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Savage Innocence
Discovering the savage truth...
Pregnant and single, Isobel Dorland yearns for a real family life. But though she's head over heels in love with the father of her child, she knows that he's in no position to offer her marriage.
Resolving that she must start anew, Belle leaves her hometown quietly -- without telling Jared where she's going -- or that she's carrying his baby. But she hasn't reckoned on Jared's determination. He wants her, and it can only be a matter of time before he discovers her whereabouts -- and the truth....
Pregnant and single, Isobel Dorland yearns for a real family life. But though she's head over heels in love with the father of her child, she knows that he's in no position to offer her marriage.
Resolving that she must start anew, Belle leaves her hometown quietly -- without telling Jared where she's going -- or that she's carrying his baby. But she hasn't reckoned on Jared's determination. He wants her, and it can only be a matter of time before he discovers her whereabouts -- and the truth....
184 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 2001
14 people are currently reading
206 people want to read
About the author
Anne Mather
800 books360 followersAnne Mather is the pseudonym used by Mildred Grieveson, a popular British author of over 160 romance novels. She also signed novels as Caroline Fleming and Cardine Fleming.
Mildred Grieveson began to write down stories in her childhood years. The first novel that she actually finished, Caroline (1965), was also her first book to be published. Her novel, Leopard in the Snow (1974), was developed into a 1978 film.
Mildred Grieveson began to write down stories in her childhood years. The first novel that she actually finished, Caroline (1965), was also her first book to be published. Her novel, Leopard in the Snow (1974), was developed into a 1978 film.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
October 24, 2019
Re Savage Innocence - Anne Mather brings us a hugely hilarious full on Typhoon of Tackiness Trainwreck with this one.
EVERYONE in this story is badly behaved and AM uses her 30 plus years of HQN doyennedom to pull off a story line that lesser HP authors would never get away with. The big surprise in this one - the H is married and the h is the OW.
The h is also newly preggers and now has to haul her hiney off to another town to hide the fact that the affair she instigated with the H a few months earlier is going to result in major scandal and the social disgrace of the H's family and her own, if she sticks around.
The h quickly makes plans to leave the area and keep her impending stork visit a seekrit from everyone but her BFF.
To that end, AM sets up the h to go find her birth father. When the story opens, the h's adopted mother has just died and the h finds letters that indicate her adopted father's brother is actually her bio dad.
The h knows that there was some family estrangement years earlier, the h has never met her adopted father's brother or family. AM decides to stir the pot even further by indicating that the h running off to be preggers is only her repeating her family history - the h herself is apparently the child of an affair.
While the h is packing up the last of her mother's things because her adopted sister couldn't be bothered, AM decides to fill us in on the H. The H is married to the daughter of his boss. The H was an abandoned child who grew up in care and grew up to be an architect/property developer.
He began working for his wife's father's company and was soon number two in command when his now wife chased after him and married him, in order to stop her father from pestering her for a successor and a grandchild.
The H and his wife have a severely strained relationship. The H discovered that his wife aborted his child a few years earlier and when the H was going to divorce her for it, the wife got drunk and drove both of them into a tree.
The H's father in law convinced the H to take the blame for the accident, but it tied the H firmly to the marriage and his father in law's company - because now the H's wife is confined to a wheelchair.
The H and h manage to have multiple boudoir and wall banging encounters before the h finally gets herself moved to the village near her bio father's home and tells the H they are done and she really means it this time.
But the H isn't taking his congé with any type of grace whatsoever and he manages to chase after the h pretty quickly - mainly because even tho the h was all about doing a seekrit flit out the back way, she managed to make sure every single busybody gossip in town knew her final destination.
AM then sends the H's wife, her nurse and his father in law off on a cruise while the h dithers about approaching her bio dad. We get some more exotic lurve club events when the H shows up in the h's new village again, as these two just can't quit each other.
Finally AM breaks the HP standard plot filler momentum by having the H's father in law have a nearly fatal coronary incident and having the wife of the h's bio father show up at the h's new cottage.
