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Harvest Moon Bay #1
No Orchids By Request
After Stephen had let her down, it was certainly a fillip to Elizabeth Stirling's ego to have the attractive Jeremy Ffoulkes paying court to her. But Jeremy had a wild past and a background of a broken marriage. Was he any more trustworthy than Stephen had been?
Paperback
First published January 1, 1965
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70 people want to read
About the author
Essie Summers
105 books50 followersEssie Summers was a New Zealand author who wrote so vividly of the people and landscape of her native country that she was offered The Order Of the British Empire for her contributions to New Zealand tourism.
Ethel Snelson Summers was born on on July 24, 1912 to a newly-emigrated couple, Ethel Snelson and Edwin Summers, situated in Bordesley Street in Christchurch, Essie was always proud of both her British heritage and her New Zealand citizenship. Both her parents were exceptional storytellers, and this, combined with her early introduction to the Anne of Green Gables stories, engendered in her a life-long fascination with the craft of writing and the colorful legacy of pioneers everywhere.
Leaving school at 14 when her father's butcher shop experienced financial difficulties, she worked for a number of years in draper's shops and later turned her experiences to good use in writing the romantic novels for which she became famous.
She met her husband-to-be William Flett when she was only 13 years old, but it was 13 years before she consented to marry him. A minister's wife and the mother of two, William and Elizabeth, she still found many opportunities to pen short stories, poetry and newspaper columns before embarking on her first novel, which sold to the firm of Mills & Boon in 1956.
Summers died in Taradale, Hawkes Bay on the August 27, 1998.
http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/...
Ethel Snelson Summers was born on on July 24, 1912 to a newly-emigrated couple, Ethel Snelson and Edwin Summers, situated in Bordesley Street in Christchurch, Essie was always proud of both her British heritage and her New Zealand citizenship. Both her parents were exceptional storytellers, and this, combined with her early introduction to the Anne of Green Gables stories, engendered in her a life-long fascination with the craft of writing and the colorful legacy of pioneers everywhere.
Leaving school at 14 when her father's butcher shop experienced financial difficulties, she worked for a number of years in draper's shops and later turned her experiences to good use in writing the romantic novels for which she became famous.
She met her husband-to-be William Flett when she was only 13 years old, but it was 13 years before she consented to marry him. A minister's wife and the mother of two, William and Elizabeth, she still found many opportunities to pen short stories, poetry and newspaper columns before embarking on her first novel, which sold to the firm of Mills & Boon in 1956.
Summers died in Taradale, Hawkes Bay on the August 27, 1998.
http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/...
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 24, 2013
A lovely story about Elizabeth who'd been disillusioned by a past boyfriend who was a philanderer. So when she met Jeremy Ffoulkes who was reported to be a divorced man under unsavoury circumstances she was very wary.
Elizabeth is a writer and columnist on a newspaper and the new Editor is Jeremy. He makes a dead set at her and despite finding him attractive she realises a man like him would be too risky.
In spite of her leaving her job in the hope of avoiding him, somehow he keeps appearing in her life, even when another man starts taking an interest in her.
This is one of those 'big misunderstanding' romances but it works well with the mistake believable and even logical under the circumstances. I loves Jeremy who is very handsome but has a weary disillusioned mouth *swoons*.
Essie Summers has never written a book I didn't enjoy and even though I've read this one before several years ago I still enjoyed it.
I just had to go back and look at this one again and decided to upgrade it. When a book stays with you like this one it deserves an extra star.
Elizabeth is a writer and columnist on a newspaper and the new Editor is Jeremy. He makes a dead set at her and despite finding him attractive she realises a man like him would be too risky.
In spite of her leaving her job in the hope of avoiding him, somehow he keeps appearing in her life, even when another man starts taking an interest in her.
This is one of those 'big misunderstanding' romances but it works well with the mistake believable and even logical under the circumstances. I loves Jeremy who is very handsome but has a weary disillusioned mouth *swoons*.
Essie Summers has never written a book I didn't enjoy and even though I've read this one before several years ago I still enjoyed it.
I just had to go back and look at this one again and decided to upgrade it. When a book stays with you like this one it deserves an extra star.
