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Treacherous Longings
Treacherous Longings by Anne Mather
"Lingering passions..."
When Quinn Marriott is asked to track down reclusive Julia Stewart, he knows it will mean trouble. Quinn once knew Julia more intimately than anyone realizes and believes that he caused her to shun the limelight. Over the years, Quinn's treacherous longings for the one woman he shouldn't love have never abated. But Julia has a very specific reason for avoiding Quinn ...a ten-year-old secret he must never be allowed to guess. And the secret's name is Jake!
"Lingering passions..."
When Quinn Marriott is asked to track down reclusive Julia Stewart, he knows it will mean trouble. Quinn once knew Julia more intimately than anyone realizes and believes that he caused her to shun the limelight. Over the years, Quinn's treacherous longings for the one woman he shouldn't love have never abated. But Julia has a very specific reason for avoiding Quinn ...a ten-year-old secret he must never be allowed to guess. And the secret's name is Jake!
192 pages
First published April 14, 1995
8 people are currently reading
131 people want to read
About the author
Anne Mather
799 books360 followersAnne Mather is the pseudonym used by Mildred Grieveson, a popular British author of over 160 romance novels. She also signed novels as Caroline Fleming and Cardine Fleming.
Mildred Grieveson began to write down stories in her childhood years. The first novel that she actually finished, Caroline (1965), was also her first book to be published. Her novel, Leopard in the Snow (1974), was developed into a 1978 film.
Mildred Grieveson began to write down stories in her childhood years. The first novel that she actually finished, Caroline (1965), was also her first book to be published. Her novel, Leopard in the Snow (1974), was developed into a 1978 film.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 3, 2018
Re Treacherous Longings - Anne Mather gives us a Typhoon of Tackiness in this one. It is another one of her older h/younger H tropes with her standard jellyblob h filled with older woman insecurities.
This one starts with the 28 yr old H, who is an investigator for a tacky TV show producer ,agreeing to track down the h for a typical expose/where are they now kinda thing. The h was a very famous actress 10 years earlier and suddenly gave it all up and went into seclusion. No one has seen her and many assume she is dead.
So essentially the H is the paparazzi in this. What complicates the situation is that when the h was famous, his mother - who is titled English aristocracy- was a celebrity stalker and made a huge point of befriending the h and invited her to stay at the family estate.
The H was a big, cocky 18 year old at the time and semi-forcibly seduced the 26 yr old h. Then Treacherous Body Syndrome took over and they had a fling and the h lost her mind. It really messed her up mentally and the h just disappeared into the ether.
The H, his massive teenage stud muffin ego damaged by the rejection, went off on a drug frenzy/wild woman bedding extravaganza in the wake of her departure for six months, causing his Lord and Lady parents a lot of distress.
The h was pregnant of course and tired of the notoriety and rumors that continually dogged her and felt very guilty over giving into the H. So her agent helped her escape to a small island and the h had her son and became a children's author, but unfortunately she still hasn't managed to find a backbone transplant.
Now the H is told to hunt down the h by his sleazy producer boss and the H, feeling used by the h when he was actually the aggressor and perilously close to being a juvenile rapist, agrees to take the job-cause the h ruined his life. (Even tho the H is well paid, has a girlfriend and a pretty good life.) So the H bids his title/status seeking girlfriend a temporary good bye and it is off to the Caribbean we go.
He finds the h, but doesn't realize that her son is his too. There is angst and anger and roofie kisses and lots of Purple Prose Male Fantasies and the h is convinced that the whole thing is her fault for being famous and beautiful and a nice person and just forcing the H to seduce her.
However the H does decide not to reveal the h's hideaway, unfortunately his slime swiller boss had multiple trackers in place and the h feels forced to return to England to face the public under threat of exposure.
Then the truth of the H's daddyhood comes out and the H goes into a drunken decline after he shows up at the h's hotel supremely intoxicated and we get another semi-forced seduction.
The H runs off to the family estate after that, he was fired from his job and then his mother goes to berate the h and the H's girlfriend has a fling with his brother, so she gets dumped.
Finally the h goes to save the H from his drunkenness. After a huge fight about how could the h not tell an immature and near rapist 18 yr old with a celebrity seeking mother about his impending fatherhood, the two of them declare mutual love and eternal devotion with their delighted-he-has-a-dad son for the HEA.
I was kinda icked on this one, mainly cause there was way too much purple prose and in AM's efforts to make the H seem old enough for the 26 yr old h, she characterizes him with extremely domineering behavior towards the very anxious, jelly blobule h. Which totally ruins ANY illusion of maturity he might have had.
Even as an adult he is shockingly manipulated by his hormones and his bullying ways were thuggish, not HP alphaness. The h was the usual spineless, insecure mess and every other secondary character came across as a celebrity seeker/user kind of person.
While it has more tacky moments than the entire first season of Jersey Shore, this does a have a strangely entertaining aspect - in a National Enquirer/Jerry Springer kind of way. I was not a fan, but the HP outing was adventurous and at least there is an HEA.
This one starts with the 28 yr old H, who is an investigator for a tacky TV show producer ,agreeing to track down the h for a typical expose/where are they now kinda thing. The h was a very famous actress 10 years earlier and suddenly gave it all up and went into seclusion. No one has seen her and many assume she is dead.
So essentially the H is the paparazzi in this. What complicates the situation is that when the h was famous, his mother - who is titled English aristocracy- was a celebrity stalker and made a huge point of befriending the h and invited her to stay at the family estate.
The H was a big, cocky 18 year old at the time and semi-forcibly seduced the 26 yr old h. Then Treacherous Body Syndrome took over and they had a fling and the h lost her mind. It really messed her up mentally and the h just disappeared into the ether.
The H, his massive teenage stud muffin ego damaged by the rejection, went off on a drug frenzy/wild woman bedding extravaganza in the wake of her departure for six months, causing his Lord and Lady parents a lot of distress.
The h was pregnant of course and tired of the notoriety and rumors that continually dogged her and felt very guilty over giving into the H. So her agent helped her escape to a small island and the h had her son and became a children's author, but unfortunately she still hasn't managed to find a backbone transplant.
Now the H is told to hunt down the h by his sleazy producer boss and the H, feeling used by the h when he was actually the aggressor and perilously close to being a juvenile rapist, agrees to take the job-cause the h ruined his life. (Even tho the H is well paid, has a girlfriend and a pretty good life.) So the H bids his title/status seeking girlfriend a temporary good bye and it is off to the Caribbean we go.
He finds the h, but doesn't realize that her son is his too. There is angst and anger and roofie kisses and lots of Purple Prose Male Fantasies and the h is convinced that the whole thing is her fault for being famous and beautiful and a nice person and just forcing the H to seduce her.
However the H does decide not to reveal the h's hideaway, unfortunately his slime swiller boss had multiple trackers in place and the h feels forced to return to England to face the public under threat of exposure.
Then the truth of the H's daddyhood comes out and the H goes into a drunken decline after he shows up at the h's hotel supremely intoxicated and we get another semi-forced seduction.
The H runs off to the family estate after that, he was fired from his job and then his mother goes to berate the h and the H's girlfriend has a fling with his brother, so she gets dumped.
Finally the h goes to save the H from his drunkenness. After a huge fight about how could the h not tell an immature and near rapist 18 yr old with a celebrity seeking mother about his impending fatherhood, the two of them declare mutual love and eternal devotion with their delighted-he-has-a-dad son for the HEA.
I was kinda icked on this one, mainly cause there was way too much purple prose and in AM's efforts to make the H seem old enough for the 26 yr old h, she characterizes him with extremely domineering behavior towards the very anxious, jelly blobule h. Which totally ruins ANY illusion of maturity he might have had.
Even as an adult he is shockingly manipulated by his hormones and his bullying ways were thuggish, not HP alphaness. The h was the usual spineless, insecure mess and every other secondary character came across as a celebrity seeker/user kind of person.
While it has more tacky moments than the entire first season of Jersey Shore, this does a have a strangely entertaining aspect - in a National Enquirer/Jerry Springer kind of way. I was not a fan, but the HP outing was adventurous and at least there is an HEA.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2020
"Treacherous Longings" is the story of Julia and Quinn.
Boo Julia Boo. Bad girl.
