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Fever
Their worlds were light-years apart...
Sara Nichols was proud to be a painter Her landscapes were catching on, and though she wasn't making a fortune, she had enough to get by.
Nick Rawdon, on the other hand, had more money than he bothered to count. Owner of a prestigious bank, he moved in glittering circles far beyond those Sara was used to.
They seemed to have nothing in common—except a gripping physical attraction. But even that was based on Nick's totally wrong idea of the kind of girl that Sara really was.
Sara Nichols was proud to be a painter Her landscapes were catching on, and though she wasn't making a fortune, she had enough to get by.
Nick Rawdon, on the other hand, had more money than he bothered to count. Owner of a prestigious bank, he moved in glittering circles far beyond those Sara was used to.
They seemed to have nothing in common—except a gripping physical attraction. But even that was based on Nick's totally wrong idea of the kind of girl that Sara really was.
187 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published April 1, 1980
9 people are currently reading
524 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte Lamb
261 books316 followersSheila Ann Mary Coates Holland
aka Sheila Holland, Sheila Coates, Charlotte Lamb, Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Woolf, Laura Hardy
Sheila Ann Mary Coates was born on 1937 in Essex, England, just before the Second World War in the East End of London. As a child, she was moved from relative to relative to escape the bombings of World War II. Sheila attended the Ursuline Convent for Girls. On leaving school at 16, the convent-educated author worked for the Bank of England as a clerk. Sheila continued her education by taking advantage of the B of E's enormous library during her lunch breaks and after work. She later worked as a secretary for the BBC. While there, she met and married Richard Holland, a political reporter. A voracious reader of romance novels, she began writing at her husband's suggestion. She wrote her first book in three days with three children underfoot! In between raising her five children (including a set of twins), Charlotte wrote several more novels. She used both her married and maiden names, Sheila Holland and Sheila Coates, before her first novel as Charlotte Lamb, Follow a Stranger, was published by Mills & Boon in 1973. She also used the pennames: Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Wolf and Laura Hardy. Sheila was a true revolutionary in the field of romance writing. One of the first writers to explore the boundaries of sexual desire, her novels often reflected the forefront of the "sexual revolution" of the 1970s. Her books touched on then-taboo subjects such as child abuse and rape, and she created sexually confident - even dominant - heroines. She was also one of the first to create a modern romantic heroine: independent, imperfect, and perfectly capable of initiating a sexual or romantic relationship. A prolific author, Sheila penned more than 160 novels, most of them for Mills & Boon. Known for her swiftness as well as for her skill in writing, Sheila typically wrote a minimum of two thousand words per day, working from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. While she once finished a full-length novel in four days, she herself pegged her average speed at two weeks to complete a full novel. Since 1977, Sheila had been living on the Isle of Man as a tax exile with her husband and four of their five children: Michael Holland, Sarah Holland, Jane Holland, Charlotte Holland and David Holland. Sheila passed away on October 8, 2000 in her baronial-style home 'Crogga' on the Island. She is greatly missed by her many fans, and by the romance writing community.
aka Sheila Holland, Sheila Coates, Charlotte Lamb, Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Woolf, Laura Hardy
Sheila Ann Mary Coates was born on 1937 in Essex, England, just before the Second World War in the East End of London. As a child, she was moved from relative to relative to escape the bombings of World War II. Sheila attended the Ursuline Convent for Girls. On leaving school at 16, the convent-educated author worked for the Bank of England as a clerk. Sheila continued her education by taking advantage of the B of E's enormous library during her lunch breaks and after work. She later worked as a secretary for the BBC. While there, she met and married Richard Holland, a political reporter. A voracious reader of romance novels, she began writing at her husband's suggestion. She wrote her first book in three days with three children underfoot! In between raising her five children (including a set of twins), Charlotte wrote several more novels. She used both her married and maiden names, Sheila Holland and Sheila Coates, before her first novel as Charlotte Lamb, Follow a Stranger, was published by Mills & Boon in 1973. She also used the pennames: Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Wolf and Laura Hardy. Sheila was a true revolutionary in the field of romance writing. One of the first writers to explore the boundaries of sexual desire, her novels often reflected the forefront of the "sexual revolution" of the 1970s. Her books touched on then-taboo subjects such as child abuse and rape, and she created sexually confident - even dominant - heroines. She was also one of the first to create a modern romantic heroine: independent, imperfect, and perfectly capable of initiating a sexual or romantic relationship. A prolific author, Sheila penned more than 160 novels, most of them for Mills & Boon. Known for her swiftness as well as for her skill in writing, Sheila typically wrote a minimum of two thousand words per day, working from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. While she once finished a full-length novel in four days, she herself pegged her average speed at two weeks to complete a full novel. Since 1977, Sheila had been living on the Isle of Man as a tax exile with her husband and four of their five children: Michael Holland, Sarah Holland, Jane Holland, Charlotte Holland and David Holland. Sheila passed away on October 8, 2000 in her baronial-style home 'Crogga' on the Island. She is greatly missed by her many fans, and by the romance writing community.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
February 6, 2021
Not my favourite book by this author, sadly.
Too much misunderstanding on the hero's part and very long periods of separation simply left me frustrated.
Yet I'm enthralled by the writing style, like usual. It hurts me a little to give this book such a poor rating.
P. S. My dirty mind wanted to get at least a small dose of smut... but no such luck, lol
Too much misunderstanding on the hero's part and very long periods of separation simply left me frustrated.
Yet I'm enthralled by the writing style, like usual. It hurts me a little to give this book such a poor rating.
P. S. My dirty mind wanted to get at least a small dose of smut... but no such luck, lol
April 18, 2010
No luv scenes, other than some trademark wince-inducing, would-it-kill-ya-to-be-more-gentle kisses. Hero's immediately attracted to heroine @ 1st sight during a party. He's a loaded banker, she's a landscape painter. She's been living w/ her step-bro & hero thinks they're lovers. Throughout the book he pursues her like there's no other chicks on the planet. She doesn't pay attention to him @ all during the party 'cuz her step-bro's on a 1-way street to drunksville. She uses her step-bro as a barricade against the persistent hero. There's a sorta 2ndary romance, heroine's step-bro suffers from an unrequited luv. He's been in luv w/ their mutual friend, who's married to a disabled man. He pours his infatuation on to his drawings. Heroine eventually tries to convince hero that she & step-bro only have a living arrangement w/ no feelings involved other than sisterly luv, but he wouldn't believe her. It's a nice, ultimately sweet & lighter fare than the normal CL. Hero constantly bumps into heroine everywhere she paints. Hero's sista plays matchmaker & sets 'em up so they can reunite. Hero displays his jealous-possessive streaks & is enraged whenever he sees her flirting w/ other men. He thinks she's a big tease & a man-eater who lures him in & backs off whenever they're on the brink of nookie. 1 of his employees is also his rival for heroine's affection, while the said employee's sista has the hotz for him but hero only has eyes for heroine. If a determined hero who nevers give up 'till he gets what he wants is your cuppa, here's 1 for the ages. The heroine plays hard to get for a long time. Nothing mind blowing but a quick, solid oldie. I thought the hero's obstinacy was quite endearing 'cuz it's obvious from the get-go that he's falling for her.
April 4, 2017
Poor smitten banker hero can't take his eyes (or his hands) off of the beautiful artist that he thinks is living in sin with her artist stepbrother. The heroine, in order to defend herself from all that hot passion, lets him think the worst of her after one too many insults and then weakly tries to explain the truth after each passionate encounter. This is the relationship dynamic over the course of a year or two.
The writing in this is beautiful as CL describes some of England's most iconic landscapes. (The heroine gets a lot of commissions to paint landscapes) It's fitting that the H/h connect when they're outdoors and the misunderstandings occur when they're at parties, in restaurants and at the hero's bank.
It's the hero's sister who brings about their romance after she sees the heroine slap the hero across the face when they meet by chance at the zoo. When she commissions the heroine to paint a stream behind their house, she installs her in the household and the heroine has a chance to meet an old family retainer and learn all about the hero.
Because of this interlude, when the HEA arrives, we can see how our (slightly) bohemian heroine is going to fit into the hero's life and family. This has a feel good ending - which is not a guarantee when reading Charlotte Lamb.
The writing in this is beautiful as CL describes some of England's most iconic landscapes. (The heroine gets a lot of commissions to paint landscapes) It's fitting that the H/h connect when they're outdoors and the misunderstandings occur when they're at parties, in restaurants and at the hero's bank.
It's the hero's sister who brings about their romance after she sees the heroine slap the hero across the face when they meet by chance at the zoo. When she commissions the heroine to paint a stream behind their house, she installs her in the household and the heroine has a chance to meet an old family retainer and learn all about the hero.
Because of this interlude, when the HEA arrives, we can see how our (slightly) bohemian heroine is going to fit into the hero's life and family. This has a feel good ending - which is not a guarantee when reading Charlotte Lamb.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 5, 2018
Generally speaking I am not good at reading between the lines of a mean HP hero and seeing the heart of a besotted aka obsessed one. Not the case here. From the minute he sees Sara, Nick is obsessed with her. He stalks her …everywhere, but he calls her out for being the rude one when she tells him to leave her alone.
What’s the problem? She lives with her stepbrother, and the H thinks they are living together and won’t listen to reason. He’s so heavy-handed with his seduction, the h finally lets him believe it to get him off her back. It doesn't work. In all fairness, it turns out later that their friends think there is something between the two.
Sara was a fun heroine. She succumbed to the pull of lust at times, but she also stood up for herself to the hero and other characters and acknowledged she could be a bit of a flirt. The hero is a little scary. Not as bad as some...The Devil's Pawn, Substitute Bride and numerous other, but at least he admits he is obsessed. I’m just going to go with it ‘cause at least she’s going to keep him on his toes.
It’s Charlotte Lamb so even with an okay romance, the writing, the setting, and the characters’ details are still miles better than most of the HP crowd.
What’s the problem? She lives with her stepbrother, and the H thinks they are living together and won’t listen to reason. He’s so heavy-handed with his seduction, the h finally lets him believe it to get him off her back. It doesn't work. In all fairness, it turns out later that their friends think there is something between the two.
Sara was a fun heroine. She succumbed to the pull of lust at times, but she also stood up for herself to the hero and other characters and acknowledged she could be a bit of a flirt. The hero is a little scary. Not as bad as some...The Devil's Pawn, Substitute Bride and numerous other, but at least he admits he is obsessed. I’m just going to go with it ‘cause at least she’s going to keep him on his toes.
It’s Charlotte Lamb so even with an okay romance, the writing, the setting, and the characters’ details are still miles better than most of the HP crowd.
October 24, 2017
"Fever" is the story of Nick and Sara.
The moment Nick, the owner of Rawdon bank, sees Sara, the artist,at a party he is smitten. She however is more concerned about her stepbrother who is drowning his sorrows about his unrequited love for their friend Lucy in alcohol.
Soon this leads to Nick following *cough* stalking Sara, having misconception about her relationship with her stepbrother, Sara reciprocating his feelings yet deliberately misleading him in fear.
We follow the couple over the period of approximately two years where they have many of the dramatic encounters.
We have
-Crazy obsessed hero
-Independent, reluctant heroine
-Loads of running away, drama and bruising kisses
-Interfering secondary characters
Absolutely an engaging and wonderful read. Classic CL elements with much less violence.
SWE/Unsafe
4.25/5
The moment Nick, the owner of Rawdon bank, sees Sara, the artist,at a party he is smitten. She however is more concerned about her stepbrother who is drowning his sorrows about his unrequited love for their friend Lucy in alcohol.
Soon this leads to Nick following *cough* stalking Sara, having misconception about her relationship with her stepbrother, Sara reciprocating his feelings yet deliberately misleading him in fear.
We follow the couple over the period of approximately two years where they have many of the dramatic encounters.
We have
-Crazy obsessed hero
-Independent, reluctant heroine
-Loads of running away, drama and bruising kisses
-Interfering secondary characters
Absolutely an engaging and wonderful read. Classic CL elements with much less violence.
SWE/Unsafe
4.25/5
December 31, 2016
HAIKU BOOK REVIEW: Fever, by Charlotte Lamb
Judgmental banker
stalks free spirit,
silly tale.
March 1, 2018
Charlotte Lamb has done it again...but this time with a little lighter angst..just a little bit.
Sara Nichols and Nick Rawdon are characters that deeply intruged me,and i was so baffled (as Nick was furious) when Sara barely gave him any attention when they met the first time.
I really loved Sara`s character and her relationship with her step-brother (which Nick thinks he is her lover).She had a bubbly and bright nature and she was a young woman who could easily hide her emotions with her happy mask,but i was surprised that she didn`t see that she had Nick on his knees all the way through.Oh how i just love the kiss-scenes between them,their chemistry was super..!
Nick are one of Charlottes besotted and jealous heroes..he was a total goner when it came to his heroine.!
I was deeply moved by the step-brothers pure love towards his best-friends wife.CL really fit the pieces together in this story and made it a really great love-story.Another unforgettable 5-star read by this awesome author..!
Sara Nichols and Nick Rawdon are characters that deeply intruged me,and i was so baffled (as Nick was furious) when Sara barely gave him any attention when they met the first time.
I really loved Sara`s character and her relationship with her step-brother (which Nick thinks he is her lover).She had a bubbly and bright nature and she was a young woman who could easily hide her emotions with her happy mask,but i was surprised that she didn`t see that she had Nick on his knees all the way through.Oh how i just love the kiss-scenes between them,their chemistry was super..!
Nick are one of Charlottes besotted and jealous heroes..he was a total goner when it came to his heroine.!
I was deeply moved by the step-brothers pure love towards his best-friends wife.CL really fit the pieces together in this story and made it a really great love-story.Another unforgettable 5-star read by this awesome author..!
March 8, 2016
This was a fun read and a bit lighter than some of CL's other books. For some, it's even their favorite by CL. I love the theme of besotted hero, but this one didn't quite do it for me. The back and forth got a bit tiresome after awhile.
Hero assumes she is living with her stepbrother and also willing and ready with anyone else. Yet he can't fight the attraction. Heroine (being pissed off at hero for thinking she's a nymphomaniac) goes out of her way to perpetuate the myth and there lies the basic plot. Unfortunately, it doesn't really go beyond that. There's great banter back and forth, but I'm used to more substance to a CL story.
I give it 3 stars
Hero assumes she is living with her stepbrother and also willing and ready with anyone else. Yet he can't fight the attraction. Heroine (being pissed off at hero for thinking she's a nymphomaniac) goes out of her way to perpetuate the myth and there lies the basic plot. Unfortunately, it doesn't really go beyond that. There's great banter back and forth, but I'm used to more substance to a CL story.
I give it 3 stars
September 8, 2022
I was shaking my head as I read this story. Two stars because I made it all the way until the end.
Two comments:
Two comments:
April 19, 2022
I loved that the H was crazed over the h. I loved that that he thought she was a Promiscuous Harlot and wanted her anyway. 👀😅 I loved the build up to what I thought was gonna be a delicious surprise virgin reveal…. So many Torrid Embraces… 😍😍
But I was let down when the deliberate misunderstanding continued on and on and their jealousy fueled clenches kept being interrupted… and they spent a ridiculous amount of time apart for such a short book. And I was disappointed that they only ended up back together through the manipulations of his sister and not out of anything he did to win her. Although, he did quite a bit of chasing. Most of their meetings were by chance. 😐
And dammit. We never get the crazed dubcon love scene where he discovers he was wrong about her The Old Fashioned Way! She just tells him. In a conversation. Like civilized adults. (Mostly - I mean she flings it at him as she races out the door, as you do… but STILL 🤡)
Bottom Line? This had some good fun jealous scenes and drama, but man, I was let down after all that build up. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no cheating or sharing
- OW drama - the h sees him out with OW, but he tells her later he hasn’t been intimate anyone since meeting her
- OM drama - the H assumes she’s been with every man he sees her with. She actively encourages him to believe that
- dubcon - several forced violent embraces
- h (24) is a virgin
- H (30’s??) is experienced but not described as a manwhore
- no intercourse takes place in the pages of this book - but she does get naked at least once 😩😩
- h slaps H
But I was let down when the deliberate misunderstanding continued on and on and their jealousy fueled clenches kept being interrupted… and they spent a ridiculous amount of time apart for such a short book. And I was disappointed that they only ended up back together through the manipulations of his sister and not out of anything he did to win her. Although, he did quite a bit of chasing. Most of their meetings were by chance. 😐
And dammit. We never get the crazed dubcon love scene where he discovers he was wrong about her The Old Fashioned Way! She just tells him. In a conversation. Like civilized adults. (Mostly - I mean she flings it at him as she races out the door, as you do… but STILL 🤡)
Bottom Line? This had some good fun jealous scenes and drama, but man, I was let down after all that build up. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
⚠️SAFETY SQUAD SPOILERS⚠️
- no cheating or sharing
- OW drama - the h sees him out with OW, but he tells her later he hasn’t been intimate anyone since meeting her
- OM drama - the H assumes she’s been with every man he sees her with. She actively encourages him to believe that
- dubcon - several forced violent embraces
- h (24) is a virgin
- H (30’s??) is experienced but not described as a manwhore
- no intercourse takes place in the pages of this book - but she does get naked at least once 😩😩
- h slaps H
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2012
I just love Charlotte Lamb. Her heroes are usually so not PC. This guy was no exception. I could imagine that if he were real, being married to him after the hot wore off could get really touchy. But, hey, he was hostile to everyone, not just the heroine. I had to laugh at the coincidences and all the WTF moments in the story, but I enjoyed the little side story with her brother and with the hero's family. My overall assessment is that this is a good story if you're not too awfully sensitive to a little verbal abuse and minor threats of violence and want a quick angry read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 6, 2020
Hala en sevdiğim BD lerden biri. Tam eski Gelişim tadında 😊
March 22, 2023
There are more scenes between the heroine and other people than with the hero.
The hero meets her at a party and is smitten. He stalks her for some days but she tells him she has an affair with the man she’s living in, that is her stepbrother.
It’s not true, but she doesn’t want to have anything to do with him because they are from different backgrounds.
They meet accidentally during more than a year and he always tries to kiss her and have sex with her, but she refuses.
After almost two years they are both miserable, skinny, pale as ghosts and his sister decided to play cupido.
There’s an explanation and she eventually admits she loves him too.
He’s not celibate during the first weeks after they’ve met, but afterwards he’s been celibate even if he’s seen with many women, because he understands he’s in love with the heroine. No need to say she’s been celibate.
Meh. Few interactions, sparse and uneventful, he only kisses her and slut shames her. It’s more an obsession than love imo.
More interesting the story between her stepbrother and the woman he loves, who’s been married to a crippled and is now widowed.
The hero meets her at a party and is smitten. He stalks her for some days but she tells him she has an affair with the man she’s living in, that is her stepbrother.
It’s not true, but she doesn’t want to have anything to do with him because they are from different backgrounds.
They meet accidentally during more than a year and he always tries to kiss her and have sex with her, but she refuses.
After almost two years they are both miserable, skinny, pale as ghosts and his sister decided to play cupido.
There’s an explanation and she eventually admits she loves him too.
He’s not celibate during the first weeks after they’ve met, but afterwards he’s been celibate even if he’s seen with many women, because he understands he’s in love with the heroine. No need to say she’s been celibate.
Meh. Few interactions, sparse and uneventful, he only kisses her and slut shames her. It’s more an obsession than love imo.
More interesting the story between her stepbrother and the woman he loves, who’s been married to a crippled and is now widowed.
September 3, 2022
All that they had was based on a physical attraction which dragged them together whenever they met, but that was no basis for a serious relationship.
November 18, 2011
Fever by Charlotte Lamb is one of Lamb's better books. The story begins when the heroine, Sara Nichols ,is attending a party with her step brother. The hero, Nick Rawdon, asks someone to introduce the two. As they are being introduced, the heroine is attempting to keep an eye on her step brother who has a tendency to become drunk and tell their clients what he really thinks of them at these types of shindigs. Sara and her stepbrother are both artists while Nick, is a businessman. Nick is the sort of person who Sara and her stepbrother detest because of his wealth. Anyway, as they were being introduced Sara kinda didn't give Nick much of her attention. Of course this made him want to meet her all the more. Somehow Nick thinks that Sara's step brother is her lover. Since she doesn't want to be bothered with any man, Sara allows Nick to believe the tall tale.
Moving on, Nick decides that he wants her for himself and really goes about trying to make her his. Sara does everything she can think of to put distance between the two. When a job comes up in the country side, she takes it. After a long separation between the two, Nick finds Sara at a party with one of his employees. Now Nick is really feigning for Sara because he snatches her out of the party and into his car. At this point he thinks she and her stepbrother aka fake lover are some type of swingers. Of course they manage to work it out at the end. It took the Nick and Sara about two years to finally get together because Sara was determined to avoid Nick at all costs. Even in the end she was sort of pulled along by some other people to give into Nick. I really enjoyed this book and it almost pulled a crocodile tear or two from my eyes. I love when the hero has to wallow in self pity & jealously because of his love
Moving on, Nick decides that he wants her for himself and really goes about trying to make her his. Sara does everything she can think of to put distance between the two. When a job comes up in the country side, she takes it. After a long separation between the two, Nick finds Sara at a party with one of his employees. Now Nick is really feigning for Sara because he snatches her out of the party and into his car. At this point he thinks she and her stepbrother aka fake lover are some type of swingers. Of course they manage to work it out at the end. It took the Nick and Sara about two years to finally get together because Sara was determined to avoid Nick at all costs. Even in the end she was sort of pulled along by some other people to give into Nick. I really enjoyed this book and it almost pulled a crocodile tear or two from my eyes. I love when the hero has to wallow in self pity & jealously because of his love
August 4, 2014
Praise the LORD somebody!! Finally a book that has a decent Heroine in it. All these hoes in recent Romance novels.. Lol.. I can't deal Mehn!
First of all this book was so funny!! I loved how Sara was so relaxed and didn't seem moved by Nick!! While Nick was already going crazy for her! LOVED that! I feel a guy should earn his spot in your heart before letting him in (ok lemme stop taking it personal, it's just fiction). You can cut the attraction between these two with a knife. So much Angst.. I laughed so much. This is a definite must Keep!!
This was my first time reading a book by Charlotte Lamb. Loved it. Sad that she's no more. She' was good :-(
First of all this book was so funny!! I loved how Sara was so relaxed and didn't seem moved by Nick!! While Nick was already going crazy for her! LOVED that! I feel a guy should earn his spot in your heart before letting him in (ok lemme stop taking it personal, it's just fiction). You can cut the attraction between these two with a knife. So much Angst.. I laughed so much. This is a definite must Keep!!
This was my first time reading a book by Charlotte Lamb. Loved it. Sad that she's no more. She' was good :-(
September 18, 2020
Love this book!
The besotted, rich banker and the artist woman. The contrast is strong and opposites do attract in this one.
The banker is crazy for her since the moment they met. She lets him work for it.
No sex, but lots of chemistry and passion and jealousy and attraction. Old school Harlequin is the best. And Charlotte Lamb is definitely one of the best in writing this kind of romances.
If you don’t like dominant, overpowering alpha males, skip this book.
The besotted, rich banker and the artist woman. The contrast is strong and opposites do attract in this one.
The banker is crazy for her since the moment they met. She lets him work for it.
No sex, but lots of chemistry and passion and jealousy and attraction. Old school Harlequin is the best. And Charlotte Lamb is definitely one of the best in writing this kind of romances.
If you don’t like dominant, overpowering alpha males, skip this book.
December 6, 2022
Banker Nick falls HARD for young bohemian yet virginal artist Sara. He is completely smitten and in a jealous rage for the entire book, believing she's sleeping with every man in her life. He's especially jealous of her relationship with her stepbro Greg which she does initially lead him to believe is not platonic. Then there's her relationship with one of his employees, Jeremy, whose family home she's been commissioned to paint. It's slutshaming 101 basically. Their meetings are strung out over a couple of years and the instalust is very passionate but never fully consummated (shame 😂 ). It's a bit mad but enjoyable. I might reread because this h held her own.
November 20, 2014
I thought it was pretty funny when the heroine made fun of the hero. Her stepbrother was a great side characters. The hero was a pompous ass, but a lot of heartache could have been avoided had the heroine told him the situation, I don't know, a year before she actually did.
June 14, 2015
3.5 stars, because Sara was such a fun heroine!
October 24, 2019
!!!Huge Big Misunderstandings!!!