June 1, 2023
This book drove me up a wall. The highlights are in the portrayal of New Zealand's natural environment and culture. (Though they're minor characters who only show up briefly, it was also nice to see the inclusion of a Maori journalist and his family.) It was interesting as a historical artifact and I'm curious about how it was perceived when it was first published and where it fit on the "realism to fantasy" scale.
However, I found the heroine deeply irritating because she heard a bit of gossip about the hero early on and decided that he's a horrible philanderer. It doesn't take long for hints to start appearing that he isn't what she assumes, but she refuses to ask him about anything to do with his first marriage or allow to explain, and the only time she does ask about it, it's for more rumors from a former coworker. He pushes back at her ruder moments but keeps pursuing her, which I honestly found difficult to understand. We know that he initially fell for her newspaper columns and he comments a few times that her judgemental, close-minded attitude in person doesn't match her writing, so presumably he was willing to try to get past the harsh exterior to reach the woman within who had written those moving articles. But it's hard to fully buy that because we don't actually see much of her writing at all, and we do see a whole lot of her smug sense of moral superiority. She feels bad about all her nasty comments and mixed signals after she learns the truth (not from listening to him) but never apologizes. Normally I'm geared to prefer the heroines in m/f romance, but I really think that he deserved better.
However, I found the heroine deeply irritating because she heard a bit of gossip about the hero early on and decided that he's a horrible philanderer. It doesn't take long for hints to start appearing that he isn't what she assumes, but she refuses to ask him about anything to do with his first marriage or allow to explain, and the only time she does ask about it, it's for more rumors from a former coworker. He pushes back at her ruder moments but keeps pursuing her, which I honestly found difficult to understand. We know that he initially fell for her newspaper columns and he comments a few times that her judgemental, close-minded attitude in person doesn't match her writing, so presumably he was willing to try to get past the harsh exterior to reach the woman within who had written those moving articles. But it's hard to fully buy that because we don't actually see much of her writing at all, and we do see a whole lot of her smug sense of moral superiority. She feels bad about all her nasty comments and mixed signals after she learns the truth (not from listening to him) but never apologizes. Normally I'm geared to prefer the heroines in m/f romance, but I really think that he deserved better.
October 29, 2019
If only he'd told her the truth: he didn't have an affair with his sister-in-law in the lst chapter. I think her only book where hero has a son. I think Mr. John Bull is in here, with his painful gout. Loved HIM.
January 4, 2023
After Stephen had let her down, it was certainly a fillip to Elizabeth Stirling's ego to have the attractive Jeremy Ffoulkes paying court to her. But Jeremy had a wild past and a background of a broken marriage. Was he any more trustworthy than Stephen had been?
April 1, 2023
I am so thrilled that Essie Summers books are on kindle now! And bear in mind that these new kindles are also the original hardcovers that were released when the books were first published - and before Harlequin cut them down to fit their own specs - so if you are an Essie fan well worth the investment even if you already have the paperback or large print copy!
This is classic Essie - misunderstandings galore! Somehow she makes it work. There are moments when you want to shake Elizabeth though and ask her why she prefers to believe the word of known gossips over the evidence of her own eyes! But, deep breath, aside from that this one is certainly a page turner! The clinging stepmother is masterfully done. Essie definitely has a real knack with the Evil Other Woman! Highly recommended.
**I want to add that the new kindle editions are excellent - if there were any typos I missed them, and that is not something I can say about most of these older books that have been converted to e-books. Also a lot of extras have been included that provide insight into the author and the setting.
This is classic Essie - misunderstandings galore! Somehow she makes it work. There are moments when you want to shake Elizabeth though and ask her why she prefers to believe the word of known gossips over the evidence of her own eyes! But, deep breath, aside from that this one is certainly a page turner! The clinging stepmother is masterfully done. Essie definitely has a real knack with the Evil Other Woman! Highly recommended.
**I want to add that the new kindle editions are excellent - if there were any typos I missed them, and that is not something I can say about most of these older books that have been converted to e-books. Also a lot of extras have been included that provide insight into the author and the setting.
