mining operation in the mountains of Minas Gerais, a setting which later provided a very popular background for several of her early novels. Nine happy years passed there before the question of their small son's education decided their return to Britain. Not long afterward a daughter was born, and for a time she lived a fulfilled life as a wife and mother who always made time to read, especially in the bath!
Her husband's job took him abroad again, to Portugal, West Africa, and various countries of the Middle East, but this time she stayed home with the family. And spent a lot of lonely evenings in between the reunions when her husband came home on leave. "Instead of reading other people's novels all the time," he suggested one day, "why not have a shot at writing one yourself?" So she did.
But first she took a creative writing course. Encouraged by the other students' enthusiasm for her contributions, she decided to try her hand at romance, and read countless Mills & Boon novels as research before writing one herself. Her first novel was accepted in 1982 as Catherine George, which Romantic Times voted best of its genre for that year, along with more than sixty written since.
These days son and daughter have fled the nest, but they return with loving regularity to where she and her husband back for good from his travels live, with Prince, the most recent Labrador, in a house built at the end of Victoria's reign in four acres of garden on the cliffs between the beautiful Wye Valley and the River Severn.
At 18, she met a future Engineer, who had set in a pendant a gold sovereign, that his grandmother put in his hand when he was born, and she have never taken off since. After their marriage he swept her off to Brazil, where he worked as Chief Engineer of a large gold-mining operation in the mountains of Minas Gerais, a setting which later provided a very popular background for several of her early novels. Nine happy years passed there before the question of their small son's education decided their return to Britain. Not long afterward a daughter was born, and for a time she lived a fulfilled life as a wife and mother who always made time to read, especially in the bath!
Her husband's job took him abroad again, to Portugal, West Africa, and various countries of the Middle East, but this time she stayed home with the family. And spent a lot of lonely evenings in between the reunions when her husband came home on leave. "Instead of reading other people's novels all the time," he suggested one day, "why not have a shot at writing one yourself?" So she did.
But first she took a creative writing course. Encouraged by the other students' enthusiasm for her contributions, she decided to try her hand at romance, and read countless Mills & Boon novels as research before writing one herself. Her first novel was accepted in 1982 as Catherine George, which Romantic Times voted best of its genre for that year, along with more than sixty written since.
These days son and daughter have fled the nest, but they return with loving regularity to where she and her husband back for good from his travels live, with Prince, the most recent Labrador, in a house built at the end of Victoria's reign in four acres of garden on the cliffs between the beautiful Wye Valley and the River Severn.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 23, 2018
Bit silly ;)
March 2, 2021
She sleeps a whole lot. It looks like she could sleep even when a bomb is exploding next to her.
She sleeps while she has sex with the H, she sleeps in the car, she sleeps in the plane, she sleeps until noon, she sleeps three hours non-stop during the day, she sleeps while she is getting undressed by the H, she sleeps while he carries her in his arms.
She sleeps and sleeps and sleeps. I wonder what her secret is.
He loves her, but I don’t believe she loves him. She’s cold.
She sleeps while she has sex with the H, she sleeps in the car, she sleeps in the plane, she sleeps until noon, she sleeps three hours non-stop during the day, she sleeps while she is getting undressed by the H, she sleeps while he carries her in his arms.
She sleeps and sleeps and sleeps. I wonder what her secret is.
He loves her, but I don’t believe she loves him. She’s cold.
April 13, 2012
Young English heroine meets visiting rich Brazilian, falls in love over 5 days, they have sex, then he leaves promising to return and marry him. She doesn't see him for 18 months, and has a son. Before the baby was born, she married (or appeared to marry) her dying cousin, and hero returns on the day of the cousin-husband's funeral. Hero had gotten into a car accident 18 months earlier and had amnesia, but now he wants her back. Mild blackmail ensues, and she and baby return with him to Brazil.
This book was really long, and pretty boring. The only thing keeping the hero and heroine apart is the fact that she thinks she fell out of love with him because of all the pain she went through when he didn't return and she had the baby alone (even though he had a good excuse for not coming back). Most of the book was spent tending to the baby in this Brazilian villa or whatever, and talking with the MIL.
Anyway, I just wasn't very interested. I also think I usually don't like stories where the heroine doesn't have strong feelings about the hero -- I prefer a strong reaction, even if she perceives it as hate. The "I fell out of love with you bit" just didn't supply much emotional tension.