The Heroine: Sara Nichols is a twenty-four-year-old artist in London, who makes an okay living painting pretty pictures of landscapes for bored, rich white people to put up on the walls of their country manors. She lives with her more well-known and successful step-brother Greg Halliday, with whom she was raised, and they've taken care of each other for years and love each other as true siblings. Sara is a very outgoing city-girl who likes to attend art exhibits, chat up all sorts of people, and have a gay, old time just as a young attractive Londonite should have every right to do.
The Hero: Nick Rawdon is a few years older than Sara, runs in more sophisticated circles, richer than he knows what to do with, and a good-looking devil to boot. He can also usually get whatever he wants (and that includes the laaaadies) with the snap of his fingers, but for some reason, that's not happening with Sara Nichols. Nick encounters Sara at an art exhibit one evening, and from the moment he lays his eyes on her, he is hooked. Unfortunately, Sara practically dismisses him that night and barely pays attention to him when they are introduced because she is so wrapped up with this Greg Halliday, a drunken sot of an artist, but in the brief moment Nick clashed with Sara, he knew he wanted her and would do anything to get her hands on her.
The Plot: Sara is sooooo not into Nick Rawdon. Okay, she is, but he's so mean and rude and kind of a dick and also kind of rapey (this was published in 1979, you guys). Like, the day after the art exhibit, he finds out where she lives, and just drops by in her backyard. Hello, stalker?! So naturally, Sara is wigged out by this because she's a normal person ("Umm...you're that super intense guy from last night? I kind of blew you off because you were all Grabby McGrabberpants and now you're in my yard. I am beyond charmed!"). He asks her all sorts of personal questions that are kind of accusatory and would probably be unsafe for a woman to answer from a stranger, so Sara admits that she lives with Greg and leaves it at that because she doesn't feel like she has to justify her life or her actions to this very rude and very intimidating man who just showed up unannounced at her doorstep with already preconceived notions about artists and their bohemian lifestyles, anyway! She also doesn't mention that Greg is hopelessly in love with a very good friend of hers whose wheelchair-bound husband has a degenerative disease and could die at any moment because honestly--why would should she?! Nick Rawdon already thinks she's a dirty bohemian trollop living in sin with her stepbrother and thus deserves every sexual harassment that comes her way.
Also, on the night of the exhibit, Sara was especially watchful of Greg because he was mooning over her friend Lucy and tended to get drunk when he was in such a mood. Since they were in an event where Greg could potentially meet new patrons, Sara couldn't allow him to get drunk and make a fool of himself. But why would she have to explain that Mr. Daddy Big Bucks Rawdon? She didn't owe him tiddlywinks.
Of course they meet again at another party and this time, Big Dick Nick decides to go on full seduction mode and won't take no for an answer. In full anticipation of this, Sara tells Greg she basically told Nick that they are more than roommates but also loooovers, so if he could stay around and play referee, that would be great. Greg is none too happy to do this, but he cares about Sara and he's heard about this Nick dude who's supposed to be a well-known heartbreaking playboy. Not that any of this matters because the second Nick corners Sara and pressures her to go to dinner with him, Sara breaks like toilet paper in water and ditches Greg looking like a jackass.
Anyway, Nick and Sara end up in Nick’s penthouse (because of course he has a penthouse) where he proceeds to wine and dine her before leading her to a dimly lit room with some easy listening music and over-stuffed velvet couches, the dirty dog. They get down to some major hanky-panky until Nick is convinced he’s going to hit the kitty when the telephone rings and that infernal Greg Halliday is on the wire, demanding Sara be put on because of some emergency. All of a sudden, Sara is no longer in the mood to be made love to and demanding to be taken home and Nick is pissed off because he’s got the kind of blue balls only rich entitled white dudes get when deprived of their favorite prey, the white virgin ingenue. Nick proceeds to call her all manners of names and accuses her of being a dicktease (I’m paraphrasing) and says she’s nothing more than Greg’s whore. They angrily say goodbye and that’s it.
…of course, Nick could have asked Sara why Greg called his house in a panic, demanding to speak to Sara, instead of flying off the handle like a maniac but what kind of rational person would do that? Not that Sara had to explain herself or anything, not especially to a guy she’d only met twice (and one who’d been particularly obsessive about her personage at that), but Greg DID have a big reason for calling her that night and it’s this: remember the lady that Greg is in love with? Her husband DIED that night and Greg was in a panic and didn’t know what to do, so he really needed Sara by his side. Lucy (the lady with the husband) is also Sara’s best friend, so yeah, she would definitely be number one on Sara’s mind over hormone-monster Nick who just wants to imprint Sara with his penis and implant a million babies in her or something. Nevertheless, Sara still has Nick in the back of her mind because for some reason, she cares about what he thinks about her (like, she’s not a whore) and would like to explain.
Lucky for her, fate throws them back together again. Not for long, though, because Nick has a knack for thinking the worst of Sara, and soon the vicious cycle of name-calling and dumping starts again. He even yells at her to get out of his car at one point. What a guy.
The Verdict:I get it. Nick sees Sara for the first time and thinks to himself OH MY GOD I MUST HAVE THAT WOMAN OR I’M GOING TO DIE MINE MINE MINE MUST POSSESS CAVEMAN MUST POUND MUST HAVE MUST OWN!! MINE MINE MINE!!! Or something completely insane like that. That is a natural affliction of a Romance Novel Alpha Male. He can’t help it. But this guy is unbelievable. He doesn’t know the first thing about this woman except that she’s beautiful and vivacious and that she has an entire life outside of him, which involves a lot of male admirers, so naturally for him, that means harlotry and whoredom. He doesn’t understand why this one simple girl has bewitched him–when many other women in the past had failed to do so–so naturally, it is this woman’s fault and she must be a Jezebel of some kind. What kind of twisted logic is that?
In a lot of these early Mills and Boons books, the heroine is often some wide-eyed ingenue who doesn’t know her ass from a hole in the ground and in a lot of respects, Sara is pretty much Bambi in the woods. Still, she is self-aware of her attraction to men and at least aware of her sexuality. She knows what Nick makes her feel is special and she doesn’t feel it when she’s with other men, so she is quick to discourage them and refuses to lead them on. Another thing that I really liked about Sara is that she doesn’t just sit around, mooning over our so-called hero (though she does that a lot, too); she really cares about her art, too. We actually see the heroine in action, painting here and painting there. She cares about the quality of her work. She has a career! She has a full life outside of the hero and I got the feeling that even if the two of them didn’t get together at the end, Sara would have been okay and Nick? No. Nick would not have been okay.