Our h is an older femme fatale actress, and friend to the H's mother. When the much younger H gets infatuated with her, she tries to push him away. However, sparks ignite, culminating with a reverse deflowering on the H's 18th birthday. After that, there's a bun in oven, pushing away, heartbreak and the h disappears for ten years..only for the reporter H to discover her again.
I do not want to give much away but poor Quinn. I felt the h was judgmental, selfish and very stubborn, and I think the H deserved someone much kinder because she was a d!ck to him throughout the book, hurt him repeatedly and stomped on his devotion. I didn't even mind him having other women in the break. Go to hell Julia, you initiated him and then dumped him. Boo.
Unsafe
2/5
Boo Julia Boo. Bad girl.
Our h is an older femme fatale actress, and friend to the H's mother. When the much younger H gets infatuated with her, she tries to push him away. However, sparks ignite, culminating with a reverse deflowering on the H's 18th birthday. After that, there's a bun in oven, pushing away, heartbreak and the h disappears for ten years..only for the reporter H to discover her again.
I do not want to give much away but poor Quinn. I felt the h was judgmental, selfish and very stubborn, and I think the H deserved someone much kinder because she was a d!ck to him throughout the book, hurt him repeatedly and stomped on his devotion. I didn't even mind him having other women in the break. Go to hell Julia, you initiated him and then dumped him. Boo.
Unsafe
2/5
October 24, 2019
Quinn Marriott is a man on a mission. An investigator for a television news show, he is tasked to find the elusive, mysterious Julia Harvey, a famous film actress who disappeared ten years ago at the peak of her career. Long ago, Quinn thought he knew Julia more intimately than anyone could ever know anyone--until she dumped him without a word, shattered and embittered. Without Julia in his life, Quinn had been forced to move on. He had a new life, a job that challenged him, a woman who loved him back, and most importantly, his heart and sanity were intact. And now here he was, standing in his boss's London office, being told that Julia Harvey may have been found and Quinn is the one he wants on the job to get her and secure an interview.
Julia has been living in the Cayman Islands for the last ten years in a house she had lovingly restored herself, as Mrs. Julia Stewart, a successful children's book writer. She has built a happy, quiet life for her and her ten-year-old son, Jake. There are no traces of Julia Harvey in her anymore. She is thirty-seven years old now. She is tanned where Ms. Harvey was milky-white, curvy where Ms. Harvey was willowy-thin. In fact, she was almost certain that no one would recognize her anymore as the once famous Julia Harvey. She had left that life behind--the fame, the glory, the money... Quinn.
Quinn was the only part of her old life that she really regretted leaving. She had loved him, treasured him, but he had been too young, too immature to be the man she needed. He had only been eighteen years old. The eldest son of her very good friend Isobel, she never meant to get involved with him, and had in fact, tried her damnedest to keep away from him. But from the moment Julia saw Quinn, she knew he was going to be trouble. Julia Harvey, the sophisticated party girl of the silver screen, known for casually getting involved with her handsome leading men, couldn't keep her cool around an eighteen-year-old boy. But one night, Quinn stormed into her London flat, took her in his arms, and proceeded to prove to her that he was no longer a little boy. Swept up by passion, Julia makes love with Quinn, promising herself that it would only be a one-time thing. Schyeah... not!
And so Julia gets pregnant. Panics. Decides not to tell anyone. Runs far, far away.
When Julia and Quinn encounter each other again, it's immediately obvious that the old chemistry, the old magnetic pull between the two of them is still there. Quinn finds himself flabbergasted by his emotions because of all the feelings and reactions he had anticipated, this raw, primal need for her that hit him like a punch in the gut wasn't it. He was angry with her, all right. After all, she had broken his heart, crushed his dreams... walked away from his offer of marriage. But why was his first instinct to protect her and her son? Why did he want to just walk away from this assignment and wish he had never been talked into it? Why does he still want her so very much when she tore his heart and soul into confetti-sized pieces and stomped all over them?
