Emma Darcy is the pseudonym created by the married writing team of Wendy (1940-2020) and Frank Brennan (1936-1995). Their life journey has taken as many twists and turns as the characters in their stories, whose international popularity has resulted in over sixty-million book sales. With more than a hundred titles, Emma Darcy appeared regularly on the Waldenbooks bestseller lists in the U.S.A. and in the Nielson BookScan Top 100 chart in the U.K.
Wendy was born 28 November 1940 in Australia. Her sister was the novelist Maureen Mary (Miranda Lee). Her father was a country school teacher and brilliant sportsman. Her mother was a talented dressmaker. She obtained an Honours degree in Latin and initially worked as a high school English/French teacher. She married Frank Brennan, an Australian businessman born in 1936. She changed careers to computer programming before marriage and motherhood settled her into a community life. She was reputedly the first woman computer programmer in the southern hemisphere.
As voracious readers, the step to writing their own books seemed a natural progression and the challenge of creating exciting stories was soon highly addictive. They were published since 1983. In 1993, for the Emma Darcy pseudonym's 10th anniversary, they created the "Emma Darcy Award Contest" to encourage authors to finish their manuscripts. After the death of Frank Brennan in 1995, Wendy wrotes books on her own. She lived in a beachside property on the central coast of New South Wales, and liked to travel extensively to research settings and increase her experience of places and people.
Wendy Brennan passed away on December 21, 2020. She is survived by her children, grandchildren, and sister, writer Miranda Lee.
4/5 star hero who is in love with the heroine who simply doesn't buy it and, hmm, maybe doesn't deserve it.
The heroine has wrapped herself emotionally and ended up living with a dweeby sort who ends up cheating on her and getting another woman pregnant. So much for protecting yourself.
The hero finds out about her dilemma and steps in and finds her an apartment. The H is a lighthearted charmer which begs the question why he is soooo attracted to the prickly h. And prickly she is.
Poignant scene when the heroine is packing up her apartment she had with the ex only to find he has left all the pictures of them together. Laughs on him when he goes to check on her in her new digs only to find out she threw them out. Nice spine!
Her insignificant other slithers for a visit when the hunky H is there. H has her back to save face as he pretends they are starting an affair. Passion explodes and I had to read it twice to see if the ex had even left the apt before they began writhing on the Berger carpet. Nice to say that not only is the H a charmer, but has unbelievable ability to rise to the occasion when needed. Sadly the h resorts to prickly mode.
Shockarama, but the heroine's birth control pills fail. An invite to Christmas and a confrontation with an interfering mother drive the plot. Kudos to the heroine for standing up to Managing Martha Mommy, but major stars off for her bitchiness to the H. He alludes to his feelings then finally makes an alpha stand that drives an "I love you" out of the heroine.
Lighthearted H's are so rare in HP they deserve better
Re The Marriage Decider - Emma Darcy does the boss/secretary trope with an unexpected baby bonus in this one.
The h is 29 and left home at 16 when her mother died. Her father was an abusive, controlling bully and the h wasn't prepared to play hostage to his demanding whims.
Thirteen years later the h comes home to find her live in partner of five years has gotten some blonde tootsie preggers and is dumping the h to marry his piece on the side. The h isn't very happy about this, it is the cheating that really bites-tho the h isn't too happy about the pregnancy bit either.
She never married her ex slime gulper cause he suggested they would be better off as 'free spirits'. The h comments to herself that for someone so intent on freedom, he succumbed really quickly to a bleached blonde ball and chain.
The h has to pull it together tho, so it is off to work she goes. Her boss is a yacht broker who is also a wide sampler of the lady buffet. To the h's great surprise, her boss comes in with a baby and at first she thinks he finally got caught out in his amorous games.
Then the H confesses that he is doing uncle duty by babysitting for his sister, whose husband is at emergency after dislocating his shoulder. The H arrogantly tries to pawn baby care off on the h, but this lady has a backbone and firmly tells the H that he agreed to do kid sitting, so it is up to him to fulfill his promise to his sister.
The h isn't in any mood to be around babies, considering she just got her relationship tanked by the unexpected announcement of one, plus the h has no baby caretaking abilities - she was the youngest in her family.
The h then starts to worry that she has revealed too much personal information to the H and she thinks she might get fired. The H is a horrible flirt with the ladies, so the h has been adamant about keeping things professional. The h overhears the H claiming that he has the h almost where he wants her to his baby nephew and the h is ready to raise her attempted H seduction guards up.
To the h's surprise, the H apologizes for assuming the h would be all agog to babysit. The h handles the business of the day and we see the H is very good with tiny kids. The H's sister shows up to get her son and she is full of praise for the h's handling of her brother.
The h doesn't get the insinuation, but it is clear to the reader that this H is massively in love with the h. When the h finally has a teary moment over the demise of her relationship, the H is really quick to give the h a big pay raise and into an new, more exclusive luxury flat- tho the H lied a LOT about who the flat really belongs to.
(We learn later that the really pricey flat is the H's, he wanted the h free of reminders of her ex and their life together. So he cobbled a story up to get the h to believe that she was subletting the place for six months while the owner was away.)
The h is glad to be able to get out of her previously shared-with-her-ex-flat and make a new start. In a completely hysterical scene, the h's ex shows up at the h's new flat and walks in on the H and h.
It had been moving day for the h and the H showed up to bring her Chinese, she was just out of the shower when she hears her ex's voice and he is sounding very irate at what he finds.
The h and H have no mercy as they deliberately give the impression that since he dumped the h for his baby mama, there is no longer any barrier to the H and h's mutual passion. Since the H is a manly Alpha HP H and the ex is tech nerd goof, the h gets the satisfaction of one upping her ex in the moving on to a new partner stakes and the ex is firmly chased away.
The h and H stared kissing in front of the ex and tossing back champagne, the kissing turns into a full blown passion event and the next morning the h is quietly mortified. She doesn't want to lose her job and yet she figures the H is going to stray, she has noticed how he likes to sample lady buffets far and wide and she isn't holding out any hope that the H will become a stay at home dining kind of man.
The h's anxiety is heightened when she realizes that she missed a birth control pill, then the HP rule of motilators hitting the target on the first strike goes into effect. The h realizes she is pregnant and she isn't sure of what to do. She spends a lot of time thinking about what to tell the H.
But to her surprise the H seems to really care about her. When she explains how she is estranged from her few relations, the H invites the h for Christmas with his very close and very loving family.
All is going great and the h is really liking the familial care and warmth, then the H's mother opens her mouth for a little "chat" with the h. From the minute the woman opens her mouth, it sounds like she is judging the h. The H's mother tells her that living with a man is the wrong path and that if the h had a mother she would do better than that.
This h still has her backbone tho and she politely, but firmly tells the woman that she did not show up expecting to be attacked and that while the woman's own marriage is obviously very happy, it is not always like that.
Nor should she be judging the h's choices for her life, especially when the h just got out of a five year committed relationship, while the woman's own son treats women like an aperitif for lunch. The H's mother splutters at such a direct attack and the h decides that she is unacceptable to the H's mother as a suitable partner for her son.
So the h gets ready to leave and the H gives her a very roofie kiss under the mistletoe. The h feels like the H is trying to manipulate her and she blurts out she is preggers as she is telling the H off. He proposes straight away, he is obviously thrilled to be a dad. But the h isn't too keen on the H's marriage of convenience depiction of their relationship.
The h tells the H that she is no one's convenience and she certainly isn't going to sit at home while the H continues his blissful buffet sampling - which she is certain he will continue to do. Then the H says what is probably the dumbest line in the book, he tells the h that all his 'dates' with the lovely ladies were because the h used her prior relationship to keep the H away.
The H claims he only went out and slept with those OW because the h was adamant that they keep thing professional between them, but if the h will give him a chance, the H is ready to be committed to her.
The h thinks about things as the H is ready to leave and she decides to give him the benefit of the doubt - (tho it was more like HP rule #1 went into effect, the h is responsible for the H's bad behavior, even tho she only worked for the H and was living with another man.)
ED has to wrap things up, there is a stork impatient to get on his way, so the h explains about her father's bullying and how it changed her, then she agrees that she was using her ex to keep the H at bay. Now tho, she will marry the H because she really does love him.
The H then tells her that his mother was trying to help things along by encouraging the h to agree to marry him and to prove it, he calls his mum up and the woman is ecstatic that the H and h are going to marry and she can't wait to welcome the h to the family.
We get a little epilogue where the H and h are sailing around Sydney Harbour on a luxury yacht for New Year's Eve. There is a big fireworks display and the H and h agree that their marital love, devotion and passion will be just as explosive each and everyday for the pink and fluffy ED HPlandia HEA.