The Groveling: In spades! Nick’s sister arranges it so that Sara and Nick would both end up at her country estate (who DOESN’T have a country estate) because she gets sick of Nick being such a complete ugly bastard to her and her kids. Our couple finally gets to sit down and talk, which they really should have done months ago–literally, months do pass–so that Sara could finally let Nick know that the reason she ran out on him that ONE night months ago was that her best friend’s husband died and her step-brother was flipping out and also needed her. Nick was like, oh, I’m so sorry, I’m a fucking jealous asshole for no reason at all and I’m a rat bastard for calling you a trollop and a whore, will you marry me. Sara says yes. Once the two of them iron things out, everything gets all cutesy and sweet, and hopefully, Nick has learned the lesson about jumping to the worst conclusions. Just kidding.
Classic Charlotte Lamb. 90/100.
The Heroine: Sara Nichols is a twenty-four-year-old artist in London, who makes an okay living painting pretty pictures of landscapes for bored, rich white people to put up on the walls of their country manors. She lives with her more well-known and successful step-brother Greg Halliday, with whom she was raised, and they've taken care of each other for years and love each other as true siblings. Sara is a very outgoing city-girl who likes to attend art exhibits, chat up all sorts of people, and have a gay, old time just as a young attractive Londonite should have every right to do.
The Hero: Nick Rawdon is a few years older than Sara, runs in more sophisticated circles, richer than he knows what to do with, and a good-looking devil to boot. He can also usually get whatever he wants (and that includes the laaaadies) with the snap of his fingers, but for some reason, that's not happening with Sara Nichols. Nick encounters Sara at an art exhibit one evening, and from the moment he lays his eyes on her, he is hooked. Unfortunately, Sara practically dismisses him that night and barely pays attention to him when they are introduced because she is so wrapped up with this Greg Halliday, a drunken sot of an artist, but in the brief moment Nick clashed with Sara, he knew he wanted her and would do anything to get her hands on her.
The Plot: Sara is sooooo not into Nick Rawdon. Okay, she is, but he's so mean and rude and kind of a dick and also kind of rapey (this was published in 1979, you guys). Like, the day after the art exhibit, he finds out where she lives, and just drops by in her backyard. Hello, stalker?! So naturally, Sara is wigged out by this because she's a normal person ("Umm...you're that super intense guy from last night? I kind of blew you off because you were all Grabby McGrabberpants and now you're in my yard. I am beyond charmed!"). He asks her all sorts of personal questions that are kind of accusatory and would probably be unsafe for a woman to answer from a stranger, so Sara admits that she lives with Greg and leaves it at that because she doesn't feel like she has to justify her life or her actions to this very rude and very intimidating man who just showed up unannounced at her doorstep with already preconceived notions about artists and their bohemian lifestyles, anyway! She also doesn't mention that Greg is hopelessly in love with a very good friend of hers whose wheelchair-bound husband has a degenerative disease and could die at any moment because honestly--why would should she?! Nick Rawdon already thinks she's a dirty bohemian trollop living in sin with her stepbrother and thus deserves every sexual harassment that comes her way.
Also, on the night of the exhibit, Sara was especially watchful of Greg because he was mooning over her friend Lucy and tended to get drunk when he was in such a mood. Since they were in an event where Greg could potentially meet new patrons, Sara couldn't allow him to get drunk and make a fool of himself. But why would she have to explain that Mr. Daddy Big Bucks Rawdon? She didn't owe him tiddlywinks.
Of course they meet again at another party and this time, Big Dick Nick decides to go on full seduction mode and won't take no for an answer. In full anticipation of this, Sara tells Greg she basically told Nick that they are more than roommates but also loooovers, so if he could stay around and play referee, that would be great. Greg is none too happy to do this, but he cares about Sara and he's heard about this Nick dude who's supposed to be a well-known heartbreaking playboy. Not that any of this matters because the second Nick corners Sara and pressures her to go to dinner with him, Sara breaks like toilet paper in water and ditches Greg looking like a jackass.
Anyway, Nick and Sara end up in Nick’s penthouse (because of course he has a penthouse) where he proceeds to wine and dine her before leading her to a dimly lit room with some easy listening music and over-stuffed velvet couches, the dirty dog. They get down to some major hanky-panky until Nick is convinced he’s going to hit the kitty when the telephone rings and that infernal Greg Halliday is on the wire, demanding Sara be put on because of some emergency. All of a sudden, Sara is no longer in the mood to be made love to and demanding to be taken home and Nick is pissed off because he’s got the kind of blue balls only rich entitled white dudes get when deprived of their favorite prey, the white virgin ingenue. Nick proceeds to call her all manners of names and accuses her of being a dicktease (I’m paraphrasing) and says she’s nothing more than Greg’s whore. They angrily say goodbye and that’s it.
…of course, Nick could have asked Sara why Greg called his house in a panic, demanding to speak to Sara, instead of flying off the handle like a maniac but what kind of rational person would do that? Not that Sara had to explain herself or anything, not especially to a guy she’d only met twice (and one who’d been particularly obsessive about her personage at that), but Greg DID have a big reason for calling her that night and it’s this: remember the lady that Greg is in love with? Her husband DIED that night and Greg was in a panic and didn’t know what to do, so he really needed Sara by his side. Lucy (the lady with the husband) is also Sara’s best friend, so yeah, she would definitely be number one on Sara’s mind over hormone-monster Nick who just wants to imprint Sara with his penis and implant a million babies in her or something. Nevertheless, Sara still has Nick in the back of her mind because for some reason, she cares about what he thinks about her (like, she’s not a whore) and would like to explain.
Lucky for her, fate throws them back together again. Not for long, though, because Nick has a knack for thinking the worst of Sara, and soon the vicious cycle of name-calling and dumping starts again. He even yells at her to get out of his car at one point. What a guy.
The Verdict:I get it. Nick sees Sara for the first time and thinks to himself OH MY GOD I MUST HAVE THAT WOMAN OR I’M GOING TO DIE MINE MINE MINE MUST POSSESS CAVEMAN MUST POUND MUST HAVE MUST OWN!! MINE MINE MINE!!! Or something completely insane like that. That is a natural affliction of a Romance Novel Alpha Male. He can’t help it. But this guy is unbelievable. He doesn’t know the first thing about this woman except that she’s beautiful and vivacious and that she has an entire life outside of him, which involves a lot of male admirers, so naturally for him, that means harlotry and whoredom. He doesn’t understand why this one simple girl has bewitched him–when many other women in the past had failed to do so–so naturally, it is this woman’s fault and she must be a Jezebel of some kind. What kind of twisted logic is that?
In a lot of these early Mills and Boons books, the heroine is often some wide-eyed ingenue who doesn’t know her ass from a hole in the ground and in a lot of respects, Sara is pretty much Bambi in the woods. Still, she is self-aware of her attraction to men and at least aware of her sexuality. She knows what Nick makes her feel is special and she doesn’t feel it when she’s with other men, so she is quick to discourage them and refuses to lead them on. Another thing that I really liked about Sara is that she doesn’t just sit around, mooning over our so-called hero (though she does that a lot, too); she really cares about her art, too. We actually see the heroine in action, painting here and painting there. She cares about the quality of her work. She has a career! She has a full life outside of the hero and I got the feeling that even if the two of them didn’t get together at the end, Sara would have been okay and Nick? No. Nick would not have been okay.
The Groveling: In spades! Nick’s sister arranges it so that Sara and Nick would both end up at her country estate (who DOESN’T have a country estate) because she gets sick of Nick being such a complete ugly bastard to her and her kids. Our couple finally gets to sit down and talk, which they really should have done months ago–literally, months do pass–so that Sara could finally let Nick know that the reason she ran out on him that ONE night months ago was that her best friend’s husband died and her step-brother was flipping out and also needed her. Nick was like, oh, I’m so sorry, I’m a fucking jealous asshole for no reason at all and I’m a rat bastard for calling you a trollop and a whore, will you marry me. Sara says yes. Once the two of them iron things out, everything gets all cutesy and sweet, and hopefully, Nick has learned the lesson about jumping to the worst conclusions. Just kidding.
Classic Charlotte Lamb. 90/100.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 6, 2018
1st, 2nd, and 4th meeting: hero and heroine meet up for a few minutes and fight about what a slut she is.
3rd meeting is lunch where heroine monologues about herself for a couple hours and hero never talks about himself.
5th meeting: Still not much talking--STRAIGHT TO ALMOST SEXY TIMES! But it's interrupted and they have a very quick fight about what a slut she is.
After these enormously enlightening activities, heroine then realizes she's in love with hero.
Wut.
I then realized how ridiculous this book was, and skimmed the rest of it.
At the very end, they even question it.
To add insult to injury, it's not even the instalove that's fed in fairy tales--it's instalust. All they ever did was grope angrily at each other and not really try to get to know each other or talk (other than fighting about her supposed slutitude).
3rd meeting is lunch where heroine monologues about herself for a couple hours and hero never talks about himself.
5th meeting: Still not much talking--STRAIGHT TO ALMOST SEXY TIMES! But it's interrupted and they have a very quick fight about what a slut she is.
After these enormously enlightening activities, heroine then realizes she's in love with hero.
Wut.
I then realized how ridiculous this book was, and skimmed the rest of it.
At the very end, they even question it.
"But I barely know you, do you realise that? Oh, Nick, are we quite mad to think of getting married knowing so little about each other?"
"We know enough. I think I knew that first night at the party."
To add insult to injury, it's not even the instalove that's fed in fairy tales--it's instalust. All they ever did was grope angrily at each other and not really try to get to know each other or talk (other than fighting about her supposed slutitude).
September 1, 2019
Great read!
All my favorite themes in this novel:
- possessive/stalkerish/jealous H who is totally blinded by passion and believes all the worst of the h
- self-centered billionaire that has never really been in love (a total manw***re)
- young/inexperienced - artist heroine
- bickering/banter/stolen kisses/sexual harassment turning into a discovery of passion by the heroine.
- good secondary characters
A good angsty old school romance!!! 😉
All my favorite themes in this novel:
- possessive/stalkerish/jealous H who is totally blinded by passion and believes all the worst of the h
- self-centered billionaire that has never really been in love (a total manw***re)
- young/inexperienced - artist heroine
- bickering/banter/stolen kisses/sexual harassment turning into a discovery of passion by the heroine.
- good secondary characters
A good angsty old school romance!!! 😉
January 30, 2021
I read this book around age 12. Rereading this book as an adult I found it very annoying.
November 25, 2025
My goodness, the H is such a smitten kitten! Never thought I’d ever see a Lamb love interest so dead gone. The h is just delightful, she gives as good as she gets and she’s confident and flirty and humorous, which puts him in such a temper because he can’t pin her down.
There’s a satisfying amount of closure at the end, too, rather than the usual too-abrupt resolution.
There’s a satisfying amount of closure at the end, too, rather than the usual too-abrupt resolution.
July 10, 2018
Swoon. The hero was so smitten. Besotted. Only the prudish heroine who can't figure out that it's okay that a man finds you sexy and wants to bed you had to go and ruin it all by lying about her character. Man, am I glad for the sexual revolution so that I can sex up if I want.
There were some pleasant surprises (meaning naughty) for a book of this era:
That's some swoony possessiveness there.
Weird tidbits: She could identify a sub-species of grass. Hmm. She learned it in art college. Hmmmm.
There were some pleasant surprises (meaning naughty) for a book of this era:
Hero to sister: "David (sister's husband) should beat you twice a day."
Sister: "What a fantastic thought. Why not suggest it to him? David's not that inventive."
Heroine: "You have no scruples about taking a woman from the man you believe she loves?"
Hero: "I'd take you from my own brother. I don't give a damn how I get you so long as I do."
That's some swoony possessiveness there.
Weird tidbits: She could identify a sub-species of grass. Hmm. She learned it in art college. Hmmmm.
February 25, 2019
Their worlds were light-years apart
Sara Nichols was proud to be a painter Her landscapes were catching on, and though she wasn't making a fortune, she had enough to get by.
