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A Solitary Heart
When sibling rivalry goes too far, hearts are at risk.
When the overbearingly bossy Matt Severn accuses Sian of taking advantage of his younger brother, she is outraged. How dare he dictate her behavior with a good friend?
To get even with Matt, Sian concocts a fake engagement and throws herself wholeheartedly into the deception. But as they grow to know each other better, Matt and Sian realize that first impressions aren’t always correct, and that sometimes love can be found in the strangest of circumstances.
This Retro Romance reprint was published in March 1993 by Mills & Boon.
When the overbearingly bossy Matt Severn accuses Sian of taking advantage of his younger brother, she is outraged. How dare he dictate her behavior with a good friend?
To get even with Matt, Sian concocts a fake engagement and throws herself wholeheartedly into the deception. But as they grow to know each other better, Matt and Sian realize that first impressions aren’t always correct, and that sometimes love can be found in the strangest of circumstances.
This Retro Romance reprint was published in March 1993 by Mills & Boon.
159 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1993
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122 people want to read
About the author
Thea Harrison
64 books5,501 followersI write paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and other stuff. I taught myself to read when I was four. That was around the time I tried to ride my tricycle to work. I wasn't sure where work was, but I knew it had to be interesting if people went there every day. Now I combine my love of books with work, and I don't have to ride my tricycle to get there. My Elder Races series began May, 2011. You can also find me on Twitter and Facebook!
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 10, 2025
I wonder if Amanda Carpenter and Anne N. Reisser are the same person because their style is ver similar: Eye-rolling lavender prose, good characterization, and plots that rely on tensions between the characters rathe than a lot of twists and turns.
The story here starts off with an arrogant hero warning off the allegedly tarty heroine from sinking her claws into his younger, gullible brother. In response, Heroine dumps a plate of potato salad and her glass of wine down his shirt.. LoL
Heroine 's bad reputation as an empty-headed party girl is derived from her father, an infamous, charming, never-do-well who jet sets his way through all of the world's seediest gambling dens. In contrast to her dad, heroine wants nothing more than a stable, safe, middle-class life with a nice white-collar job, a convenient husband, the white picket fence, 1 dog, and 2.5 kids. She has just graduated from college in South Bend (Notre-Dame?) and about to embark onto graduate school. Hero's younger brother is studying law at same school and has become completely besotted with her, or rather the glamorous image she represents as a former wild child with connections to the jet set. For heroine though, the younger brother of the hero is just a school mate and has never crossed the friend zone.
Hero realizes pretty quickly that he has made a huge mistake. What's more, he has fallen hopelessly in coup de foudre love with the heroine, when he never thought he would fall in love again, after his late girlfriend tragically died. His experience has taught him not to waste any time so he is after the heroine like an out of control train :). Unfortunately for him, Heroine is terrified of intimacy and fights him every step. On top of that, the younger brother is very jealous and throws his own wrench into the mix hoping to break these two up.
The hero, for all his talk of love and trust, fundamentally lacks trust in the heroine. He believed his brother’s lies AGAIN and he lets the heroine down. I don't blame the heroine for running. She is at her father's deathbed when hero pounces on her again, using her stress and vulnerability at this difficult time to wear her down into forgiving him and taking him back. I absolutely do not see a stable HEA for these two. The good thing is that the heroine has a spine of steel and will not let the hero steamroll over her, once she gets her wits about her again. This is one of those stories where you have to be happy for the heroine because she is happy with her lot.
The story here starts off with an arrogant hero warning off the allegedly tarty heroine from sinking her claws into his younger, gullible brother. In response, Heroine dumps a plate of potato salad and her glass of wine down his shirt.. LoL
Heroine 's bad reputation as an empty-headed party girl is derived from her father, an infamous, charming, never-do-well who jet sets his way through all of the world's seediest gambling dens. In contrast to her dad, heroine wants nothing more than a stable, safe, middle-class life with a nice white-collar job, a convenient husband, the white picket fence, 1 dog, and 2.5 kids. She has just graduated from college in South Bend (Notre-Dame?) and about to embark onto graduate school. Hero's younger brother is studying law at same school and has become completely besotted with her, or rather the glamorous image she represents as a former wild child with connections to the jet set. For heroine though, the younger brother of the hero is just a school mate and has never crossed the friend zone.
Hero realizes pretty quickly that he has made a huge mistake. What's more, he has fallen hopelessly in coup de foudre love with the heroine, when he never thought he would fall in love again, after his late girlfriend tragically died. His experience has taught him not to waste any time so he is after the heroine like an out of control train :). Unfortunately for him, Heroine is terrified of intimacy and fights him every step. On top of that, the younger brother is very jealous and throws his own wrench into the mix hoping to break these two up.
The hero, for all his talk of love and trust, fundamentally lacks trust in the heroine. He believed his brother’s lies AGAIN and he lets the heroine down. I don't blame the heroine for running. She is at her father's deathbed when hero pounces on her again, using her stress and vulnerability at this difficult time to wear her down into forgiving him and taking him back. I absolutely do not see a stable HEA for these two. The good thing is that the heroine has a spine of steel and will not let the hero steamroll over her, once she gets her wits about her again. This is one of those stories where you have to be happy for the heroine because she is happy with her lot.
March 23, 2018
Re A Solitary Heart - Amanda Carpenter's penultimate HP is another one of her intense, lyrically adjective laden, slow burn punctuated with intense explosions kinda romances.
The story starts with the 21 yr old Sian, (Welsh for Jane), hosting a combination graduation, birthday, end of the college year, Memorial day party with her BFF. The h is a practical, cool, tall dark Celt.
She comes from an unusual background of weary world traveler as her father is one of the best gamblers in the world and until she went to boarding school, took her with him after her mum died. So the h has seen a lot of places and met a LOT of different people, she has a natural gift of Irish and Welsh charm and can fit in almost anywhere, but really seekritly wants her own home where her heart can nest.
The h loves her father, but she has some lingering resentment for him not ever being able to put his card games aside and settle down to make a rooted, stable home environment for her. She knows that her parents separated when her father's taste for the cards caused him to go off on his adventures and she feels very much pushed aside as an afterthought while her father chased his gambling thrills in life, accompanied only by his long time bodyguard.
Therefore the h is very wary of anything that disturbs her orderly, routing life as she goes to classes at Notre Dame in South Bend Indiana. She isn't looking for and doesn't want any all consuming romantic passion in her life. Her mum and dad had that and he left until after her mum was gone and there was no one else to care for her until she was old enough to go to boarding school.
So it is quite a shock when the H, who is the best looking predator Alpha Manly Male she has ever seen, approaches her in a hostile fashion at her own birthday party and proceeds to tell her that as the Tarty Harlot of the Universe and South Bend, she isn't fit to marry his brother.
This really irks the h a lot. First, she wasn't aware that she had received any type of proposal at all. Certainly not from the H's brother, who is a fellow student studying law that she has hung out with for a bit. Second, who the heck is this really hot dude to come storming over and say things that she would be hard pressed to say to her worst enemy?
The sparks are flying high as the two confront each other and even tho her BFF and the H's little brother try and intervene, the party ends with the h dumping her full plate of food all over the H for his impertinence.
The h spends the night at a friend's house and when she gets home the next morning, (she and her roommate, her roommate's fiance and the H's little brother had planned to spend the day at the Indiana Dunes on the shore of Lake Michigan,) she is greeted by the H in her bedroom, making up the bed. He claims he is on vacation and her BFF kindly invited him to join them.
More verbal battling resumes and we can see that all that subversive HP Lurve Force Mojo is hiding itself beneath their sarcastic jibes. The h and H finally both calm down and climb off their soap boxes and we all go to the beach.
In a very philosophical vein, (of which this book has a lot of,) the h explains that the H keeps trying to impose a certain stereotype on her and judge her, however she isn't just one thing or another and therefore every time he tries to circle her into some kind of mold, she will just jump out it.
Then a little boy climbs too high in one the jack pine trees that the area is abundant with and he gets trapped on a breaking branch. The h sends her BFF to go get help and she climbs up the precarious perch to try and rescue the child. She gets to the boy and the H shows up, but as she is freeing the boy's t-shirt from where it is snagged on a branch, the little boy a panics and starts to fall.
In a desperate move, the h wraps her legs around the tree, flips upside down and catches the child just as he is heading downward. She scrapes up her back, hits her head hard enough to see stars and then almost wrenches her shoulder apart.
The H gallantly gets the child down safely and then gets the h down too, she is a little discombobulated after the incident. The H carries the h off to hospital for a check up and spends the night on her couch, as her roommate had obligations and the H volunteered to watch over her.
It soon becomes apparent that irregardless of his jealous little brother, the H is srsly interested in the h. So he invites everybody to Chicago, to stay at his custom designed apartment. The H is an architect and designed the whole building.
The h refuses to go at first, her father said he would come to visit her. But after her father reneged on the visit, the h allows her BFF to talk her into going. Things get more heated in intensity between the H and h, but they also can confide in each other and the H is a good listener.
He gives the h another perspective to view her father's non -appearances at important events when he tells her that if he had a beloved child and a dangerous job with unsavory characters, he would not keep his child around and would see her safe at a distance, rather than see elements of his lifestyle try to cause her hurt or harm.
The h hadn't thought of it that way before, so much more at peace in her heart, we all go to see Chicago. There is a theater trip and delicious H roofie kisses and the sexual tension is so vivid that the H's white walls appear red.
The H decides to throw a party and while the h and her BFF are shopping at Marshal Fields (a very iconic Chicago store back in the day,) the h realizes that she loves the H passionately and it terrifies her. During the party later, the h meets the H's friends and realizes that she would fit very nicely into the H's life.
In terms of stability and partnership in a marriage, he claims to want the same things she wants. The H is in his thirties and his first love died at a young age, but the H isn't hung up on the past, he claims that his first big love set him free to actually be able TO love.
The h likes the idear of marital stability, but she is unsure of the H's feelings and she just doesn't trust the HP Lurve Force Mojo passion. Tho when the H asks her to stay longer, the h decides she will stay on with the H while her friends go back to South bend and then she will see how things develop.
Then the h thinks her initial caution has been justified later that evening at the end of the party. She and the H are making out in the H's study when the H's little brother storms in and the H and little brother go off to battle it out.
The H thunders back to berate the h shortly after, cause little brother claimed that they were really engaged and the H is seducing little brother's newly affianced fiance. The h loses her mind and gives both the H and the little brother an epic smackdown.
She wants to leave, but is 1:30 in the morning and her BFF tells the h she will go with her right then, but it might be better to wait till morning since they don't know the bus schedule to South Bend and bus stations in Chicago are not the greatest at night.
The h and BFF leave on the bus the next morning. But not before the H humbly apologizes and the h agrees to talk to him when he promises to call her in South Bend in a few days. The confused and angry and hurt h gets home in one piece. The little brother shows up to apologize and he explains that he has always been jealous of his older brother and that is what made him start the big dramatic scene.
The h accepts his apology and claims that she and the little brother will always be friends, right as she is hugging it out with the chastened little brother, the doorbell rings. It is her father's bodyguard and the h's dad has been attacked, knocked into a coma and is in a hospital in London.
The h drops everything to get to London, where her dad looks pretty dire and is still in a coma. The h has some huge mopey moments and a few faints and really misses the H. She calls her roommate to check in and explain the situation and about 12 hours after that, the H shows up.
It seems the H's theory about her father distancing himself to keep her safe was right and now the h just wants her dad to wake up, cause if he dies she will have no family at all and the H denies that statement. He fell in love the moment he met her and he will always love her and they will always be together.
We get a huge roofie kissing moment, but before a hospital linen closet can be found to relieve the h of her unicorn petting skills, the h's father wakes up. We get a big happy h grand reunion with her dad and a big H declaration of his and the h's love and marriage to the h's delighted Irish father for the big HEA.
This one is a very dramatic and intense story, the H and h ping back and forth off each other in a serious passion vibe kinda way, but it wasn't overly melodramatic. The pacing has an odd rhythm tho, it has long slow moments of build up and then a big burst of almost violent passion and then back to the slow motion again. It was disconcerting and kinda threw me off.
However the story is well done, the characters are well developed, (and not too OTT for two people who fell in love in a week or two,) and the HEA is pretty sweet. So give this one a go for a bit of a different day in HPlandia and one of the last AC HP outings before she switches over to Dragons as Thea Harrison.
The story starts with the 21 yr old Sian, (Welsh for Jane), hosting a combination graduation, birthday, end of the college year, Memorial day party with her BFF. The h is a practical, cool, tall dark Celt.
She comes from an unusual background of weary world traveler as her father is one of the best gamblers in the world and until she went to boarding school, took her with him after her mum died. So the h has seen a lot of places and met a LOT of different people, she has a natural gift of Irish and Welsh charm and can fit in almost anywhere, but really seekritly wants her own home where her heart can nest.
The h loves her father, but she has some lingering resentment for him not ever being able to put his card games aside and settle down to make a rooted, stable home environment for her. She knows that her parents separated when her father's taste for the cards caused him to go off on his adventures and she feels very much pushed aside as an afterthought while her father chased his gambling thrills in life, accompanied only by his long time bodyguard.
Therefore the h is very wary of anything that disturbs her orderly, routing life as she goes to classes at Notre Dame in South Bend Indiana. She isn't looking for and doesn't want any all consuming romantic passion in her life. Her mum and dad had that and he left until after her mum was gone and there was no one else to care for her until she was old enough to go to boarding school.
So it is quite a shock when the H, who is the best looking predator Alpha Manly Male she has ever seen, approaches her in a hostile fashion at her own birthday party and proceeds to tell her that as the Tarty Harlot of the Universe and South Bend, she isn't fit to marry his brother.
This really irks the h a lot. First, she wasn't aware that she had received any type of proposal at all. Certainly not from the H's brother, who is a fellow student studying law that she has hung out with for a bit. Second, who the heck is this really hot dude to come storming over and say things that she would be hard pressed to say to her worst enemy?
The sparks are flying high as the two confront each other and even tho her BFF and the H's little brother try and intervene, the party ends with the h dumping her full plate of food all over the H for his impertinence.
The h spends the night at a friend's house and when she gets home the next morning, (she and her roommate, her roommate's fiance and the H's little brother had planned to spend the day at the Indiana Dunes on the shore of Lake Michigan,) she is greeted by the H in her bedroom, making up the bed. He claims he is on vacation and her BFF kindly invited him to join them.
More verbal battling resumes and we can see that all that subversive HP Lurve Force Mojo is hiding itself beneath their sarcastic jibes. The h and H finally both calm down and climb off their soap boxes and we all go to the beach.
In a very philosophical vein, (of which this book has a lot of,) the h explains that the H keeps trying to impose a certain stereotype on her and judge her, however she isn't just one thing or another and therefore every time he tries to circle her into some kind of mold, she will just jump out it.
Then a little boy climbs too high in one the jack pine trees that the area is abundant with and he gets trapped on a breaking branch. The h sends her BFF to go get help and she climbs up the precarious perch to try and rescue the child. She gets to the boy and the H shows up, but as she is freeing the boy's t-shirt from where it is snagged on a branch, the little boy a panics and starts to fall.
In a desperate move, the h wraps her legs around the tree, flips upside down and catches the child just as he is heading downward. She scrapes up her back, hits her head hard enough to see stars and then almost wrenches her shoulder apart.
The H gallantly gets the child down safely and then gets the h down too, she is a little discombobulated after the incident. The H carries the h off to hospital for a check up and spends the night on her couch, as her roommate had obligations and the H volunteered to watch over her.
It soon becomes apparent that irregardless of his jealous little brother, the H is srsly interested in the h. So he invites everybody to Chicago, to stay at his custom designed apartment. The H is an architect and designed the whole building.
The h refuses to go at first, her father said he would come to visit her. But after her father reneged on the visit, the h allows her BFF to talk her into going. Things get more heated in intensity between the H and h, but they also can confide in each other and the H is a good listener.
He gives the h another perspective to view her father's non -appearances at important events when he tells her that if he had a beloved child and a dangerous job with unsavory characters, he would not keep his child around and would see her safe at a distance, rather than see elements of his lifestyle try to cause her hurt or harm.
The h hadn't thought of it that way before, so much more at peace in her heart, we all go to see Chicago. There is a theater trip and delicious H roofie kisses and the sexual tension is so vivid that the H's white walls appear red.
The H decides to throw a party and while the h and her BFF are shopping at Marshal Fields (a very iconic Chicago store back in the day,) the h realizes that she loves the H passionately and it terrifies her. During the party later, the h meets the H's friends and realizes that she would fit very nicely into the H's life.
In terms of stability and partnership in a marriage, he claims to want the same things she wants. The H is in his thirties and his first love died at a young age, but the H isn't hung up on the past, he claims that his first big love set him free to actually be able TO love.
The h likes the idear of marital stability, but she is unsure of the H's feelings and she just doesn't trust the HP Lurve Force Mojo passion. Tho when the H asks her to stay longer, the h decides she will stay on with the H while her friends go back to South bend and then she will see how things develop.
Then the h thinks her initial caution has been justified later that evening at the end of the party. She and the H are making out in the H's study when the H's little brother storms in and the H and little brother go off to battle it out.
The H thunders back to berate the h shortly after, cause little brother claimed that they were really engaged and the H is seducing little brother's newly affianced fiance. The h loses her mind and gives both the H and the little brother an epic smackdown.
She wants to leave, but is 1:30 in the morning and her BFF tells the h she will go with her right then, but it might be better to wait till morning since they don't know the bus schedule to South Bend and bus stations in Chicago are not the greatest at night.
The h and BFF leave on the bus the next morning. But not before the H humbly apologizes and the h agrees to talk to him when he promises to call her in South Bend in a few days. The confused and angry and hurt h gets home in one piece. The little brother shows up to apologize and he explains that he has always been jealous of his older brother and that is what made him start the big dramatic scene.
The h accepts his apology and claims that she and the little brother will always be friends, right as she is hugging it out with the chastened little brother, the doorbell rings. It is her father's bodyguard and the h's dad has been attacked, knocked into a coma and is in a hospital in London.
The h drops everything to get to London, where her dad looks pretty dire and is still in a coma. The h has some huge mopey moments and a few faints and really misses the H. She calls her roommate to check in and explain the situation and about 12 hours after that, the H shows up.
It seems the H's theory about her father distancing himself to keep her safe was right and now the h just wants her dad to wake up, cause if he dies she will have no family at all and the H denies that statement. He fell in love the moment he met her and he will always love her and they will always be together.
We get a huge roofie kissing moment, but before a hospital linen closet can be found to relieve the h of her unicorn petting skills, the h's father wakes up. We get a big happy h grand reunion with her dad and a big H declaration of his and the h's love and marriage to the h's delighted Irish father for the big HEA.
This one is a very dramatic and intense story, the H and h ping back and forth off each other in a serious passion vibe kinda way, but it wasn't overly melodramatic. The pacing has an odd rhythm tho, it has long slow moments of build up and then a big burst of almost violent passion and then back to the slow motion again. It was disconcerting and kinda threw me off.
However the story is well done, the characters are well developed, (and not too OTT for two people who fell in love in a week or two,) and the HEA is pretty sweet. So give this one a go for a bit of a different day in HPlandia and one of the last AC HP outings before she switches over to Dragons as Thea Harrison.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2011
This was a bit of a slow read, but I gave it four stars because I liked the emotional intensity of the storyline. Initially, I got the impression that Matt was going to be one of the super jerky heroes, the way he goes up to Sian at the party and emphatically warns her off of his brother, Jordan. However, after Sian sets him straight, beautifully, I might add, it's clear that he's not that way at all. From thence it becomes a hero in pursuit story with a hero that was so romantic he made me sigh. I read his declaration about marriage and my toes tingled, and I thought, "Wow! That's the kind of husband a woman wants." Yeah, people might turn their noses up at romance, but those moments make it clear why romance novels are a billion dollar industry in itself.
One thing I also liked about this story was how textured Sian was as a heroine. She wasn't falsely perfect, nor was she catty and frustrating. Instead she was a realistic young woman who had very understandable fears about giving her heart away. She had a composure that I really admired. She was loving, and playful, but she didn't take crap off anyone. Considering her upbringing, and her belief about how unimportant she was to her father, a world class gambler who never stayed in one place very long, and who continually let her down by backing out of his commitments with her, I could totally respect why she wanted a stable, comfortable marriage, instead of an emotional rollercoaster union. Matt scared her deep inside because she instinctively knew he wouldn't be the kind of guy to settle for just part of her--he would want all of her.
I have to say that I loved that this book was set in Chicago. I grew up in the Chicago suburbs, and Chi-Town will always have a place in my heart. I was really excited when they went to Indiana Dunes, which is a place I've visited myself. Although I love Harlequin Presents for their exotic locations, it was very nice to read one set in places I am familiar with, and with American characters with their uniquely American ways.
As far as the chemistry between Sian and Matt, it was volcanic. This is one of those stories where we don't see a physical consummation, but there are some pretty fiery kisses and caressing scenes where I didn't miss the 'real deal'. Ms. Carpenter definitely does a great job showing the attraction between her characters.
I liked various scenes in this story, such as the one in which Sian saves the little boy from the tree, and Matt saves her (I could see how much Matt cared for her very clearly and also what a good person Sian is). I thought the reveal on Sian's father was well-handled too. Quite a unique sort of dynamic there with her dad's real reasons for not being around much. And the ending was very good too. More sighworthy moments.
So, even though there was some parts that read slow, this was a steady, fulfilling read. That's four stars from me.
One thing I also liked about this story was how textured Sian was as a heroine. She wasn't falsely perfect, nor was she catty and frustrating. Instead she was a realistic young woman who had very understandable fears about giving her heart away. She had a composure that I really admired. She was loving, and playful, but she didn't take crap off anyone. Considering her upbringing, and her belief about how unimportant she was to her father, a world class gambler who never stayed in one place very long, and who continually let her down by backing out of his commitments with her, I could totally respect why she wanted a stable, comfortable marriage, instead of an emotional rollercoaster union. Matt scared her deep inside because she instinctively knew he wouldn't be the kind of guy to settle for just part of her--he would want all of her.
I have to say that I loved that this book was set in Chicago. I grew up in the Chicago suburbs, and Chi-Town will always have a place in my heart. I was really excited when they went to Indiana Dunes, which is a place I've visited myself. Although I love Harlequin Presents for their exotic locations, it was very nice to read one set in places I am familiar with, and with American characters with their uniquely American ways.
As far as the chemistry between Sian and Matt, it was volcanic. This is one of those stories where we don't see a physical consummation, but there are some pretty fiery kisses and caressing scenes where I didn't miss the 'real deal'. Ms. Carpenter definitely does a great job showing the attraction between her characters.
I liked various scenes in this story, such as the one in which Sian saves the little boy from the tree, and Matt saves her (I could see how much Matt cared for her very clearly and also what a good person Sian is). I thought the reveal on Sian's father was well-handled too. Quite a unique sort of dynamic there with her dad's real reasons for not being around much. And the ending was very good too. More sighworthy moments.
So, even though there was some parts that read slow, this was a steady, fulfilling read. That's four stars from me.
February 14, 2019
Older brother warns off the heroine from his younger brother and finds himself falling for her himself.
The heroine in this one was great - spirited, thoughtful, and honest about her shortcomings. She is vulnerable because her dad was a high-stakes gambler and parked her in boarding school when she was young. She's yearned security and consistency ever since. She's considering a passionless marriage of convenience when she meets the hero at her birthday/graduation party.
Hero's true love died at a young age, yet he still believes in love and passion. He is attracted from the beginning, but when he and the heroine rescue a boy from a tree, his words and actions scream eternal love. So his last minute distrust for the black moment really didn't ring true.
Luckily the first act is so strong that I could still believe in their HEA after a boring middle and an unnecessary black moment. The setting for an HP was unusual - South Bend, Indiana and Chicago.
The heroine in this one was great - spirited, thoughtful, and honest about her shortcomings. She is vulnerable because her dad was a high-stakes gambler and parked her in boarding school when she was young. She's yearned security and consistency ever since. She's considering a passionless marriage of convenience when she meets the hero at her birthday/graduation party.
Hero's true love died at a young age, yet he still believes in love and passion. He is attracted from the beginning, but when he and the heroine rescue a boy from a tree, his words and actions scream eternal love. So his last minute distrust for the black moment really didn't ring true.
Luckily the first act is so strong that I could still believe in their HEA after a boring middle and an unnecessary black moment. The setting for an HP was unusual - South Bend, Indiana and Chicago.
July 11, 2019
"A Solitary Heart" is the story of Sian and Matt.
Well, this started out as a super promising read but quickly went downhill.
The premise: Hero objects to heroine dating his brother
The problem: Heroine has a colorful and unconventional past, hero thinks she's a gold-digger
The good: How the hero makes the heroine realize the importance of love and how he makes her believe in HEA
My issue with this: Everything else
I felt the book was going amazing, but as we reached the halfway mark, it got tedious and annoying. The heroine was looking for a sterile marriage thanks to her absent upbringing, but things change when the hero, her boyfriend's older brother enters her life. He has loved and lost, and goes on to woo the heroine to be his.
The heroine is initially reluctant, but soon falls for his promises. There is loads of drama, brother acting like a dbag, prose like language which made the book seem like it was 1000 pages long, lack of sex, insufficient groveling and abrupt ending which just did not sit well with me. The characters were too forgiving.
Wow, this had potential to be such a sizzling read, but it fizzled out.
Meh.
Safe
2/5
Well, this started out as a super promising read but quickly went downhill.
The premise: Hero objects to heroine dating his brother
The problem: Heroine has a colorful and unconventional past, hero thinks she's a gold-digger
The good: How the hero makes the heroine realize the importance of love and how he makes her believe in HEA
My issue with this: Everything else
I felt the book was going amazing, but as we reached the halfway mark, it got tedious and annoying. The heroine was looking for a sterile marriage thanks to her absent upbringing, but things change when the hero, her boyfriend's older brother enters her life. He has loved and lost, and goes on to woo the heroine to be his.
The heroine is initially reluctant, but soon falls for his promises. There is loads of drama, brother acting like a dbag, prose like language which made the book seem like it was 1000 pages long, lack of sex, insufficient groveling and abrupt ending which just did not sit well with me. The characters were too forgiving.
Wow, this had potential to be such a sizzling read, but it fizzled out.
Meh.
Safe
2/5
September 23, 2013
Started out strong with a violent first meeting between hero and heroine, but then the story just kind of dragged in spots. The writing was also just a bit clumsy for me.
I almost didn't finish it.
I almost didn't finish it.
December 31, 2012
I enjoyed this one, the heroine has some set ideas about love and is independent, when the hero crashes all her ideas. She did lead him on a merry chase but I loved the hero even though we don't get his POV much.
August 13, 2017
The couple had good chemistry even if the heroine had a blow hot blow cold attitude, but then she was young. She had just graduated college, so she must have been only 21.
May 10, 2012
This was a little slow and I found myself skimming places, but I liked the characters and emotional tension. I tend to like older romances, but I've probably read too many of them lately because I was really wishing there was a little more going on on the physical side. Still, a decent read.
April 4, 2012
For those who may not know, Amanda Carpenter is the pen name that Thea Harrison used in the beginning of her career. This was her ninth Harlequin, her first being published when she was nineteen.
I've become very familiar with Thea's writing style and quirks over the last year and a half, and I can pick out the seeds that will eventually blossom into the talent that created Dragon Bound. Going by this book, however, you'd think Amanda Carpenter never met an adjective she didn't like. The main characters are well-developed, the secondaries not so much, although this could be due to the format restrictions. Sian had a little bit of Serpent's Kiss's Carling in her, but she reminded me very strongly of, and this isn't a bad thing, Rarity from the television cartoon My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. The hero was unique in the fact that he'd been in love before and the girl passed away, but he's not your typical 'I CAN NEVER LOVE AGAIN' hero. He's actually all 'I loved her, I cherish the time I had with her, but I'm going to keep being alive.' It was a breath of fresh air. Relatively speaking, since this was published in '93.
Another thing that sets A Solitary Heart apart is the fact that it doesn't feel very dated. Amanda Carpenter might choose to tell the story slightly differently nineteen years later, but the plot itself and the events that take place wouldn't really need to change (it's worth mentioning the characters don't actually have sex in this book). Having said that, the pacing is on the slow side and Harrison's trademark wit isn't yet present in Carpenter's book. While it's clear from this book that Carpenter is still an evolving writer, I think it stands heads and shoulders above some of the series titles that being published today.
In addition to A Solitary Heart, I picked up three other Carpenter titles from the Amazon marketplace, at about four dollars a piece. Since the possibilities of reprinting these books or pubbing them as ebooks exist only as whispers in the wind, the used book market is your only shot at getting your hands on these books. However, if you're lucky enough to get one AND to bump into Thea where it'd be permissible (some events will restrict you from bringing in outside books), she has said she'll sign them. Personally speaking, I'm bringing at least one of them with me to RWA 2012 in July.
I've become very familiar with Thea's writing style and quirks over the last year and a half, and I can pick out the seeds that will eventually blossom into the talent that created Dragon Bound. Going by this book, however, you'd think Amanda Carpenter never met an adjective she didn't like. The main characters are well-developed, the secondaries not so much, although this could be due to the format restrictions. Sian had a little bit of Serpent's Kiss's Carling in her, but she reminded me very strongly of, and this isn't a bad thing, Rarity from the television cartoon My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. The hero was unique in the fact that he'd been in love before and the girl passed away, but he's not your typical 'I CAN NEVER LOVE AGAIN' hero. He's actually all 'I loved her, I cherish the time I had with her, but I'm going to keep being alive.' It was a breath of fresh air. Relatively speaking, since this was published in '93.
Another thing that sets A Solitary Heart apart is the fact that it doesn't feel very dated. Amanda Carpenter might choose to tell the story slightly differently nineteen years later, but the plot itself and the events that take place wouldn't really need to change (it's worth mentioning the characters don't actually have sex in this book). Having said that, the pacing is on the slow side and Harrison's trademark wit isn't yet present in Carpenter's book. While it's clear from this book that Carpenter is still an evolving writer, I think it stands heads and shoulders above some of the series titles that being published today.
In addition to A Solitary Heart, I picked up three other Carpenter titles from the Amazon marketplace, at about four dollars a piece. Since the possibilities of reprinting these books or pubbing them as ebooks exist only as whispers in the wind, the used book market is your only shot at getting your hands on these books. However, if you're lucky enough to get one AND to bump into Thea where it'd be permissible (some events will restrict you from bringing in outside books), she has said she'll sign them. Personally speaking, I'm bringing at least one of them with me to RWA 2012 in July.
April 21, 2021
Wow so many excellent reviews on this! Basically the first 5 that showed up on my Goodreads reviews I found myself nodding my head in agreement...I think Danielle the Book Huntress summed up my feelings better than even I could express.
So quickly....some additional thoughts...
The H and h had some explosive chemistry. These parts were written very well, and I was on edge reading them....it’s like a tv show where the two main characters have amazing chemistry and you want them to get together, but that usually marks the beginning of the end of the series when that happens. Think if Ross and Rachel from Friends had gotten together that 1st season and stayed together? The show would not have lasted 10 seasons!
Well guess what?...the h and H never do succumb to a full on melding of the bodies before the book ends.
Therefore, I really wished this book had an epilogue! The ending was fine, it satisfies but I would have loved a glimpse of them a few years down the road with Grandpa Dev and Grandpa Malcolm being harassed by a couple of rug rats and the h and H taking the opportunity without kids to sneak off and engage in one very heated love making session!
So quickly....some additional thoughts...
The H and h had some explosive chemistry. These parts were written very well, and I was on edge reading them....it’s like a tv show where the two main characters have amazing chemistry and you want them to get together, but that usually marks the beginning of the end of the series when that happens. Think if Ross and Rachel from Friends had gotten together that 1st season and stayed together? The show would not have lasted 10 seasons!
Well guess what?...the h and H never do succumb to a full on melding of the bodies before the book ends.
Therefore, I really wished this book had an epilogue! The ending was fine, it satisfies but I would have loved a glimpse of them a few years down the road with Grandpa Dev and Grandpa Malcolm being harassed by a couple of rug rats and the h and H taking the opportunity without kids to sneak off and engage in one very heated love making session!
April 6, 2025
As with other Amanda Carpenter books, I thought there was good character development and tension in this one, but the story seemed to drag at points and the prose was ... overwrought, to put it very mildly. Not a good sign when I find myself chuckling at inappropriate moments, such as:
- Here's our heroine crying: her eyes filled with pools of salted wetness that streaked diamante paths down her marble cheeks.
- The hero actually spouts this dialogue with a straight face: Your grace of movement, green eyes intent with slumbrous warmth and the residue of fire. I would want you to come to me with confidence and surety. I would want you to catch me before I fall too far, with the feline ease of the slightest touch which is given in desire. (Call me unromantic, but I would be absolutely howling if anyone said this to me.)
- A searing vision of his male body, enmeshed and subjugated and arcing in spear-thrusting passion, imploded in her with such force that she gasped in silent distress.
Spear-thrusting passion! Oh lord.
- Here's our heroine crying: her eyes filled with pools of salted wetness that streaked diamante paths down her marble cheeks.
- The hero actually spouts this dialogue with a straight face: Your grace of movement, green eyes intent with slumbrous warmth and the residue of fire. I would want you to come to me with confidence and surety. I would want you to catch me before I fall too far, with the feline ease of the slightest touch which is given in desire. (Call me unromantic, but I would be absolutely howling if anyone said this to me.)
- A searing vision of his male body, enmeshed and subjugated and arcing in spear-thrusting passion, imploded in her with such force that she gasped in silent distress.
Spear-thrusting passion! Oh lord.
April 22, 2019
When sibling rivalry goes too far, hearts are at risk.
When the overbearingly bossy Matt Severn accuses Sian of taking advantage of his younger brother, she is outraged. How dare he dictate her behavior with a good friend?
To get even with Matt, Sian concocts a fake engagement and throws herself wholeheartedly into the deception. But as they grow to know each other better, Matt and Sian realize that first impressions aren’t always correct, and that sometimes love can be found in the strangest of circumstances.
When the overbearingly bossy Matt Severn accuses Sian of taking advantage of his younger brother, she is outraged. How dare he dictate her behavior with a good friend?
To get even with Matt, Sian concocts a fake engagement and throws herself wholeheartedly into the deception. But as they grow to know each other better, Matt and Sian realize that first impressions aren’t always correct, and that sometimes love can be found in the strangest of circumstances.
February 23, 2024
Really liked it. A one h (Sian) two brothers story which had heat and intensity, even if the prose was occasionally rather florid and the motivations a little obscure. The H, older brother Matt, was to die for. It was overheated in parts but the sexual chemistry was well handled and it kept me turning the pages to finish in one sitting. Solid.
July 9, 2019
Not much debt. It is all about two weeks worth of story from beginning to end. Half of it H and h was necking.
March 19, 2022
I rate this novel ‘A Solitary Heart’ by Amanda Carpenter 2 stars.
Plot Summary
The plot begins with the heroine ‘Sian’ hosting a party with her friends. The hero, Matt comes to the party and tells her to stay away from his younger brother, thinking they both were lovers. Both the leads find each other attractive, yet Sian is wounded and angry at Matt’s bluntness and arrogance. So, she decides to play him just for the sake of it although she is not interested in Matt’s brother (she considers him as a good friend). Matt pursues Sian, flirts with her. She is equally attracted to him and flirts back. There are misunderstandings but they get back together at the end.
My Views
The vocabulary was too complex for me to understand. The dialogues, the sarcasm, the underlying jokes were knotty for me. It wasn’t engaging, I got bored and then I skipped quite a few pages. I finished it just because its my own personal rule to not leave any book unread midway.
Triggers
Not aware of any.
Plot Summary
The plot begins with the heroine ‘Sian’ hosting a party with her friends. The hero, Matt comes to the party and tells her to stay away from his younger brother, thinking they both were lovers. Both the leads find each other attractive, yet Sian is wounded and angry at Matt’s bluntness and arrogance. So, she decides to play him just for the sake of it although she is not interested in Matt’s brother (she considers him as a good friend). Matt pursues Sian, flirts with her. She is equally attracted to him and flirts back. There are misunderstandings but they get back together at the end.
My Views
The vocabulary was too complex for me to understand. The dialogues, the sarcasm, the underlying jokes were knotty for me. It wasn’t engaging, I got bored and then I skipped quite a few pages. I finished it just because its my own personal rule to not leave any book unread midway.
Triggers
Not aware of any.
September 4, 2012
The beginning catches you off guard and his pursuit of her was kinda sweet. I'm beginning to appreciate AC as a writer that maybe the fireworks and passion doesn't need to be in a plot related, but more within the internal struggles of the characters. It's a word play of wit and it's entertaining to say the least.
August 14, 2014
Read my review on RomanceJunkies.com by clicking on the link below:
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May 5, 2024
This was mostly good but dragged in the middle. Tree scene is excellent and unusual in HP; not many hs get attacked by trees!
June 21, 2018
A game of chance...
It had begun with Matt Severn's overblown accusations of her involvement with his younger brother. Now he and Sian where dancing around each other with the naked agression of two boxing opponents.
He's getting to her, making her crazy, pushing and pursuing her -- shifting his tactics with subtle dexterity, shattering Sian's poise and self control. Until Sian has no choice but to let him discover a woman who is unawakened, unfulfilled, untouched -- a woman who is not yet sure how to love...
It had begun with Matt Severn's overblown accusations of her involvement with his younger brother. Now he and Sian where dancing around each other with the naked agression of two boxing opponents.
He's getting to her, making her crazy, pushing and pursuing her -- shifting his tactics with subtle dexterity, shattering Sian's poise and self control. Until Sian has no choice but to let him discover a woman who is unawakened, unfulfilled, untouched -- a woman who is not yet sure how to love...
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