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Trial by Love
It was a hard choice to make
Caroline was astonished when fellow barrister Matt Farrar-Reid demanded to know more about the woman behind her forbidding wig and gown.
She had watched the travesty of her parents' marriage and vowed never to get involved with anyone. But away from the courtroom and warmed by the Mediterranean sun, she began to see Matt in a very different light.
It was up to her. She could keep the cold, safe professionalism of their working relationship--or she could abandon her defenses and let Matt into her life....
Caroline was astonished when fellow barrister Matt Farrar-Reid demanded to know more about the woman behind her forbidding wig and gown.
She had watched the travesty of her parents' marriage and vowed never to get involved with anyone. But away from the courtroom and warmed by the Mediterranean sun, she began to see Matt in a very different light.
It was up to her. She could keep the cold, safe professionalism of their working relationship--or she could abandon her defenses and let Matt into her life....
- GenresHarlequin Presents
188 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1991
About the author
Susanne McCarthy
102 books74 followersI'm a Londoner, though now I live in Devon, a twenty-minute walk from the sea. I love nothing more than walking my pretty Cavapoo on the beach in the rain (well, OK, I don't object to the sun, but when it's raining we usually have the whole beach to ourselves.)
Back in the day I had 25 novels published by Mills&Boon. After a long gap doing other things I found my love of writing again, and self-published three new novels.
But I knew that to reach more readers I needed an established publisher. Step in Joffe Books. They were top of my list so I was delighted when they accepted the first novel I sent them.
This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Back in the day I had 25 novels published by Mills&Boon. After a long gap doing other things I found my love of writing again, and self-published three new novels.
But I knew that to reach more readers I needed an established publisher. Step in Joffe Books. They were top of my list so I was delighted when they accepted the first novel I sent them.
This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 15, 2017
Re Trial By Love - Susanne McCarthy brings two English barristers together in an interesting look at the changing values of HPlandia. The h is a 27 yr old barrister who is practicing out of the Inns of Court. She has worked with the H, a very fast rising barrister himself, for six years.
The h has a famous actor father who continually cheats and flaunts it in front of her rather wishy-washy mother. The h's mum was a dancer back in the day, got seduced by the h's father and ended up preggers and so they married and have been miserable ever since. The H's father really only shows up when he needs the 'perfect family' portrait for one event or another. This background and fighting her way through the English barrister system, which isn't too keen on the ladies practicing law, has pretty much rendered the h non-relationship material and very non-interested.
The H especially reminds her of her father, he is a lady buffet lurver extraordinaire and tho the h has a physical attraction, she is remarkably contained around the H as she has no use for frequent flyer pilots and their mileage. (In fact the h is still intacto, which I found a bit dubious and not really believable, but SMc wanted that so I went with it.) The h is very formal and business-like in chambers. She even has the official thick glasses and really needs to use them.
One night when Daddy dearest insists the h and her mum go to an event with him for the "family photo op", the h runs into the H. The h's mum, who never saw a potential husband for the h that she didn't like, does her best to do a spot of matchmaking. Things are complicated even more when the h's father gets roaring drunk and also gets into a fight with a director and the H has to abandon his current buffet sample to help the h and her mum get the father home. The h looks vastly different out of the Inns, she isn't a handsome actor's daughter with a beautiful mother for nothing. The H is attracted and he puts the moves on the h, which she firmly rebuffs.
The h is next in Cannes with her parent's for another "family photo op" event. She is topless on the beach when the H saunters up with the h's mum and he is having a good ogle round the doorpost and admiring the knockers. The h naturally resents being stared at like a side of beef and the H claims that his climbing expedition did not go off and so he came to Cannes to relax a bit and ran into the h's mum at their mutual hotel.
The h's mum wastes no time in setting them up together and the H bets the h that he can seduce her in two weeks. When a wanna be OW comes on the scene and stirs the h's jealous competition instincts, the H wins his bet after a night of drinking and dancing three days later.
The H is shocked at the h's untouched status and she is lost in lust. Then WWIII breaks out when her mother catches her father with a nubile lady buffet sample of his own and the h blows the H and the ecstatic night of lurve off as a drinking experience, leaving him in outraged shock. Because her mum is set on leaving her father and the h worries she can't manage on her own, the h gets her mum back to England. Plus the h is a wee bit unhappy that she just joined the hors d'oeuvres of the H's buffet sampling.
Back in England, the H and h are frigidly polite, but distant in chambers and then the h finds out she is preggers. The H is looking for a bit of revenge for being used as the h's pump and dump and he tries to insist on marriage. The h is adamantly against that, cause who wants to marry the image of their promiscuous father and suffer the same misery her mother has for 30 years.
Nope, the h is going to Hollywood with her parents instead. The H doesn't try to stop her, cause this h actually knows the law and tells him he has no rights, tho if the H wants to be a dad, she will not stop him from access. (For once and HP h is absolutely correct on English Law and she is able to be her own barrister too.)
So we go to California where the h's dad soon takes up his philandering ways. The h has a little girl and sends letters and pictures to the H in a distant, while you are out kinda way. The H sends some toys and the h's mum gets a divorce, takes up a younger lover and moves to New York where she opens a fitness studio and gym. Almost three years on, with nary a visit or a phone call from the H, the h returns to England and goes back to barristering.
She has to share chambers with one of the H's lady lurves and the h thinks it must have been a serious one, cause the H took the woman to his family home for Christmas. The h gets to do her own H family home visit when the H asks to introduce his daughter to his father and the rest of his relatives. Since the H has been doing his dad visits pretty regularly, the h agrees to go and gets the full "You must marry the H for the child's sake" treatment by his relatives.
The H's father makes a point of telling the h that his son's reputation is pretty shoddy in regards to the ladies, but surely she is an intelligent woman and can handle that or discreetly ignore his little flings for the sake of a married family. The h is like, " Um er, not really" but the H is pressing the roofie kissing thing and the h is having inner melties.
The rest of the visit goes well and the h feels a bit bad about not marrying the H, but her mother tells her to do what is best for her and not give into pressurization, the h is entitled to her rights too. (The mum's transformation was pretty awesome, and I did like how SMc handled that. )
Back in London, the h is in court when her au pair has to leave the country to care for her ill mother. The h can't be reached, so the H comes over to watch his daughter and he is outraged that the h still won't marry him. The h is by now in love with the H, but she knows his type all too well and marriage isn't an option. Plus the H had suggested she be a stay at home mum and the h won't do that, she worked too hard and loves her legal career too much to give it all up.
The H has to drag out the roofie Lurve Club Mojo and while he is seducing the h into a mindless puddle of passion, he tells her she will do whatever he wants her to. The h is busy with the flush of love and doesn't respond, but mentally she knows she has lost.
That doesn't stop her from regaining her backbone the next morning when the H assumes he has lurve clubbed her into submission and marriage. She tells the H she isn't marrying him and he finally admits that he loves her. He promises that his Cannes OW and her office mate are things of the past, cause he was really stalking her in Cannes and had been thinking about her since he first met her nearly nine years earlier. He also promises he will only be sampling from her tidbit tray from now on, as long as she doesn't freeze him out.
He claims he has loved her for over two years, but I must admit he had a funny way of showing it. Multiple ladies and not one visit when he knew where the h was living doesn't exactly scream true lurve forever in my book, but the H claims he had to wrestle with her rejection after Cannes.
Anyhows, the h loves him back and since they are hiring a nanny and both of them will continue to be barristers and the H has gotten his Queen's Council designation, they decide to marry at the H's father's house for the big HEA.
This one was different, and I admired the h's reluctance to commit. I totally did not understand the H not even visiting the h in California at least once, and needless to say there wasn't a whole lot of courtship going on. I think that failure on the H's part and an almost three year separation kinda hurt the HEA believability in the end.
Cause it really looked more like the H wanted to be a full time dad, (SMC had no problems showing his devotion to his daughter once he actually met her,) and his family really wanted him married with the illusion of settling down and the H figures the h is hot enough to keep him mildly amused in bed.
I doubted the H's love and I doubted his fidelity, but the h figures he will be discreet in his affairs. Plus SMc makes it clear that if the H does stray after marriage, the H and his family will blame it on the h anyways. Still the h's mum was great when she got herself together and the h isn't giving up on her career. If things do go south or WHEN things go south, the h will be able to carry on and might even be able to move on and that is pretty unusual for an HP outing.
The h has a famous actor father who continually cheats and flaunts it in front of her rather wishy-washy mother. The h's mum was a dancer back in the day, got seduced by the h's father and ended up preggers and so they married and have been miserable ever since. The H's father really only shows up when he needs the 'perfect family' portrait for one event or another. This background and fighting her way through the English barrister system, which isn't too keen on the ladies practicing law, has pretty much rendered the h non-relationship material and very non-interested.
The H especially reminds her of her father, he is a lady buffet lurver extraordinaire and tho the h has a physical attraction, she is remarkably contained around the H as she has no use for frequent flyer pilots and their mileage. (In fact the h is still intacto, which I found a bit dubious and not really believable, but SMc wanted that so I went with it.) The h is very formal and business-like in chambers. She even has the official thick glasses and really needs to use them.
One night when Daddy dearest insists the h and her mum go to an event with him for the "family photo op", the h runs into the H. The h's mum, who never saw a potential husband for the h that she didn't like, does her best to do a spot of matchmaking. Things are complicated even more when the h's father gets roaring drunk and also gets into a fight with a director and the H has to abandon his current buffet sample to help the h and her mum get the father home. The h looks vastly different out of the Inns, she isn't a handsome actor's daughter with a beautiful mother for nothing. The H is attracted and he puts the moves on the h, which she firmly rebuffs.
The h is next in Cannes with her parent's for another "family photo op" event. She is topless on the beach when the H saunters up with the h's mum and he is having a good ogle round the doorpost and admiring the knockers. The h naturally resents being stared at like a side of beef and the H claims that his climbing expedition did not go off and so he came to Cannes to relax a bit and ran into the h's mum at their mutual hotel.
The h's mum wastes no time in setting them up together and the H bets the h that he can seduce her in two weeks. When a wanna be OW comes on the scene and stirs the h's jealous competition instincts, the H wins his bet after a night of drinking and dancing three days later.
The H is shocked at the h's untouched status and she is lost in lust. Then WWIII breaks out when her mother catches her father with a nubile lady buffet sample of his own and the h blows the H and the ecstatic night of lurve off as a drinking experience, leaving him in outraged shock. Because her mum is set on leaving her father and the h worries she can't manage on her own, the h gets her mum back to England. Plus the h is a wee bit unhappy that she just joined the hors d'oeuvres of the H's buffet sampling.
Back in England, the H and h are frigidly polite, but distant in chambers and then the h finds out she is preggers. The H is looking for a bit of revenge for being used as the h's pump and dump and he tries to insist on marriage. The h is adamantly against that, cause who wants to marry the image of their promiscuous father and suffer the same misery her mother has for 30 years.
Nope, the h is going to Hollywood with her parents instead. The H doesn't try to stop her, cause this h actually knows the law and tells him he has no rights, tho if the H wants to be a dad, she will not stop him from access. (For once and HP h is absolutely correct on English Law and she is able to be her own barrister too.)
So we go to California where the h's dad soon takes up his philandering ways. The h has a little girl and sends letters and pictures to the H in a distant, while you are out kinda way. The H sends some toys and the h's mum gets a divorce, takes up a younger lover and moves to New York where she opens a fitness studio and gym. Almost three years on, with nary a visit or a phone call from the H, the h returns to England and goes back to barristering.
She has to share chambers with one of the H's lady lurves and the h thinks it must have been a serious one, cause the H took the woman to his family home for Christmas. The h gets to do her own H family home visit when the H asks to introduce his daughter to his father and the rest of his relatives. Since the H has been doing his dad visits pretty regularly, the h agrees to go and gets the full "You must marry the H for the child's sake" treatment by his relatives.
The H's father makes a point of telling the h that his son's reputation is pretty shoddy in regards to the ladies, but surely she is an intelligent woman and can handle that or discreetly ignore his little flings for the sake of a married family. The h is like, " Um er, not really" but the H is pressing the roofie kissing thing and the h is having inner melties.
The rest of the visit goes well and the h feels a bit bad about not marrying the H, but her mother tells her to do what is best for her and not give into pressurization, the h is entitled to her rights too. (The mum's transformation was pretty awesome, and I did like how SMc handled that. )
Back in London, the h is in court when her au pair has to leave the country to care for her ill mother. The h can't be reached, so the H comes over to watch his daughter and he is outraged that the h still won't marry him. The h is by now in love with the H, but she knows his type all too well and marriage isn't an option. Plus the H had suggested she be a stay at home mum and the h won't do that, she worked too hard and loves her legal career too much to give it all up.
The H has to drag out the roofie Lurve Club Mojo and while he is seducing the h into a mindless puddle of passion, he tells her she will do whatever he wants her to. The h is busy with the flush of love and doesn't respond, but mentally she knows she has lost.
That doesn't stop her from regaining her backbone the next morning when the H assumes he has lurve clubbed her into submission and marriage. She tells the H she isn't marrying him and he finally admits that he loves her. He promises that his Cannes OW and her office mate are things of the past, cause he was really stalking her in Cannes and had been thinking about her since he first met her nearly nine years earlier. He also promises he will only be sampling from her tidbit tray from now on, as long as she doesn't freeze him out.
He claims he has loved her for over two years, but I must admit he had a funny way of showing it. Multiple ladies and not one visit when he knew where the h was living doesn't exactly scream true lurve forever in my book, but the H claims he had to wrestle with her rejection after Cannes.
Anyhows, the h loves him back and since they are hiring a nanny and both of them will continue to be barristers and the H has gotten his Queen's Council designation, they decide to marry at the H's father's house for the big HEA.
This one was different, and I admired the h's reluctance to commit. I totally did not understand the H not even visiting the h in California at least once, and needless to say there wasn't a whole lot of courtship going on. I think that failure on the H's part and an almost three year separation kinda hurt the HEA believability in the end.
Cause it really looked more like the H wanted to be a full time dad, (SMC had no problems showing his devotion to his daughter once he actually met her,) and his family really wanted him married with the illusion of settling down and the H figures the h is hot enough to keep him mildly amused in bed.
I doubted the H's love and I doubted his fidelity, but the h figures he will be discreet in his affairs. Plus SMc makes it clear that if the H does stray after marriage, the H and his family will blame it on the h anyways. Still the h's mum was great when she got herself together and the h isn't giving up on her career. If things do go south or WHEN things go south, the h will be able to carry on and might even be able to move on and that is pretty unusual for an HP outing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2010
This was a weird book, with a weird heroine who didn't keep her pregnancy a secret but escaped to America with her child and a hero that didn't follow her but waited almost two friggin years to see his child. Overly long sentence there but that is the truth and that is what bothered me about this book.
I really didn't warm up to Caro, the heroine. She just seemed a bit cold even tho she professed to love the hero, Matt. He was a decent enough man but I expected more from him when the woman carrying his child flees to America. He knows she goes and has no problem with her sending letters and pictures of his new born child with no idea if or when she was coming back.
All and all this was a weird book with a hero and heroine that could've been better and more likeable.
I have read a book by her before and really liked it. This one didn't compare.
March 1, 2026
Trial by Love begins when the 27 year old heroine, a public defender, gets a not guilty verdict for her client and is condescendingly congratulated by the prosecutor, who she has a bit of a crush on. Or at least that’s what they would be called in America. As the story takes place in England, they are called barristers, one representing an accused, the other representing “The Crown.” Heroine and hero have been working in the same office for several years and could not be more different. The hero is handsome, flashy, outgoing, arrogant, and is popular with everyone, especially the ladies. The heroine is cold, aloof, and mousy, hiding a beautiful face and body in a rigid uniform of tightly pulled bun, ginormous glasses, and frumpy suits. It’s the 1980s and she is having a hard time breaking the glass ceiling as one of the only female barristers in London. She strives to look and act professional and avoid being treated like a sex object. Additionally, she is the daughter of two rather flamboyant parents, her dad a famous movie star, her mom a former dancer. They are forever getting divorced and reconciling, her dad being a philanderer, and her mom co-dependent. The heroine going into a staid career as a barrister is her form of rebellion, and rejection, against her parents’toxic, flashy lifestyle.
Unfortunately for the heroine, the hero happens to be invited to a movie premiere featuring her dad. His jaw drops when he sees her dolled up to the nines instead of the office drab, mousy costume. He goes into hot pursuit, even following her to her vacation in the South of France, where her dad is attending the Cannes Film Festival.
The hero is horribly arrogant, leading on a skanky blonde starlet while also trying to seduce the heroine. He is so full of himself he even bets the heroine he will be in her bed before the end of the vacation. This is just a game to him, one he has played a hundred times before, and the heroine does not want to be another notch on his bedpost. But her jealousy over the blonde bimbo and her attraction to the hero melt her spine. One night, she dons a sexy outfit baring her navel and proceeds to be the one to seduce the hero, right from underneath a very miffed blonde starlet’s nose. The hero and heroine share one night of passion, and the hero realizes with shock that he had not only won his bet, he has deflowered the virginal heroine. Before they can talk about what happened between them, the heroine shoos him out the door as she has to deal with another infidelity crisis between her parents.
By the time the heroine returns to work, she has firmly left the sunny dreams of the Riviera behind her and tells the hero in no uncertain terms that it was a one and done. The hero is dismayed but seemingly accepts her decision. About a month later, the heroine realizes she is pregnant and though she does everything to keep this a secret, the hero finds out and he promptly proposes. The heroine refuses. She does not want a marriage of convenience where she will be home raising the baby and keeping the fires burning while her husband shtups every blonde bimbo around, the type of marriage her parents have. It’s the 1980s, Helen Gurley Brown and Murphy Brown both reign supreme, women can have it all, and so the heroine decides she will be a single mother.
In almost the same breath, she also decides to move to Hollywood with her parents, as her dad has been offered a TV series role there, and this will put distance between her and the overbearing hero. Two years pass during which she gives birth to and raises a sweet little baby girl in sunny California. The hero does not visit her though he sends a present to his daughter from time to time. Heroine’s parents have well and truly broken up and divorced by this time. Dad moves to Australia for another TV role with his much younger girlfriend, while mom has gotten herself a facelift and a boytoy, in that order, and relocated to New York. Heroine decides to move back to England with her daughter and take up her old barrister job again.
Hero is still there too and seems to welcome her and their daughter. He makes concerted efforts to win both mom and daughter over, slowly but surely, with consistent visits and quality time. There is another female barrister working at the office now and heroine is quite sure that the OW and the hero had or still are having a secret affair. Heroine of course remained as pure as the night the hero deflowered her :( Hero insists that the heroine bring their daughter to his family home in Suffolk. As soon as they arrive, the whole family pounces on her and insists they get married. Heroine feels very railroaded and not too happy with the hero, despite their tentative friendship. She also feels guilty that she is making things complicated for her daughter, who would love nothing more than having her dad 24/7. She still does not want to get married for convenience but toys with the idea that maybe the hero does love her in his own way.
Upon her return to work, the OW shatters her illusions by letting it drop that she too was invited to hero’s family home, last Christmas no less, as they had a thing going back then. The heroine is depressed but rallies, going to her next trial and winning it. She accepts her attractive opposing counsel’s invitation to share a post-trial sherry with him. When she gets home in the evening, the hero is there waiting for her, eaten up with jealousy.
He engineers a forced seduction of dubious consent and the heroine melts into a puddle of goo for him but still says she won’t marry him unless it’s for love. The hero promptly feeds her fantasy by telling her he’s been in love with her for ages but his pride was hurt when she rejected him and moved to America. The OW was a mistake because he was trying to forget about her. The heroine loves him back and we leave them to plan their wedding.
It was absolutely ridiculous for the heroine to believe his taradiddle about loving her when it was quite clear he dgaf about her or their daughter while they were in America. I think this is exactly the marriage of convenience she was trying to avoid. I am sure the hero will be back to his affairs in no time though he will try to be a bit more discreet than her father had been with her mom. The hero was a vile and disgusting manho who can’t keep it in his pants and plays games with heroine. His family is atrocious, high-handed and judgmental, and will always take up for him. It was very very wrong for the heroine to take their kid to another country after promising hero he would have access to her. But perhaps she knew deep down he dgaf and wanted to prove it. The only redeeming thing about this story is that she is smart enough to keep her job and financial independence so that she won’t be at the mercy of this gross manho the way her mom was indentured to her dad. I see a divorce in a few years. Nevertheless, the story as a whole was compellingly written, a real page-turner, with great characterization of the heroine and some funny moments when she is competing with the blonde bimbo from Cannes. Her parents were hilarious also. Therefore, this deserves at least a 3 star rating.
Unfortunately for the heroine, the hero happens to be invited to a movie premiere featuring her dad. His jaw drops when he sees her dolled up to the nines instead of the office drab, mousy costume. He goes into hot pursuit, even following her to her vacation in the South of France, where her dad is attending the Cannes Film Festival.
The hero is horribly arrogant, leading on a skanky blonde starlet while also trying to seduce the heroine. He is so full of himself he even bets the heroine he will be in her bed before the end of the vacation. This is just a game to him, one he has played a hundred times before, and the heroine does not want to be another notch on his bedpost. But her jealousy over the blonde bimbo and her attraction to the hero melt her spine. One night, she dons a sexy outfit baring her navel and proceeds to be the one to seduce the hero, right from underneath a very miffed blonde starlet’s nose. The hero and heroine share one night of passion, and the hero realizes with shock that he had not only won his bet, he has deflowered the virginal heroine. Before they can talk about what happened between them, the heroine shoos him out the door as she has to deal with another infidelity crisis between her parents.
By the time the heroine returns to work, she has firmly left the sunny dreams of the Riviera behind her and tells the hero in no uncertain terms that it was a one and done. The hero is dismayed but seemingly accepts her decision. About a month later, the heroine realizes she is pregnant and though she does everything to keep this a secret, the hero finds out and he promptly proposes. The heroine refuses. She does not want a marriage of convenience where she will be home raising the baby and keeping the fires burning while her husband shtups every blonde bimbo around, the type of marriage her parents have. It’s the 1980s, Helen Gurley Brown and Murphy Brown both reign supreme, women can have it all, and so the heroine decides she will be a single mother.
In almost the same breath, she also decides to move to Hollywood with her parents, as her dad has been offered a TV series role there, and this will put distance between her and the overbearing hero. Two years pass during which she gives birth to and raises a sweet little baby girl in sunny California. The hero does not visit her though he sends a present to his daughter from time to time. Heroine’s parents have well and truly broken up and divorced by this time. Dad moves to Australia for another TV role with his much younger girlfriend, while mom has gotten herself a facelift and a boytoy, in that order, and relocated to New York. Heroine decides to move back to England with her daughter and take up her old barrister job again.
Hero is still there too and seems to welcome her and their daughter. He makes concerted efforts to win both mom and daughter over, slowly but surely, with consistent visits and quality time. There is another female barrister working at the office now and heroine is quite sure that the OW and the hero had or still are having a secret affair. Heroine of course remained as pure as the night the hero deflowered her :( Hero insists that the heroine bring their daughter to his family home in Suffolk. As soon as they arrive, the whole family pounces on her and insists they get married. Heroine feels very railroaded and not too happy with the hero, despite their tentative friendship. She also feels guilty that she is making things complicated for her daughter, who would love nothing more than having her dad 24/7. She still does not want to get married for convenience but toys with the idea that maybe the hero does love her in his own way.
Upon her return to work, the OW shatters her illusions by letting it drop that she too was invited to hero’s family home, last Christmas no less, as they had a thing going back then. The heroine is depressed but rallies, going to her next trial and winning it. She accepts her attractive opposing counsel’s invitation to share a post-trial sherry with him. When she gets home in the evening, the hero is there waiting for her, eaten up with jealousy.
He engineers a forced seduction of dubious consent and the heroine melts into a puddle of goo for him but still says she won’t marry him unless it’s for love. The hero promptly feeds her fantasy by telling her he’s been in love with her for ages but his pride was hurt when she rejected him and moved to America. The OW was a mistake because he was trying to forget about her. The heroine loves him back and we leave them to plan their wedding.
It was absolutely ridiculous for the heroine to believe his taradiddle about loving her when it was quite clear he dgaf about her or their daughter while they were in America. I think this is exactly the marriage of convenience she was trying to avoid. I am sure the hero will be back to his affairs in no time though he will try to be a bit more discreet than her father had been with her mom. The hero was a vile and disgusting manho who can’t keep it in his pants and plays games with heroine. His family is atrocious, high-handed and judgmental, and will always take up for him. It was very very wrong for the heroine to take their kid to another country after promising hero he would have access to her. But perhaps she knew deep down he dgaf and wanted to prove it. The only redeeming thing about this story is that she is smart enough to keep her job and financial independence so that she won’t be at the mercy of this gross manho the way her mom was indentured to her dad. I see a divorce in a few years. Nevertheless, the story as a whole was compellingly written, a real page-turner, with great characterization of the heroine and some funny moments when she is competing with the blonde bimbo from Cannes. Her parents were hilarious also. Therefore, this deserves at least a 3 star rating.
May 26, 2019
This was a hard one to rate.
I liked Caroline. Her parents were a couple with a doormat wife and a philandering husband who blames his infidelities on his partner. They also married in a rush after Betty became pregnant with Caroline. Caroline, understandably, wants absolutely nothing to do with smooth-talking men like her father. Especially Matt, who she's been infatuated with since they started working together six years ago.
(The glimpse of the English legal system was fascinating and completely alien. Barristers on both sides had offices together? Assignments handed out on papers bound with ribbon? Separation between barristers and solicitors? I read through those sections with a delight that did not always march hand-in-hand with comprehension. )
So Caroline resists and resists and resists (as Matt constantly laughs at her; Caroline's musing about the illogic of love felt spot on)...but then, under the influence of jealousy, gives in to her feelings. Betty then has a crisis, and Caroline is reminded why sleeping with Matt was a Very Bad Idea.
Matt was never charming enough to forgive his flaws, although I believed that he loved Caroline and was not a copy of her father. The way to melt an Ice Princess is not with ridicule and demands, and I felt such a Casanova would know that. This was a case where I liked one half of the happy couple and didn't really care for the other, otherwise I would have rated it higher.
I liked Caroline. Her parents were a couple with a doormat wife and a philandering husband who blames his infidelities on his partner. They also married in a rush after Betty became pregnant with Caroline. Caroline, understandably, wants absolutely nothing to do with smooth-talking men like her father. Especially Matt, who she's been infatuated with since they started working together six years ago.
(The glimpse of the English legal system was fascinating and completely alien. Barristers on both sides had offices together? Assignments handed out on papers bound with ribbon? Separation between barristers and solicitors? I read through those sections with a delight that did not always march hand-in-hand with comprehension. )
So Caroline resists and resists and resists (as Matt constantly laughs at her; Caroline's musing about the illogic of love felt spot on)...but then, under the influence of jealousy, gives in to her feelings. Betty then has a crisis, and Caroline is reminded why sleeping with Matt was a Very Bad Idea.
Matt was never charming enough to forgive his flaws, although I believed that he loved Caroline and was not a copy of her father. The way to melt an Ice Princess is not with ridicule and demands, and I felt such a Casanova would know that. This was a case where I liked one half of the happy couple and didn't really care for the other, otherwise I would have rated it higher.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2021
A weird book.
She lies topless on the beach. The H sees her, looks at her breasts and she blames him for that. Sorry, but no heterosexual man would look away if he sees a beautiful woman half naked. Or completely naked. Even if you’re on the beach. The beach doesn’t make a man suddenly go blind.
She gets pregnant by the H. Without telling him she wants to go to a clinic to get an abortion. She then changes her mind and she decides that she will have the baby.
The H finds out she is pregnant. He asks her to marry him, but she refuses and she moves to America (they live in England) while she is pregnant. The H is angry that she is leaving for America, but there’s nothing he can do to prevent her from moving.
Then for the first two years of his child, he never visits his child in America.
After two years the h decides to go back to England.
And bla bla.
I felt sorry for the man. The woman is ice cold.
I don’t believe in his love for her and I don’t believe in her love for him.
She lies topless on the beach. The H sees her, looks at her breasts and she blames him for that. Sorry, but no heterosexual man would look away if he sees a beautiful woman half naked. Or completely naked. Even if you’re on the beach. The beach doesn’t make a man suddenly go blind.
She gets pregnant by the H. Without telling him she wants to go to a clinic to get an abortion. She then changes her mind and she decides that she will have the baby.
The H finds out she is pregnant. He asks her to marry him, but she refuses and she moves to America (they live in England) while she is pregnant. The H is angry that she is leaving for America, but there’s nothing he can do to prevent her from moving.
Then for the first two years of his child, he never visits his child in America.
After two years the h decides to go back to England.
And bla bla.
I felt sorry for the man. The woman is ice cold.
I don’t believe in his love for her and I don’t believe in her love for him.
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