The One and Only

by Doris E. Smith

Someone had described Angus MacAllan as "John Knox, Calvin and Queen Victoria rolled into one" -- and that was pretty much the impression he made on Maggie Campbell when she first met him.

Later on she changed her mind about Angus -- but could she expect him to do the same about her, if he ever learned how she was deceiving him?

Genres: Harlequin, Harlequin Romance

188 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1973

About the author

Doris Edna Elliott was born on 12 August 1919 in Dulbin, Ireland. Educated at Alexandra College, Dublin. From 1938 worked for an Dublin's insurance group. As Doris E. Smith was the author of over 20 gothic and romance novels from 1966 to 1982. In 1969, her novel Comfort and Keep won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by Romantic Novelists Association.

Reviews

[StMargarets · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really a 3 1/2 star because the formatting from open library was so wonky and it slowed me down. I did like this very much, but I'll say upfront that Doris E. Smith's writing is probably an acquired taste. I enjoyed all of her droll little descriptions - such as the heroine being an "armchair cook" (she liked to read recipes rather than actually cook them) or a character with a loud voice calling out like "the angel Gabriel."

So there's no sinking into a story of emotions and feeling along with the characters, but there is the delight of being *told* a story and watching the characters make their mistakes with the knowledge the author is holding them in good hands. This was almost like watching a play, especially in the last third when we the reader know what's going on, but the characters are talking at cross-purposes. It's an old trick (dramatic irony) and it's used to good effect here. Just be warned it feels old-fashioned (that's not a criticism - I like *good* vintage and this is it).

Heroine is a 26 year-old horse-riding instructor who is the guardian of her dead twin's shy 4 year-old daughter. Heroine has suffered a lot of loss and worries about her niece. She has a chance at a job in Scotland (where she is from) because of an old flame (OM). Widowed hero is the head of a knit wear factory. (Think Pringle of Scotland cashmere sweaters) and has a 12 year-old son. The stables where the heroine would work are on his land and the heroine's employer is a 20 year-old distant relative of his. The family wants hero to marry the 20 year-old (OW) to keep her out of trouble.


There's a lot of to and fro-ing between Scotland and Ireland at the beginning - but the upshot is that by page 50 the heroine and her niece move to "Wee House" on the hero's land and the OW proves to be a distant employer. Heroine sees a lot of the hero's son (who is adorably serious as some boys that age are) and whips the stables into shape. Hero who was at first against heroine coming, is very kind - helping her with a sick horse on the first day, drawing out the four year-old, inviting her to dinner - and to tour the factory - and to help him host a party. All signs point to his interest but heroine can't see it because she thinks he's going to marry the OW.

Heroine's OM turns out to be an industrial spy and asks heroine to report anything she can about the hero's weaknesses or plans for the factory. Heroine thinks the OM is *helping* the hero get the merger he wants, so she writes reports, but she doesn't report anything useful. She also thinks the OM wants to marry her - and she feels some loyalty because he got her this dream job. Meanwhile she's falling in love with "the one and only" (hero's name is Angus and that's what the name means), and she's fighting it because she thinks he's marrying OW.

I'm leaving out large swathes of action (getting lost in a snowstorm, the hero learning to ride, how H/h's first meeting was the heroine in his shower), but once the merger is in place, the OM's motives are revealed. He never meant to marry her, he got her the job in order to have a spy on the ground. Heroine still thinks hero means to marry OW, but hero who now has the time to clear up things up, finally sets her straight. HEA Kids are happy and I'm happy.

There were so many things to like about this story. The hero was pretty great. He spoke fondly of his deceased wife and we even get a visit with his mother-in-law. His warmth and love for his family and work and home shines through. He's also boyish in his enthusiasms (he likes re-watching movies at the movie theater) and his big weakness is he likes to talk. I can't remember the last time I've read a story where the hero was chatty.

Heroine was lovely as well - she genuinely wanted the best for her niece and her string of losses and bad luck didn't make her bitter or depressed, just wary of things going along too well. They fit so well together - these two.

This isn't a quick read, but it's a rewarding one.

[JR · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was keen to try a book by this author as Doris Edna Smith penned quite a few titles for M&B during the 1960's and 1970's. On the strength of this work, however, I wouldn't put her in same category as contemporaries like Alex Stuart or Mary Burchell.

'The One and Only' makes for a rather twee read (no pun intended either, despite the hero owning a clothing factory in Scotland) with some rather disorienting type exchanges between the protagonists - possibly due to the novel's pretty aimless secondary plot lines. One other criticism is the book's length - I expect reducing it by 10-15,000 words would have improved the story-line and removed some of the annoying fuzziness around the edges of the main plot-line.

That all said, I'm giving 'The One and Only' a 3-star vintage romance rating as the characters are all likeable and, all in all, it makes for a reasonable autumn/winter rainy afternoon read.

[Ellyn (Mrs. Darcy in my Dreams) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great vintage! There were so many misunderstandings I became dizzy trying to follow at times. These people needed to talk more. Loved the kids in this! I do think the h was a wee bit too gullible because she should have seen through the OM much earlier.