This book was really long, and pretty boring. The only thing keeping the hero and heroine apart is the fact that she thinks she fell out of love with him because of all the pain she went through when he didn't return and she had the baby alone (even though he had a good excuse for not coming back). Most of the book was spent tending to the baby in this Brazilian villa or whatever, and talking with the MIL.
Anyway, I just wasn't very interested. I also think I usually don't like stories where the heroine doesn't have strong feelings about the hero -- I prefer a strong reaction, even if she perceives it as hate. The "I fell out of love with you bit" just didn't supply much emotional tension.
July 9, 2018
Their way of conversation sounded (in my mind) totally Victorian, but I guess its somewhat expected of an 1983's book, and only till the time spent by the protagonists in England. The scene then shifted to Brazil, where the hero, Lucas' (or Luc's), family-owned gold mines are situated, together with his family home, the Casa d'Ouro (now, isn't that grand!).
It cannot be said to be an amnesiac story outright, because though it does affect the protagonists' lives, still it isn't dragged about like other M&B Amnesia books. The spell of ammesia is brief, of a few months only, the only thing separating Lucas, and Emily, being some good ol' miscommunication.
The things I loved about the book:
1. The descriptions of Brazilian heritage, and the general life at the Casa d'Ouro.
2. Jamie, an adorable baby, with his Mum-Mum, Da-Da, and then Vo-Vo; and especially his scenes with Luc. What a great pair they made! And reading about them together was so funny.
3. The insightful Thurza, Luc's English grandmother.
4. Luc being the first to declare his love for Emily (I don't even know anymore why that is important, but it is!)
It is an infectiously sweet story, if you get over the initial chapters.
P.S. An observation I made about Luc - how much he loves his cheese (maybe because I love it too, so I noticed!)
And another thing, it would have been delightful to have Chico (the 'insufferable' toucan) have a more prominent role. But as they say, you can't have it all!
It cannot be said to be an amnesiac story outright, because though it does affect the protagonists' lives, still it isn't dragged about like other M&B Amnesia books. The spell of ammesia is brief, of a few months only, the only thing separating Lucas, and Emily, being some good ol' miscommunication.
The things I loved about the book:
1. The descriptions of Brazilian heritage, and the general life at the Casa d'Ouro.
2. Jamie, an adorable baby, with his Mum-Mum, Da-Da, and then Vo-Vo; and especially his scenes with Luc. What a great pair they made! And reading about them together was so funny.
3. The insightful Thurza, Luc's English grandmother.
4. Luc being the first to declare his love for Emily (I don't even know anymore why that is important, but it is!)
It is an infectiously sweet story, if you get over the initial chapters.
P.S. An observation I made about Luc - how much he loves his cheese (maybe because I love it too, so I noticed!)
And another thing, it would have been delightful to have Chico (the 'insufferable' toucan) have a more prominent role. But as they say, you can't have it all!
June 9, 2021
Emily couldn't help herself -- didn't want to...
Luc was the knight in shining armor who had come and swept her off her feet. How could she not imagine herself in love with him?
Luc's lips touched hers for the space of a heartbeat. Then, to their mutual surprise, a flame blazed in both of them as their mouths fused. They clung to each other, parting only when Emily gasped in wonder. Only later did she doubt her passion -- when it was too late for second thoughts. And her affair with Luc took on the remoteness of a dream... .
Luc was the knight in shining armor who had come and swept her off her feet. How could she not imagine herself in love with him?
Luc's lips touched hers for the space of a heartbeat. Then, to their mutual surprise, a flame blazed in both of them as their mouths fused. They clung to each other, parting only when Emily gasped in wonder. Only later did she doubt her passion -- when it was too late for second thoughts. And her affair with Luc took on the remoteness of a dream... .
March 25, 2024
This one had too many flaws. At the start, the H follows the h like a bit of a stalker, and the h, who only just met him, has no qualms about getting into his car at night! Then, they both acknowledge their strong physical attraction, but decide to take things slow (even so the H is from Brazil and has limited time in England), but next thing you know, they're naked on her living room floor, and she gives him her V card. He feels guilty, since they both had a bit too much to drink, and at first the h is unnerved and a bit overwhelmed, but she soon gets over it and they're at it again!
They both make plans for a future together, and a nice change from books written at that time is there's not that much of an age difference, as she's almost 19 and he's about 29, much better than one I read recently, where the h was 18 and the H turning 40!!
Then, his father's heart attack necessitates his returning home earlier than planned, but he promises to be in touch ASAP and return, take her home to Brazil and marry her. But she never hears from him.
Eighteen months later, she has a nine-month-old son and is also a "widow", having "married" her distant cousin, who helped her out financially whenever she needed it, as well as got her a job and a place to live after her mother passed away!
Of course, it wasn't a real marriage, of course the H is the father, and of course, there's a convoluted explanation for both his behavior and hers, but the point is, none of the nonsense was necessary.
It seems the H had amnesia, after a car accident, and by the time he recovered his memory and called the h, he found out from her friend/housemate that she was married!
Here's where the nonsense really kicks in! The h had told the H about her cousin, that he was a 40ish bachelor who was like a guardian, but he had thought there was more to it, and later assumed when she didn't hear from him, she resumed her "romance" with the cousin and married him. Talk about DUMB!!! If she went from dating the cousin, to sleeping with the H, to marrying the cousin, she'd be some fickle young woman, not to mention a bit bankrupt on the morals side, and the H - who claimed she was the woman he was destined for - should have known better than that!
At any rate, he should still have informed her of what happened, why he hadn't been in touch, so she'd at least have known he was still alive (she had her doubts about that) and didn't just dump her (as she couldn't help believing). Instead, he swears the friend to secrecy, and the nitwit agrees!! (Shouldn't her loyalties have been with the h, rather than with a man she barely knew???) She actually kept the truth from the h all that time, even knowing how upset she was at first, and then seeing her go through so much, with a difficult pregnancy, and then the cousin's death from leukemia, and everyone thinking she was in mourning for her husband, who in fact wasn't her husband, as she couldn't go through with the marriage, as it would have messed up some inheritance legal mumbo jumbo, having to do with the National Trust and the estate where he lived.
So, while she's lying to the town, pretending she's a grieving widow who just lost the father of her "premature" son, her friend's lying to her, by not letting her know about the H, and that she's been writing to him, keeping him informed about what's going on in her life! As soon as he finds out "hubby" croaked, guess who shows up on the doorstep?
Neither the H or her friend had the right to keep the truth from the h, and the fact that they kept in touch for over a year, while the H kept tabs on the h and her friend provided him with info was really crummy! So was his appearance on the day of the funeral! He could at least have waited a day or two, there was a bit of time before he needed to return to Brazil.
What was really a bit much is the author making the h act cold and aloof (as well as a bit bitchy), even after hearing the H's father died, and because of his long hospitalization and amnesia, he didn't get to be there for his last days. Also, while she had every right to be angry at both him and her friend for keeping her in the dark, she still overdid it with the "I don't care anymore", "It's all past and forgotten", "I feel nothing for you anymore", etc. She tried to come off as hard and sophisticated, but anyone could see through that facade. She was hurt, bitter and angry, and had enclosed her heart in ice, trying to convince herself that she never loved the H, it was an immature fantasy, thinking that he was either dead or had dumped her changed her from romantic girl to pragmatic woman, etc.
If you buy that, you'll buy the Brooklyn Bridge!
One look at the 9-month-old boy who looks exactly like him, and so much for the H believing it's cousin's kid! Of course, he wants his son and wants to marry her and take her to Brazil, and of course, she refuses until coerced to do so, and of course, she's determined the marriage will be platonic, and of course, her body later betrays her, and a few more "of courses".
I guess it never occurred to the H to suggest that they should take their time and get to know each other again, and then decide on marriage, even though he wanted his son to have his name. He rushed things too fast and even threatened to take her to court, which was crummy (even though I think it was a bluff).
More than once, the h says that if only she had known the truth, if only he had talked to her as soon as he got his memory back, if only he hadn't sworn her friend to secrecy, etc. Despite her "no feelings left" claim, what she meant was, had she known what had happened, despite her "marriage", she could have kept her illusions intact, knowing the H still cared, and then after "hubby's" death, she and the H could have gotten back together in time, as there wouldn't have been all her hurt, resentful feelings standing in the way. She also has moments where - despite the H telling her more than once that she's the only woman he ever wanted to marry - she thinks all he cares about is their son, that he only married her because he wanted a proper family for him. Though I can't blame her for having doubts once in a while, too much self-pity gets to be a bore. (And comparing herself to a bird in a gilded cage was just stupid! Plenty of women would want to be in her shoes, with a wealthy, hot looking husband who's a passionate lover.)
There are some entertaining moments, like the h's growing relationship with the H's formidable grandmother, the way the baby charms both the elderly lady and the entire staff on the estate, the almost immediate bond between father and son, the birds that drive the grandmother bats, the family portraits, where all the male ancestors are a replica of the H, the h going for a swim without telling anyone and falling asleep by the pool some distance from the house, with everyone going berserk trying to find her, and the h putting the OW firmly in her place, as she still wanted to stake a claim on the H.
The OW was thrown in a bit late in the story, so not much went on with that, same for the potential OM, a cousin of the H who was ready to put the moves on the h, but the H nipped that in the bud fast!
What was really silly was the h, after going on ad nauseum about not knowing how she feels about the H (though half the time she seems to hate him, when she's not feigning indifference), how she'll put up with this sham marriage for their son's sake, etc., until almost the very end of the book, when suddenly (after the h is involved in a mine cave-in) she realizes: "I LOVE HIM!!!!" It seems her heart was in cold storage and had finally thawed out! She had resented the time she had spent thinking he was either dead or a player who had used her, when he could have told her the truth himself or let her friend tell her; she resented his returning and turning her life upside-down; she resented all her romantic dreams getting a reality jolt; most of all she resented some words he had said when they first met. He had mentioned that you don't have to be in love to enjoy sex, and she assumed he was referring to his feelings about her, even so he had said he loved her.
Just a tad too dumb!
But you learn some stuff about Brazil, and a bit of Portuguese as well, so for that it's worth reading. otherwise, you can skip it without a problem.
They both make plans for a future together, and a nice change from books written at that time is there's not that much of an age difference, as she's almost 19 and he's about 29, much better than one I read recently, where the h was 18 and the H turning 40!!
Then, his father's heart attack necessitates his returning home earlier than planned, but he promises to be in touch ASAP and return, take her home to Brazil and marry her. But she never hears from him.
Eighteen months later, she has a nine-month-old son and is also a "widow", having "married" her distant cousin, who helped her out financially whenever she needed it, as well as got her a job and a place to live after her mother passed away!
Of course, it wasn't a real marriage, of course the H is the father, and of course, there's a convoluted explanation for both his behavior and hers, but the point is, none of the nonsense was necessary.
It seems the H had amnesia, after a car accident, and by the time he recovered his memory and called the h, he found out from her friend/housemate that she was married!
Here's where the nonsense really kicks in! The h had told the H about her cousin, that he was a 40ish bachelor who was like a guardian, but he had thought there was more to it, and later assumed when she didn't hear from him, she resumed her "romance" with the cousin and married him. Talk about DUMB!!! If she went from dating the cousin, to sleeping with the H, to marrying the cousin, she'd be some fickle young woman, not to mention a bit bankrupt on the morals side, and the H - who claimed she was the woman he was destined for - should have known better than that!
At any rate, he should still have informed her of what happened, why he hadn't been in touch, so she'd at least have known he was still alive (she had her doubts about that) and didn't just dump her (as she couldn't help believing). Instead, he swears the friend to secrecy, and the nitwit agrees!! (Shouldn't her loyalties have been with the h, rather than with a man she barely knew???) She actually kept the truth from the h all that time, even knowing how upset she was at first, and then seeing her go through so much, with a difficult pregnancy, and then the cousin's death from leukemia, and everyone thinking she was in mourning for her husband, who in fact wasn't her husband, as she couldn't go through with the marriage, as it would have messed up some inheritance legal mumbo jumbo, having to do with the National Trust and the estate where he lived.
So, while she's lying to the town, pretending she's a grieving widow who just lost the father of her "premature" son, her friend's lying to her, by not letting her know about the H, and that she's been writing to him, keeping him informed about what's going on in her life! As soon as he finds out "hubby" croaked, guess who shows up on the doorstep?
Neither the H or her friend had the right to keep the truth from the h, and the fact that they kept in touch for over a year, while the H kept tabs on the h and her friend provided him with info was really crummy! So was his appearance on the day of the funeral! He could at least have waited a day or two, there was a bit of time before he needed to return to Brazil.
What was really a bit much is the author making the h act cold and aloof (as well as a bit bitchy), even after hearing the H's father died, and because of his long hospitalization and amnesia, he didn't get to be there for his last days. Also, while she had every right to be angry at both him and her friend for keeping her in the dark, she still overdid it with the "I don't care anymore", "It's all past and forgotten", "I feel nothing for you anymore", etc. She tried to come off as hard and sophisticated, but anyone could see through that facade. She was hurt, bitter and angry, and had enclosed her heart in ice, trying to convince herself that she never loved the H, it was an immature fantasy, thinking that he was either dead or had dumped her changed her from romantic girl to pragmatic woman, etc.
If you buy that, you'll buy the Brooklyn Bridge!
One look at the 9-month-old boy who looks exactly like him, and so much for the H believing it's cousin's kid! Of course, he wants his son and wants to marry her and take her to Brazil, and of course, she refuses until coerced to do so, and of course, she's determined the marriage will be platonic, and of course, her body later betrays her, and a few more "of courses".
I guess it never occurred to the H to suggest that they should take their time and get to know each other again, and then decide on marriage, even though he wanted his son to have his name. He rushed things too fast and even threatened to take her to court, which was crummy (even though I think it was a bluff).
More than once, the h says that if only she had known the truth, if only he had talked to her as soon as he got his memory back, if only he hadn't sworn her friend to secrecy, etc. Despite her "no feelings left" claim, what she meant was, had she known what had happened, despite her "marriage", she could have kept her illusions intact, knowing the H still cared, and then after "hubby's" death, she and the H could have gotten back together in time, as there wouldn't have been all her hurt, resentful feelings standing in the way. She also has moments where - despite the H telling her more than once that she's the only woman he ever wanted to marry - she thinks all he cares about is their son, that he only married her because he wanted a proper family for him. Though I can't blame her for having doubts once in a while, too much self-pity gets to be a bore. (And comparing herself to a bird in a gilded cage was just stupid! Plenty of women would want to be in her shoes, with a wealthy, hot looking husband who's a passionate lover.)
There are some entertaining moments, like the h's growing relationship with the H's formidable grandmother, the way the baby charms both the elderly lady and the entire staff on the estate, the almost immediate bond between father and son, the birds that drive the grandmother bats, the family portraits, where all the male ancestors are a replica of the H, the h going for a swim without telling anyone and falling asleep by the pool some distance from the house, with everyone going berserk trying to find her, and the h putting the OW firmly in her place, as she still wanted to stake a claim on the H.
The OW was thrown in a bit late in the story, so not much went on with that, same for the potential OM, a cousin of the H who was ready to put the moves on the h, but the H nipped that in the bud fast!
What was really silly was the h, after going on ad nauseum about not knowing how she feels about the H (though half the time she seems to hate him, when she's not feigning indifference), how she'll put up with this sham marriage for their son's sake, etc., until almost the very end of the book, when suddenly (after the h is involved in a mine cave-in) she realizes: "I LOVE HIM!!!!" It seems her heart was in cold storage and had finally thawed out! She had resented the time she had spent thinking he was either dead or a player who had used her, when he could have told her the truth himself or let her friend tell her; she resented his returning and turning her life upside-down; she resented all her romantic dreams getting a reality jolt; most of all she resented some words he had said when they first met. He had mentioned that you don't have to be in love to enjoy sex, and she assumed he was referring to his feelings about her, even so he had said he loved her.
Just a tad too dumb!
But you learn some stuff about Brazil, and a bit of Portuguese as well, so for that it's worth reading. otherwise, you can skip it without a problem.
May 16, 2023
This so-called romance did not start off on a good foot for me; I kept reading hoping I was misinterpreting things but it just felt like it got worse as I continued. I was absolutely disgusted with how the romance between Emily and Luc was presented. Instead of coming off as the mysterious man of one's dreams, Luc came off as stalkerish with his consistent appearing out of the blue at Emily's work and later homes. More red flags popped up for me as his behavior became almost possessive and their so-called intimate moments were shocking by their rape-like scenarios when Emily always seemed to be asleep (which were often alcohol induced) and Luc seemed to take advantage of her unguarded state. The title of this book adequately represents what Emily finds herself in; I can't understand what she saw in Luc after all of the signs she clearly noticed about the guy. Overall, I can't believe someone actually approved such a story to be part of a well-known romance publication collection; there was definitely nothing "warm and cozy" about this.
May 14, 2021
Read this book in the 80’s and although I’ve not read it for 30+ years I still remembered what it was called and remember the story so it can’t be that bad. It was a lovely story and probably responsible for my love of romance novels. I’m going to look for a copy on eBay and read out again.
September 18, 2017
A little old fashioned but enchanting. I still like to read this over and over from time to time.
November 25, 2019
I like this book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 2, 2025
MMC was an asshat even before he pulled the blackmail marriage card. He doesn't improve.
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