April 24, 2023
The poem was set in a little frame in the middle of a page of prose,
with a tiny illustration, charmingly done at foot and tail.
He read:
"Bring me not orchids... pale, delicate orchids,
Rooted in swamp and begotten in slime...
Bring me the blossoms of cottage and meadow
That whisper of sunlight and sweet summertime.
Gather me daisies, the common, white daisies,
The poppies that dance in a mid ecstasy,
The briars that riot in thicket and hedgerow,
The bluebells, the buttercups, golden and free.
Bring me not orchids, exquisite, frail orchids.
Sheathed in stiff Cellophane, costly and cold,
Bring me the flowers of everyday living, '
Fragrant and lasting, to have and to hold... '
The pimpernel deep in the wind-shaken grasses,
The nameless mid flowers of hillside and lea.. •
Bring me not orchids, the still, scentless orchids
If you'd lay siege to the wild heart of me"
November 5, 2017
My cousin ran off with my wife. I did not run off with his wife.
That's the defining tragedy in the heroes life. He loves the heroine almost from Page 1, but the girl hesitates to respond because she thinks he has a wicked past. The gossip she has heard doesn't clarify who ran off with whom, in the heroes past life !!!
So the entire book is about the heroine accepting him in spite of his sullied past. And in the end, discovering that the poor fellow was just a victim of his past. And all her fears were unfounded.
Decent read. 3 stars.
That's the defining tragedy in the heroes life. He loves the heroine almost from Page 1, but the girl hesitates to respond because she thinks he has a wicked past. The gossip she has heard doesn't clarify who ran off with whom, in the heroes past life !!!
So the entire book is about the heroine accepting him in spite of his sullied past. And in the end, discovering that the poor fellow was just a victim of his past. And all her fears were unfounded.
Decent read. 3 stars.
January 26, 2023
I feel so bad as Essie Summers is usually a 5 star author for me, but meh, this one plodded on interminably. The h hears a vague rumour about a guy, runs with it, and come hell or high water will not budge. So much time is spent with her going 'oh he's smooth but I cannot ever love him' and then dating other people... I just got fed up, bored and irritated. Skimmed the last quarter of the book because at that point I didn't care a jot to find out what the 'big misunderstanding' was after all. Was surprised this one was so highly rated almost NOTHING happens in this story.
July 23, 2025
I got half way before I realised that I had read this before. What I disliked was that the hero (early 30s) did not mention until 2/3 of the way through that he had a 9 year old son. What kind of father does that make him? There's so much drama about his ex-wife and then his ex-wife's twin sister. It is tedious. He's also really pushy. Neither did I like the heroine (25, going on 55) who is really boring.
August 9, 2021
New Zealand romances by Essie Summers are always so descriptive you feel you are right there. Clinging stepmother, unexpected gift, and a boss who doesn't take no for an answer. (in a nice way).
July 18, 2022
Another book I really enjoyed because of the main character and her writing career, even though it was clear from early on what the misunderstanding was. There's even a place where the hero talk about how he likes to clarify things to avoid misunderstandings, but nonetheless, the heroine accepts a piece of gossip at face value and spends hundreds of pages agonizing over it. Oh well.
As with the other books by this author that I've read so far, I enjoyed the setting and the supporting characters, and I feel that the foreword and afterword in this book enhance the reading experience. I'm looking forward to the next release.
As with the other books by this author that I've read so far, I enjoyed the setting and the supporting characters, and I feel that the foreword and afterword in this book enhance the reading experience. I'm looking forward to the next release.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 23, 2016
Elizabeth Stirling is surprised when her new boss begins "rushing" her, since her stepmother has undermined her confidence and belief in her ability to attract men. Then, suddenly, an old friend gives her a cottage in the country, and she is free to leave her city life behind, and write in the privacy of her own home. However Jeremy will not leave her alone, but Elizabeth overheard rumors about his past which keep her from taking his attentions seriously. Can the two of them sort out their differences before it is too late?
June 18, 2013
A great read. Way ahead of its time (Published 1965) in a way that heroine isn't a damsel in distress and never acted like one either. She made a decision base from her info, unaware that they are flawed, and stood by them no matter what her heart/body told her to.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews