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A Civilised Arrangement
There was one fly in the ointment
Carey loved her job as nanny. Tiny, motherless Alice Savage was a darling. And at present, the solitude of an isolated castle in Wales suited Carey perfectly.
But then there was Patrick Savage, the writer and father of little Alice. An arrogant, dictatorial man, he lacked the smallest particle of paternal feeling. Would he ever look at his baby?
Carey was determined to bring father and daughter together--even if it meant losing her own heart in the process.
Carey loved her job as nanny. Tiny, motherless Alice Savage was a darling. And at present, the solitude of an isolated castle in Wales suited Carey perfectly.
But then there was Patrick Savage, the writer and father of little Alice. An arrogant, dictatorial man, he lacked the smallest particle of paternal feeling. Would he ever look at his baby?
Carey was determined to bring father and daughter together--even if it meant losing her own heart in the process.
189 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 1990
2 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
About the author
Catherine George
445 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 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 19, 2024
Old-fashioned, sweet romance between a grumpy widower and a no-nonsense nanny who is hired to care for his infant.
My favorite scene is when the hero nearly cut off his fingers by aggressively slicing an apple when he thought the heroine's boyfriend was calling her on the phone, then when he found out it was her brother, without missing a beat, he offers her half of the apple with a huge smile on his face. Smooth!
A wonderful read that I would recommend to all fans of romance.
My favorite scene is when the hero nearly cut off his fingers by aggressively slicing an apple when he thought the heroine's boyfriend was calling her on the phone, then when he found out it was her brother, without missing a beat, he offers her half of the apple with a huge smile on his face. Smooth!
A wonderful read that I would recommend to all fans of romance.
July 10, 2018
***THERE MAY OR MAY NOT BE SPOILERS, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK***
Ah! thankfully a story with characters with some morals and less of a trust issue.
Book could have been better but it was still a sweet book.
Heroine had a bit of a moral dilemma in her past. She carried a torch for someone she couldn't have.
Hero lost his wife due to child birth, whom he actual didn't love and was quite depressed, which was triggered mostly by guilt!
There was marriage of "convenience". However hero was actually rather sweet. (His first marriage was the real MOC if you ask me!)
Heroine had morals and she genuinely loved the kid not as a nanny but as a mother and hero treated her with due respect.
As far as cheating goes, I wouldn't say either of them were involved in cheating. They have handled their situation as adults.
When her past came to light, hero had been slightly judgemental and slurred (oh come on people, be easy on him! poor guy was jealous as hell, not easy being married to your attractive wife knowing she cares for someone else!) at our heroine who was embarrassed as hell BUT, wait for it, he asked, no wait, requested for an explanation even promising that once it is discussed he'll never bring it up again!!! AAAAAAND he trusted her, completely. Later when he has seen the heroine with OM he didn't even worry about her betraying him and all that shit, all he cared about was if she was ok or not!
What the hell? I'm still having trouble believing it!
Can I clone him? Cause clearly I can't have this one as he's besotted to the heroine dammit!
Ah! thankfully a story with characters with some morals and less of a trust issue.
Book could have been better but it was still a sweet book.
Heroine had a bit of a moral dilemma in her past. She carried a torch for someone she couldn't have.
Hero lost his wife due to child birth, whom he actual didn't love and was quite depressed, which was triggered mostly by guilt!
There was marriage of "convenience". However hero was actually rather sweet. (His first marriage was the real MOC if you ask me!)
Heroine had morals and she genuinely loved the kid not as a nanny but as a mother and hero treated her with due respect.
As far as cheating goes, I wouldn't say either of them were involved in cheating. They have handled their situation as adults.
When her past came to light, hero had been slightly judgemental and slurred (oh come on people, be easy on him! poor guy was jealous as hell, not easy being married to your attractive wife knowing she cares for someone else!) at our heroine who was embarrassed as hell BUT, wait for it, he asked, no wait, requested for an explanation even promising that once it is discussed he'll never bring it up again!!! AAAAAAND he trusted her, completely. Later when he has seen the heroine with OM he didn't even worry about her betraying him and all that shit, all he cared about was if she was ok or not!
What the hell? I'm still having trouble believing it!
Can I clone him? Cause clearly I can't have this one as he's besotted to the heroine dammit!
November 16, 2022
Hero is one smitten kitten from the gitgo. It's obvious to us, but not the much more prim and proper nanny who falls for his adorable daughter long before she falls for the hero. Not that she doesn't notice how handsome and charming he is. He sounds like a blonde vintage Ralph Lauren model, sockless loafers and all.
He sneaks a MOC by her and as much better reviews than this will tell you, the man wins his girl.
It was nice to read a romance where the H does the heavy lifting instead of the heroine.
He sneaks a MOC by her and as much better reviews than this will tell you, the man wins his girl.
It was nice to read a romance where the H does the heavy lifting instead of the heroine.
November 19, 2022
*Major Spoilers*
First part has the generic nanny to a widower's kid routine. He's an immature idiot who cannot bear the thought of even looking at his baby daughter since her birth whence his celebrity wife (older to him by 10 yrs) dies. So the famous author vamooses off to sunny California to lick his guilty wounds (leaving his poor mother to manage the baby's business). Guilt that he couldn't control his baser instincts - with his wife! Contraceptions, people?
And so this young (23/24) nanny, a serious and very business minded girl is hired by his mother to care for the poor scrap. This part is based in the H's hauntingly beautiful castle, Llynglas ('Disney meets Ruritania'). She falls in love with the poor motherless girl despite her professional reservations. And then the father returns - still haunted and running scared. Spends most of his time in his 'Ivory Tower' and avoiding the baby at all costs.
Second part starts when he opens up to the nanny and then to his daughter. And here he turns from an ogre to a besotted father and a definitely smitten man who keeps popping up wherever the nanny goes. While she maintains her cool composure. By now, we know that the nanny has a broken heart and is bent on an 'old, grey and lonely' future rather than marry 'any other man'.
Then the H offers a platonic (hah!) moc and she accepts after a thoughtful week.
Third part is the best! It begins with a honeymoon in Portugal which starts out frustratingly for everyone - the h, the H and the reader but better sense prevails and so, wow! (Although why did a platonic marriage require a 2 weeks honeymoon minus the baby in the first place?) They are happy as can be and start their new life in London. And then an expected blast from the past happens leading to some happily jealous and possessive moves from the H (and from li'l Alice as well! She's adorable!) and an awesomely sweet resolution>>>hea.
Grouses -
Maybe I forgive them but both had complete idiocies in their past.
The ending certainly lifts the book (to an almost 4*) as does the H's obvious smitten-ness and the h/H chemistry post wedding that's sweet and hot and so damn satisfying. I love the way they communicate. It's honest and intense and real and quite un-generic. Well done that.
First part has the generic nanny to a widower's kid routine. He's an immature idiot who cannot bear the thought of even looking at his baby daughter since her birth whence his celebrity wife (older to him by 10 yrs) dies. So the famous author vamooses off to sunny California to lick his guilty wounds (leaving his poor mother to manage the baby's business). Guilt that he couldn't control his baser instincts - with his wife! Contraceptions, people?
And so this young (23/24) nanny, a serious and very business minded girl is hired by his mother to care for the poor scrap. This part is based in the H's hauntingly beautiful castle, Llynglas ('Disney meets Ruritania'). She falls in love with the poor motherless girl despite her professional reservations. And then the father returns - still haunted and running scared. Spends most of his time in his 'Ivory Tower' and avoiding the baby at all costs.
Second part starts when he opens up to the nanny and then to his daughter. And here he turns from an ogre to a besotted father and a definitely smitten man who keeps popping up wherever the nanny goes. While she maintains her cool composure. By now, we know that the nanny has a broken heart and is bent on an 'old, grey and lonely' future rather than marry 'any other man'.
Then the H offers a platonic (hah!) moc and she accepts after a thoughtful week.
Third part is the best! It begins with a honeymoon in Portugal which starts out frustratingly for everyone - the h, the H and the reader but better sense prevails and so, wow! (Although why did a platonic marriage require a 2 weeks honeymoon minus the baby in the first place?) They are happy as can be and start their new life in London. And then an expected blast from the past happens leading to some happily jealous and possessive moves from the H (and from li'l Alice as well! She's adorable!) and an awesomely sweet resolution>>>hea.
Grouses -
Maybe I forgive them but both had complete idiocies in their past.
The ending certainly lifts the book (to an almost 4*) as does the H's obvious smitten-ness and the h/H chemistry post wedding that's sweet and hot and so damn satisfying. I love the way they communicate. It's honest and intense and real and quite un-generic. Well done that.
October 4, 2018
An h with a spine and an H who doesn't hide that he's fallen hard for her and is jealous because he's insecure about how she feels (with good reason). In other words, he's not going to be constantly glaring and having tantrums once he knows where they stand, but for the moment, he's flatteringly possessive. If you have to have jealousy, that's the best kind -- short term.
No OW, and the OM situation only serves to illustrate what a good character the h has.
No OW, and the OM situation only serves to illustrate what a good character the h has.
May 19, 2022
Tested and approved: Definitely civilized!
May 29, 2022
2.5 stars?
I really dunno how I feel about this book.
The storyline itself was pretty decent, must admit.
But what I had a huge problem with was the language and the style of writing.
It sounded so dated, more like a 19th century with all the primness and the weird rules that nobody cares about in today's world.
What's better, the stiff and proper dialogues between the characters didn't help to convince me it was all happening in the 90s of the 20th century.
I swear to god, when I got to the word "perambulator", I had to look it up because I had no fucking idea what that was.
Plus, the fact that the hero's ex wife died because she decided to give birth at 40 yo and the doctors told her that at her age death is a guarantee when you choose to have a child?
Well, maybe in the medievals, sure, but now?
Ridonkadonk!
I know it's a vintage read and certain things are to be expected but in my head it was all happening two centuries ago and so I was pretty shocked at the sudden mentioning of a phone or a maserati lol.
And I would've given it 3 stars if at least the steam was better and the sex scenes were satisfactory.
But they weren't. And that tipped the scales.
I really dunno how I feel about this book.
The storyline itself was pretty decent, must admit.
But what I had a huge problem with was the language and the style of writing.
It sounded so dated, more like a 19th century with all the primness and the weird rules that nobody cares about in today's world.
What's better, the stiff and proper dialogues between the characters didn't help to convince me it was all happening in the 90s of the 20th century.
I swear to god, when I got to the word "perambulator", I had to look it up because I had no fucking idea what that was.
Plus, the fact that the hero's ex wife died because she decided to give birth at 40 yo and the doctors told her that at her age death is a guarantee when you choose to have a child?
Well, maybe in the medievals, sure, but now?
Ridonkadonk!
I know it's a vintage read and certain things are to be expected but in my head it was all happening two centuries ago and so I was pretty shocked at the sudden mentioning of a phone or a maserati lol.
And I would've given it 3 stars if at least the steam was better and the sex scenes were satisfactory.
But they weren't. And that tipped the scales.
March 7, 2021
Great story
Great characterization
Good dialogues
Great steam
A special mention to our widower hero: the "development" of his feelings (explicit or hidden) is quite believable.... a miracle for a HP!
Great characterization
Good dialogues
Great steam
A special mention to our widower hero: the "development" of his feelings (explicit or hidden) is quite believable.... a miracle for a HP!
May 20, 2019
I quite liked this. The storyline is no great shakes but the characters are great. The heroine was a loving and committed nanny. It touched my heart how much she loved her little charge. The Hero, the father reacted a little weird towards his baby daughter at first, but I can forgive that because, well... I’ve had a lot of experience with some men reacting strangely at first towards children, including their own. So sometimes, it really takes them some time to warm up,
I liked that the Hero was clearly attracted to and wanted the heroine for herself. I also liked that, in the end, he trusted her. Listened to her explanations and didn’t jump to conclusions.
I liked that the Hero was clearly attracted to and wanted the heroine for herself. I also liked that, in the end, he trusted her. Listened to her explanations and didn’t jump to conclusions.
October 15, 2020
This is my 2nd book by Catherine George. In both books (the other was Touch me in the Morning)the heroine is the one who is more stand offish letting the hero do the pursuit. The Hero is by no means weak, it’s just obvious early on that he has a hankering for our little nanny. Of course our hero is smart enough not to show his hand. We don’t get the hero’s POV, but we can see through his actions that he is smitten. Our heroine is in denial because of her strong belief in someone else. Based on the 2 books by this author, I would have to say she is more into the falling in love than the consummation of said love/lust. If it’s a good story, I’m ok with the lack of details. However, the last couple of books I read before the CG books, were much more modern and the sex deed was pretty detailed. I actually had to reread the sex in CG’s 2 books just to make sure it wasn’t just heavy petting. She also doesn’t bother to focus on the virgin aspect. I am thinking our h was most likely a virgin, but that’s really up to the reader. The OW and the OM’s in the books are really non-entities. The OW in this book is dead and the om in this book is physically absent for most of the story. Also, there are no evil, meddling family members that the Greek and Italian stories always seem to be filled with. In fact the H’s mom in this story is responsible for putting these two together. So, if you are looking for a tame, sweet love story between a nanny and the lord of the manor, this is worth a whirl.
May 20, 2020
A simple Harlequin romance... I had no high expectations honestly lool
But I was pleasantly surprised, really!
It was another arranged marriage story but unlike those lukewarm tales I usually read, in that story Patrick and Carey met and got closed to each other before the arrangement was brought up.
Patrick met his daughter Alice's nanny one night and he fell for her. The author didn't make it obvious with a the usual possessiveness and alpha-male-assholery lool, but it was subtil. I could tell he was trying to get close to her, especially their meetings at the beach, and it was sweet. 1 star
Even the proposal made sense lool! Not forced, no blackmail, no stupid agreement, it was pratical and logical. 1 star
I was ready to hate him because of the way he ignored his baby daughter, but his coldness made sense. And I like that the author didn't wait the last pages to bring him with Alice, it happened pretty fast so 1 more star
And then the honeymoon. Finally a non-rapist or forceful partner. He showed her he wanted her but she was the one who made the final move. Again, 1 more star lool!
And finally I like how the issue with the other man was resolved. No long separation due to misunderstanding, the issue arose and was fixed right away with a good discussion. I also like how Carey remained firm and didn't become a doormat once he touched her lool.
A last star bringing the total to a whooping well deserved 5 stars ^_^
But I was pleasantly surprised, really!
It was another arranged marriage story but unlike those lukewarm tales I usually read, in that story Patrick and Carey met and got closed to each other before the arrangement was brought up.
Patrick met his daughter Alice's nanny one night and he fell for her. The author didn't make it obvious with a the usual possessiveness and alpha-male-assholery lool, but it was subtil. I could tell he was trying to get close to her, especially their meetings at the beach, and it was sweet. 1 star
Even the proposal made sense lool! Not forced, no blackmail, no stupid agreement, it was pratical and logical. 1 star
I was ready to hate him because of the way he ignored his baby daughter, but his coldness made sense. And I like that the author didn't wait the last pages to bring him with Alice, it happened pretty fast so 1 more star
And then the honeymoon. Finally a non-rapist or forceful partner. He showed her he wanted her but she was the one who made the final move. Again, 1 more star lool!
And finally I like how the issue with the other man was resolved. No long separation due to misunderstanding, the issue arose and was fixed right away with a good discussion. I also like how Carey remained firm and didn't become a doormat once he touched her lool.
A last star bringing the total to a whooping well deserved 5 stars ^_^
July 23, 2020
I rather liked this one although I have deducted the h a star for almost having an affair with a married man, that was rather tacky.
The H comes across as pretty horrible at first in the treatment of his child his first wife really seems to have done a number on it but he is smitten with the h and through her gets to know his kid which is nice.
His jealousy is pretty funny and when he confesses his plan to the h at the end you have got to love him for the way he played her. I also like that he knew to the minute when he fell in love with her. All in all rather sweet. Shame the OM didn't get what he deserved.
The H comes across as pretty horrible at first in the treatment of his child his first wife really seems to have done a number on it but he is smitten with the h and through her gets to know his kid which is nice.
His jealousy is pretty funny and when he confesses his plan to the h at the end you have got to love him for the way he played her. I also like that he knew to the minute when he fell in love with her. All in all rather sweet. Shame the OM didn't get what he deserved.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2020
A pleasant love story. Patrick Savage proposes a marriage of convenience to his infant daughter's nanny, Carey. They marry and love soon follows.
November 22, 2021
Nice book.
June 10, 2023
Woow!!! Me encanto el libro. Sobre todo AME al protagonista Patrick; era muy tierno y posesivo con ella.❤♡❣
June 30, 2023
3.5 stars - very much like HQ books of yonder except that you have a male character who is very much obsessed (obviously) with the heroine rather than hiding it behind ass**** behavior. 😅
December 26, 2011
Wealthy writer marries nanny.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews