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One Reckless Moment
She'd given in to impulse once ...
Instinctively Maggie had run-run hard and run long--from Nick's Colorado mountain cabin.
Hadn't she always been Maggie the dependable, Maggie the sensible, the only one in her family who never took risks? So, when she'd found herself snowed in with a handsome, enigmatic stranger and suddenly discovered what giving in to impulse was all about...
... of course she'd run! But reckless moments come at high prices. And eventually Nick would find her and see that she paid.
Instinctively Maggie had run-run hard and run long--from Nick's Colorado mountain cabin.
Hadn't she always been Maggie the dependable, Maggie the sensible, the only one in her family who never took risks? So, when she'd found herself snowed in with a handsome, enigmatic stranger and suddenly discovered what giving in to impulse was all about...
... of course she'd run! But reckless moments come at high prices. And eventually Nick would find her and see that she paid.
189 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
2 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Jeanne Allan
34 books12 followersBarbara Blackman was under the pseudonym Jeanne Allan, the author of 25 romance novels for Harlequin. On the cover of her first novel, Peter's Sister, her surname was misspelled as "Allen".
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 11, 2012
This is one of those books that had the potential to be so much better than it was, but the hero and heroine kept getting in the way of a great story.
Maggie has always been the dependable one. Having been orphaned young, she has been thrust with the responsibility of raising her two other siblings. She has gone without so many things in life to make sure that they did not.
On an impetuous desire to go have some fun, Maggie leaves home headed for a ski trip to Aspen. She unfortunately makes the wrong decision and ends up stranded in a blizzard. She is rescued by "Prince Charming" and spends two rather passionate days with him, but she stops short of having sex because she doesn't believe this sets the right example for her younger sister. Panicked that things could get out of hand, she bolts borrowing $100 from the hero's wallet because she can't find hers. She has every intention of mailing the money back to him, but since they never reveal last names or what cities they lived in, that becomes problematic.
5 months later, it seems her brother has embezzled from hero's company and the sh*& is about to hit the fan. Of course, hero realizes right away who she is and offers to drop all charges if she marries him...After all, they have chemistry, she is dependable, he doesn't want someone hanging all over him making demands and best of all, he can hold her hostage to his every whim with the threat of bringing charges against her brother. Maggie goes for it, wanting to avoid her brother going to jail.
What I really hated about the story was her ridiculous insecurities, her stupid decisions and her constant internal whining about how everyone was prettier than her...to the point that she was actually jealous of her 18 year old scatterbrained sister.
To make matters worse, there is absolutely nothing endearing about the hero. First, he blackmails her into marrying him outlining responsibilities that would make a normal person do him bodily harm. On their wedding day he insults the heirloom wedding gown that had been given to her from her great grandmother. He actually goes so far as to say he could have wrung her neck when he saw her walking down the aisle wearing that "old rag". After they consummated their vows, he actually throws a hairbrush at her, because he thinks she has been practicing with other men. According to him, she was a "technical" virgin from the waist down because she was so practiced in her lovemaking. (It seems the poor fool read sex books in order to make sure that he was pleased with her performance since that was one of his requirements) Finally, when things seemed to have settled down for them, he gets so jealous one night after a party that he calls her a whore who explodes for any man who touches her. His justification for the explosion was because she showed up in a sexy outfit. Of course, how does the fool respond to this explosion? She wants to go to him and soothe him and kiss away his pain.
The next day he confesses that he really does love her and she breaks out crying. For me, this was the first and only sane thing she did throughout the entire book. Frankly, I would have cried too....but I also would have bolted for the door and never looked back.
Maggie has always been the dependable one. Having been orphaned young, she has been thrust with the responsibility of raising her two other siblings. She has gone without so many things in life to make sure that they did not.
On an impetuous desire to go have some fun, Maggie leaves home headed for a ski trip to Aspen. She unfortunately makes the wrong decision and ends up stranded in a blizzard. She is rescued by "Prince Charming" and spends two rather passionate days with him, but she stops short of having sex because she doesn't believe this sets the right example for her younger sister. Panicked that things could get out of hand, she bolts borrowing $100 from the hero's wallet because she can't find hers. She has every intention of mailing the money back to him, but since they never reveal last names or what cities they lived in, that becomes problematic.
5 months later, it seems her brother has embezzled from hero's company and the sh*& is about to hit the fan. Of course, hero realizes right away who she is and offers to drop all charges if she marries him...After all, they have chemistry, she is dependable, he doesn't want someone hanging all over him making demands and best of all, he can hold her hostage to his every whim with the threat of bringing charges against her brother. Maggie goes for it, wanting to avoid her brother going to jail.
What I really hated about the story was her ridiculous insecurities, her stupid decisions and her constant internal whining about how everyone was prettier than her...to the point that she was actually jealous of her 18 year old scatterbrained sister.
To make matters worse, there is absolutely nothing endearing about the hero. First, he blackmails her into marrying him outlining responsibilities that would make a normal person do him bodily harm. On their wedding day he insults the heirloom wedding gown that had been given to her from her great grandmother. He actually goes so far as to say he could have wrung her neck when he saw her walking down the aisle wearing that "old rag". After they consummated their vows, he actually throws a hairbrush at her, because he thinks she has been practicing with other men. According to him, she was a "technical" virgin from the waist down because she was so practiced in her lovemaking. (It seems the poor fool read sex books in order to make sure that he was pleased with her performance since that was one of his requirements) Finally, when things seemed to have settled down for them, he gets so jealous one night after a party that he calls her a whore who explodes for any man who touches her. His justification for the explosion was because she showed up in a sexy outfit. Of course, how does the fool respond to this explosion? She wants to go to him and soothe him and kiss away his pain.
The next day he confesses that he really does love her and she breaks out crying. For me, this was the first and only sane thing she did throughout the entire book. Frankly, I would have cried too....but I also would have bolted for the door and never looked back.
July 23, 2012
Rating 2.5 stars
Well if there is one thing I can't abide by is a blind and annoying, martyr type heroine and this book has that. She becomes stranded with the hero and almost gives up her control to have a good time but a lifetime of propriety and raising her siblings comes to her mind and she sneaks out. Months later her brother steals some money and his boss turns out to be the hero who blackmails her into marrying him. It was so fairly obvious the hero was crazy about her while she doubted even the sibling she had raised loved her. I really wanted to smash her head in so many times, they way she coddled her siblings and didn't just spit out what she felt to the hero instead of brooding over things and being jealous of her own blonde sister. I just couldn't abide by the heroine's internal whining.
Well if there is one thing I can't abide by is a blind and annoying, martyr type heroine and this book has that. She becomes stranded with the hero and almost gives up her control to have a good time but a lifetime of propriety and raising her siblings comes to her mind and she sneaks out. Months later her brother steals some money and his boss turns out to be the hero who blackmails her into marrying him. It was so fairly obvious the hero was crazy about her while she doubted even the sibling she had raised loved her. I really wanted to smash her head in so many times, they way she coddled her siblings and didn't just spit out what she felt to the hero instead of brooding over things and being jealous of her own blonde sister. I just couldn't abide by the heroine's internal whining.
November 3, 2018
His outburst at her the night before everything was resolved was actually frightening. HATED it, HATED him.
January 30, 2012
If Jeanne Alan’s “Trust in Love” is the Beauty and the Beast adaption, then this story is the “Ugly Duckling.”
All her life, sensible, red-head Maggie felt like a cross between the Ugly Duckling and Little Red Hen. Beside her blonde and beautiful younger sister, she was overlooked. And because they were orphaned early, she became the mother hen not only to her sister but her younger brother too and carried the responsibility of raising them.
That’s why when Prince Charming came to rescue her, she totally missed the signs that he was besotted with her. How do you explain a rich man blackmailing her, a sister of a crook, to marry him? His jealousy of her experience in bed (which she gained from reading library books)? His attention to her every need and generosity to her siblings although he believed them to be parasites? His apparent delight in her company? His whimsical gestures like ordering for shoelace to tie her hair? His fetish for her red hair?
But I do agree with the heroine that the most convincing proof of his adoration was when he didn’t notice anyone else in a group photograph except her, standing in front of a tree, laughing at the camera.
Excellent sweet romance.
All her life, sensible, red-head Maggie felt like a cross between the Ugly Duckling and Little Red Hen. Beside her blonde and beautiful younger sister, she was overlooked. And because they were orphaned early, she became the mother hen not only to her sister but her younger brother too and carried the responsibility of raising them.
That’s why when Prince Charming came to rescue her, she totally missed the signs that he was besotted with her. How do you explain a rich man blackmailing her, a sister of a crook, to marry him? His jealousy of her experience in bed (which she gained from reading library books)? His attention to her every need and generosity to her siblings although he believed them to be parasites? His apparent delight in her company? His whimsical gestures like ordering for shoelace to tie her hair? His fetish for her red hair?
But I do agree with the heroine that the most convincing proof of his adoration was when he didn’t notice anyone else in a group photograph except her, standing in front of a tree, laughing at the camera.
Excellent sweet romance.
October 12, 2011
The heroine Maggie is on her way to Aspen on a whim as she is fed up with always being sensible. When she unexpectedly gets caught in a snow storm she is rescued by Nick, the hero. Nick lets her stay with him in his cabin while the storm is still going. There is an instant attraction between them, and they also become friends. However, Maggie has never been with a man so is nervous and ends things before they go too far. Fearing Nick's anger she flees the next morning and attempts to forget him. Six months later Maggie is shocked to learn that her brother, whom she raised after her parents death, has been stealing from the company he works for. Maggie goes to see the owner with hope to convince him to go easy on her brother but she is surprised, and a little nervous, when the owners turns out to be Nick. Nick agrees to go easy on her brother on the condition that she marry him. Maggie reluctantly agrees and when she moves away with her new husband she slowly begins to fall for him. Yet she also feels torn between loyalty to her husband and to her family, as well as feeling out of place in Nick's world especially when it seems like he will never love her.
I really enjoyed this book. To me, it felt very modern. It could easily have been written in the last few years, and the fact that it was actually written over twenty years ago is very impressive. Nick is the perfect modern day alpha-male and is well written and developed, although as usual with an older book we don't get his point of view. Maggie is a really nice heroine, I liked her lost-but-confident manner and she wasn't too doormat-y! Very appealing.
The book is well written and has a nice blend of simmering sexual tension and genuine romance.
Originally posted at http://everyday-is-the-same.blogspot....
October 18, 2012
4.5 stars. This was very readable, with very likable characters. I enjoyed the way the hero tried to take care of the heroine after they were married (though of course she misinterpreted most of his actions) -- you could tell he really loved her. I did wish he would have stopped pointing out how sensible she was, right up until the end -- there had to be another word he could have used that sounded less dowdy and boring. Overall though, this was a good one.
August 6, 2012
Were there some weird holes in the storyline? Sure but I just ignored the weird tangents and enjoyed the hero :P
March 27, 2023
The first half until the wedding was 4 stars, from the wedding on it went quickly downhill to two stars. So on average 3 stars.
After the wedding she becomes passive and dependent. She was doing nothing all day, just reading and waiting for him to come home with ideas of something to do. And also a lot of inner whining about how every other woman looked good and she didn’t look good.
He went hot and cold on her after the wedding. Disappointing. And also disappointing that she didn’t bring her dog Archie with her to the H’s home after the wedding, she left the dog with her unresponsible 18-year old sister. Her brother and sister were leeches. The H’s rage in the end with him slutshaming her over nothing was OTT.
After the wedding she becomes passive and dependent. She was doing nothing all day, just reading and waiting for him to come home with ideas of something to do. And also a lot of inner whining about how every other woman looked good and she didn’t look good.
He went hot and cold on her after the wedding. Disappointing. And also disappointing that she didn’t bring her dog Archie with her to the H’s home after the wedding, she left the dog with her unresponsible 18-year old sister. Her brother and sister were leeches. The H’s rage in the end with him slutshaming her over nothing was OTT.
January 19, 2024
Tombolone dei premi brutti dell'ultimo dell'anno. Mi ritrovo con questo libro in mano grazie a una splendida tombola nel quarto giro.
"La prima volta di Maggie" il titolo in italiano.
Lo approccio senza pregiudizi, in fondo si è sempre scherzato sugli harmony, ma quanti ne hanno davvero letto uno per poterli realmente giudicare?
Ora posso. Primo e ultimo che leggerò. 2 stelle su 5 perché ne riconosco la scorrevolezza, ma tutto il resto veramente improponibile. La caratterizzazione e i rapporti tra i personaggi, che sono il fulcro del libro, sono totalmente insensati.
Per rendere l'idea, e poi finisco qui, Nick, il protagonista, passa in poche righe, senza alcuna motivazione, dall'essere premuroso a dare l'impressione di voler commettere delle violenze su Maggie. Questo svariate volte in diversi momenti. Boh.
"La prima volta di Maggie" il titolo in italiano.
Lo approccio senza pregiudizi, in fondo si è sempre scherzato sugli harmony, ma quanti ne hanno davvero letto uno per poterli realmente giudicare?
Ora posso. Primo e ultimo che leggerò. 2 stelle su 5 perché ne riconosco la scorrevolezza, ma tutto il resto veramente improponibile. La caratterizzazione e i rapporti tra i personaggi, che sono il fulcro del libro, sono totalmente insensati.
Per rendere l'idea, e poi finisco qui, Nick, il protagonista, passa in poche righe, senza alcuna motivazione, dall'essere premuroso a dare l'impressione di voler commettere delle violenze su Maggie. Questo svariate volte in diversi momenti. Boh.
September 9, 2018
I loved this book. The h was a cute, funny young woman. She was a little insecure as she is the only one with red hair in the family and often gets compared unfavourably to her younger sister. She's like a mother to her self-involved siblings. The H is a bossy guy who's smitten by the heroine but feels insecure because she literally bolted after they spent a nice night (not sleeping) together. It was so cute when he declared that the heroine wouldn't "nest" and kept hinting that she redecorates as he thought this would prove that she won't bolt again. This was a sweet romance.
January 19, 2025
Maggie, the sensible librarian whom everyone condemned for her red fiery hair since childhood, felt so theatened by Nick Ryan's male magantism to the extand that she eventually fled from his capin after days of him rescuing her and letting her stay with him because of a snow storm. After all, she had to go back to her normal hectic life that included her irresponsible brother and selfish beautiful little sister. Maggie thought she could handle anything. However, when her brother was caugh stealing and his boss demanded that he brought his beautiful sister as a compensation, Maggie had to go and face that boss for her siblings' sack. Only, she discovered the boss was actually Nick and now he was demanding she married him unless she wanted to see her brother in jail! What was a mere librarian supposed to do but accept!
An Ok pass-time read. Enjoyable in parts.
An Ok pass-time read. Enjoyable in parts.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2023
قرأتها سنوات المراهقه كانت ضمن سلسلة روايات احلام بعنوان العروس الحمراء ..رواية رائعة وفيها حس فكاهي مرح تصلح لان تتحول لفيلم رومانسي كوميدي كافلام التسعينات
March 20, 2024
Yo yo emotions all around
August 6, 2022
She'd given in to impulse once...
Instinctively Maggie had run -- run hard and run long -- from Nick's Colorado mountain cabin.
Hadn't she always been Maggie the dependable, Maggie the sensible, the only one in the family who never took risks? So, when she'd found herself snowed in with a handsome, enigmatic stranger and suddenly discovered what giving in to impulse was all about...
...of course, she'd run! But reckless moments come at high prices. And eventually Nick would find her and see that she paid.
Instinctively Maggie had run -- run hard and run long -- from Nick's Colorado mountain cabin.
Hadn't she always been Maggie the dependable, Maggie the sensible, the only one in the family who never took risks? So, when she'd found herself snowed in with a handsome, enigmatic stranger and suddenly discovered what giving in to impulse was all about...
...of course, she'd run! But reckless moments come at high prices. And eventually Nick would find her and see that she paid.
February 4, 2013
I found the novel okay but I was kind of bothered that there wasn't good enough, in my opinion, amounts of love and passion. It was kind of too laid back for my full adoration.
February 10, 2016
قرأتها باسم العروس الحمراء
رائعة
رائعة
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