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غرقت في بحر الشوق
Lydie Pearson calls on Josh Marriott's help to save her family's estate, unaware that Josh is no longer indebted to her family. Shocked, she discovers that it is now she who owes Josh - and the only repayment he'll allow is her hand in marriage...
Unknown Binding
First published September 1, 2003
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About the author
Jessica Steele
341 books113 followersJessica Steele was born on May 9, 1933 in the elegant Warwickshire town of Royal Leamington Spa. She has two super brothers, Colin and George, and a lovely sister, Elizabeth. She was a delicate child and missed a lot of school. In fact, she left school at aged 14, when she was diagnosed as having tuberculosis. At 16, she started work as a junior clerk. In 1967, Jessica married with her husband, Peter and within a very short space of time they had moved from her hometown to the lovely area where they now live. Their house is built into the side of a hill, and has beautiful views over more hills and valleys. Her brothers and her sister are very close and she has plenty of nephews and nieces to make up for the fact that she and her husband have no children of their own. Both she and her husband are more than a little dog-oriented, and their current dog is a Staffordshire bull terrier named Florence. Florence is gorgeous. She loves everybody but, since she is 40 pounds of dynamite and would hurl her boisterous self at everyone she meets - given half a chance - she has to be restrained (as much as possible). She is fun.
Her husband spurred Jessica on to her writing career, giving her every support while she did what she considers her five-year apprenticeship (the rejection years) while learning how to write. She published her first books in 1979. Jessica has tried using a typewriter, but it just doesn't work for her. She is much happier writing in longhand, and in actual fact has a dozen or so fountain pens filled and ready to go at the start of any one session. A friend has a secretarial agency and, after deciphering Jessica's writing, returns an immaculately typed manuscript. To gain authentic background for her books, she has travelled and researched in Greece, Russia, Egypt, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Hong Kong, China and Japan.
Her husband spurred Jessica on to her writing career, giving her every support while she did what she considers her five-year apprenticeship (the rejection years) while learning how to write. She published her first books in 1979. Jessica has tried using a typewriter, but it just doesn't work for her. She is much happier writing in longhand, and in actual fact has a dozen or so fountain pens filled and ready to go at the start of any one session. A friend has a secretarial agency and, after deciphering Jessica's writing, returns an immaculately typed manuscript. To gain authentic background for her books, she has travelled and researched in Greece, Russia, Egypt, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Hong Kong, China and Japan.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 23, 2013
Another of this delightful stories by Jessica Steele where, at the end, Hero tells heroine how special she has ever been for him. A sample for this is the following VERY endearing quotation:
`Am I allowed to say how very beautiful you are, and how for me a day without you is a day without the sun?'
April 5, 2022
3.5 is more like it.
Lydie is our girl - a name too deeply associated with a wilful younger sister than a sassy heroine ;)
She is a rich man's daughter who recently became a pauper because his business went bust. Lydie's mum and elder brother are the flighty , high society type. They aren't reconciled to the new reality of their financial condition.
Lydie is ready to face up to the reality. Her mummy misleads Lydie about some money her father had loaned to a young and upcoming businessman, Jonah, the hero, a few years back. She sends Lydie to meet Jonah and get the money back. Lydie promptly does that. Joanh gives her the money, without a qualm. So she happily takes the money and repays her daddy's debts.
But Daddy is furious ! Jonah has already repaid the loan long back you see. Now Lydie is totally stumped, why didn't Jonah say anything when she went to meet him all guns blazing !
Jonah for his part has decided that he's got the perfect opening to get Lydie for himself. He keeps couching it all as a marriage of convenience, to remove the feeling of indebtedness from her father's mind.
She agrees, but always has a sore point in her heart. That Jonah isn't marrying her for herself, he is simply protecting her father's honour, out of deep respect Jonah has for her dad.
So the engagement, courtship and the actual marriage process is all happening in the story in great detail. With Jonah seemingly elated. But Lydie a little disillusioned.
Only on the day of the wedding do some dramatic events occur. And Lydie is forced to confront Jonah about the sudden turn of events. I'll not go into the sequence of events here. Just that Jonah confesses that it was Lydie herself who was the biggest incentive for him to get into this deal. All for her !! What more , she is elated.
He gets a happy bride, she gets a besotted husband. And we get a long marathon HEA confession. A bit too sweet for my liking. Too much of romantic mush also has a saturating effect ;)))
I like my HEAs to be explosive, dramatic, toally besotted, but short. Not long drawn out reminiscing of every moment of their love life !
Lydie is our girl - a name too deeply associated with a wilful younger sister than a sassy heroine ;)
She is a rich man's daughter who recently became a pauper because his business went bust. Lydie's mum and elder brother are the flighty , high society type. They aren't reconciled to the new reality of their financial condition.