***SPOILER ALERT***
LOTS. OF. ANGST. Quinn is so very bitter that Julia dumped him and disappeared ten years ago without a word that he had a nervous breakdown. He started hanging out with a bad crowd, doing drugs, drinking heavily, sleeping around with women of questionable reputations--all in an effort to banish Julia from his mind and heart. And to think that he once had a very promising future: he was supposed to go to Cambridge, study law, and someday take over the family estate as the Lord of the Manor. Well, he's the eldest son, so the estate will go to him, anyway, but he wants nothing to do with it and he doesn't really give a shit about it. But hey, at least he's mostly forgotten all about Julia. He's even seeing somebody else now, a nice, if albeit-shallow girl named Susan. He might even marry her. And he's got a job he really likes! And he's not even drinking that much anymore. He's really making a go at this whole "living" thing.
But all his boss had to say were two words: Julia + Harvey. And everything went to shit.
Julia's been doing really well, too. She has written twenty children's books that have done very well and is about to embark on a new series of children's books that promises to do just as well, if not better. She has a good relationship with her son Jake, even though one of these days, she knows she will have to sit him down and tell him all about his father. She has trusted friends in the islands, a lovely home, and most importantly, peace and quiet. She has done really well for herself, considering she was pretty pregnant by the time she reached the island ten years ago and alone, at that. She had been miserable and scared, but she managed to pull through and she has proven for the last decade that she can take very good care of herself and her son, just fine. She didn't need a man to do any of that. And she certainly doesn't need Quinn.
But put these two in a room together, shake a little for aggravation, and stand back to watch for the high-drama and action. Quinn has legitimate grievances: JULIA LEFT HIM WITHOUT SAYING A WORD AND DIDN'T TELL HIM SHE WAS PREGNANT. She was totally in the wrong here. She for real broke his heart. There were no misunderstandings, no miscommunications--she told herself she knew what was best for the both of them and acted on it, without consulting him. Without telling him she was pregnant. And he had absolutely zero clue where she was. He never got a call or a letter or a postcard from her. For all he knew, she could have been dead. And that would have been so much easier to get over. But to find out that all this time, she was hiding out on some island and the reason she had run away was because she was pregnant with his baby and she didn't want to tell him because she thought he was too young to understand and take responsibility? Because she didn't see him as a man just yet? Yo... that's messed up. For once, I AM SUPER OUTRAGED FOR THE HERO HERE! (Quinn, on your behalf, I'm also outraged about the ridiculous picture on the cover of the book. Is that 'chu?)
I totally get why Quinn would be bitter and be all, "Grr... Arrgh... Revenge!" Sure, he got a little grabby and pushy at times, but not too badly. And that scene in Julia's hotel room where he was ordering her to get him a bottle of scotch or he'd give her something to be really upset about was... kind of hot. I know, I know, I'm sick. I need help.
Okay, I can't even defend Julia. She was nine years older than Quinn. She should have known better. If she was having so much trouble dealing with her feelings for him, she should have told her good friend, Quinn's mom, and she would have set them both on the correct path. Quinn's parents might have found a way to keep Quinn away from Julia and maybe Julia didn't have to come around the family estate so much anymore. I'm sorry, but it's like bitch didn't even try. I would have been like, "Hey, Quinn's mom, listen... you're my good friend and I love you, but I've been feeling naughty things about your son lately and your son has been sniffing around me and it's kind of really starting to get harder to resist him, so maybe a little help would be in order?" That's what a real friend would do, right? I'd be so pissed if I found out that one of my best friends was having an affair with my teenage son behind my back, the shameless cougar hussy!
And Julia doesn't even do a proper grovel. Having heard from Quinn's mom that Quinn had completely deteriorated and was currently drinking himself to death after finding out that Julia had been lying to him all this time and kept his kid away from him for ten years, she rushes over to the estate to throw herself into his arms and be like, "Oh Quinn, Quinn, I'm so sorry, I loved you all this time!" Upon finding him with a bad attitude and a sneer, however, she completely chickens out and was like, "Oh, okay, um... never mind. Uh... listen, that kid I worked so hard to keep away from you for ten years? Have your lawyer call my lawyer. I'm sure we can work something out." I'm surprised Quinn didn't snap right then and there and strangle her. Instead, he lets out a wail of agony and as she's turning away, he asks brokenly, "Why?" And bitch says, "Because I'm too old for you." Seriously? If I were Quinn, I would have dropped the mic, walked out of the barn, and been like, "Peace out, bitch." INSTEAD he gives her a chance to explain and she tells him she was so scared and she didn't know what to do... and yada-yada-yada... you were a GROWN-ASS WOMAN TEN YEARS AGO, JULIA. JEEZ.
Then Quinn forgives her. FORGIVES her. Damn, you know how I'm always on the heroine's back whenever she forgives the hero too easily in the end? I'm feeling the same for my boy, Quinn. You shoudda made the bitch grovel, homie. You shoudda made the bitch grovel.
Julia has been living in the Cayman Islands for the last ten years in a house she had lovingly restored herself, as Mrs. Julia Stewart, a successful children's book writer. She has built a happy, quiet life for her and her ten-year-old son, Jake. There are no traces of Julia Harvey in her anymore. She is thirty-seven years old now. She is tanned where Ms. Harvey was milky-white, curvy where Ms. Harvey was willowy-thin. In fact, she was almost certain that no one would recognize her anymore as the once famous Julia Harvey. She had left that life behind--the fame, the glory, the money... Quinn.
Quinn was the only part of her old life that she really regretted leaving. She had loved him, treasured him, but he had been too young, too immature to be the man she needed. He had only been eighteen years old. The eldest son of her very good friend Isobel, she never meant to get involved with him, and had in fact, tried her damnedest to keep away from him. But from the moment Julia saw Quinn, she knew he was going to be trouble. Julia Harvey, the sophisticated party girl of the silver screen, known for casually getting involved with her handsome leading men, couldn't keep her cool around an eighteen-year-old boy. But one night, Quinn stormed into her London flat, took her in his arms, and proceeded to prove to her that he was no longer a little boy. Swept up by passion, Julia makes love with Quinn, promising herself that it would only be a one-time thing. Schyeah... not!
And so Julia gets pregnant. Panics. Decides not to tell anyone. Runs far, far away.
When Julia and Quinn encounter each other again, it's immediately obvious that the old chemistry, the old magnetic pull between the two of them is still there. Quinn finds himself flabbergasted by his emotions because of all the feelings and reactions he had anticipated, this raw, primal need for her that hit him like a punch in the gut wasn't it. He was angry with her, all right. After all, she had broken his heart, crushed his dreams... walked away from his offer of marriage. But why was his first instinct to protect her and her son? Why did he want to just walk away from this assignment and wish he had never been talked into it? Why does he still want her so very much when she tore his heart and soul into confetti-sized pieces and stomped all over them?
***SPOILER ALERT***
LOTS. OF. ANGST. Quinn is so very bitter that Julia dumped him and disappeared ten years ago without a word that he had a nervous breakdown. He started hanging out with a bad crowd, doing drugs, drinking heavily, sleeping around with women of questionable reputations--all in an effort to banish Julia from his mind and heart. And to think that he once had a very promising future: he was supposed to go to Cambridge, study law, and someday take over the family estate as the Lord of the Manor. Well, he's the eldest son, so the estate will go to him, anyway, but he wants nothing to do with it and he doesn't really give a shit about it. But hey, at least he's mostly forgotten all about Julia. He's even seeing somebody else now, a nice, if albeit-shallow girl named Susan. He might even marry her. And he's got a job he really likes! And he's not even drinking that much anymore. He's really making a go at this whole "living" thing.
But all his boss had to say were two words: Julia + Harvey. And everything went to shit.
Julia's been doing really well, too. She has written twenty children's books that have done very well and is about to embark on a new series of children's books that promises to do just as well, if not better. She has a good relationship with her son Jake, even though one of these days, she knows she will have to sit him down and tell him all about his father. She has trusted friends in the islands, a lovely home, and most importantly, peace and quiet. She has done really well for herself, considering she was pretty pregnant by the time she reached the island ten years ago and alone, at that. She had been miserable and scared, but she managed to pull through and she has proven for the last decade that she can take very good care of herself and her son, just fine. She didn't need a man to do any of that. And she certainly doesn't need Quinn.
But put these two in a room together, shake a little for aggravation, and stand back to watch for the high-drama and action. Quinn has legitimate grievances: JULIA LEFT HIM WITHOUT SAYING A WORD AND DIDN'T TELL HIM SHE WAS PREGNANT. She was totally in the wrong here. She for real broke his heart. There were no misunderstandings, no miscommunications--she told herself she knew what was best for the both of them and acted on it, without consulting him. Without telling him she was pregnant. And he had absolutely zero clue where she was. He never got a call or a letter or a postcard from her. For all he knew, she could have been dead. And that would have been so much easier to get over. But to find out that all this time, she was hiding out on some island and the reason she had run away was because she was pregnant with his baby and she didn't want to tell him because she thought he was too young to understand and take responsibility? Because she didn't see him as a man just yet? Yo... that's messed up. For once, I AM SUPER OUTRAGED FOR THE HERO HERE! (Quinn, on your behalf, I'm also outraged about the ridiculous picture on the cover of the book. Is that 'chu?)
I totally get why Quinn would be bitter and be all, "Grr... Arrgh... Revenge!" Sure, he got a little grabby and pushy at times, but not too badly. And that scene in Julia's hotel room where he was ordering her to get him a bottle of scotch or he'd give her something to be really upset about was... kind of hot. I know, I know, I'm sick. I need help.
Okay, I can't even defend Julia. She was nine years older than Quinn. She should have known better. If she was having so much trouble dealing with her feelings for him, she should have told her good friend, Quinn's mom, and she would have set them both on the correct path. Quinn's parents might have found a way to keep Quinn away from Julia and maybe Julia didn't have to come around the family estate so much anymore. I'm sorry, but it's like bitch didn't even try. I would have been like, "Hey, Quinn's mom, listen... you're my good friend and I love you, but I've been feeling naughty things about your son lately and your son has been sniffing around me and it's kind of really starting to get harder to resist him, so maybe a little help would be in order?" That's what a real friend would do, right? I'd be so pissed if I found out that one of my best friends was having an affair with my teenage son behind my back, the shameless cougar hussy!
And Julia doesn't even do a proper grovel. Having heard from Quinn's mom that Quinn had completely deteriorated and was currently drinking himself to death after finding out that Julia had been lying to him all this time and kept his kid away from him for ten years, she rushes over to the estate to throw herself into his arms and be like, "Oh Quinn, Quinn, I'm so sorry, I loved you all this time!" Upon finding him with a bad attitude and a sneer, however, she completely chickens out and was like, "Oh, okay, um... never mind. Uh... listen, that kid I worked so hard to keep away from you for ten years? Have your lawyer call my lawyer. I'm sure we can work something out." I'm surprised Quinn didn't snap right then and there and strangle her. Instead, he lets out a wail of agony and as she's turning away, he asks brokenly, "Why?" And bitch says, "Because I'm too old for you." Seriously? If I were Quinn, I would have dropped the mic, walked out of the barn, and been like, "Peace out, bitch." INSTEAD he gives her a chance to explain and she tells him she was so scared and she didn't know what to do... and yada-yada-yada... you were a GROWN-ASS WOMAN TEN YEARS AGO, JULIA. JEEZ.
Then Quinn forgives her. FORGIVES her. Damn, you know how I'm always on the heroine's back whenever she forgives the hero too easily in the end? I'm feeling the same for my boy, Quinn. You shoudda made the bitch grovel, homie. You shoudda made the bitch grovel.
February 1, 2018
This was different and I really enjoyed reading it.
Despite all that I couldn't sympathise with the heroine Julia Harvey. What she did to Quinn was cruel, very cruel. If it wasn't for the death of her agent and her details surfacing after 10 years she ran away and set up shop in Cayman Island.
Quinn would never had a chance to cross paths with her. I felt her reasoning for disappearing from Quinn's life was weak and her inability to let herself love him was blinded by fear of upsetting his parents and being so insecure she was 8 years older than him. Quinn's mother was her friend but it was too late begin worrying about sparing their feelings after getting into an affair with her son. Because of foolishness she almost destroyed hope of any happy ending for them both. I didn't feel that Julia redeemed herself in any way and was not worthy of Quinn's love. If she actually was honest and came forward to let him know jake was his son. I would have like her. It's rare for me to enjoy reading a story and end up disliking the heroine.
I really liked the story being told from Quinn perspective most of the story. You feel his heart break and conflicting emotions. He didn't deserve to be treated like this by Julia. The only thing he did falling in love with older woman at 18. If he actually hurt her I could understand but I could not connect with Julia through out the book.
Despite all that I couldn't sympathise with the heroine Julia Harvey. What she did to Quinn was cruel, very cruel. If it wasn't for the death of her agent and her details surfacing after 10 years she ran away and set up shop in Cayman Island.
Quinn would never had a chance to cross paths with her. I felt her reasoning for disappearing from Quinn's life was weak and her inability to let herself love him was blinded by fear of upsetting his parents and being so insecure she was 8 years older than him. Quinn's mother was her friend but it was too late begin worrying about sparing their feelings after getting into an affair with her son. Because of foolishness she almost destroyed hope of any happy ending for them both. I didn't feel that Julia redeemed herself in any way and was not worthy of Quinn's love. If she actually was honest and came forward to let him know jake was his son. I would have like her. It's rare for me to enjoy reading a story and end up disliking the heroine.
I really liked the story being told from Quinn perspective most of the story. You feel his heart break and conflicting emotions. He didn't deserve to be treated like this by Julia. The only thing he did falling in love with older woman at 18. If he actually hurt her I could understand but I could not connect with Julia through out the book.
February 17, 2015
That was different. He seduced her when she was 27 and he was 18. The story starts 10 years later when as part of his job he finds her after she has been in seclusion for 11 years or so. She was a famous film actress at the time they met years ago. So anyway, now he's all grown up and the passion between them is still there. A different premise that was well written although there was potential for more angst had their affair been found out back then but it wasn't. Still plenty of emotion. The ending was a bit deus ex machina and abrupt but it wasn't horrible.
All in all a fun read and extra points for being different.
Now about that odd cover....
All in all a fun read and extra points for being different.
Now about that odd cover....
November 12, 2016
boring + older heroine
August 14, 2012
The heroine was older than the hero when she had a brief affair with him. After finding out she was pregnant with his child and he was nine years younger than her, she ran away without letting him know. Now his boss has him hunting her down and he's about to find out the truth. But will the love they once felt for each other come ten years too late?
Decent read, some parts are boring. Susan annoyed me, I wanted to slap her.
Decent read, some parts are boring. Susan annoyed me, I wanted to slap her.
February 2, 2025
Still re-reading it.
I realise most reviewers have rejected it and said bad things for the hero and heroine. He was 18 and she was 24.
Perhaps love cannot come conveniently on demand. People end up loving those they shouldn’t.
They fell in love. They had an affair
If it was an older man younger girl no one would bat an eyelid. But here the man was young. Woman older.
Frankly I am liking it better now than I did years ago.
The hero is really sweet. He is out of his depth with the heroine.
I like the way Anne Mather writes relationships between men and women. There is lust when there is love.
None of your cupboard love .. cardboard relationships for her.
Will review properly later.
**************
Right.
I don’t know what’s going on with the cover.
So.
The heroine is a filmstar. Right up there with the best. Hollywood. She’s 27. A lot if stories and speculation about her love life exists. All of it is untrue.
She loves acting.. is a natural.. is beautiful .. Marilyn Monroesque. But her film career and the heights she’s reached are more at the instigation and push from her mother than herself. The mother wanted it all. From what we understand (she died)
Gold taps in the bathroom. Floor to ceiling glass walls in the flat. Expensive furnishings.
The hero’s mother who is a wealthy lady married to a titled country gentleman with a Manor House and all that goes with it befriends the heroine. There is a gap of ten years but they hit it off. She takes the place of the mother the heroine has lost besides becoming a good friend.
The lady complains about her elder son who is seventeen and not wanting to go to Oxford or was it Cambridge.
Heroine is invited to spend a weekend at the country home of her friend. The hero picks her up. He’s seventeen but looks like a man. He’s gorgeous to look at. She’s intensely attracted and scared. She’s never felt like this before. She tries to set the tone.. calling him a child etc.
He naturally already has a crush on her. Her fascination naturally pushes him off the edge. They’re hovering on the edges of attraction. She avoiding him. He’s obsessed. Coming down every weekend she’s there. Etc.
The heroine thinks the friend knows nothing. At the end the friend tells her she was aware throughout but did not know what to do. Perhaps she thought the son was sowing his wild oats or something. God knows.
Anyway. The hero turns eighteen. The heroine avoids his birthday party and he goes up to London to ask why she did not come and the affair starts.
She gets pregnant and disappears.
Now ten years later.. the hero works for television and …. is sent to find out if she’s been sighted in the Cayman Islands. To interview her.
They’re intensely fascinated by each other still.
Some small hiccups.
A happy ending.
I liked it more this time.
When I was younger the whole age gap thing had seemed to me insurmountable and gross.
But I don’t think it really was. 18 and 27. And she’s a film star who the world lusts for.
The hero is her slave and that was kind of sweet. They were both sweet. Frankly.
And good.
I’ll read this one again. For sure.
I realise most reviewers have rejected it and said bad things for the hero and heroine. He was 18 and she was 24.
Perhaps love cannot come conveniently on demand. People end up loving those they shouldn’t.
They fell in love. They had an affair
If it was an older man younger girl no one would bat an eyelid. But here the man was young. Woman older.
Frankly I am liking it better now than I did years ago.
The hero is really sweet. He is out of his depth with the heroine.
I like the way Anne Mather writes relationships between men and women. There is lust when there is love.
None of your cupboard love .. cardboard relationships for her.
Will review properly later.
**************
Right.
I don’t know what’s going on with the cover.
So.
The heroine is a filmstar. Right up there with the best. Hollywood. She’s 27. A lot if stories and speculation about her love life exists. All of it is untrue.
She loves acting.. is a natural.. is beautiful .. Marilyn Monroesque. But her film career and the heights she’s reached are more at the instigation and push from her mother than herself. The mother wanted it all. From what we understand (she died)
Gold taps in the bathroom. Floor to ceiling glass walls in the flat. Expensive furnishings.
The hero’s mother who is a wealthy lady married to a titled country gentleman with a Manor House and all that goes with it befriends the heroine. There is a gap of ten years but they hit it off. She takes the place of the mother the heroine has lost besides becoming a good friend.
The lady complains about her elder son who is seventeen and not wanting to go to Oxford or was it Cambridge.
Heroine is invited to spend a weekend at the country home of her friend. The hero picks her up. He’s seventeen but looks like a man. He’s gorgeous to look at. She’s intensely attracted and scared. She’s never felt like this before. She tries to set the tone.. calling him a child etc.
He naturally already has a crush on her. Her fascination naturally pushes him off the edge. They’re hovering on the edges of attraction. She avoiding him. He’s obsessed. Coming down every weekend she’s there. Etc.
The heroine thinks the friend knows nothing. At the end the friend tells her she was aware throughout but did not know what to do. Perhaps she thought the son was sowing his wild oats or something. God knows.
Anyway. The hero turns eighteen. The heroine avoids his birthday party and he goes up to London to ask why she did not come and the affair starts.
She gets pregnant and disappears.
Now ten years later.. the hero works for television and …. is sent to find out if she’s been sighted in the Cayman Islands. To interview her.
They’re intensely fascinated by each other still.
Some small hiccups.
A happy ending.
I liked it more this time.
When I was younger the whole age gap thing had seemed to me insurmountable and gross.
But I don’t think it really was. 18 and 27. And she’s a film star who the world lusts for.
The hero is her slave and that was kind of sweet. They were both sweet. Frankly.
And good.
I’ll read this one again. For sure.
March 27, 2024
El protagonista está bien, ella es odiosa.
August 9, 2020
This one is in my keeper pile. Hero is 18 and the movie star heroine is 28 when they meet and have a brief affair. After their summer romance, she leaves the hero and Hollywood(UK version) abruptly and disappears with a SECRET. Ha. They meet up 10 years later and what ensues is an angsty drama fest that never gets old for me.
August 13, 2025
Scads of drama, male POV which is rare in vintage M&B, only downside was the heroine was a cruel bitch overall. Ghosting your lover is cowardly shit, and she's an even bigger coward when she leaves the country when her son is at school without even saying goodbye. Cold, cold bitch.
August 19, 2019
Εραστές από το παρελθόν... Very different from the normal Harlequin stories... Older h/Yonger H...
September 18, 2019
Ein kurzer aber wirklich netter Roman. Die Geschichte ist prägnent, unterhaltsam und überhaupt nicht platt.
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May 9, 2018A plot seldom seen in category books - the older woman.
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