This one is pretty funny, especially when it came to the routing of the slime pustule ex. I liked how the h handled the H's mother as well, she wasn't mean, but she was firm and I thought that boded really well for the h's future relationship with the H's family.
The H was clearly head over heels for this h as well, so I kinda forgave him the "you made me date OW line", the poor man was so befuddled, he probably had no clue as to what he was accusing the h of.
Overall this is a fun, fast and very fluffy HPlandia outing. There is a besotted H, a suitable evil ex comeuppance and the HEA was pretty believable by the end, which makes this one a good day at the HP office and worth a read when you want a cotton candy break from the usual HP angsty drama.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
A hero who ‘burbles on’…at least half a dozen times?! A heroine who was living in with the om for the past 5 years till he dumps her and then she notices the H, her boss of 2 years (although it is suggested later that the spark was always there but..). Well..still not my cuppa!
For making me love Jake even though he doesn’t get a POV, this book gets all the stars. I love it when it’s the man who pines and when he acts fast and decisively once the opportunity presented itself. Amy is uber-dramatic in comparison to Jake but I like that she stands her ground, especially with Jake’s mom. I also like that she didn’t keep the secret from Jake for too long. Her recount of her past made me cry. Overall, I just really love Emma Darcy’s style of writing.
This didn’t work for me when the heroine had just broken up with her live in boyfriend of 5 years and not through her choice yet a week later she’s with the hero, her boss.
It was obvious he liked her but I didn’t feel her love for him as it was on the rebound from her ex.
It's obvious that the Hero fell in loved first haha and he loved her for 2 years, the time she worked for him as a PA. The heroine just got out from a 5 year relationship with her live in partner, and although found the Hero hot, but never really entertained that attraction.
The story evolved around that time when the heroine learned about her (ex) partner's infidelity, finding a new apartment, had sex with the Hero and Christmas day.
I actually did not feel the romantic love of the heroine towards the Hero. Because, for me, hello? 5 year relationship against the days she had with the Hero (not included the 2 year working relationship). He gave her a good fck and she relished the attention - because she was that vulnerable. Then she got pregnant by the Hero...
Their "romantic" confession came up 2 pages before the end? So, actually, I did not buy the heroine's feelings towards the Hero was "lllaaavvv".
This was a cute story. The H was a sweetheart who obviously fancied the heroine for a long time. He goes out of his way to be there for her when she is dumped by her ex, and is constantly concerned for her welfare. Nothing much really happens though and it’s a very short book.
It lost a star simply because I did find off putting the fact that she had been in a serious relationship for 5 years with someone else, then in the span of a week she falls for the Hero.
The proposal of marriage was kinda at the end of the novel,, so I couldn't replace the title.. the novel was somehow predictable and the confession of love was so hasty .. I think the novel should have been a bit longer..
How refreshing to read that the hero was grown up in a wonderful family and had no "baggage" or bad experience to make him someone who is afraid to love. I also loved how much both the h and the H have "morals". Although they felt the attraction when they are working together, they didn't act on their lust as the heroine was living with her boyfriend then. The hero didn't try to break the heroine's relationship just to get what he wanted. The heroine is also mature enough to ensure they work professionally together.
I also love the conversation between the hero's mother and heroine. It is actually quite realistic for the mother who want the best partner for his son and may have made some inappropriate comment but the heroine was able to stand her ground and gave a very reasonable, mature respond too. That was a very well written conversation and I loved it!
Ternyata eh ternyata aq dah pnah bcax b'brapa tahun yg lalu...He3h...Langsung igt wktu jake bwa ponakanx k kantor... Suka jake yg g mmaksa atw merengek2 bwt dptin amy... Tp syang,critax cm dr sudut pandang amy j,jd g tw deh ap pkiranx c jake slama menunggu amy...
Set in Australia this 'falling for her boss' romance has one plot eminent I've never really seen used before, she was living with another man for 5 years just days before the inevitable meant to be hook up. Still it was an entertaining enough read for a Harlequin Presents book.
Las cosas que una puede descubrir al leer una historia, Anne no puede estar con Jake por conocerlo como un mujeriego y el dice que era porque no podía estar con ella y a lo que ella reacciona de la mejor forma pensando "Ahh era por eso entonces si lo acepto" vaya :O
Some quality angst and very likable leads. The resolution to HEA wasn't entirely to my taste but overall didn't diminish what I enjoyed about the story.