Lydie is ready to face up to the reality. Her mummy misleads Lydie about some money her father had loaned to a young and upcoming businessman, Jonah, the hero, a few years back. She sends Lydie to meet Jonah and get the money back. Lydie promptly does that. Joanh gives her the money, without a qualm. So she happily takes the money and repays her daddy's debts.
But Daddy is furious ! Jonah has already repaid the loan long back you see. Now Lydie is totally stumped, why didn't Jonah say anything when she went to meet him all guns blazing !
Jonah for his part has decided that he's got the perfect opening to get Lydie for himself. He keeps couching it all as a marriage of convenience, to remove the feeling of indebtedness from her father's mind.
She agrees, but always has a sore point in her heart. That Jonah isn't marrying her for herself, he is simply protecting her father's honour, out of deep respect Jonah has for her dad.
So the engagement, courtship and the actual marriage process is all happening in the story in great detail. With Jonah seemingly elated. But Lydie a little disillusioned.
Only on the day of the wedding do some dramatic events occur. And Lydie is forced to confront Jonah about the sudden turn of events. I'll not go into the sequence of events here. Just that Jonah confesses that it was Lydie herself who was the biggest incentive for him to get into this deal. All for her !! What more , she is elated.
He gets a happy bride, she gets a besotted husband. And we get a long marathon HEA confession. A bit too sweet for my liking. Too much of romantic mush also has a saturating effect ;)))
I like my HEAs to be explosive, dramatic, toally besotted, but short. Not long drawn out reminiscing of every moment of their love life !
January 12, 2015
This book was very British.
I actually don't have a problem with that, but it should be noted that if you are an American, just be prepared for people to relieve themselves in the "loo", put things in the "boot" of the car, and words that we spell with "z" are frequently spelled with "s" (i.e., realize/realise). Lydie is a nanny who has come home for her brother's wedding to find that her father is about to lose their house due to... well a lot of reasons, but most of which seems to be her mother (more on that foul wench in a moment) and brother. She's tricked into going to a man her father previously loaned money to, Jonah Marriott, who has already repaid his loan, only Lydie isn't made aware of that last part. Back in the day, Lydie and Jonah had about a two-minute encounter and somehow managed to get mutual crushes on each other during that short period of time, crushes that were enough to remember each other seven years later. Jonah realizes what has happened, that Lydie is under a mistaken impression, and gives Lydie the money anyway, and it isn't until after the check is cashed that Lydie is made aware of the reality of the situation.
Oh and for the record, the "paper marriage" referenced in the title doesn't actually take place until the end of the book, so for anyone thinking this is going to be a marriage-of-convenience turned eventually to love story, about half of it is the lead-up to the proposal and the other half is the engagement.
The book was... cute, but that's really all I'll say for it. Lydie was a bit of a silly goose with some very odd overreactions to certain situations, and to be quite honest, while I understood why she fell for Jonah, a little anyway, I didn't quite understand why Jonah fell for her. A lot of this could have been because the story was told exclusively from Lydie's perspective, so I will choose to believe that Jonah saw something in Lydie she couldn't see in herself.
As for the other characters, I greatly enjoyed Lydie's great-aunt Alice, thought her brother was a bit of a self-absorbed douche, her father was all right, but her mother... Oh her mother. You remember the 1995 (the best really) mini-series version of Pride & Prejudice, featuring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle? Remember the mother in it? Every line I read, I heard in that high-pitched, shrill, wail that Alison Steadman used as Mrs. Bennett. I kept praying that Lydie's father would leave the selfish harpy. It was primarily her fault that Lydie's father was about to lose the house and yet every time he spoke of losing it or selling it to pay his debts, her response was to threaten to leave. Further, the mother was the one who lied to Lydie about the status of Jonah's loan, essentially sending Lydie into an embarrassing situation on purpose for no other reason than her own greed and she was unrepentant about her deceit later, saying essentially, "Oh well, we have the house again so now I don't have to leave you." Personally, I would have recommended Lydie's father sell the house and get rid of both albatrosses, but I guess Jessica Steele disagreed with me. I think the lack of comeuppance for the mother is another part of the reason I never warmed up to this story.
It was a sweet read, but I don't see me ever picking it up again for a second time, and I'm not sure I'm in a hurry to read any of the author's other books at the moment. The writing was good on a technical level, but the plot and characters were a bit overly-simplistic for me. I felt like a lot of what went on happened more because of "plot!" and not because the characters actually had good reasons for their actions.