We learn that the h's bio dad is dead and he was a jerk and the h wouldn't have wanted to know him anyways. Then we learn that the H's wife is really a lesbian and having a romance with her nurse and her father walked in on them during the family cruise.
The outcome of all this scandalous drama is that the H has his father in law's blessing to dump his daughter and run his father in law's company as the number one guy, the h and H are now free to lurve it up openly and start a home together for the H's new baby son and the H's wife can now be free to lurve it with her nurse.
After the fastest divorce in HPlandia history, (a mere couple of months, when most HP divorces take years,) the H and h are duly married and the H's ex father in law is drafted as their new baby son's grandpa.
Tho there is no mention on if the ex wife gets to be a godmother, but the h has also built some bridges with her social climbing sister and bullied her BFF into being nicer to the H, for a totally whacktastic, utterly tacky, but highly entertaining trainwreck HP outing.
EVERYONE in this story is badly behaved and AM uses her 30 plus years of HQN doyennedom to pull off a story line that lesser HP authors would never get away with. The big surprise in this one - the H is married and the h is the OW.
The h is also newly preggers and now has to haul her hiney off to another town to hide the fact that the affair she instigated with the H a few months earlier is going to result in major scandal and the social disgrace of the H's family and her own, if she sticks around.
The h quickly makes plans to leave the area and keep her impending stork visit a seekrit from everyone but her BFF.
To that end, AM sets up the h to go find her birth father. When the story opens, the h's adopted mother has just died and the h finds letters that indicate her adopted father's brother is actually her bio dad.
The h knows that there was some family estrangement years earlier, the h has never met her adopted father's brother or family. AM decides to stir the pot even further by indicating that the h running off to be preggers is only her repeating her family history - the h herself is apparently the child of an affair.
While the h is packing up the last of her mother's things because her adopted sister couldn't be bothered, AM decides to fill us in on the H. The H is married to the daughter of his boss. The H was an abandoned child who grew up in care and grew up to be an architect/property developer.
He began working for his wife's father's company and was soon number two in command when his now wife chased after him and married him, in order to stop her father from pestering her for a successor and a grandchild.
The H and his wife have a severely strained relationship. The H discovered that his wife aborted his child a few years earlier and when the H was going to divorce her for it, the wife got drunk and drove both of them into a tree.
The H's father in law convinced the H to take the blame for the accident, but it tied the H firmly to the marriage and his father in law's company - because now the H's wife is confined to a wheelchair.
The H and h manage to have multiple boudoir and wall banging encounters before the h finally gets herself moved to the village near her bio father's home and tells the H they are done and she really means it this time.
But the H isn't taking his congé with any type of grace whatsoever and he manages to chase after the h pretty quickly - mainly because even tho the h was all about doing a seekrit flit out the back way, she managed to make sure every single busybody gossip in town knew her final destination.
AM then sends the H's wife, her nurse and his father in law off on a cruise while the h dithers about approaching her bio dad. We get some more exotic lurve club events when the H shows up in the h's new village again, as these two just can't quit each other.
Finally AM breaks the HP standard plot filler momentum by having the H's father in law have a nearly fatal coronary incident and having the wife of the h's bio father show up at the h's new cottage.
We learn that the h's bio dad is dead and he was a jerk and the h wouldn't have wanted to know him anyways. Then we learn that the H's wife is really a lesbian and having a romance with her nurse and her father walked in on them during the family cruise.
The outcome of all this scandalous drama is that the H has his father in law's blessing to dump his daughter and run his father in law's company as the number one guy, the h and H are now free to lurve it up openly and start a home together for the H's new baby son and the H's wife can now be free to lurve it with her nurse.
After the fastest divorce in HPlandia history, (a mere couple of months, when most HP divorces take years,) the H and h are duly married and the H's ex father in law is drafted as their new baby son's grandpa.
Tho there is no mention on if the ex wife gets to be a godmother, but the h has also built some bridges with her social climbing sister and bullied her BFF into being nicer to the H, for a totally whacktastic, utterly tacky, but highly entertaining trainwreck HP outing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2020
"Savage Innocence" is the story of Isobel and Jared.
This tale of forbidden love is filled with drama and cheating triggers, so hold onto your seats.
The h is adopted and has recently lost her mother. She finds letters which hint at her birth father's identity, and she soon vows to find him. At the same time, we are introduced to her passionate but tangled relationship with the VERY married H, who has a crippled wife, but is super addicted to the h and her coot coot. She finds out she has a bun in her oven, and decides to move away..But will the H let her go?
Thus begins a story filled with discoveries, relentless yearning, protective friends, snarky siblings, blind in laws, selfish spouses and inability to let go.
Let's address the elephant in the room- the H cheated on his very alive wife with the h. There are reasons which are revealed later, but we cannot ignore the hunger he had for ambition (he stayed in a toxic marriage), and he inability to commit until things got out of the hand. The h was very forgiving and equally smitten.
Messy but not in a bad way. VERY hot lovemaking and nice epilogue that tied up all the loose ends and gives our characters a HEA.
SWE
3.5/5
This tale of forbidden love is filled with drama and cheating triggers, so hold onto your seats.
The h is adopted and has recently lost her mother. She finds letters which hint at her birth father's identity, and she soon vows to find him. At the same time, we are introduced to her passionate but tangled relationship with the VERY married H, who has a crippled wife, but is super addicted to the h and her coot coot. She finds out she has a bun in her oven, and decides to move away..But will the H let her go?
Thus begins a story filled with discoveries, relentless yearning, protective friends, snarky siblings, blind in laws, selfish spouses and inability to let go.
Let's address the elephant in the room- the H cheated on his very alive wife with the h. There are reasons which are revealed later, but we cannot ignore the hunger he had for ambition (he stayed in a toxic marriage), and he inability to commit until things got out of the hand. The h was very forgiving and equally smitten.
Messy but not in a bad way. VERY hot lovemaking and nice epilogue that tied up all the loose ends and gives our characters a HEA.
SWE
3.5/5
January 29, 2015
This book was crazy and that's why I loved it. Hero is maried and he is cheating on his wife with our heroine but I can't blame him for that. His wife aborted his child without telling him, she tried to kill him and she had an affair with her nurse. Yes his wife is a lesbian apparently and used our hero so as to cover her sexuality and keep it a secret from her father. Talk about crazy!
Our heroine thinks hero will never leave his wife. Pregnant and alone, Isobel leaves her hometown without telling Jared where she's going or that she's carrying his baby. But Jared wants her back and he will stop at nothing to find her and win her back.
This book was a crazy angsty ride, I couldn't stop reading it! It was like watching a soap opera, so much fun!
Our heroine thinks hero will never leave his wife. Pregnant and alone, Isobel leaves her hometown without telling Jared where she's going or that she's carrying his baby. But Jared wants her back and he will stop at nothing to find her and win her back.
This book was a crazy angsty ride, I couldn't stop reading it! It was like watching a soap opera, so much fun!
March 3, 2019
This is not romance that I wanna lost myself in a dream, more like real life. Even H&h were apart most of the book. I expected angst but not felt it. The writing was good, that’s why I’ve given 1,5 stars.
December 10, 2015
Kind of boring story about a woman who is having an affair with a married man and gets pregnant and also is in search of information about her birth parents. So, basically you have a plethora of illegitimates running around and infidelity running a two generation special.
The hero is supposed to be hunky but wears glasses. Hmm, no alpha arrogance here. The h can have four eyes, but not our stalwart heroes. Ms. Mather creates a situation with the hero's wife which is supposed to make it okay for the hero and the heroine to have the affair, but it doesn't ring true.
He's so insulted and angered that the heroine has to leave. She flat out tells him, "You are a MARRIED man. WE HAVE NO FUTURE!" He has a very difficult time with that concept. Really fidelity should not be that difficult to understand. Plus there is an annoying sister and a told you so best friend who is both the voice of reason and bitchy.
Okay, I just dropped this from two stars to one.
The hero is supposed to be hunky but wears glasses. Hmm, no alpha arrogance here. The h can have four eyes, but not our stalwart heroes. Ms. Mather creates a situation with the hero's wife which is supposed to make it okay for the hero and the heroine to have the affair, but it doesn't ring true.
He's so insulted and angered that the heroine has to leave. She flat out tells him, "You are a MARRIED man. WE HAVE NO FUTURE!" He has a very difficult time with that concept. Really fidelity should not be that difficult to understand. Plus there is an annoying sister and a told you so best friend who is both the voice of reason and bitchy.
Okay, I just dropped this from two stars to one.
January 4, 2015
I'm giving this three stars for a couple of reasons. First it was well written after all it is Anne Mather so no complaints there. Second the story line is different. Kudos to the author for choosing to tell a story that is not so PC. The hero and the heroine are committing adultery. The hero is sort of a douche for not getting out of his marriage earlier, especially once he fell for the heroine. The story line about the heroine looking for her birth father was unnecessary and felt like filler. Still a decent read if you can get past the cheating.
December 20, 2015
Do not like stories where adultery is involved. Cheating on your spouse is wrong. End of story. If you are unhappy get out.
January 13, 2013
What didn't work for me:
1) Idiotic title.
2) I don't like cheating in romance, even though this was one of those mythical Romanceland Bad Marriages where the marriage was over years ago, they lead separate lives, are only together because of a parent/grandparent/outside circumstances and because there's been no real reason to break up. But anyway, the hero is married, and was married when the sexual aspect of their relationship began.
3) The heroine is pregnant and is moving away to finally cut all ties with the hero. Without telling him she's pregnant!
4) The heroine's birth father story line was weak IMO.
What did work for me:
The turmoil, heartbreak, confusion, emotions, desperation, love, unhappiness and the h/h finally getting together felt genuine. Even with all the "would you people just have an honest conversation with each other!" frustration, I have to admit that AM has a gift for writing emotions.
1) Idiotic title.
2) I don't like cheating in romance, even though this was one of those mythical Romanceland Bad Marriages where the marriage was over years ago, they lead separate lives, are only together because of a parent/grandparent/outside circumstances and because there's been no real reason to break up. But anyway, the hero is married, and was married when the sexual aspect of their relationship began.
3) The heroine is pregnant and is moving away to finally cut all ties with the hero. Without telling him she's pregnant!
4) The heroine's birth father story line was weak IMO.
What did work for me:
The turmoil, heartbreak, confusion, emotions, desperation, love, unhappiness and the h/h finally getting together felt genuine. Even with all the "would you people just have an honest conversation with each other!" frustration, I have to admit that AM has a gift for writing emotions.
March 23, 2011
Mather penned an absolutely unredeemable couple. The wishy-washy bleating from these two was awful. I couldn't believe there was enough passion generated between the two to overlook the fact that the hero is married. Heck the word LOVE didn't come into the conversation until way after their first encounter.
I've read other stories where adultery has taken place and I could rationalize the lover's circumstances weighed against their intense feelings.
Isobel and Jake didn't earn a HEA.
If I could, I would give this a minus 1.
I've read other stories where adultery has taken place and I could rationalize the lover's circumstances weighed against their intense feelings.
Isobel and Jake didn't earn a HEA.
If I could, I would give this a minus 1.
December 31, 2020
I expected so much more angst in this one. It’s an unusual HP. The heroine is the pregnant OW. Wow! Right? Not so much.
She goes into the relationship knowing he’s married and it’s unlikely this is going to change. He says as much when she decides it’s over. She’s pregnant, doesn’t tell him and is in the process of not only ending thing but also moving away.
His life is a hot mess... he’s married to the bosses daughter, it’s not a love match, but he tried to make the most of it. That is until the wife has an abortion that leaves her unable to have any more children. An accident has left her in a wheelchair and he’s stuck in a marriage he doesn’t want.
So, off she goes and he tracks her down, but she’s pushing to move on. He leaves but decides he wants out of the marriage. But the process isn’t easy, the FIL collapses while on holiday brought on by finding his daughter in bed with another woman.
The angry, frustrating villainess is a lesbian! Another HP gay villain. What? Why?
There’s a completely irrelevant side story about her being adopted and her birth father is actually her father’s brother—which means her father is her uncle, and her uncle is her father. 🤦♀️😑🤦♀️
You would think this would have been an angsty, entertaining, hot mess, nope! It was rather boring.
She goes into the relationship knowing he’s married and it’s unlikely this is going to change. He says as much when she decides it’s over. She’s pregnant, doesn’t tell him and is in the process of not only ending thing but also moving away.
His life is a hot mess... he’s married to the bosses daughter, it’s not a love match, but he tried to make the most of it. That is until the wife has an abortion that leaves her unable to have any more children. An accident has left her in a wheelchair and he’s stuck in a marriage he doesn’t want.
So, off she goes and he tracks her down, but she’s pushing to move on. He leaves but decides he wants out of the marriage. But the process isn’t easy, the FIL collapses while on holiday brought on by finding his daughter in bed with another woman.
The angry, frustrating villainess is a lesbian! Another HP gay villain. What? Why?
There’s a completely irrelevant side story about her being adopted and her birth father is actually her father’s brother—which means her father is her uncle, and her uncle is her father. 🤦♀️😑🤦♀️
You would think this would have been an angsty, entertaining, hot mess, nope! It was rather boring.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2015
First of all I don't understand why this book is titled savage innocence, The title has nothing to do with the content, unless there is something I don’t get.
This book is written by Anne Mather, she is a great writer, I grew up reading her book, or let’s rephrase, I used to love her books when I was a young teen. She can write for sure, but that is the most boring story I have read. The time I wasted on it, is time I won’t be getting back.
The Hero is a wuss, lame with no character. I like my Heroes Alphas, or at least with some sort of redeeming character, but this one has none. He is pushover he gets manipulated by his wife and his father in law. He accepts for some odd reason that we don’t understand, however, somewhere along the story we discover that he ‘respects’ his father in law…why I have no clue.
The adultery was not my main problem, the problem is his attitude, he didn’t care about the heroine enough to divorce her, he cared about his career and his standing in the company of his father in law which is why he married his wife to start with.
So I could deal with all that if there was at least amazing passion and Chemistry but the hero and heroine meet 3 or 4 times in the course of the book, the rest is just analyzing and over analyzing and some minor events that has nothing to do with the main story.
I have nothing to say about the heroine because she did nothing eventful in this story. She was just there.
An utter disappointment.
This book is written by Anne Mather, she is a great writer, I grew up reading her book, or let’s rephrase, I used to love her books when I was a young teen. She can write for sure, but that is the most boring story I have read. The time I wasted on it, is time I won’t be getting back.
The Hero is a wuss, lame with no character. I like my Heroes Alphas, or at least with some sort of redeeming character, but this one has none. He is pushover he gets manipulated by his wife and his father in law. He accepts for some odd reason that we don’t understand, however, somewhere along the story we discover that he ‘respects’ his father in law…why I have no clue.
The adultery was not my main problem, the problem is his attitude, he didn’t care about the heroine enough to divorce her, he cared about his career and his standing in the company of his father in law which is why he married his wife to start with.
So I could deal with all that if there was at least amazing passion and Chemistry but the hero and heroine meet 3 or 4 times in the course of the book, the rest is just analyzing and over analyzing and some minor events that has nothing to do with the main story.
I have nothing to say about the heroine because she did nothing eventful in this story. She was just there.
An utter disappointment.
August 13, 2012
Well I don't necessarily condone this novel, it was a decent novel. I don't think when you are married, you should be having affairs, no matter how bad the marriage is. It would of been better for the hero to get a divorce to be with the heroine he loves but he didn't until near the end of the novel, practically right at the end. I also thought the heroine was brave when she found out that she was pregnant, that she was able to walk about. It was a likable book despite the morals involved.
February 11, 2020
Cheating involved and can't just blame the hero, heroine was just as bad. I love a man that stands up for himself and this hero just didn't he just went with whatever he was told. Heroine just whined and whined about cutting of ties and then she would be going on and on about hero. I really wish the book was written on the best friend Michelle as a heroine and her husband as the hero. She was my fave character
January 14, 2014
This is kind of exactly the type of romance I dislike. Sure, it all works out in the end, but nothing about it is fun or romantic or unpredictable or even happy. Highly do not recommend.
December 22, 2024
Sorry to the other reviewers. I liked it. I love it in fact.
The hero cheats. But not really.
Contrary to what many reviewers have said I feel his wife was a selfish bit*h. First she went and aborted their baby without informing him. Then she got drunk and crashed the car wanting to kill them both. She became paralysed and pretended to not remember that she was the one who was driving. Then .. she started sleeping with her nurse. She was the gift that kept giving.
Hero grew up in foster homes. He became an architect and joined a firm. The boss’s daughter took an interest in him and he was flattered and also he wanted to have a family.
He thought he had made a very good deal but boy was he fooled. She was moody. Temperamental and finally they ended having different rooms and no life together at all.
As many do, the hero was loth to break up his marriage and give up his job.
He existed in limbo for three years and one fine day the heroine backed her car into his. They immediately felt attracted and ended up in an affair.
The heroine discovered she was pregnant. Side story she was also adopted. She discovered who her real father was.
So she moved away from hero to nurse her pregnancy. He had no intention of divorcing. She knew she had to build a good life for herself. She moved to the place where her real father had his house.
It’s a good story. Very real. Interesting. So much happening. Other characters all seem real.
I enjoy it every time I read it.
That’s it.
The hero cheats. But not really.
Contrary to what many reviewers have said I feel his wife was a selfish bit*h. First she went and aborted their baby without informing him. Then she got drunk and crashed the car wanting to kill them both. She became paralysed and pretended to not remember that she was the one who was driving. Then .. she started sleeping with her nurse. She was the gift that kept giving.
Hero grew up in foster homes. He became an architect and joined a firm. The boss’s daughter took an interest in him and he was flattered and also he wanted to have a family.
He thought he had made a very good deal but boy was he fooled. She was moody. Temperamental and finally they ended having different rooms and no life together at all.
As many do, the hero was loth to break up his marriage and give up his job.
He existed in limbo for three years and one fine day the heroine backed her car into his. They immediately felt attracted and ended up in an affair.
The heroine discovered she was pregnant. Side story she was also adopted. She discovered who her real father was.
So she moved away from hero to nurse her pregnancy. He had no intention of divorcing. She knew she had to build a good life for herself. She moved to the place where her real father had his house.
It’s a good story. Very real. Interesting. So much happening. Other characters all seem real.
I enjoy it every time I read it.
That’s it.
October 9, 2018
This is crazy sauce but the bad kind that leaves a bad taste in my mouth...
The heroine Isobel was so wishy washy it frustrated me to read her conversations with her best friend Michelle and also with Jared. I understand she's trying to cut him off to er prepare him for her leaving... but she just wasn't nice.
Jared. I feel bad in a way for him because initially he did try to make a go with his marriage. .. But I can't help but think he's in it more for his career because he worked for his father-in-law. A selfish man, Howard just wanted what he wanted- his only precious daughter to marry his bright young architect and give him grandchildren to carry on the family line?! How he spoilt his daughter Elizabeth. ..He's to bear part of the responsibility for the way Elizabeth turned out.
No doubt about it, the villain of the story is the over indulged and spoilt Elizabeth. Each reveal of her made her seem worse - culminating in the admission she HAD been trying to kill both herself and Jared rather than face her father finding out that she'd just aborted Jared's baby without in secret.
After the incident which paralysed her, her father begged Jared to take the rap so that Elizabeth needn't be charged with drink-driving. Stupidly Jared agreed... And while pretending amnesia, the bitchy Elizabeth never failed to throw the accident in Jared's face to 'guilt' him into doing what she wanted. To me her being a closet lesbian was the latest of her problems!
Four such screwed up people... And basically our couple were adulterers, villainous wife or not.
Two duch flawed people I wasn't sure they really were going to get a HEA.
My favourite person turned out to be Michelle. She spoke her mind, was loyal to Isobel and not afraid to tell people off! What a great contrast to wishy washy Jared and Isobel.
The heroine Isobel was so wishy washy it frustrated me to read her conversations with her best friend Michelle and also with Jared. I understand she's trying to cut him off to er prepare him for her leaving... but she just wasn't nice.
Jared. I feel bad in a way for him because initially he did try to make a go with his marriage. .. But I can't help but think he's in it more for his career because he worked for his father-in-law. A selfish man, Howard just wanted what he wanted- his only precious daughter to marry his bright young architect and give him grandchildren to carry on the family line?! How he spoilt his daughter Elizabeth. ..He's to bear part of the responsibility for the way Elizabeth turned out.
No doubt about it, the villain of the story is the over indulged and spoilt Elizabeth. Each reveal of her made her seem worse - culminating in the admission she HAD been trying to kill both herself and Jared rather than face her father finding out that she'd just aborted Jared's baby without in secret.
After the incident which paralysed her, her father begged Jared to take the rap so that Elizabeth needn't be charged with drink-driving. Stupidly Jared agreed... And while pretending amnesia, the bitchy Elizabeth never failed to throw the accident in Jared's face to 'guilt' him into doing what she wanted. To me her being a closet lesbian was the latest of her problems!
Four such screwed up people... And basically our couple were adulterers, villainous wife or not.
Two duch flawed people I wasn't sure they really were going to get a HEA.
My favourite person turned out to be Michelle. She spoke her mind, was loyal to Isobel and not afraid to tell people off! What a great contrast to wishy washy Jared and Isobel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 16, 2021
This was different. Heroine is the OW. Hero is married but cannot divorce because his wife is crippled, and it would be ugly if he asked for divorce even if she aborted their child without telling him, and cannot have any more children, even if she was driving drunk the car when they had the accident, even if she’s a b..ch and she’s in love with another. No he cannot divorce. Heroine realizes she’s pregnant and leaves the hero, but he’s always trying to win her back ( and of course he doesn’t know she’s pregnant) eventually hero decides to divorce even if it will take him longer since his fil has a heart attack and he has to wait (!!!!) in the end they will marry. This hero was not cruel or a jerk he was only one of the weakest and dumbest man ever. He stays married to a woman who did the worst things to him, accepts everything and is about to lose the heroine because of his cowardice. Heroine accepts to have an affair with hero even if he says that he will never divorce his wife. I think this could be a trigger for someone, because an affair with a married man is not something that many people would accept, maybe if it was a historical romance I could accept that divorce is almost impossible and marriages of convenience were often unhappy but nowadays I prefer if a man (or a woman) is honest and if he (she) doesn’t mean to keep marriage vows it’s better for everybody if the partners separate. But I liked the different story.
June 10, 2014
Didn't totally agree with the idea of this romance but was still wonderfully written and an enjoyable read. You rooted for her leaving him to have a better life for her child but still hoped for a happy ending. Once his past is known and how much he didn't know about love and relationships; and how he comes to realize he loves her; you hope that they can make it right and have that happy ending.
April 20, 2023
If you haven’t read this one you need to!
For an HQN it’s different with many twists you don’t see coming.
The main characters were both realistic and you have sympathy for them both during the story.
It ends with a sweet HEA.
Note: There is real cheating and not pseudo cheating that is usual with an HQN. I know some do not like to read books that feature that. I am the same, however, the circumstances that come to light gives an understanding to the situation.
For an HQN it’s different with many twists you don’t see coming.
The main characters were both realistic and you have sympathy for them both during the story.
It ends with a sweet HEA.
Note: There is real cheating and not pseudo cheating that is usual with an HQN. I know some do not like to read books that feature that. I am the same, however, the circumstances that come to light gives an understanding to the situation.
September 28, 2012
Mrehhh. The premise of this story was such that I started out despising the male lead and disliking the female one, and it never got resolved.
October 23, 2013
One star really is too good for this awful book. Cheating and especially the way it is done in this book is such a turnoff
March 7, 2022
This was surprising good and sweet! It was nice to read a love story that had kinda everything going against the couple: circumstances/friends/family. But you still root for them. They aren’t bad people, and neither are the others in the story, they just are playing out their own love stories. Liked the heroine she was kind, warm and loving bout gave into the hero every step of the way which made her flawed in a good way. Liked our hero, despite how he selfishly pursues the heroine but is so dismissing of the rest of his life. Again flawed, since he is incapable of trying to understand what draws him to the heroine. All the heroine’s friends and family would do what ALL of us would do to our friends who are acting like idiots over a married man! We didn’t really need the side part of looking for the heroine’s family, cause it kinda didn’t go anywhere. Read it! Adorable.
July 4, 2019
Discovering the savage truth...
Pregnant and single, Isobel Dorland yearns for a real family life. But though she's head over heels in love with the father of her child, she knows that he's in no position to offer her marriage.
Resolving that she must start anew, Belle leaves her hometown quietly -- without telling Jared where she's going -- or that she's carrying his baby. But she hasn't reckoned on Jared's determination. He wants her, and it can only be a matter of time before he discovers her whereabouts -- and the truth.... (less)
Pregnant and single, Isobel Dorland yearns for a real family life. But though she's head over heels in love with the father of her child, she knows that he's in no position to offer her marriage.
Resolving that she must start anew, Belle leaves her hometown quietly -- without telling Jared where she's going -- or that she's carrying his baby. But she hasn't reckoned on Jared's determination. He wants her, and it can only be a matter of time before he discovers her whereabouts -- and the truth.... (less)
January 20, 2020
What a waste of time! Married H cheating with h - that's the only "different" thing here. Everyone is TSTL - including the H who allows himself to be bent to the Father-in-law's will to keep his cushy position. How is that different from any old gold-digger? h is spineless and idiotish and her BFF is worse. Why, oh why, don't these people have simple conversations? Why jump to far-out conclusions basis the first sentence out of someone's mouth... just a complete waste of time for me and too many trees lost on the planet for everyone else.
June 21, 2020
I actually liked this one. This showed the h(Isobel) perspective. How and why the fell for the H(Jared). Jared was in a tough situation and so was Isobel, but she had to leave to save herself. And her sister was a selfish social climber. After finding new things about her mother she wants answers.
The tug and pull Belle was going through was heartbreaking. She didn't want to be the other woman but she fell in love with Jared. Once realized what he was loosing did he go after Belle.
Good read...
The tug and pull Belle was going through was heartbreaking. She didn't want to be the other woman but she fell in love with Jared. Once realized what he was loosing did he go after Belle.
Good read...
February 15, 2021
The H is married to a woman who had aborted his child without letting him know and he didn't cause the accident that turned her into a differently abled person. Despite all this he continues to stay on as his father in law is the head of the business. He wants to have his cake and eat it too hence he makes our lovely h into his mistress. The h leaves when she finds she is pregnant without letting him know and goes away. He obviously wants a convenient mistress and hence follows her. Considering how selfish he has been the story would have been better if h had moved on and found someone else.
March 7, 2021
Why are there so many complications. I thought this book was very similar to another book by Anne Mather, Betrayed. In both books the H was just to immature and had no gusts to fight for love . As most of Anne Mather books the heroine always runs away and later has gotten a great breakthrough in some career, returns with the satisfaction of having made it in life . But she has all the insecurities still. Hero is still a heel, no belly , irritating 😠.
March 30, 2011
I didn't enjoy this Anne Mather tale as much as I have some of her other titles and mainly due to the married man aspect to the tale. It just doesn't do it for me when it comes to romance.
I did like the fact that the hero was short-sighted. I don't think I've ever read of a short-sighted leading man in a HP title.
I did like the fact that the hero was short-sighted. I don't think I've ever read of a short-sighted leading man in a HP title.
August 22, 2016
For something with so many trigger points for mayhem and angst this was surprisingly boring.
March 12, 2016
I didn’t like the heroine at all. Sounds like an underhanded woman.
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