Nick Rawdon, on the other hand, had more money than he bothered to count. Owner of a prestigious bank, he moved in glittering circles far beyond those Sara was used to.
They seemed to have nothing in common--except a gripping physical attraction. But even that was based on Nick's totally wrong idea of the kind of girl that Sara really was.
Sara Nichols was proud to be a painter Her landscapes were catching on, and though she wasn't making a fortune, she had enough to get by.
Nick Rawdon, on the other hand, had more money than he bothered to count. Owner of a prestigious bank, he moved in glittering circles far beyond those Sara was used to.
They seemed to have nothing in common--except a gripping physical attraction. But even that was based on Nick's totally wrong idea of the kind of girl that Sara really was.
June 27, 2015
To my mind the hero and the heroine make quite a despicable pair. The hero simply enjoys himself misjudging the heroine while the heroine also enjoys herself immensely by deluding the hero to the point of no return lol This is why I didn't like the novel at all, although I should have given 5 stars for a brilliand description of a sadistic personality disorder.
October 22, 2022
I really enjoyed this story and found it unusual that it was set over a 2 year period rather than a few weeks/months.
The H & h are polar opposites in that she's a bit of a bohemian artist and he is head of the family merchant bank yet. Despite being years younger she teases him from the first and this guy FALLS hard. The h is hard to catch though as she is busy looking out for her stepbrother who she has a healthy brother / sister relationship with.
They meet at a party and are introduced. The H is a bit miffed as she kinda ignores him and makes fun of him a bit (I thought in a nice way and that her really needed a sense of humour.) She is distracted however as she is trying to look out for her stepbro who has had too much to drink and the H interprets him as a guy she is in love with.
They literally bump into each other a week or so later in York when she's contracted to paint a landscape from a pub/hotel and hes at a banking conference. (York is a strange choice for one tbh the banking capital of Yorkshire is Leeds but CL had to get our MC's together and no one in their right mind would commission a landscape of a Leeds view). CL has clearly visited the fine city of York as the parking is indeed a problem and kids do run amok after visits to the Castle Museum I have even escorted a couple myself! The H talks the h into lunch although the h does point out their lack of common interests and the H is determined to prove her wrong.
Despite escaping his clutches he tracks her down to the pub/hotel - there is indeed a Fox and Grapes on the York/Scarborough Rd but it is on the outskirts of Leeds. He tries to seduce her but the h tells him in the end that the stepbro is her lover to get him off her case.
He also turns up at an exhibition where shes with the stepbro but lures her to his apartment where he is busy seducing her when the phone rings. Its the stepbro asking for the h to come as a mutual friend has died. The h misinterprets this as the stepbro snapping his fingers and the h running and he is super mad but she quite honestly doesn't have time to explain. The stepbro is actually pining away for the wife of the guy that has just died but he is a nice guy and knows he is not the person to help he needs the h.
They don't see each other for ages and when they do shes with another guy who happens to work for the H. It looks like he is dating this OM's sister as well and although she is hurt she knows its for the best. When he insists on taking her home she won't let him in the house as she has the widow staying with her but he again jumps to conclusions and goes off in a sulk again.
They bump into each other again at the zoo when he is with her sister and she is drawing and the sister is intrigued when the h slaps him and invites her to paint her garden/landscape.
h knows this isn't a good idea but as the H isn't around sticks around and rather likes the sister and housekeeper.
The H finally shows up with the OW the OM brother of the OW and he is not a happy camper. However he cannot resist the h and does a rather nice grovel to convince her to marry him and lie HEA. I liked the h in this one I think she will keep him on his toes and make him have fun. He also declared it was love at first sight for him and in a rare event he is celibate since their meeting in York. He also isn't a forced seducer or a slapper of ladies (although he is tempted).
The H & h are polar opposites in that she's a bit of a bohemian artist and he is head of the family merchant bank yet. Despite being years younger she teases him from the first and this guy FALLS hard. The h is hard to catch though as she is busy looking out for her stepbrother who she has a healthy brother / sister relationship with.
They meet at a party and are introduced. The H is a bit miffed as she kinda ignores him and makes fun of him a bit (I thought in a nice way and that her really needed a sense of humour.) She is distracted however as she is trying to look out for her stepbro who has had too much to drink and the H interprets him as a guy she is in love with.
They literally bump into each other a week or so later in York when she's contracted to paint a landscape from a pub/hotel and hes at a banking conference. (York is a strange choice for one tbh the banking capital of Yorkshire is Leeds but CL had to get our MC's together and no one in their right mind would commission a landscape of a Leeds view). CL has clearly visited the fine city of York as the parking is indeed a problem and kids do run amok after visits to the Castle Museum I have even escorted a couple myself! The H talks the h into lunch although the h does point out their lack of common interests and the H is determined to prove her wrong.
Despite escaping his clutches he tracks her down to the pub/hotel - there is indeed a Fox and Grapes on the York/Scarborough Rd but it is on the outskirts of Leeds. He tries to seduce her but the h tells him in the end that the stepbro is her lover to get him off her case.
He also turns up at an exhibition where shes with the stepbro but lures her to his apartment where he is busy seducing her when the phone rings. Its the stepbro asking for the h to come as a mutual friend has died. The h misinterprets this as the stepbro snapping his fingers and the h running and he is super mad but she quite honestly doesn't have time to explain. The stepbro is actually pining away for the wife of the guy that has just died but he is a nice guy and knows he is not the person to help he needs the h.
They don't see each other for ages and when they do shes with another guy who happens to work for the H. It looks like he is dating this OM's sister as well and although she is hurt she knows its for the best. When he insists on taking her home she won't let him in the house as she has the widow staying with her but he again jumps to conclusions and goes off in a sulk again.
They bump into each other again at the zoo when he is with her sister and she is drawing and the sister is intrigued when the h slaps him and invites her to paint her garden/landscape.
h knows this isn't a good idea but as the H isn't around sticks around and rather likes the sister and housekeeper.
The H finally shows up with the OW the OM brother of the OW and he is not a happy camper. However he cannot resist the h and does a rather nice grovel to convince her to marry him and lie HEA. I liked the h in this one I think she will keep him on his toes and make him have fun. He also declared it was love at first sight for him and in a rare event he is celibate since their meeting in York. He also isn't a forced seducer or a slapper of ladies (although he is tempted).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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