I actually don't have a problem with that, but it should be noted that if you are an American, just be prepared for people to relieve themselves in the "loo", put things in the "boot" of the car, and words that we spell with "z" are frequently spelled with "s" (i.e., realize/realise). Lydie is a nanny who has come home for her brother's wedding to find that her father is about to lose their house due to... well a lot of reasons, but most of which seems to be her mother (more on that foul wench in a moment) and brother. She's tricked into going to a man her father previously loaned money to, Jonah Marriott, who has already repaid his loan, only Lydie isn't made aware of that last part. Back in the day, Lydie and Jonah had about a two-minute encounter and somehow managed to get mutual crushes on each other during that short period of time, crushes that were enough to remember each other seven years later. Jonah realizes what has happened, that Lydie is under a mistaken impression, and gives Lydie the money anyway, and it isn't until after the check is cashed that Lydie is made aware of the reality of the situation.
Oh and for the record, the "paper marriage" referenced in the title doesn't actually take place until the end of the book, so for anyone thinking this is going to be a marriage-of-convenience turned eventually to love story, about half of it is the lead-up to the proposal and the other half is the engagement.
The book was... cute, but that's really all I'll say for it. Lydie was a bit of a silly goose with some very odd overreactions to certain situations, and to be quite honest, while I understood why she fell for Jonah, a little anyway, I didn't quite understand why Jonah fell for her. A lot of this could have been because the story was told exclusively from Lydie's perspective, so I will choose to believe that Jonah saw something in Lydie she couldn't see in herself.
As for the other characters, I greatly enjoyed Lydie's great-aunt Alice, thought her brother was a bit of a self-absorbed douche, her father was all right, but her mother... Oh her mother. You remember the 1995 (the best really) mini-series version of Pride & Prejudice, featuring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle? Remember the mother in it? Every line I read, I heard in that high-pitched, shrill, wail that Alison Steadman used as Mrs. Bennett. I kept praying that Lydie's father would leave the selfish harpy. It was primarily her fault that Lydie's father was about to lose the house and yet every time he spoke of losing it or selling it to pay his debts, her response was to threaten to leave. Further, the mother was the one who lied to Lydie about the status of Jonah's loan, essentially sending Lydie into an embarrassing situation on purpose for no other reason than her own greed and she was unrepentant about her deceit later, saying essentially, "Oh well, we have the house again so now I don't have to leave you." Personally, I would have recommended Lydie's father sell the house and get rid of both albatrosses, but I guess Jessica Steele disagreed with me. I think the lack of comeuppance for the mother is another part of the reason I never warmed up to this story.
It was a sweet read, but I don't see me ever picking it up again for a second time, and I'm not sure I'm in a hurry to read any of the author's other books at the moment. The writing was good on a technical level, but the plot and characters were a bit overly-simplistic for me. I felt like a lot of what went on happened more because of "plot!" and not because the characters actually had good reasons for their actions.
February 9, 2017
Though I enjoyed reading it , I must mention it was quite plain for my taste . It was bit more like homespun . Fluffy and lovely with no major misunderstandings or Angst albeit a bit dragged .
H n h were wonderful , you rarely get to see such perfect gentleman in HP's - swoon worthy . h was dumb not to believe H's love ( ntn new in it , I guess ) , H was is a dream Man , Ahaa a perfect male specimen ;)
H n h were wonderful , you rarely get to see such perfect gentleman in HP's - swoon worthy . h was dumb not to believe H's love ( ntn new in it , I guess ) , H was is a dream Man , Ahaa a perfect male specimen ;)
February 8, 2025
Lidės šeima ties bankroto riba ir gali netenki namų, bet staiga prisimenama apie seną Džono skolą. Tačiau viskas apsiverčia kai paaiškėja, kad skola jau buvo grąžinta, o dabar jau Džonas reikalauja atlygio - fiktyvių vedybų.
February 26, 2017
I'm not sure what is it with those naïve young women? And what angel is guarding them? Imagine yourself bursting into the office of big company's CEO and starting to accuse him of smth ridiculous. I think you will be out on the street quicker then you could say "Quidditch" and no one for sure won't propose marriage to you.
Another "good" advice to take out of this book is always raise your voice when speaking with man you love and accuse him of every stupid thing.
Lydie's mother is horrible. Sending daughter to some unknown man knowing well he doesn't own any debt. And then she was surprised with an outcome. And her beloved son that ruined family and found himself a new one. Only father is worth showing sympathy to.
Another "good" advice to take out of this book is always raise your voice when speaking with man you love and accuse him of every stupid thing.
Lydie's mother is horrible. Sending daughter to some unknown man knowing well he doesn't own any debt. And then she was surprised with an outcome. And her beloved son that ruined family and found himself a new one. Only father is worth showing sympathy to.
April 28, 2012
- Fluffy.
- Sweet couple.
- Heroine's mother sorta feel snobbish but redeemed herself later on...only a bit, though.
- Heroine's brother feels conceited of himself.
- Adored heroine's father.
- Charlie, heroine's friend, makes me imagine of a Neville-ish fellow from a certain series.
- Hero has good traits, even his jealousy doesn't turn me of from getting good vibes from him.
- Heroine a nice & shy girl; makes me want to hug her.
- Overall, a good book.
- Sweet couple.
- Heroine's mother sorta feel snobbish but redeemed herself later on...only a bit, though.
- Heroine's brother feels conceited of himself.
- Adored heroine's father.
- Charlie, heroine's friend, makes me imagine of a Neville-ish fellow from a certain series.
- Hero has good traits, even his jealousy doesn't turn me of from getting good vibes from him.
- Heroine a nice & shy girl; makes me want to hug her.
- Overall, a good book.
October 2, 2020
There’s not much sexual chemistry between h and H.
The h lies too much in the beginning of the book. I find that off putting. She was also rude to the H. She blamed him that she asked and got 55.000 pounds from him. And she is also naive.
It was all a bit boring. Nothing sizzling.
What I did like, was that this h has dark hair. I do believe that more than 90 % of the h’s in the Harlequin novels have blond hair. I don’t know why that is, but it’s nice to read about a dark haired h. It would be even better if the h would have been chubby.
The h lies too much in the beginning of the book. I find that off putting. She was also rude to the H. She blamed him that she asked and got 55.000 pounds from him. And she is also naive.
It was all a bit boring. Nothing sizzling.
What I did like, was that this h has dark hair. I do believe that more than 90 % of the h’s in the Harlequin novels have blond hair. I don’t know why that is, but it’s nice to read about a dark haired h. It would be even better if the h would have been chubby.
abrierto-to-read-hr-other
July 23, 2022Lydie asked Jonah Marriott for help saving her family's estate. After all, Lydie's father had helped Jonah build his business, so surely it's now payback time? Only, Lydie is unaware that Jonah is no longer indebted to her and is shocked to discover she now owes Jonah a fortune! Then he delivers an emotional bombshell: the only way he'll allow Lydie to repay him is with her hand in marriage...
August 19, 2022
Dull, slow & plain boring. Heroine was an idiot. Both leads used the word “um” repeatedly in their speech/dialogues. I strongly find that super annoying.
January 14, 2017
super
December 23, 2017
-343 غرقت في بحر الشوق :
جيسيكا ستيل
ـ أنا مستعدة لفعل أي شيء
حدق فيها جون بثبات وسألها :
ـ أي شيء ؟ هل تعنين حقا أي شيء ؟
لا عجب أن تقول ليدي هذا الكلام فالرجل الواقف أمامها أنقذ أملاك عائلتها ولم يسمح بطردهم من منزلهم
ـ سأفعل أي شيء .. شرط أن يكون قانونيا
افتغر ثغره عن ابتسامة غير إرادية قبل أن يسألها :
ـ كم عمرك ؟
كانت واثقة من أنه يعرف سنها ولكنها أجابت :
ـ 23 سنة ؟ لماذا تسأل ؟
ـ إنني أتأكد فقط من أن ما سأطلبه منك قانوني إذا ما تم بين شخصين ناضجين موافقين ...
جيسيكا ستيل
ـ أنا مستعدة لفعل أي شيء
حدق فيها جون بثبات وسألها :
ـ أي شيء ؟ هل تعنين حقا أي شيء ؟
لا عجب أن تقول ليدي هذا الكلام فالرجل الواقف أمامها أنقذ أملاك عائلتها ولم يسمح بطردهم من منزلهم
ـ سأفعل أي شيء .. شرط أن يكون قانونيا
افتغر ثغره عن ابتسامة غير إرادية قبل أن يسألها :
ـ كم عمرك ؟
كانت واثقة من أنه يعرف سنها ولكنها أجابت :
ـ 23 سنة ؟ لماذا تسأل ؟
ـ إنني أتأكد فقط من أن ما سأطلبه منك قانوني إذا ما تم بين شخصين ناضجين موافقين ...
October 12, 2021
Very nice, clean too. Author shows us both his and her thoughts and feelings.
I reread this about 14 months later and still like it but author jumbles her syntax and goes into convoluted sentences to explain girl’s feelings.
I reread this about 14 months later and still like it but author jumbles her syntax and goes into convoluted sentences to explain girl’s feelings.
June 20, 2019
Do you know similar books??
September 28, 2023
A 24 Diciembre 2022 YT
April 17, 2017
A short decent read.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews