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The Odds Against
Ever since his fiancee Petula Hogan had walked out on him to marry someone else, Carl Elliott had been a changed man, bitter and suspicious of all women - and Gail, who had loved him for years, was very worried about him. Nevertheless, had she done the right thing in agreeing to marry him? It was obvious that, although he found her attractive - wanted her, in fact - Carl didn't love her; not only that, he would go running back to Petula if he ever got the chance! Could such a one-sided marriage possibly work?
180 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1984
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About the author
Margaret Pargeter
104 books73 followersMargaret Pargeter was a popular writer of 50 romance novels in Mills & Boon from 1975 to 1986.
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February 3, 2017
Train wreck: It always takes two.
Sins of the hero:
The hero slaps the heroine in the face on two separate instances, so be aware of that.
The hero tells the heroine she is “plain” and doesn’t even notice her beauty after her Cinderella makeover until much later.
The hero tells the heroine many times that he will divorce her as soon as his true love is free or he is tired of her.
Sins of the heroine:
She is a doormat – not the robust welcome mat of a front porch, or the hardworking fatigue mat in front of the kitchen sink. She is part of a bath mat set that my grandmother always decorated her bathroom with. The question is, is she the contour latex-backed mat that goes around the toilet – or the cozy that covers the toilet lid? Both are puzzling to me.
She worries about the hero after the OW jilts him. She takes on the extra work training the horses, she cooks for him and checks up on him.
She puts up with his verbal abuse, his physical abuse and still loves him after he leaves her for the OW.
I knew this was Margaret Pargeter. I didn’t think I was going to like it, but I did because it was full of WTF and angst. (Which is what I read them for) And it also made me think.
Well, dear, what were you thinking?
MP played fast and loose with the alpha role to ask the question: what makes a marriage?
A lot of these trainwreck Harleys explore power issues – see Lillian Peake who was playing with the Dominant/sub trope long before 50 Shades was a gleam in what’s her face’s eye. And I suppose you could argue for the power angle here – for all of her contour doormattiness (that is too a word) the heroine, by asking the hero’s hand in marriage, gains the social prestige going from stable hand to lady of the manor. She gets the church wedding over the hero’s objections. She goes to Ascot. She prevails in the bedroom, seducing the hero when he did not want to be seduced. She reduced the hero to grovelling tears by the end. In short – she has taken on the traditional masculine role of being the mover in the relationship. The hero is all reaction.
I don’t know if you could say the hero was feminine – but his reasons for marriage to heroine were ones any self-respecting heroine in a Regency novel would understand.
He married her to save his reputation. His pathetic reaction to being jilted was so OTT that his neighbors and his business associate noticed. The heroine had to point this out to him.
He married to save his business. He had lost his trainer and the heroine was doing everything. Marrying her would insure that he could moodily sit in his office and still have a thriving horse farm.
He married for revenge against the OW.
He did not marry for love because he was still faithful to the (delusional) image of the OW. They had been engaged. He didn’t break it off – she did. In his mind, his first loyalties were to the OW. Which makes his crazy behavior to the h consistent with his view of marriage. In his mind he is cheating on the OW – he cheated on her with the good-time gal in London and he’s cheating on her by marrying the h. (Hence his discomfort with the church wedding). He still feels in control, however, because he thinks he’s doing the h a favor by giving her a home after her father died, and she can’t compare in looks to the OW. When the heroine seduces him, he’s placed himself further in hell because now he’s committed the ultimate betrayal against the OW – hence his angry lashing out physically and verbally when the h mentions her name. As long as he can forget his marriage of the mind with the OW, he’s happy living in sin with the h.
MP doesn’t give his point of view and I am projecting based on reading between the lines. But the hero gives the first big hint of his views on marriage when he tells the heroine:
'Look, Gail,' he said suddenly, turning her grimly towards him, studying the paleness of her face, 'we may or may not have been wise to get married, but until now I've been a faithful husband. And, as long as we're married, I'll go on being one. When—if the day comes when I decide we'd be better apart, I'll tell you So, but as long as we're together, you don't have to worry about other women. And that's a promise.'
Ironic isn’t it when he’s emotionally cheating by still holding the torch for the OW – but here he’s talking about physically cheating.
A little later on the same page, the heroine reveals what the hero’s inner conflict is:
She could sense the different emotions running through him while she spoke, his distaste when she mentioned loving him, the indrawn hardness of his breath when she had alluded to Petula. There was a flare of hostility towards her that she had reminded him of something he would rather forget, but some things had to be said, there was no other way.
He's trying to forget the OW.
And here’s the hero trying not to fall in love with the heroine:
Didn't he realise, she knew as well as he did the anguish of loving someone who didn't love one in return?
'I didn't mean to hurt you,' she sighed tearfully,
With a groan, he suddenly gathered her to him, lifting her mouth to kiss her almost tenderly. 'I'm not hurt,' he said slowly, 'but I'd hate you to be.'
Later on, after he comes crawling back, he tells the heroine a little bit about his mindset during their marriage:
I began to remember how every time I'd made love to you had been like a trip to heaven, and I thought I was going insane!'
It’s only in mid-flight that he realizes he has been faithful in mind to the wrong woman.
'We were on the plane, on our way to New York, when I realised I didn't love her any more. It hit me like a bomb that I'd never loved her, that nothing I'd ever felt for her even remotely resembled the feelings I had for you.'
Turns out he never had sex with the OW – even when they were engaged. All that passion had been in his head and it was the heroine who was his reality.
So our reactive Alpha (who was content to wait for sex and have a idealized marriage in his mind) now understands what marriage is:
'You jolted me, that day, when you said she was as cold as a marble statue. I could have murdered you,' he confessed bleakly, 'but I saw on the plane that you'd only been speaking the truth. She's beautiful, but hard. If I'd married her my life would have been hell, though it would have been no more than I deserved.'
So what does MP think marriage is? For the hero, the “hellish” marriage would be to be faithful to someone who is ‘hard.’ Her beauty had nothing to do with his happiness. Turns out the hero needs someone who is like the heroine who is warm and earthy and can forgive his mistakes (after he grovels) and still love him. He has learned some lessons.
But what about the heroine? In my mind the heroine was a doormat while the hero was treating her so badly. But forgiveness after a sincere grovel is not being a doormat. It’s trying to move on from the past and begin anew.
However, I’m not sure the heroine learned all that much. Her personality and world view didn’t change like the hero. She loved him through thick and thin. The only reason I think they will have a HEA is because the *hero* changed. Heroine is still a doormat but this is the guy she wanted and she got him. Her love was finally requited. Nothing wrong with that. And I do think the hero will be faithful because that is his notion of marriage.
Sins of the hero:
The hero slaps the heroine in the face on two separate instances, so be aware of that.
The hero tells the heroine she is “plain” and doesn’t even notice her beauty after her Cinderella makeover until much later.
The hero tells the heroine many times that he will divorce her as soon as his true love is free or he is tired of her.
Sins of the heroine:
She is a doormat – not the robust welcome mat of a front porch, or the hardworking fatigue mat in front of the kitchen sink. She is part of a bath mat set that my grandmother always decorated her bathroom with. The question is, is she the contour latex-backed mat that goes around the toilet – or the cozy that covers the toilet lid? Both are puzzling to me.
She worries about the hero after the OW jilts him. She takes on the extra work training the horses, she cooks for him and checks up on him.
She puts up with his verbal abuse, his physical abuse and still loves him after he leaves her for the OW.
I knew this was Margaret Pargeter. I didn’t think I was going to like it, but I did because it was full of WTF and angst. (Which is what I read them for) And it also made me think.
Well, dear, what were you thinking?
MP played fast and loose with the alpha role to ask the question: what makes a marriage?
A lot of these trainwreck Harleys explore power issues – see Lillian Peake who was playing with the Dominant/sub trope long before 50 Shades was a gleam in what’s her face’s eye. And I suppose you could argue for the power angle here – for all of her contour doormattiness (that is too a word) the heroine, by asking the hero’s hand in marriage, gains the social prestige going from stable hand to lady of the manor. She gets the church wedding over the hero’s objections. She goes to Ascot. She prevails in the bedroom, seducing the hero when he did not want to be seduced. She reduced the hero to grovelling tears by the end. In short – she has taken on the traditional masculine role of being the mover in the relationship. The hero is all reaction.
I don’t know if you could say the hero was feminine – but his reasons for marriage to heroine were ones any self-respecting heroine in a Regency novel would understand.
He married her to save his reputation. His pathetic reaction to being jilted was so OTT that his neighbors and his business associate noticed. The heroine had to point this out to him.
He married to save his business. He had lost his trainer and the heroine was doing everything. Marrying her would insure that he could moodily sit in his office and still have a thriving horse farm.
He married for revenge against the OW.
He did not marry for love because he was still faithful to the (delusional) image of the OW. They had been engaged. He didn’t break it off – she did. In his mind, his first loyalties were to the OW. Which makes his crazy behavior to the h consistent with his view of marriage. In his mind he is cheating on the OW – he cheated on her with the good-time gal in London and he’s cheating on her by marrying the h. (Hence his discomfort with the church wedding). He still feels in control, however, because he thinks he’s doing the h a favor by giving her a home after her father died, and she can’t compare in looks to the OW. When the heroine seduces him, he’s placed himself further in hell because now he’s committed the ultimate betrayal against the OW – hence his angry lashing out physically and verbally when the h mentions her name. As long as he can forget his marriage of the mind with the OW, he’s happy living in sin with the h.
MP doesn’t give his point of view and I am projecting based on reading between the lines. But the hero gives the first big hint of his views on marriage when he tells the heroine:
'Look, Gail,' he said suddenly, turning her grimly towards him, studying the paleness of her face, 'we may or may not have been wise to get married, but until now I've been a faithful husband. And, as long as we're married, I'll go on being one. When—if the day comes when I decide we'd be better apart, I'll tell you So, but as long as we're together, you don't have to worry about other women. And that's a promise.'
Ironic isn’t it when he’s emotionally cheating by still holding the torch for the OW – but here he’s talking about physically cheating.
A little later on the same page, the heroine reveals what the hero’s inner conflict is:
She could sense the different emotions running through him while she spoke, his distaste when she mentioned loving him, the indrawn hardness of his breath when she had alluded to Petula. There was a flare of hostility towards her that she had reminded him of something he would rather forget, but some things had to be said, there was no other way.
He's trying to forget the OW.
And here’s the hero trying not to fall in love with the heroine:
Didn't he realise, she knew as well as he did the anguish of loving someone who didn't love one in return?
'I didn't mean to hurt you,' she sighed tearfully,
With a groan, he suddenly gathered her to him, lifting her mouth to kiss her almost tenderly. 'I'm not hurt,' he said slowly, 'but I'd hate you to be.'
Later on, after he comes crawling back, he tells the heroine a little bit about his mindset during their marriage:
I began to remember how every time I'd made love to you had been like a trip to heaven, and I thought I was going insane!'
It’s only in mid-flight that he realizes he has been faithful in mind to the wrong woman.
'We were on the plane, on our way to New York, when I realised I didn't love her any more. It hit me like a bomb that I'd never loved her, that nothing I'd ever felt for her even remotely resembled the feelings I had for you.'
Turns out he never had sex with the OW – even when they were engaged. All that passion had been in his head and it was the heroine who was his reality.
So our reactive Alpha (who was content to wait for sex and have a idealized marriage in his mind) now understands what marriage is:
'You jolted me, that day, when you said she was as cold as a marble statue. I could have murdered you,' he confessed bleakly, 'but I saw on the plane that you'd only been speaking the truth. She's beautiful, but hard. If I'd married her my life would have been hell, though it would have been no more than I deserved.'
So what does MP think marriage is? For the hero, the “hellish” marriage would be to be faithful to someone who is ‘hard.’ Her beauty had nothing to do with his happiness. Turns out the hero needs someone who is like the heroine who is warm and earthy and can forgive his mistakes (after he grovels) and still love him. He has learned some lessons.
But what about the heroine? In my mind the heroine was a doormat while the hero was treating her so badly. But forgiveness after a sincere grovel is not being a doormat. It’s trying to move on from the past and begin anew.
However, I’m not sure the heroine learned all that much. Her personality and world view didn’t change like the hero. She loved him through thick and thin. The only reason I think they will have a HEA is because the *hero* changed. Heroine is still a doormat but this is the guy she wanted and she got him. Her love was finally requited. Nothing wrong with that. And I do think the hero will be faithful because that is his notion of marriage.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 7, 2015
The premise of the story is that the heroine agrees to a marriage of convenience with the Hero who has been jilted by his true love beautiful goddess fiancee after breaking his leg. Yep, you read it right , this paragon of all that is feminine grace and charm dumps our valiant H just because he had a simple fracture (mending in 6 weeks tops) and runs off with another, more agile man. There is no danger of loss of limb or paralysis, the H just needed crutches till he could get the walking cast on but the fragile, ethereal OW/true love couldn't handle the damage.
The h has of course been seekritly in lurve with the H forevah, so she jumps at the chance to be his live in throw rug. They marry and immediately the H turns into the biggest jerk in the universes since the last Lilian Peake book. He is constantly telling our poor mousy h how plain, boring and utterly disgusting she is compared to his true lurve OW. Then he tells her that he will be dumping our doormat h as soon as he gets enough work out of her.
Our h's supposed plainness and non excitement does NOT keep the H out of her bed, so I guess true lurve avowals forevah to his former fiancee are no guarantee of fidelity on the H's part. Then comes the big shocker - the OW gets divorced and the h doesn't say anything to the H - mostly cause every time the h says anything regarding H's twue lurve he backhands her. This failure to inform earns the pregnant h another backhand -across the room and into a cabinet this time- and the H throws her out to boot. Sadly as this is old, old skool angst harley style - the h is so distraught while driving she wrecks and loses the baby.
She winds up at her sister's - the only woman in the book who has the very good sense (and a huge husband) to tell the H where to go and that the h hates his guts in perpetuity -- Good thing the sis lied cause the h is STILL so in lurve, she tells her sister not to say anything bad about our erstwhile H cause she will always, always lurve him and be his doormat scraping gutter.
Sis wants to offer aid and assistance but sadly no backbone transplants for the h were available. Of course the H shows up, hat in hand, sorta apologizes and asks h to come back cause now he really does lurve her forevah - or at least until another hot blonde babe shows up with whip in hand to force H to his knees and make him crawl off pantingly after her - hopefully for the poor, deluded h in this book that happy occurrence happens approximately three pages after this book ends.
In spite of the all the WTF'ry and probably because of it, I like this book. It takes style and skill to make a truly awful horrible Hero and yet keep the reader glued to the outcome. MP had a talent for that and I just couldn't put the book down. I do have to warn unsuspecting readers that this is not a post 2000 Harlequin Romance when the line went sweet and politically correct. This is an old skool contemporary bodice ripper and more than a few readers have thrown this against the wall in disgust. Thus the book is not only a true wall banger but a triple plaster and paint job wonder as well. Read it at your peril.
The h has of course been seekritly in lurve with the H forevah, so she jumps at the chance to be his live in throw rug. They marry and immediately the H turns into the biggest jerk in the universes since the last Lilian Peake book. He is constantly telling our poor mousy h how plain, boring and utterly disgusting she is compared to his true lurve OW. Then he tells her that he will be dumping our doormat h as soon as he gets enough work out of her.
Our h's supposed plainness and non excitement does NOT keep the H out of her bed, so I guess true lurve avowals forevah to his former fiancee are no guarantee of fidelity on the H's part. Then comes the big shocker - the OW gets divorced and the h doesn't say anything to the H - mostly cause every time the h says anything regarding H's twue lurve he backhands her. This failure to inform earns the pregnant h another backhand -across the room and into a cabinet this time- and the H throws her out to boot. Sadly as this is old, old skool angst harley style - the h is so distraught while driving she wrecks and loses the baby.
She winds up at her sister's - the only woman in the book who has the very good sense (and a huge husband) to tell the H where to go and that the h hates his guts in perpetuity -- Good thing the sis lied cause the h is STILL so in lurve, she tells her sister not to say anything bad about our erstwhile H cause she will always, always lurve him and be his doormat scraping gutter.
Sis wants to offer aid and assistance but sadly no backbone transplants for the h were available. Of course the H shows up, hat in hand, sorta apologizes and asks h to come back cause now he really does lurve her forevah - or at least until another hot blonde babe shows up with whip in hand to force H to his knees and make him crawl off pantingly after her - hopefully for the poor, deluded h in this book that happy occurrence happens approximately three pages after this book ends.
In spite of the all the WTF'ry and probably because of it, I like this book. It takes style and skill to make a truly awful horrible Hero and yet keep the reader glued to the outcome. MP had a talent for that and I just couldn't put the book down. I do have to warn unsuspecting readers that this is not a post 2000 Harlequin Romance when the line went sweet and politically correct. This is an old skool contemporary bodice ripper and more than a few readers have thrown this against the wall in disgust. Thus the book is not only a true wall banger but a triple plaster and paint job wonder as well. Read it at your peril.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2025
SPOILERS
Gail was a 21 year old girl who loved horses. She was a race horse trainer and was living in a cabin on her boss's ranch.
Her boss was 36 year old wealthy horse breeder and racer, Carl. Carl was very handsome and women loved him.
Gail was secretly in love with him since her teenage years, but he was engaged to a very beautiful woman, Petula. He was crazy in love with his fiancee.
Six months earlier, Carl had broken his leg and wasn't able to squire Petula around the way she was used to.
During that time she got involved with an American millionaire. She'd married him and followed him to America.
After the love of his life dumped him, Carl changed. He went to pieces, turned into a sulking, bitter, bad mannered and cruel man.
He lost interest in his business, lost his trainer and housekeeper, and poor Gail was trying to get him back to normal.
She was taking care of his horses and business, his house, cooked for him, massage his sore leg and even saved his life as she was kind of a psychic when it came to Carl, she knew when he was in trouble and she would come to his rescue every time.
I don't think he ever thank her for anything she did for him.
Gail couldn't understand how he could pine away for a worthless woman like Petula, no matter how beautiful she was.
One day Gail told him that he needed a wife.
He said: "How about you marrying me, Gail? At least I wouldn't have to pretend and knowing how romantic the average woman is, l might have to pretend if l married someone else. In fact, refuse me and you could lose your job tomorrow. In a way, being so plain, you could consider you're doing well for yourself, marrying me. Ours won't be an ordinary, conventional marriage and I'll probably hurt you a lot."
Have you ever heard a more loving, romantic marriage proposal? I am touched by the overflow of love, tenderness and affection.
Gail accepted his proposal, selling herself short, as she was so much in love with him.
At times he forgot about Petula and was pleasant, she was reminded wistfully of how he used to be.
The man she had first fell in love with.
So they got married, no honeymoon, they were sleeping on separate beds and the marriage was uncosummated.
In fact nothing changed except that Gail was now living in the main house.
Getting married had achieved nothing for either of them.
Now they were miserable together, and even the togetherness was just an illusion as she knew they had never been farther apart.
Petula still exercised a powerful influence on him and it would take something equally powerful to break it and Gail knew that she was not it.
Gail had a makeover and looked great but Carl haven't paid that much attention to her new look.
Gail thought that one of these days Petula would return and if Gail wasn't firmly established in Carl's life she wouldn't have much chance with him.
So it was now or never.
Gail put on sexy lingerie and seduced him. They made love and for Gail it was the first time.
She told him she loved him but he did not accept it. He said women say that but they don't really mean it.
For the first time he told her she was beautiful. He did not know, he said, how he ever thought of her as plain.
Gail was very pleased. At last he had noticed her!
The next evening she asked him if he cared about her. He said if he cared it was because she was his wife, something belonging to him, but not for her personally.
They had a great sex life and Gail couldn't comprehend how he could want her so badly when his feelings weren't involved.
One day Gail was at the racecourse by herself, Carl stopped attending after Petula's jilting of him.
Gail saw Petula there. Petula asked her to inform Carl about her recent divorce. She said he'd be very
interested about it.
Gail decided not to pass on the message to Carl.
Gail confronted Carl about his avoidance on going anywhere near a racecourse.
She told him his reason was fear of meeting Petula there.
His hand shot out, contacting her cheek in a stinging slap.
"You aren't fit to mention her name."
She flinched, he had hurt her, but she now knew that their marriage had no chance of succeeding.
A few days later he informed her that he had to go to London for the weekend.
He never mentioned the reason for that trip.
During his absence, Gail found out she was pregnant.
When she returned back home that day, she found Carl in the bedroom packing.
From the expression on his face she knew it was the end.
He said he was going out of her life for good. One day he would be coming back to live there, but it won't be with her.
He chastised her for not telling him about seeing Petula.
Gail told him she was trying to protect him.
He said he was going to be divorcing her. She would find another man some day. He was with Petula in London that weekend. He was leaving for New York with Petula.
"Hasn't our marriage meant anything to you, Carl?"
"Oh, for God's sake! You knew when you married me that there was little chance of our relationship being permanent. It wasn't a normal marriage. "
"You made it one Carl. "
"Proximity had a lot to do with it. I believe you sensed l was fighting it, yet you couldn't stay out of my bed. "
"You had the idea fixed in your head that you loved Petula. "
"I do love her."
"But how can you? She's like a statue, beautiful but as cold as marble. She'll never be able to love you back in anyway, because she's not a real woman. "
He hit her then, sending her staggering back across the room with a slap on her cheek.
She felt a sharp stab of pain, as she came against the dressing table.
"This is the second time you've hit me."
"I am sorry! But Petula isn't what you think she is. "
Gail thought that she might have managed to keep him by confessing she was pregnant, but he might come to hate both her and the baby. And if he didn't know, at least he couldn't take the baby from her.
"If we never see each other again, l hope you'll soon forget. And, good luck." he said before walking out of her life.
Gail packed and left the house that evening.
She had nowhere to go except at her married sister.
On the way she was so shattered that she had a car accident and lost the baby.
Three months went by, Gail was still feeling depressed.
She wrote a letter to Carl's housekeeper who was a mother figure to her, telling her that she still loved Carl.
One evening Gail was home alone when the doorbell rang. It was Carl.
Gail fainted upon seeing him.
When she came to, she noticed that he was emaciated and grim and he was actually crying.
He said he was miserable of wanting her and knowing he couldn't have her again.
He said he returned back to England the day after Gail's accident. He was halfway over the Atlantic when he realised he did not love Petula any more. He'd never loved her, that nothing he'd felt for her even remotely resembled the feelings he had for Gail. He'd realised that Gail was right when she said that Petula was as cold as a marble statue. If he'd married her his life would have been hell. When he arrived back to England, he rang Gail's sister who told him about the accident and the loss of the baby, and he'd never felt so bad in all his life. Her sister told him that Gail did not want to see him again and requested him to stay away. He'd been afraid to face Gail after everything he'd done to her,
until he found Gail's letter to the housekeeper, expressing her love for him. He regretted his past behaviour and was remorseful. He loved Gail with a passion, he said.
This story is very similar to another book, House Of Mirrors by Yvonne Whittal, only the latter is much better.
The reader does not know how this Hero was behaving before he got jilted by his fiancee, only that after the jilting he'd morphed into a sulking, cruel, bitter, bad mannered, insensitive, ungrateful, angry, violent man, who berated and belittled the heroine and was obsessed by his ex fiance, and was blind to her true character. He was emotionally and physically abusive to the heroine and this is a deal breaker. I never read a contemporary romance before where the Hero is physically abusing the heroine. This book brought to mind the saying "What you want might not be what you need ".
The heroine wanted the Hero, but was he what she needed?
The Hero came back to her but was it because he realised he loved her or because he realised he wanted back his doormat who was happily willing to do anything for him?
Gail was a 21 year old girl who loved horses. She was a race horse trainer and was living in a cabin on her boss's ranch.
Her boss was 36 year old wealthy horse breeder and racer, Carl. Carl was very handsome and women loved him.
Gail was secretly in love with him since her teenage years, but he was engaged to a very beautiful woman, Petula. He was crazy in love with his fiancee.
Six months earlier, Carl had broken his leg and wasn't able to squire Petula around the way she was used to.
During that time she got involved with an American millionaire. She'd married him and followed him to America.
After the love of his life dumped him, Carl changed. He went to pieces, turned into a sulking, bitter, bad mannered and cruel man.
He lost interest in his business, lost his trainer and housekeeper, and poor Gail was trying to get him back to normal.
She was taking care of his horses and business, his house, cooked for him, massage his sore leg and even saved his life as she was kind of a psychic when it came to Carl, she knew when he was in trouble and she would come to his rescue every time.
I don't think he ever thank her for anything she did for him.
Gail couldn't understand how he could pine away for a worthless woman like Petula, no matter how beautiful she was.
One day Gail told him that he needed a wife.
He said: "How about you marrying me, Gail? At least I wouldn't have to pretend and knowing how romantic the average woman is, l might have to pretend if l married someone else. In fact, refuse me and you could lose your job tomorrow. In a way, being so plain, you could consider you're doing well for yourself, marrying me. Ours won't be an ordinary, conventional marriage and I'll probably hurt you a lot."
Have you ever heard a more loving, romantic marriage proposal? I am touched by the overflow of love, tenderness and affection.
Gail accepted his proposal, selling herself short, as she was so much in love with him.
At times he forgot about Petula and was pleasant, she was reminded wistfully of how he used to be.
The man she had first fell in love with.
So they got married, no honeymoon, they were sleeping on separate beds and the marriage was uncosummated.
In fact nothing changed except that Gail was now living in the main house.
Getting married had achieved nothing for either of them.
Now they were miserable together, and even the togetherness was just an illusion as she knew they had never been farther apart.
Petula still exercised a powerful influence on him and it would take something equally powerful to break it and Gail knew that she was not it.
Gail had a makeover and looked great but Carl haven't paid that much attention to her new look.
Gail thought that one of these days Petula would return and if Gail wasn't firmly established in Carl's life she wouldn't have much chance with him.
So it was now or never.
Gail put on sexy lingerie and seduced him. They made love and for Gail it was the first time.
She told him she loved him but he did not accept it. He said women say that but they don't really mean it.
For the first time he told her she was beautiful. He did not know, he said, how he ever thought of her as plain.
Gail was very pleased. At last he had noticed her!
The next evening she asked him if he cared about her. He said if he cared it was because she was his wife, something belonging to him, but not for her personally.
They had a great sex life and Gail couldn't comprehend how he could want her so badly when his feelings weren't involved.
One day Gail was at the racecourse by herself, Carl stopped attending after Petula's jilting of him.
Gail saw Petula there. Petula asked her to inform Carl about her recent divorce. She said he'd be very
interested about it.
Gail decided not to pass on the message to Carl.
Gail confronted Carl about his avoidance on going anywhere near a racecourse.
She told him his reason was fear of meeting Petula there.
His hand shot out, contacting her cheek in a stinging slap.
"You aren't fit to mention her name."
She flinched, he had hurt her, but she now knew that their marriage had no chance of succeeding.
A few days later he informed her that he had to go to London for the weekend.
He never mentioned the reason for that trip.
During his absence, Gail found out she was pregnant.
When she returned back home that day, she found Carl in the bedroom packing.
From the expression on his face she knew it was the end.
He said he was going out of her life for good. One day he would be coming back to live there, but it won't be with her.
He chastised her for not telling him about seeing Petula.
Gail told him she was trying to protect him.
He said he was going to be divorcing her. She would find another man some day. He was with Petula in London that weekend. He was leaving for New York with Petula.
"Hasn't our marriage meant anything to you, Carl?"
"Oh, for God's sake! You knew when you married me that there was little chance of our relationship being permanent. It wasn't a normal marriage. "
"You made it one Carl. "
"Proximity had a lot to do with it. I believe you sensed l was fighting it, yet you couldn't stay out of my bed. "
"You had the idea fixed in your head that you loved Petula. "
"I do love her."
"But how can you? She's like a statue, beautiful but as cold as marble. She'll never be able to love you back in anyway, because she's not a real woman. "
He hit her then, sending her staggering back across the room with a slap on her cheek.
She felt a sharp stab of pain, as she came against the dressing table.
"This is the second time you've hit me."
"I am sorry! But Petula isn't what you think she is. "
Gail thought that she might have managed to keep him by confessing she was pregnant, but he might come to hate both her and the baby. And if he didn't know, at least he couldn't take the baby from her.
"If we never see each other again, l hope you'll soon forget. And, good luck." he said before walking out of her life.
Gail packed and left the house that evening.
She had nowhere to go except at her married sister.
On the way she was so shattered that she had a car accident and lost the baby.
Three months went by, Gail was still feeling depressed.
She wrote a letter to Carl's housekeeper who was a mother figure to her, telling her that she still loved Carl.
One evening Gail was home alone when the doorbell rang. It was Carl.
Gail fainted upon seeing him.
When she came to, she noticed that he was emaciated and grim and he was actually crying.
He said he was miserable of wanting her and knowing he couldn't have her again.
He said he returned back to England the day after Gail's accident. He was halfway over the Atlantic when he realised he did not love Petula any more. He'd never loved her, that nothing he'd felt for her even remotely resembled the feelings he had for Gail. He'd realised that Gail was right when she said that Petula was as cold as a marble statue. If he'd married her his life would have been hell. When he arrived back to England, he rang Gail's sister who told him about the accident and the loss of the baby, and he'd never felt so bad in all his life. Her sister told him that Gail did not want to see him again and requested him to stay away. He'd been afraid to face Gail after everything he'd done to her,
until he found Gail's letter to the housekeeper, expressing her love for him. He regretted his past behaviour and was remorseful. He loved Gail with a passion, he said.
This story is very similar to another book, House Of Mirrors by Yvonne Whittal, only the latter is much better.
The reader does not know how this Hero was behaving before he got jilted by his fiancee, only that after the jilting he'd morphed into a sulking, cruel, bitter, bad mannered, insensitive, ungrateful, angry, violent man, who berated and belittled the heroine and was obsessed by his ex fiance, and was blind to her true character. He was emotionally and physically abusive to the heroine and this is a deal breaker. I never read a contemporary romance before where the Hero is physically abusing the heroine. This book brought to mind the saying "What you want might not be what you need ".
The heroine wanted the Hero, but was he what she needed?
The Hero came back to her but was it because he realised he loved her or because he realised he wanted back his doormat who was happily willing to do anything for him?
April 17, 2016
Edited on 13th August, 2015 after a reread
Okay yes, my love for train wrecks has increased even more. I don't know how, but it has. I LOVED THIS. Admitted, yes, I hated the heroine and her lack of self respect and pride - as Abby says, she was like a little lap dog running to and panting after her master. It was so sad and so infuriating seeing her run after him, cater to his every need, throw herself at him every opportunity she got, and letting him walk ALL OVER HER. Horrid.
But the ending, that was what made me change the rating. He hero's grovel, his guilt, I mean, he actually The ending was all worth it. I loved this story, I didn't hate it. Oh, I am such a messed up masochist *sigh*
Original review
0 stars
Oh. Dear. GOD. Oh God oh God oh God.
This hero was even worse than the one in 'The Child of Judas'. He actually SLAPS THE HEROINE. And not one, TWICE.
So we start off with our sweetheart heroine, Gail, swooping in to save Carl's ass. She drives through a STORM for him for God's sake. That's how much she loves him. Now, I'm all for smitten heroine (my most favourite trope), and I loved that she was doing that. I also loved how she wasn't a doormat and stood her ground, gave him his due. Whenever he yelled at her/insulted her, she didn't keep quiet. She was fiery, with just the right amount of sweetness. It was at the end that I hated her.
But let's not get into that now. For now I'll concentrate on my hatred for HIM.
So, as I was saying, our hero here is sulking. All because the woman he loved left him and married someone else BECAUSE HE BROKE HIS LEG. I'd think that says enough about OW, right? But NOO. Our dense hero sticks like an ant to chewing gum to his 'love' for OW. Aye, I know, that's another of my favourite tropes. But see, what made me really angry was how he treated the heroine. He kept rubbing the heroine's plain face into her every chance he got, insulted her and kept bringing up OW all the time. OH GOD. He was such an ASS. And not in the good, I-love-hating-him way. In a if-you-choose-him-you're-signing-up-for-a-life-of-psychologist-consults-and-hospital-visits. I saw no redeeming qualities in him. Even after they get married and Gail changes her appearance to please him, puts on a bit of make-up and everything, he doesn't notice ANYTHING. And then when Carl's cousin comes over and shows interest in Gail, Carl gets all possessive and back-off-beeyotch. You don't love/value her, asshole, but are married to her so he can't have her either? (Don't get me wrong, I hate adultery and the lot. And Gail had no interest in the cousin whatsoever. But Carl's possessiveness really bothered me because HE FUCKING DOESN'T CARE ABOUT GALE AT ALL.)
Now we'll get to the part which maddened me THE MOST. He crossed THE LINE after this. He discovers that Gail hides OW's divorce from him and gets angry with her. OF COURSE she's going to hide it from you, you idiot!!! I CAN'T THINK OF A SINGLE REASON WHY SHE SHOULD TELL YOU.
And then HE SLAPS HER. Oh God. He actually hits her so hard that she is flung across the room.
And she just takes it, thinking she deserves it. And then he packs up and LEAVES HIS PREGNANT WIFE FOR THE OW. By this time I was just like
So he up and leaves her, and she's pregnant and alone. And of course, because it's Harlequin land, she must have all happiness snatched away from her, she has an accident and miscarries. And STILL, STILL, EVEN AFTER ALL THE THINGS THE ASSHOLE DOES, she loves him.
But wait, that's not it. She even DEFENDS him to her sister, and says that she (the sister) mustn't say bad things about him because she loves him. When Asshole comes back, begs for forgiveness, says that nothing happened between him and OW - he came back because he realises he loves her, he's been at his house the entire time and blah blah blah, she forgives him and they live unhappily ever after. And I wouldn't have cared if his grovel was the king of all grovels (which it definitely wasn't - Diana Palmer does them best), he was past all redemption.
As for the author's writing, it didn't really light a match with me. I found it too flat and unemotional, but the flow and dialogues were superb. It was the descriptions (or lack of them) and story-telling I didn't like. I'm not sure whether or not I'll pick up more of this author's books, but most probably not.
Okay yes, my love for train wrecks has increased even more. I don't know how, but it has. I LOVED THIS. Admitted, yes, I hated the heroine and her lack of self respect and pride - as Abby says, she was like a little lap dog running to and panting after her master. It was so sad and so infuriating seeing her run after him, cater to his every need, throw herself at him every opportunity she got, and letting him walk ALL OVER HER. Horrid.
But the ending, that was what made me change the rating. He hero's grovel, his guilt, I mean, he actually The ending was all worth it. I loved this story, I didn't hate it. Oh, I am such a messed up masochist *sigh*
Original review
0 stars
Oh. Dear. GOD. Oh God oh God oh God.
This hero was even worse than the one in 'The Child of Judas'. He actually SLAPS THE HEROINE. And not one, TWICE.
So we start off with our sweetheart heroine, Gail, swooping in to save Carl's ass. She drives through a STORM for him for God's sake. That's how much she loves him. Now, I'm all for smitten heroine (my most favourite trope), and I loved that she was doing that. I also loved how she wasn't a doormat and stood her ground, gave him his due. Whenever he yelled at her/insulted her, she didn't keep quiet. She was fiery, with just the right amount of sweetness. It was at the end that I hated her.
But let's not get into that now. For now I'll concentrate on my hatred for HIM.
So, as I was saying, our hero here is sulking. All because the woman he loved left him and married someone else BECAUSE HE BROKE HIS LEG. I'd think that says enough about OW, right? But NOO. Our dense hero sticks like an ant to chewing gum to his 'love' for OW. Aye, I know, that's another of my favourite tropes. But see, what made me really angry was how he treated the heroine. He kept rubbing the heroine's plain face into her every chance he got, insulted her and kept bringing up OW all the time. OH GOD. He was such an ASS. And not in the good, I-love-hating-him way. In a if-you-choose-him-you're-signing-up-for-a-life-of-psychologist-consults-and-hospital-visits. I saw no redeeming qualities in him. Even after they get married and Gail changes her appearance to please him, puts on a bit of make-up and everything, he doesn't notice ANYTHING. And then when Carl's cousin comes over and shows interest in Gail, Carl gets all possessive and back-off-beeyotch. You don't love/value her, asshole, but are married to her so he can't have her either? (Don't get me wrong, I hate adultery and the lot. And Gail had no interest in the cousin whatsoever. But Carl's possessiveness really bothered me because HE FUCKING DOESN'T CARE ABOUT GALE AT ALL.)
Now we'll get to the part which maddened me THE MOST. He crossed THE LINE after this. He discovers that Gail hides OW's divorce from him and gets angry with her. OF COURSE she's going to hide it from you, you idiot!!! I CAN'T THINK OF A SINGLE REASON WHY SHE SHOULD TELL YOU.
And then HE SLAPS HER. Oh God. He actually hits her so hard that she is flung across the room.
And she just takes it, thinking she deserves it. And then he packs up and LEAVES HIS PREGNANT WIFE FOR THE OW. By this time I was just like
So he up and leaves her, and she's pregnant and alone. And of course, because it's Harlequin land, she must have all happiness snatched away from her, she has an accident and miscarries. And STILL, STILL, EVEN AFTER ALL THE THINGS THE ASSHOLE DOES, she loves him.
But wait, that's not it. She even DEFENDS him to her sister, and says that she (the sister) mustn't say bad things about him because she loves him. When Asshole comes back, begs for forgiveness, says that nothing happened between him and OW - he came back because he realises he loves her, he's been at his house the entire time and blah blah blah, she forgives him and they live unhappily ever after. And I wouldn't have cared if his grovel was the king of all grovels (which it definitely wasn't - Diana Palmer does them best), he was past all redemption.
As for the author's writing, it didn't really light a match with me. I found it too flat and unemotional, but the flow and dialogues were superb. It was the descriptions (or lack of them) and story-telling I didn't like. I'm not sure whether or not I'll pick up more of this author's books, but most probably not.
November 6, 2017
God I hated this planewreck. Carl is the biggest cunt in harlequin presents history and he deserves to die for the hell he put the heroine through. And for what? A bitchy, gold digging, vain, shrew of an ex fiancee called Petula who was too frigid to even give him sex. Fuck you Carl ! Gail should have ended up with his chivalrous, kind cousin. As for Petula: somebody shoulda fucked her up the ass with a high pressured firehose filled with BLEACH.
Damn that was vicious of me but I really hated this novel. I read this years ago yet I still recall the entire storyline - down to the H off gallivanting with Petula while his sweet wife Gail is miscarrying her baby. I usually enjoy Margaret Pargaret's asshole man whore heroes but this guy is an extra kind of special cruel jackass. I think the only other 'hero' that comes close to being this shitty is Scott Brady from Born Of The Wind - also by Margaret Pargeter. I read that years ago too and will do review soon.
Damn that was vicious of me but I really hated this novel. I read this years ago yet I still recall the entire storyline - down to the H off gallivanting with Petula while his sweet wife Gail is miscarrying her baby. I usually enjoy Margaret Pargaret's asshole man whore heroes but this guy is an extra kind of special cruel jackass. I think the only other 'hero' that comes close to being this shitty is Scott Brady from Born Of The Wind - also by Margaret Pargeter. I read that years ago too and will do review soon.
December 12, 2013
3.5 stars (Yes, I recognize it should be a -1 stars, but hey, it was an angsty angerfest)
The Odds Against is a very appropriate title. Why? Because one could ask "What are the odds against you recommending this to me?" and I could say, "Not so good." Heh! Even though I liked it well enough, I recognize this story has a lot that would send books flying across the room before the reader was even a quarter into it.
The hero, Carl, was a lovelorn loser horse breeder/racer who spends the majority of the book pining away for some shallow glamorpuss who dumped him when he broke his leg and needed her most and went off to marry some other rich horse dude from Kentucky.
The heroine, Gail, was this pathetic door stop who allowed him to say and do absolutely anything to her without so much as a peep (I peeped, though. Does that count?) Among the numerous crimes against the h, the H kept telling her how plain she was and how lucky she was that she got to marry a guy like him. Feh! Kept telling her that they would stay married only until he "got tired" of her. What really got the romantic juices flowing was that he would flip his freaking wig every time she brought up his ex. Now, this is the clincher...he even slapped her across the face twice when the h dared to mention the OW. He even said something like "You're not fit to say her name," or some outrageously horrible BS like that when he did it (didn't the author think that that just might be taking things a little too far?) And this was towards the end of the book when he should have known better. The second time, our little doily APOLOGIZED after the H boxed her ears. I mean, seriously!?!?! If that don't piss you off.
As you can guess, the OW gets a divorce and comes back for the H, who promptly dumps the h and sends her packing (it was during the break up scene that he slaps her the second time.) The ninny was pregnant (of course) but didn't tell him but was oh so glad she had something left of him (puke.) However, she lost the baby in an auto accident that happened as she was driving to her sister's, fresh from her dumping. (It so wasn't her week.) But just so that we're on the same page, this means that it's the asshat's fault she lost the baby, right? Because if he wasn't such a heartless horse's patootie and dumped her, she wouldn't have been at that place and time to get hit by a drunk driver. Right? Of course that's right.
Three months go by, during which time we find out that the H has been suffering a worse fate over losing the h than the one he endured when the OW dumped his worthless arse. He comes a'crawling to the h, looking all thin and ragged (matching her perfectly), spouting how wrong he was and how he'd love her all along but just didn't realize it. She prompltly lays down and tells him to wipe his feet on her back...or she might as well have in my book. I'd be shocked if this chick had enough spine to stand erect. Come on lady! He takes you for granted, insults and disparages you throughout the book, throws this other woman in your face constantly and outright tells you that your not worthy to lick her boots, DUMPS YOU for her, throws you out and leaves you vulnerable so that you get in an accident and lose your baby, and then just wants to make kissy face and pretend their entire history didn't happen. AND YOU LET HIM!?!? GAH! If it wasn't for the h's sister lying and telling him that the h hated his guts and never wanted to see him again, we'd get no groveling or satisfaction whatsoever. Thank god for small favors.
So, let me ask? See anything to draw you in? (I'm not asking you asshat-loving, trainwreck-watching girls over there. ;D Though, this heroine might be too pathetic to be able to enjoy the alpholeness.) But if you like stories that make you shout out "You've got to be kidding me!!" in a crowded room (I did that ;D), then this is your story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2015
I'm giving it 2 stars since it did deliver on the WTF and angst.
First of all, I'm not the 'doormat' police. I'm a very, very easy going person which is sometimes mistaken for being a doormat. No, I just pick my battles. If something is important to me, I'll fight you. If I don't care much either way, whatever. I'm not going to waste emotional energy in a pissing contest just to prove I'm not a pushover. Plus, I'm a firm believer in the old adage 'You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar'.
All that being said - Jeez Louise! This chick was THE doormat. I'm not sure the guy could have done anything to make her hate him.
I love a good train wreck. And this is VERY wrecky. However, it's not my type of disaster. For one thing. I'm completely uninterested in reading a romance where there is an 'actual' other woman. I prefer the other woman to be the scheming ex or the scheming wannabe. In other words, it needs to be one sided. I don't want the H to actually want the other woman despite what the h may be led to believe.
And then there's the verbal and physical abuse (he slaps her twice) and puts her down constantly. The heroine apologizes for it. She is angry at her sister for daring to say bad things about the H and for attempting to protect her from him. She is a classic abused woman. I had a cop tell me once that one reason domestic calls are so dangerous is because you never know what the victim will do. Often they will turn on the officer when he/she attempts to arrest the abuser. It's a terrible and very sad thing and I can just imagine this heroine pulling a gun on anyone attempting to "rescue" her.
I'm convinced that this book was written to validate those poor deluded ladies who think that they will triumph in the end by being a martyr and standing by their man even when that man makes it pretty clear he could give a crap where she stands. Depressing.
ETA: So friggin sick of the 'emaciated' hero passing as a grovel. Who gives a crap? Your ass deserves to be emaciated.
First of all, I'm not the 'doormat' police. I'm a very, very easy going person which is sometimes mistaken for being a doormat. No, I just pick my battles. If something is important to me, I'll fight you. If I don't care much either way, whatever. I'm not going to waste emotional energy in a pissing contest just to prove I'm not a pushover. Plus, I'm a firm believer in the old adage 'You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar'.
All that being said - Jeez Louise! This chick was THE doormat. I'm not sure the guy could have done anything to make her hate him.
I love a good train wreck. And this is VERY wrecky. However, it's not my type of disaster. For one thing. I'm completely uninterested in reading a romance where there is an 'actual' other woman. I prefer the other woman to be the scheming ex or the scheming wannabe. In other words, it needs to be one sided. I don't want the H to actually want the other woman despite what the h may be led to believe.
And then there's the verbal and physical abuse (he slaps her twice) and puts her down constantly. The heroine apologizes for it. She is angry at her sister for daring to say bad things about the H and for attempting to protect her from him. She is a classic abused woman. I had a cop tell me once that one reason domestic calls are so dangerous is because you never know what the victim will do. Often they will turn on the officer when he/she attempts to arrest the abuser. It's a terrible and very sad thing and I can just imagine this heroine pulling a gun on anyone attempting to "rescue" her.
I'm convinced that this book was written to validate those poor deluded ladies who think that they will triumph in the end by being a martyr and standing by their man even when that man makes it pretty clear he could give a crap where she stands. Depressing.
ETA: So friggin sick of the 'emaciated' hero passing as a grovel. Who gives a crap? Your ass deserves to be emaciated.
Read
May 10, 2018Adding a new tag for this special HP.
* No way in hell
* No way in hell
June 22, 2012
There is something terribly wrong with the hero, the heroine and the author of this book. My rating of
stated that it was the kind of book that was either one star or five, this could have earned such a tug-of-war as well, except that the hero(?) had NO cause to be as mean as he was to Gail. There was no big-misunderstanding, she didn't play him false, she was so doormousey (I think an amalgam of doormat and mousey aptly covers it) and bent so far backwards for him he should have treated her like gold even if he didn't love her.
By the end, I don't quite buy that he loves her, not for any lack of the appropriate words from the author. If I were more gullible and didn't just think Carl was a terrible TERRIBLE person (he frakking hits her twice, and she fell into a dresser on the last instance - for which he barely apologizes, months later) I'd maybe have bought it. But, I kid you not, FOUR pages away from the end I seriously considered not finishing. Listen, it is not enough to simply describe him as emaciated and lacking in sleep, wasting away from regret... this doesn't make it all better... it shouldn't in the real world. At one point, I was seeing so much red, he said her name (Gail) and I swore it read (Guilt)! For the guilt he should have been feeling. Serious Frakktard!
I understand she loved him, but where was her pride? If there was nothing else to say to her, 'this man doesn't deserve you,' where was her frakking pride?
It's gone and made me angry. I only gave it two stars because I'm a sucker for angst, and, as terrible as I found it in all these explained aspects, it delivered on that. Also, the author isn't a bad one, far from it, I just hated the characters and wonder what was going through her mind when she dreamt Carl up.
stated that it was the kind of book that was either one star or five, this could have earned such a tug-of-war as well, except that the hero(?) had NO cause to be as mean as he was to Gail. There was no big-misunderstanding, she didn't play him false, she was so doormousey (I think an amalgam of doormat and mousey aptly covers it) and bent so far backwards for him he should have treated her like gold even if he didn't love her.By the end, I don't quite buy that he loves her, not for any lack of the appropriate words from the author. If I were more gullible and didn't just think Carl was a terrible TERRIBLE person (he frakking hits her twice, and she fell into a dresser on the last instance - for which he barely apologizes, months later) I'd maybe have bought it. But, I kid you not, FOUR pages away from the end I seriously considered not finishing. Listen, it is not enough to simply describe him as emaciated and lacking in sleep, wasting away from regret... this doesn't make it all better... it shouldn't in the real world. At one point, I was seeing so much red, he said her name (Gail) and I swore it read (Guilt)! For the guilt he should have been feeling. Serious Frakktard!
I understand she loved him, but where was her pride? If there was nothing else to say to her, 'this man doesn't deserve you,' where was her frakking pride?
It's gone and made me angry. I only gave it two stars because I'm a sucker for angst, and, as terrible as I found it in all these explained aspects, it delivered on that. Also, the author isn't a bad one, far from it, I just hated the characters and wonder what was going through her mind when she dreamt Carl up.
August 17, 2015
I felt like reading some good olde fashion angst ,and what better way to get it than to read a Harlequin Presents,but not any HP mind you ,but one of the oldies,a 1980's to be exact.So I jumped on the train to Harleytopia and landed in the trainwreck that is The Odds Against written by Margaret Pargeter,she used to be a fav of mind when these were the only romances that I used to read way back when.
This story is about a young woman who has loved the assjack err hero since she was 16.Loverboy did not know she existed in his realm,only as the young,unattractive,horse mad daughter of his horse trainer did she exist for him.This languishing love continued to flourish untill the heroine,Gail,became a young woman,almost 22, when our hero,Carl 36,got dumped on his ass by the love of his life Petulia.Poor Petulia,she couldn't handle a man with a broken leg,so what could she do,she just had to dump him for a rich American millionaire(no billionaire in those days I guess).Poor ,poor Carl,the love of his life dumped him,he just did not care about anything anymore,he drank,was mean to his employees,his housekeeper quit,he let his business suffer,the poor guy,don't you just feel for him.Well,the heroine did,she just had to help him out.And what better way than to marry the man,the love of her life,she just had to do it.
So now comes my thoughts on this book.
Girl,you should have run,and by run,I mean run,far,far, away.This heroine had no self esteem,it was all about the hero,his feelings,how to make things all better for him .She continued to let him walk all over her in all aspects of their life,he criticised everything from her looks to her mode of dress.Even though Petulia was not a visible figure in the story till the end,she was front and center due to the heroine always thinking and commenting about her.
The assjack hero,what to say,yes,I hate you,hate you ,big time buddy!He not only Slapped the heroine once,but,Twice !!There is no amount of forgiveness for that action,you would need to walk 1,000 miles on bended knees over sharp broken glass to even attempt to get my attention or an ounce of forgiveness .
Anyways,the hero's big love discovery moment came while he was leaving his wife and flying over the Alantic with the lovely Petulia.Seems like his wife was right along ,and now he knows that Gail is his one true love.Okay,yeah,I am buying that,not.
In the mean time,Gail, poor thing,she was in a car accident and lost their baby,the one that Carl knew nothing about.
So to wrap things up,Carl goes to see Gail,he is repentant,love,love,love is declared and they go back to the marital estate and make mad passionate love.The end.
4***,yes,cause with a trainwteck,you just have to stop and look.,however,the hero is -1**.
This story is about a young woman who has loved the assjack err hero since she was 16.Loverboy did not know she existed in his realm,only as the young,unattractive,horse mad daughter of his horse trainer did she exist for him.This languishing love continued to flourish untill the heroine,Gail,became a young woman,almost 22, when our hero,Carl 36,got dumped on his ass by the love of his life Petulia.Poor Petulia,she couldn't handle a man with a broken leg,so what could she do,she just had to dump him for a rich American millionaire(no billionaire in those days I guess).Poor ,poor Carl,the love of his life dumped him,he just did not care about anything anymore,he drank,was mean to his employees,his housekeeper quit,he let his business suffer,the poor guy,don't you just feel for him.Well,the heroine did,she just had to help him out.And what better way than to marry the man,the love of her life,she just had to do it.
So now comes my thoughts on this book.
Girl,you should have run,and by run,I mean run,far,far, away.This heroine had no self esteem,it was all about the hero,his feelings,how to make things all better for him .She continued to let him walk all over her in all aspects of their life,he criticised everything from her looks to her mode of dress.Even though Petulia was not a visible figure in the story till the end,she was front and center due to the heroine always thinking and commenting about her.
The assjack hero,what to say,yes,I hate you,hate you ,big time buddy!He not only Slapped the heroine once,but,Twice !!There is no amount of forgiveness for that action,you would need to walk 1,000 miles on bended knees over sharp broken glass to even attempt to get my attention or an ounce of forgiveness .
Anyways,the hero's big love discovery moment came while he was leaving his wife and flying over the Alantic with the lovely Petulia.Seems like his wife was right along ,and now he knows that Gail is his one true love.Okay,yeah,I am buying that,not.
In the mean time,Gail, poor thing,she was in a car accident and lost their baby,the one that Carl knew nothing about.
So to wrap things up,Carl goes to see Gail,he is repentant,love,love,love is declared and they go back to the marital estate and make mad passionate love.The end.
4***,yes,cause with a trainwteck,you just have to stop and look.,however,the hero is -1**.
September 25, 2014
Hated Gail what a loser was she cos the woman had no pride!
March 9, 2014
This was my second Margaret Pargeter and definitely my last. Boring as hell. But this was so bad, I have to share some highlights here.
He is about to leave her for his former fiancé who left him. Here is my favorite part of the conversation that follows:
"She'll never be able to love you back in any way, because she's not a real women". He hit er then, sending her staggering back across the room with a slap on her cheek. She felt a sharp stab of pain, as she came up against the heavy, old-fashioned dressing-table, but it passed. Nevertheless, she stared at him with shocked eyes. "That's the second time!" she gasped, wondering what it was abut her that moved him so easily to near violence. "I'm sorry" he muttered tersely, his eyes snapping. "But Petula isn't what you think she is. " Nervously Gail pushed aside the hair which had tumbled about her hot face. She had been wrong to criticize Petula, she must have asked to be slapped down, yet she couldn't offer more than half an apology. "I shouldn't have said what I did"....
The story in the book is very slow. She is a doormat and likes horses. His fiancé left him when he broke his leg. She cares for him while he is sick and they marry because she thinks it is good for him to have a doormat-wife he can use to get rid of his angry feelings.
He is an asshole throughout the whole book and distrustful against women because of his ex-finacé. She apologizes through the whole book when he is mean. The story only gets some speed in the last twenty pages when he hits her and asks her to leave so his ex-fiance can move in. She packs, has a car crash, loses her baby. Afterwards, she stays with her sister and the hero comes back and explains that while he was on the way to NY with his ex, he realized that he does not love his ex anymore and now wants her back. All that in twenty pages.
Besides that the story was boring and stupid, what disturbed me most is not that he was violent but that she felt responsible that he was violent. "... she must have asked to be slapped down..." How sick is this?
He is about to leave her for his former fiancé who left him. Here is my favorite part of the conversation that follows:
"She'll never be able to love you back in any way, because she's not a real women". He hit er then, sending her staggering back across the room with a slap on her cheek. She felt a sharp stab of pain, as she came up against the heavy, old-fashioned dressing-table, but it passed. Nevertheless, she stared at him with shocked eyes. "That's the second time!" she gasped, wondering what it was abut her that moved him so easily to near violence. "I'm sorry" he muttered tersely, his eyes snapping. "But Petula isn't what you think she is. " Nervously Gail pushed aside the hair which had tumbled about her hot face. She had been wrong to criticize Petula, she must have asked to be slapped down, yet she couldn't offer more than half an apology. "I shouldn't have said what I did"....
The story in the book is very slow. She is a doormat and likes horses. His fiancé left him when he broke his leg. She cares for him while he is sick and they marry because she thinks it is good for him to have a doormat-wife he can use to get rid of his angry feelings.
He is an asshole throughout the whole book and distrustful against women because of his ex-finacé. She apologizes through the whole book when he is mean. The story only gets some speed in the last twenty pages when he hits her and asks her to leave so his ex-fiance can move in. She packs, has a car crash, loses her baby. Afterwards, she stays with her sister and the hero comes back and explains that while he was on the way to NY with his ex, he realized that he does not love his ex anymore and now wants her back. All that in twenty pages.
Besides that the story was boring and stupid, what disturbed me most is not that he was violent but that she felt responsible that he was violent. "... she must have asked to be slapped down..." How sick is this?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 26, 2014
Old school HP. Our heroine agrees to a marriage of convenience with the Hero who has been jilted by his fiancee after breaking his leg. The h has been in love with the H forever so she accepts. They marry but the OW gets divorced and hero throws our poor heroine out. She loses her baby, hero comes back, we find out he never slept with OW, he asks heroine to come back cause he really does love her and they live happily ever after!
Drama, angst and doormat heroine make this book the epitome of old skool Harlequin! As another review said this is not a post 2000 Harlequin Romance when the line went sweet and politically correct. I like my Harlequins crazy, over the top and full of WTF moments so this book was perfect for me!
Drama, angst and doormat heroine make this book the epitome of old skool Harlequin! As another review said this is not a post 2000 Harlequin Romance when the line went sweet and politically correct. I like my Harlequins crazy, over the top and full of WTF moments so this book was perfect for me!
October 1, 2018
I consider this to be one of the definitive Margaret Pargeter novels. The H is so unbelievably weak, horrible and cruel, and the h is such a cringing worm of a doormat who suffers so much, that it's painful to read.
March 7, 2022
Oscar for worst characters ever.
The hero is depressed because he’s pining after his ex fiancée, a bitch who left him when he broke his leg and married another man. Oh the hero is not 15. He’s 32.
The heroine works for the hero and is in love with him since forever, even if he doesn’t even know her name.
When the heroine sees he’s hurt and suffering because bitch ow jilted him, she takes care of him and proposes.
Yes, she does.
The hero accepts but only a MOC, because he loves ow and doesn’t know if she could be back.
He’s grumpy and Bad mannered, there’s not a page where he doesn’t remind her she’s plain and he’s not attracted to her.
Actually the heroine is a stable girl and doesn’t take care of her looks so after their marriage she has a complete makeover, and she turns into a beautiful young woman.
Every man around realizes she’s very pretty but the hero.
He hardly seems to notice his wife.
She takes care of his house, of him, of his business and the beast doesn’t even thank her.
Oh, and she mustn’t even say ow name or he slaps her.
Even if the man is nasty and horrible for most of the time the heroine doesn’t give up and they eventually have sex.
Much sex. A lot of sex. Multiple times sex.
But he’s still grumpy and pining.
And when ow decides it’s time to leave her husband and to have the idiot hero back, he simply tells the heroine they’re finished and asks her to leave. Ah, and divorce will be coming soon, because he’s back with ow.
The heroine, after being slapped another time, leaves in a hurry, has an accident and loses her child. But even after this trauma she doesn’t blame the hero.
Luckily her sister, who inherited all the brains in the family, tells the hero not to come back because the heroine doesn’t want to see him anymore.
I wish the heroine had a fraction of her sisters brain.
But she hadn’t.
She takes the idiot back.
Because he realized that he never loved ow but he loves the heroine instead.
How idiot is the man? How much loser can a loser be?
I wanted him to marry ow and be unhappy for years, and also with a big pair of horns.
I wanted heroine to marry nice om, hero’s cousin, who’s younger, smarter and nicer than the hero.
Sadly the book coupled those two perfect losers, both in love with people who didn’t care a fig about them, the hero ow, the heroine the hero.
Very not politically correct because of slapping, forced seduction but what I dislike most was the utter stupidity of the hero, in love with a woman who left him when he was hurt, and the doormat heroine, who let the hero abuse her repeatedly. Both are examples not to follow.
The book remind me of another one, the house of mirrors, of Yvonne Whittal but the difference is that in this one the hero is much nastier and literally throws the heroine out of his house, and the heroine is always and forever a doormat.
This was the reason for the low angst. When a heroine doesn’t even try to defend herself I can’t help wishing her every ugly thing that can happen to her.
The hero is depressed because he’s pining after his ex fiancée, a bitch who left him when he broke his leg and married another man. Oh the hero is not 15. He’s 32.
The heroine works for the hero and is in love with him since forever, even if he doesn’t even know her name.
When the heroine sees he’s hurt and suffering because bitch ow jilted him, she takes care of him and proposes.
Yes, she does.
The hero accepts but only a MOC, because he loves ow and doesn’t know if she could be back.
He’s grumpy and Bad mannered, there’s not a page where he doesn’t remind her she’s plain and he’s not attracted to her.
Actually the heroine is a stable girl and doesn’t take care of her looks so after their marriage she has a complete makeover, and she turns into a beautiful young woman.
Every man around realizes she’s very pretty but the hero.
He hardly seems to notice his wife.
She takes care of his house, of him, of his business and the beast doesn’t even thank her.
Oh, and she mustn’t even say ow name or he slaps her.
Even if the man is nasty and horrible for most of the time the heroine doesn’t give up and they eventually have sex.
Much sex. A lot of sex. Multiple times sex.
But he’s still grumpy and pining.
And when ow decides it’s time to leave her husband and to have the idiot hero back, he simply tells the heroine they’re finished and asks her to leave. Ah, and divorce will be coming soon, because he’s back with ow.
The heroine, after being slapped another time, leaves in a hurry, has an accident and loses her child. But even after this trauma she doesn’t blame the hero.
Luckily her sister, who inherited all the brains in the family, tells the hero not to come back because the heroine doesn’t want to see him anymore.
I wish the heroine had a fraction of her sisters brain.
But she hadn’t.
She takes the idiot back.
Because he realized that he never loved ow but he loves the heroine instead.
How idiot is the man? How much loser can a loser be?
I wanted him to marry ow and be unhappy for years, and also with a big pair of horns.
I wanted heroine to marry nice om, hero’s cousin, who’s younger, smarter and nicer than the hero.
Sadly the book coupled those two perfect losers, both in love with people who didn’t care a fig about them, the hero ow, the heroine the hero.
Very not politically correct because of slapping, forced seduction but what I dislike most was the utter stupidity of the hero, in love with a woman who left him when he was hurt, and the doormat heroine, who let the hero abuse her repeatedly. Both are examples not to follow.
The book remind me of another one, the house of mirrors, of Yvonne Whittal but the difference is that in this one the hero is much nastier and literally throws the heroine out of his house, and the heroine is always and forever a doormat.
This was the reason for the low angst. When a heroine doesn’t even try to defend herself I can’t help wishing her every ugly thing that can happen to her.
October 8, 2014
"But now you believe I need a doormat?" - Carl, after Gail suggests he needs a wife who will allow him to treat her as badly as he wants.
And the idiot Gail jumps at the chance to fill this role. He even suggests she take a night to think about it, because he doesn't love her and can barely tolerate her. He tells her in no uncertain terms that he loves Petula and will go back to her if she wants him. She refuses to think about it and insists she is willing and enthusiastic about being his doormat. "I love you Carl." "Oh shut up Gail!" Too funny.
My sympathies lay with Carl, he treated her like a dog because she begged him too. This was the worst heroine I've ever come across. After he slaps her for saying something insulting about Petula, she quickly apologies for what she said. He reminds her that HE DOES NOT LOVE HER, ( with about 10 pages to go in the book!!!!!!). I don't think any reader would of complained if Pargeter killed Gail off at this point.
And she did hand herself to him on a platter(sexually, very manipulative!), why would you want to bring a child into their ugly situation.
oh dear, I need to stop.
And the idiot Gail jumps at the chance to fill this role. He even suggests she take a night to think about it, because he doesn't love her and can barely tolerate her. He tells her in no uncertain terms that he loves Petula and will go back to her if she wants him. She refuses to think about it and insists she is willing and enthusiastic about being his doormat. "I love you Carl." "Oh shut up Gail!" Too funny.
My sympathies lay with Carl, he treated her like a dog because she begged him too. This was the worst heroine I've ever come across. After he slaps her for saying something insulting about Petula, she quickly apologies for what she said. He reminds her that HE DOES NOT LOVE HER, ( with about 10 pages to go in the book!!!!!!). I don't think any reader would of complained if Pargeter killed Gail off at this point.
And she did hand herself to him on a platter(sexually, very manipulative!), why would you want to bring a child into their ugly situation.
oh dear, I need to stop.
August 25, 2015
The martyred heroine in this one was the ultimate doormat. He is verbally cruel....she still loves him. He says he wants the other woman....she understands and she still loves him. He slaps her. Twice. ....She forgives and blames herself and she still loves him. I don't see happy times ahead for this couple.
The title rings true. HEA: The Odds are Against it!
The title rings true. HEA: The Odds are Against it!
October 2, 2018
Hard one to rate. Carl was the most infuriating H I have ever come across in hplandia. This one took cruelty to another level and then you have Gail she was even worse. Both were polarising and they were two extremes. Carl was cruel to the point he was heartless because he has no love for her but in love with another woman and if you could get weaker than the h Gail was TSTL kind of girl and epitome of how not to be dormat. This give insight into why some woman tolerate abusive relationship because their love blinds them to their flaws. It was gripping read not one I will read again was painful at times but the Gail bought the misery on her self.
Read this with caution.
Read this with caution.
August 10, 2021
Every time i read about one doormat or the other, i keep thinking I’ve found the ultimate doormat, but then i’m surprised all over again because there really is levels to this shit lmaoo. like wow. This h wouldn’t know the definition of ‘pride’ if it hit her as much as he hit and abused her. whew. Like girl are you not embarrassed???? cos this is just embarrassing. this is literally the first time i’ve truly suffered second hand embarrassment for a character. if this dude told her to lie in the road so she would get run over by a car, she definitely would with no questions asked that’s how embarrassing she is.
The H reminded me of my cat. First of all, i sincerely apologize to my cat for this insulting comparison but the comparison is a purely superficial one. Like my cat, he does whatever he wants even though he knows it’s bad, doesn’t care that it’s 2am and i’m trying to sleep and will keep disturbing me any way he can come up with just as the H gives zero shit about her or her needs. She’s just there to serve him in every way, as i serve my spoiled cat. but luckily for me my cat is lovely and this man was an absolutely stupid, childish, and abusive prick.
This is gonna be a happily ever after in hell for sure.
The H reminded me of my cat. First of all, i sincerely apologize to my cat for this insulting comparison but the comparison is a purely superficial one. Like my cat, he does whatever he wants even though he knows it’s bad, doesn’t care that it’s 2am and i’m trying to sleep and will keep disturbing me any way he can come up with just as the H gives zero shit about her or her needs. She’s just there to serve him in every way, as i serve my spoiled cat. but luckily for me my cat is lovely and this man was an absolutely stupid, childish, and abusive prick.
This is gonna be a happily ever after in hell for sure.
May 21, 2016
Ugh another WEAK HEROINE!! It drives me INSANE!!!
The hero abused her verbally, physically, mentally and emotionally. He married her without loving her claiming to love another woman who abandoned him at the altar and told our heroine that he may not ever stay married to her if the OW came back. OW came back and he left heroine pregnant and alone. Heroine loses baby and hero comes grovelling back and she just accepts him. He didn't even redeem himself. It was fucking PATHETIC!
The hero abused her verbally, physically, mentally and emotionally. He married her without loving her claiming to love another woman who abandoned him at the altar and told our heroine that he may not ever stay married to her if the OW came back. OW came back and he left heroine pregnant and alone. Heroine loses baby and hero comes grovelling back and she just accepts him. He didn't even redeem himself. It was fucking PATHETIC!
February 15, 2023
I wrote a long review here and included a comparison to Yvonne Whittal's House of Mirrors which has the same basic plot. HoM works, The Odds Against does not. https://www.morebooksthantime.com/the...
I was in the mood for a good, angsty story with a bossy jerk H and a h who stands up to him and got two out of three. Angst, yes. Bossy jerk, mostly, although his conceit kept him from being as horrible as the best HP Hs are. (Really, who would believe that his fiancée dumped him to marry someone else because she was frightened by her strong emotions and now is divorced because she can’t stop thinking of the H? Or who would think he’s so wonderful that his wife must feel guilty for marrying him when she’s clearly outclassed by his perfection?)
This would be a four or five star read if h didn’t apologize for breathing. She says something true but unkind about OW, H hits her hard enough she lands across the room and she apologizes!! H accuses h of deceiving him all along because she doesn’t pass on OW’s message that she’s getting divorced. Hmm. All along? Maybe a week went by but last I looked h wasn’t the local messenger boy. He hits her. She apologizes.
I’m sure I will think of more to say about this but am stopping to find something light and fluffy after this.
I was in the mood for a good, angsty story with a bossy jerk H and a h who stands up to him and got two out of three. Angst, yes. Bossy jerk, mostly, although his conceit kept him from being as horrible as the best HP Hs are. (Really, who would believe that his fiancée dumped him to marry someone else because she was frightened by her strong emotions and now is divorced because she can’t stop thinking of the H? Or who would think he’s so wonderful that his wife must feel guilty for marrying him when she’s clearly outclassed by his perfection?)
This would be a four or five star read if h didn’t apologize for breathing. She says something true but unkind about OW, H hits her hard enough she lands across the room and she apologizes!! H accuses h of deceiving him all along because she doesn’t pass on OW’s message that she’s getting divorced. Hmm. All along? Maybe a week went by but last I looked h wasn’t the local messenger boy. He hits her. She apologizes.
I’m sure I will think of more to say about this but am stopping to find something light and fluffy after this.
December 7, 2012
I really interested with the summary because I kinda like the marriage of convenience genre with angsty, etc then after I finished reading this book, I was in rage and want to throw this book!.
The hero is super duper annoying, and the heroine should throw this guy out of the window and find someone else. I feel that the hero hates heroine for almost the entire book except the last 4-5 pages, ARE U KIDDING ME? And the hero should suffer enough for what he had done to her but NO... she forgive him easily and voila it's happy ending.......
The hero is super duper annoying, and the heroine should throw this guy out of the window and find someone else. I feel that the hero hates heroine for almost the entire book except the last 4-5 pages, ARE U KIDDING ME? And the hero should suffer enough for what he had done to her but NO... she forgive him easily and voila it's happy ending.......
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2018
Trainwreck angst of the most self-sacrificing heroine and the most selfish cruel hero.
July 17, 2021
I recently read a review from Sandra is A Moody Cow for the book House of Mirrors by Yvonne Whittal. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
In her review she warns people not to read it if they didn’t like the hero Carl in this book or the book Temporary Wife by Roberta Leigh. So what does my twisted psyche do after reading House of Mirrors? It immediately reads Temporary Wife and then orders The Odds Against from EBay.
Normally, something that has 2.48 stars overall would not get a second look from me, but then I look to see if any of my favorite reviewers (Stmargarets, Boogenhagen, and more)gave it higher ratings, if so, I’m ok with spending 4 bucks on a book. Worse comes to worse, I can always use it as a fire starter if we go on lockdown again😬! I will have to say, this is the first book I have read where the hero (Carl)actually makes me want to look up Smoke in the Wind by Robin Donald again and see if the hero is as bad as I thought. I am pretty sure he is, and I really, really hate Ryan Fraine from SIW. So here I go
Ok, back to The Odds Against:
Heroine aka human sacrifice
Gail the heroine has knowingly agreed to enter a MOC with a man who most definitely doesn’t love her. In fact, she is the one who suggests that he get married. Now, this MOC would be fine if she didn’t love him already, but she does. When you love someone who doesn’t love you, it’s pretty much asking for keys to hell. Unfortunately, not only does Carl not love her, but he is an absolute ass to her!
Quotes of the hero to the h:
“Being so plain , you’d scarcely have to put yourself in a glass case.” Within minutes of this comment she is massaging his leg, the one he broke.
“You are probably plain because you haven’t learned to make the most of yourself.”
The hero goes to London for a couple of days. The h makes a remark that people may feel sorry for him since the ow left him. He has this gem for her:
“ I met a girl in London while I was there. I slept with her and she had no complaints, she certainly didn’t feel sorry for me.” Followed up by: “I’m still a virile man.” It seems he goes to London often to relieve himself of his urges.
Then he concurs that what he needs is a doormat. So he asks the h to marry him. He also tells her that he will most likely be hurting the h…a lot! This is just matter of fact for him.
Ok, there are lots of reasons not to respect the H, but one of my biggest is the fact that he is obsessed/in love with a woman who dumped him when he broke his leg.
That’s right not maimed for life. It was a broken leg!!!!!!The ow Petula couldn’t handle it, even though she had no problem telling anyone in earshot how she adored and loved the H when they were together. The H is so obsessed with her that he lets his business go down the crapper, drinks, sleeps around, and basically alienates anyone who tries to be a friend.
Despite being a sad sac, he has women throwing themselves at him
At this point I am not even 1/2 way through the book, and I am pretty sure it can’t get worse. However, this is HP land, so I know it is going to get worse.
Here I go skipping a whole bunch of drama(possible But soon gone om, some very passionate kissing that surprises the H, a jealous H(hard to tell), a makeover for the h(she just needed to learn how to advertise). They get married, and at about the 1/2 way mark the h gives the H the big invite with her satin neglige. She was a virgin(22) and he being a 36 year old virile man(his words) knew what he was doing. Having sex becomes a thing for them. They have eased themselves into a routine, and are able to have conversations(most of the bonding is done off page). However, he never snuggles with the h and he still makes it clear that she is and will always be just a participation ribbon.
Unfortunately our h cant seem to stop apologizing.
Why is she apologizing? Who knows? Maybe she is apologizing to herself(and accidentally voices it out loud) for loving a jerk who is too stupid to realize that he loves a cardboard cutout.
The next part has major spoilers…so if you don’t want to know how this train wreck of a romance comes to an HEA stop reading now and go to the peanut at the end of my review.
SPOILERS NOW!!!!!!!
The evil cousin of the H announces to the h that the ow is getting a divorce. The cousin is a snob and looks down at the h, and basically tells her she will be old news. She tells the h to tell the H the good news. The h doesn’t tell him. Meanwhile she is starting to feel a little off(baby alert)! The story continues a little and the h attends Ascot knowing the OW will be there. The H doesn’t attend as he never wants to chance running into the ow. The OW confronts the h and also tells her that she is getting a divorce, and since she knows she didn’t relay the cousin’s message, she best do it now because she is angling to get back with the H. The h doesn’t give the message, because why should she hand the H over on a silver platter. When the h gets back home she tells the H he is afraid to go anywhere in case he sees the OW. He responds to her by slapping her!!!(I might have thrown the book at this point, I don’t know, it is kind of a blur). He actually tells her “ You aren’t fit to mention her name!
The h: “He had hurt her, but at least he had answered the question which had tormented her near to total misery. Their marriage had no chance of succeeding, a fact which she must now accept.”
The weekend of some sort of party, the H takes off to London, never calls the h who ends up having a riding accident. During the check up she gets confirmation that she has a bun in the oven. Hero finally arrives back home Monday. She goes to their room and sees that he has packed his bags.
The hero after the h asks him what he is doing: I’m going for good. Out of your life for good, that is, One day I’ll be coming back to live here, but it won’t be with you.”
My feelings on the hero at this point:
But no, our hero is not done…he berates the h for not telling him about Petula’s divorce. He excuses the ow’s behavior as being confused(WTF!) Now our h calls him out on this! But he continues, saying he will divorce the h and that she deceived him. He was with Petula in London(not together, together, but at this point it’s cheating in my book)
He then says: “You knew when you married me that there was little chance of our relationship being permanent. It wasn’t a normal marriage.” The h is like well you made it normal. Then he uses the virile man quote again, basically telling the h she was hot for him so why should he resist. Unfortunately our h has no self respect. She tells him she was hoping in time he would care for her. He’s like, Nope I loves the OW! With one last effort she points out that the ow is cold and not a real woman.
He slaps her again. She tells him. “That’s the second time!”
He half-heartedly apologizes while he praises the ow.
Then our h apologizes for upsetting him.
There is a little bit more and then the hero leaves her with this:
“If we never see each other again, I hope you’ll soon forget. And__Good luck.”
Out the door he goes never knowing she is pregnant, and she also told him she didn’t want anything from him.
She has a car accident, baby is lost. She lives with her sister. She loses weight. Then one day the H shows up. (3 months later). He is there to plead forgiveness. He realized on the airplane to NYC with the OW that he never loved her(seriously??and he has never ever had her in a sexual way) HE only loves the h. He has been home for the last 3 months, staked out the hospital, and came when he realized that she may still have feelings for him. He cries, and he looks like shit, so that’s good! Of course, this is our HEA. She has never stopped loving him(Why couldn’t she do a Clark Gable and say Frankly, Carl I don’t give a damn!)There is all consuming love in their eyes sex and promises of babies in the future.
🥜In a nutshell: This is truly a terrible love story. I guess the one thing going for the h is we can see how obsessive the H is, so now that he loves her more than anything ever, he should be pretty devoted to her(I mean he was pretty devoted to the ow who he claims he never loved in the end)
So why do I give it 4 stars? I am an angst junkie. This had angst to the hilt. Also, the hero was fun to hate. I really couldn’t believe how stupid he was when it came to the ow. I liked the h in Temporary Wife better, as she entered a MOC under false pretenses. The h in this book knew what she was doing! She offered herself. Does that excuse some of the things the H did to her? OF course not! I don’t condone any of his actions, nor am I going to excuse a 36 year old man who should know better. My hope is, that the h has him now wrapped so tightly around her finger that maybe she can have him do her bidding.
I leave you to some other great reviews:
Stmargarets: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Boogenhagen’s: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jenny’s review(no spoilers) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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In her review she warns people not to read it if they didn’t like the hero Carl in this book or the book Temporary Wife by Roberta Leigh. So what does my twisted psyche do after reading House of Mirrors? It immediately reads Temporary Wife and then orders The Odds Against from EBay.
Normally, something that has 2.48 stars overall would not get a second look from me, but then I look to see if any of my favorite reviewers (Stmargarets, Boogenhagen, and more)gave it higher ratings, if so, I’m ok with spending 4 bucks on a book. Worse comes to worse, I can always use it as a fire starter if we go on lockdown again😬! I will have to say, this is the first book I have read where the hero (Carl)actually makes me want to look up Smoke in the Wind by Robin Donald again and see if the hero is as bad as I thought. I am pretty sure he is, and I really, really hate Ryan Fraine from SIW. So here I go
Ok, back to The Odds Against:
Heroine aka human sacrifice
Gail the heroine has knowingly agreed to enter a MOC with a man who most definitely doesn’t love her. In fact, she is the one who suggests that he get married. Now, this MOC would be fine if she didn’t love him already, but she does. When you love someone who doesn’t love you, it’s pretty much asking for keys to hell. Unfortunately, not only does Carl not love her, but he is an absolute ass to her!
Quotes of the hero to the h:
“Being so plain , you’d scarcely have to put yourself in a glass case.” Within minutes of this comment she is massaging his leg, the one he broke.
“You are probably plain because you haven’t learned to make the most of yourself.”
The hero goes to London for a couple of days. The h makes a remark that people may feel sorry for him since the ow left him. He has this gem for her:
“ I met a girl in London while I was there. I slept with her and she had no complaints, she certainly didn’t feel sorry for me.” Followed up by: “I’m still a virile man.” It seems he goes to London often to relieve himself of his urges.
Then he concurs that what he needs is a doormat. So he asks the h to marry him. He also tells her that he will most likely be hurting the h…a lot! This is just matter of fact for him.
Ok, there are lots of reasons not to respect the H, but one of my biggest is the fact that he is obsessed/in love with a woman who dumped him when he broke his leg.
That’s right not maimed for life. It was a broken leg!!!!!!The ow Petula couldn’t handle it, even though she had no problem telling anyone in earshot how she adored and loved the H when they were together. The H is so obsessed with her that he lets his business go down the crapper, drinks, sleeps around, and basically alienates anyone who tries to be a friend.
Despite being a sad sac, he has women throwing themselves at him
At this point I am not even 1/2 way through the book, and I am pretty sure it can’t get worse. However, this is HP land, so I know it is going to get worse.
Here I go skipping a whole bunch of drama(possible But soon gone om, some very passionate kissing that surprises the H, a jealous H(hard to tell), a makeover for the h(she just needed to learn how to advertise). They get married, and at about the 1/2 way mark the h gives the H the big invite with her satin neglige. She was a virgin(22) and he being a 36 year old virile man(his words) knew what he was doing. Having sex becomes a thing for them. They have eased themselves into a routine, and are able to have conversations(most of the bonding is done off page). However, he never snuggles with the h and he still makes it clear that she is and will always be just a participation ribbon.
Unfortunately our h cant seem to stop apologizing.
Why is she apologizing? Who knows? Maybe she is apologizing to herself(and accidentally voices it out loud) for loving a jerk who is too stupid to realize that he loves a cardboard cutout.
The next part has major spoilers…so if you don’t want to know how this train wreck of a romance comes to an HEA stop reading now and go to the peanut at the end of my review.
SPOILERS NOW!!!!!!!
The evil cousin of the H announces to the h that the ow is getting a divorce. The cousin is a snob and looks down at the h, and basically tells her she will be old news. She tells the h to tell the H the good news. The h doesn’t tell him. Meanwhile she is starting to feel a little off(baby alert)! The story continues a little and the h attends Ascot knowing the OW will be there. The H doesn’t attend as he never wants to chance running into the ow. The OW confronts the h and also tells her that she is getting a divorce, and since she knows she didn’t relay the cousin’s message, she best do it now because she is angling to get back with the H. The h doesn’t give the message, because why should she hand the H over on a silver platter. When the h gets back home she tells the H he is afraid to go anywhere in case he sees the OW. He responds to her by slapping her!!!(I might have thrown the book at this point, I don’t know, it is kind of a blur). He actually tells her “ You aren’t fit to mention her name!
The h: “He had hurt her, but at least he had answered the question which had tormented her near to total misery. Their marriage had no chance of succeeding, a fact which she must now accept.”
The weekend of some sort of party, the H takes off to London, never calls the h who ends up having a riding accident. During the check up she gets confirmation that she has a bun in the oven. Hero finally arrives back home Monday. She goes to their room and sees that he has packed his bags.
The hero after the h asks him what he is doing: I’m going for good. Out of your life for good, that is, One day I’ll be coming back to live here, but it won’t be with you.”
My feelings on the hero at this point:
But no, our hero is not done…he berates the h for not telling him about Petula’s divorce. He excuses the ow’s behavior as being confused(WTF!) Now our h calls him out on this! But he continues, saying he will divorce the h and that she deceived him. He was with Petula in London(not together, together, but at this point it’s cheating in my book)
He then says: “You knew when you married me that there was little chance of our relationship being permanent. It wasn’t a normal marriage.” The h is like well you made it normal. Then he uses the virile man quote again, basically telling the h she was hot for him so why should he resist. Unfortunately our h has no self respect. She tells him she was hoping in time he would care for her. He’s like, Nope I loves the OW! With one last effort she points out that the ow is cold and not a real woman.
He slaps her again. She tells him. “That’s the second time!”
He half-heartedly apologizes while he praises the ow.
Then our h apologizes for upsetting him.
There is a little bit more and then the hero leaves her with this:
“If we never see each other again, I hope you’ll soon forget. And__Good luck.”
Out the door he goes never knowing she is pregnant, and she also told him she didn’t want anything from him.
She has a car accident, baby is lost. She lives with her sister. She loses weight. Then one day the H shows up. (3 months later). He is there to plead forgiveness. He realized on the airplane to NYC with the OW that he never loved her(seriously??and he has never ever had her in a sexual way) HE only loves the h. He has been home for the last 3 months, staked out the hospital, and came when he realized that she may still have feelings for him. He cries, and he looks like shit, so that’s good! Of course, this is our HEA. She has never stopped loving him(Why couldn’t she do a Clark Gable and say Frankly, Carl I don’t give a damn!)There is all consuming love in their eyes sex and promises of babies in the future.
🥜In a nutshell: This is truly a terrible love story. I guess the one thing going for the h is we can see how obsessive the H is, so now that he loves her more than anything ever, he should be pretty devoted to her(I mean he was pretty devoted to the ow who he claims he never loved in the end)
So why do I give it 4 stars? I am an angst junkie. This had angst to the hilt. Also, the hero was fun to hate. I really couldn’t believe how stupid he was when it came to the ow. I liked the h in Temporary Wife better, as she entered a MOC under false pretenses. The h in this book knew what she was doing! She offered herself. Does that excuse some of the things the H did to her? OF course not! I don’t condone any of his actions, nor am I going to excuse a 36 year old man who should know better. My hope is, that the h has him now wrapped so tightly around her finger that maybe she can have him do her bidding.
I leave you to some other great reviews:
Stmargarets: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Boogenhagen’s: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jenny’s review(no spoilers) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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January 17, 2016Ok, sé que a las protagonistas de Harlequin les falla un poco la dignidad y respeto, pero esta es un exageración, literalmente me dio ganas de entrar al libro y zarandearla para ver si reaccionaba. Él la golpeo dos veces y ella se disculpa ¿en serio? No tengo más comentarios, simplemente que es la primer protagonista de Harlequin que odio.
June 3, 2025
Hugely satisfying groveling at the end, but he is so, so awful to her for 90% of the book (and he hits her, twice!) that it’s impossible to get past. She’s also too much of a doormat to be interesting.
MP’s books madden me, but they’re weirdly compulsively readable.
MP’s books madden me, but they’re weirdly compulsively readable.
December 1, 2020
I really liked the angst and drama. The biggest problem was the H hitting the heroine which is not acceptable. I also found not believable that he never slept with the OW. I would need some more explanation to his epiphany on the plane to wholeheartedly buy it. He was so harsh with the heroine before he left her. The heroine was frustrating when she almost always took blame and apologized. Overall very engaging read and I wish I could easier find stories as high on drama. The plot had some similarities with House of mirrors which I liked better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 17, 2015
No sé a quien odiar más si a ella por ser tan estúpida, o a él por ser un cabrón patán.
Entiendo que en los Harlequín a las protas les hace falta un poco de autoestima, pero a esta prota le hizo falta quererse un poco más, el tipo la trató con la punta del pie, y ella tan feliz.
Entiendo que en los Harlequín a las protas les hace falta un poco de autoestima, pero a esta prota le hizo falta quererse un poco más, el tipo la trató con la punta del pie, y ella tan feliz.
April 6, 2015
que libro malo, malisimo..... que prota masculino mas idiota, no lo soporte en ninguna parte de la novela u.u
April 20, 2020
Question: what ELSE could the hero take from the heroine? Cause it seems to me he sucked every single thing she enjoyed or loved from her while she kept on giving it to him for nothing. You like help training horses cause it makes you feel closer to your father who just died? Well I hired someone else and I'm stopping all horse stuff you love. You love me? Let me make every single interaction painful and horrible just to remind you that you love me. (Why did she love him? We were missing that backstory cause shit, this dude is ANTIloveable.) You feel comfortable in your own skin? I need you to dress better to make me not look like a loser. Want children? Gonna leave you suddenly, with an added slap when you call me out and without sense, leaving you in an emotional state and get into a car crash losing the child you wanted. Honey, this dude is an emotional vampire, get away from him! The story was missing the beginning element of 'hero needs to get married now for.....such and such estate/inheritance/random reason'. It should have always been the hero's idea otherwise its like the heroine is signing up for this insanity. So why didn't he come see her sooner? And why did she forgive him? He has done nothing to earn the heroine OR the reader's forgiveness... 'thought about what you said(you know which caused me to slap you right after you fell off a horse and newly pregnant?) and came back the next day...found out about your accident and miscarriage annnnnnnnnd waited. In the last scene I hated the heroine MORE than the hero for listening to his bull at all and was ready to forgive and go back home with him before he knocked on the door. I can't. I cannot! So skip, unless you want to aggravated and annoyed.
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