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Not Part of the Bargain
Wade had come to take her back to Texas
Just before his death, Joanna's father had put Wade Hollister in charge of his ranch and all his financial assets. He'd also given Wade his daughter.
Joanna, an insecure, overweight seventeen-year-old, had fled. Now, three years later, Wade stood in her doorway--the epitome of the understated millionaire rancher.
Joanna guessed she'd always known he'd come for her eventually. But she wasn't going to kid herself. His presence was strictly business--the only fantasies and sappy emotions involved would be her own.
Just before his death, Joanna's father had put Wade Hollister in charge of his ranch and all his financial assets. He'd also given Wade his daughter.
Joanna, an insecure, overweight seventeen-year-old, had fled. Now, three years later, Wade stood in her doorway--the epitome of the understated millionaire rancher.
Joanna guessed she'd always known he'd come for her eventually. But she wasn't going to kid herself. His presence was strictly business--the only fantasies and sappy emotions involved would be her own.
188 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1989
About the author
Susan Fox
141 books50 followersThere is more than one author with this name. When entering books for this particular Susan Fox. The name needs to be entered with only one space between the first and last name.
Susan grew up with her sister, Janet, and her brother, Steven, on an acreage near Des Moines, Iowa, where, besides a jillion stray cats and dogs, two horses, and a pony, her favorite pet and confidant was Rex, her brown-and-white pinto gelding.
Susan has raised two sons, Jeffrey and Patrick, and currently lives in a house that she laughingly refers to as the Landfill and Book Repository. She writes with the help and hindrance of five mischievous shorthaired felines: Gabby, a talkative tortoiseshell calico; Buster, a solid lion-yellow with white legs and facial markings; his sister, Pixie, a tri-color calico; Toonses, a plump black-and-white; and the cheerily diabolical, naughty black tiger Eddie, aka Eduardo de Lover.
Susan is a bookaholic and movie fan who loves cowboys, rodeos, and the American West, past and present. She has an intense interest in storytelling of all kinds and in politics, and she claims the two are often interchangeable.
Susan loves writing complex characters in emotionally intense situations, and hopes her readers enjoy her ranch stories and are uplifted by their happy endings.
Susan grew up with her sister, Janet, and her brother, Steven, on an acreage near Des Moines, Iowa, where, besides a jillion stray cats and dogs, two horses, and a pony, her favorite pet and confidant was Rex, her brown-and-white pinto gelding.
Susan has raised two sons, Jeffrey and Patrick, and currently lives in a house that she laughingly refers to as the Landfill and Book Repository. She writes with the help and hindrance of five mischievous shorthaired felines: Gabby, a talkative tortoiseshell calico; Buster, a solid lion-yellow with white legs and facial markings; his sister, Pixie, a tri-color calico; Toonses, a plump black-and-white; and the cheerily diabolical, naughty black tiger Eddie, aka Eduardo de Lover.
Susan is a bookaholic and movie fan who loves cowboys, rodeos, and the American West, past and present. She has an intense interest in storytelling of all kinds and in politics, and she claims the two are often interchangeable.
Susan loves writing complex characters in emotionally intense situations, and hopes her readers enjoy her ranch stories and are uplifted by their happy endings.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
May 6, 2018
What the hell! Finally, a heroine that combines grace, strength, knows how to say the word “no” and actually mean it, can leash a ladylike but lethal smackdown, AND has a spine of steel, but she’s saddled with a rude, surly asshole hero that makes Diana Palmer’s H’s look like a combination of Prince Charming and Cary Grant. Not to mention she has to tolerate his little witch sister who is relentlessly snotty and even tries to get the heroine drunk so she will embarrass herself and the hero. There were times when I teared up. Well, I thought about it.
As soon as her mother died her father shipped her off to a disinterested Aunt and never showed her any interest. Her abuse is more due to emotional deprivation than anything which allows her to set up an effective wall against the hero and his little witch of a sister. At 17, the h was essentially sold off to the H for one of those ridiculous MOC transactions that only happen in HarleyLand. Not even Regency romance MOC's are as ridiculous as HP marital contracts.
The hero had to forego marrying the girl he wanted because he had to marry the heroine. The OW went on to marry someone else who is now conveniently dead. The evil sis sets up the OW to be the OW in the heroine’s mind, and the H does spend a lot of time at her ranch. As StMargarets said, the OW is actually a very nice woman. The hero is a grump, and wants the h to get up to speed on how to run her own ranch so they can divorce.
The little sister likes to make the heroine miserable, but one thing our heroine can do is NOT show emotion. Evil little sister has a beau she is crazy about that is one of the few people that is nice to the h. This drives the sister crazy. I like to think that the heroine’s lack of reaction to her digs also drove the sister crazy.
Slowly the h falls for the H. Even she is confused as to why she likes him, but she is more than capable of standing up to the H’s moderate bullying and sneering. Once again, she uses her Jedi mind trick to black out her emotions so he won't know she cares for him He gets better, but it takes a LONG time. A really, really long time. She gets a little mopey and sorry for herself, but she keeps it to a minimum, and she actually has quite a few things to mope about: unloving father, cold upbringing, forced MOC, grumpy husband, and condescending SIL.
Eventually, in a fade to black scene, they succumb to their passion, but the heroine is convinced it is just lust on his part.
Miscommunication, etc and so forth, ensues and the h leaves, but not before she lays some heavy duty truths on the sister.
Anyhoo, we get a confession of love that I grudgingly buy, but the heroine deserved so much better. The evil sister’s beau was a much nicer guy
Read for the strong heroine if you are sick of the Weebles that Wobble, doormats and karma for evil-doers, but it is low on real romance and sexy times.
As soon as her mother died her father shipped her off to a disinterested Aunt and never showed her any interest. Her abuse is more due to emotional deprivation than anything which allows her to set up an effective wall against the hero and his little witch of a sister. At 17, the h was essentially sold off to the H for one of those ridiculous MOC transactions that only happen in HarleyLand. Not even Regency romance MOC's are as ridiculous as HP marital contracts.
The hero had to forego marrying the girl he wanted because he had to marry the heroine. The OW went on to marry someone else who is now conveniently dead. The evil sis sets up the OW to be the OW in the heroine’s mind, and the H does spend a lot of time at her ranch. As StMargarets said, the OW is actually a very nice woman. The hero is a grump, and wants the h to get up to speed on how to run her own ranch so they can divorce.
The little sister likes to make the heroine miserable, but one thing our heroine can do is NOT show emotion. Evil little sister has a beau she is crazy about that is one of the few people that is nice to the h. This drives the sister crazy. I like to think that the heroine’s lack of reaction to her digs also drove the sister crazy.
Slowly the h falls for the H. Even she is confused as to why she likes him, but she is more than capable of standing up to the H’s moderate bullying and sneering. Once again, she uses her Jedi mind trick to black out her emotions so he won't know she cares for him He gets better, but it takes a LONG time. A really, really long time. She gets a little mopey and sorry for herself, but she keeps it to a minimum, and she actually has quite a few things to mope about: unloving father, cold upbringing, forced MOC, grumpy husband, and condescending SIL.
Eventually, in a fade to black scene, they succumb to their passion, but the heroine is convinced it is just lust on his part.
Miscommunication, etc and so forth, ensues and the h leaves, but not before she lays some heavy duty truths on the sister.
Anyhoo, we get a confession of love that I grudgingly buy, but the heroine deserved so much better. The evil sister’s beau was a much nicer guy
Read for the strong heroine if you are sick of the Weebles that Wobble, doormats and karma for evil-doers, but it is low on real romance and sexy times.
September 23, 2017
This one lacks the intensity of some of Susan Fox's other stories, but the cruel (lite in this case) hero, the wannabe OW and the bitchy sister are all included. H/h married when the heroine was 17 and her father was dying. Seems the hero's brother gambled all of their ranching profits away and the hero needed a capital infusion to borrow against. The h's father said he could have his ranch if he married the heroine and then taught her to be a rancher.
Heroine grew up without a mother and was farmed out to elderly aunt and then boarding schools. She doesn't know how to ride a horse or drive a car. After they married (unconsummated) and her father died, she fled to Des Moines (as you do) took a secretarial course and got a job. She's been living on her own for a few years when the hero returns to complete the bargain. He's going to teach her how to ranch so he can divorce her (and marry the OW is the unspoken part of the plan).
He's shocked to discover that the heroine is now pretty and isn't the shy, sad teenager he remembers.
The rest of the story is the hero falling for the heroine as she deals with his bitchy sister and learns to ranch. There are scenes of a mare having a foal, a tornado, a down home BBQ. Thankfully, the OW is actually nice and not interested in the hero.
The H/h fall into bed after the BBQ. The hero is not ready to acknowledge his feelings and the last bit of angst is the heroine receiving divorce papers. There's a nice scene where the heroine tells off the sister and there's a miscarriage to round out the angst.
Whether the hero really fell in love with the heroine or whether it was easier to stay married once he realized they were sexually compatible is up to debate. The hero was never deliberately mean to her and he did apologize for being "insensitive" when they were first married so that's a good start for a Susan Fox hero.
The hero is more assertive because she is not debilitated by guilt like so many SF heroines. It's a nice change of pace, but it does reduce the intensity.
Heroine grew up without a mother and was farmed out to elderly aunt and then boarding schools. She doesn't know how to ride a horse or drive a car. After they married (unconsummated) and her father died, she fled to Des Moines (as you do) took a secretarial course and got a job. She's been living on her own for a few years when the hero returns to complete the bargain. He's going to teach her how to ranch so he can divorce her (and marry the OW is the unspoken part of the plan).
He's shocked to discover that the heroine is now pretty and isn't the shy, sad teenager he remembers.
The rest of the story is the hero falling for the heroine as she deals with his bitchy sister and learns to ranch. There are scenes of a mare having a foal, a tornado, a down home BBQ. Thankfully, the OW is actually nice and not interested in the hero.
The H/h fall into bed after the BBQ. The hero is not ready to acknowledge his feelings and the last bit of angst is the heroine receiving divorce papers. There's a nice scene where the heroine tells off the sister and there's a miscarriage to round out the angst.
Whether the hero really fell in love with the heroine or whether it was easier to stay married once he realized they were sexually compatible is up to debate. The hero was never deliberately mean to her and he did apologize for being "insensitive" when they were first married so that's a good start for a Susan Fox hero.
The hero is more assertive because she is not debilitated by guilt like so many SF heroines. It's a nice change of pace, but it does reduce the intensity.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 2, 2020
"Not Part of the Bargain" is the story of Joanna and Wade.
When the 17 year old heroine is exchanged like cattle and sold to the hero in exchange for marriage, the dowdy teenager realizes the transaction as heartless and solely for the hero's financial saving. She runs away after the name-only wedding.
Three years later, he tracks her down, and decides to retrieve her back to Texas to fulfill her uncaring father's last wish. He will teach her ranching and to survive in the wilderness, even if he refuses to divorce her.
The heroine is then faced with the bitchiest of the bitchy sisters, a OW smitten hero, a kind OM, loads of jealousy, some heartbreak.. and they ultimately find their HEA.
The hero and the heroine danced around each other, changing their feelings in the blink of an eye and played with each other's emotions. The plot changed between giving in and pushing away every five pages and gave me a headache. In one of the best scenes, the heroine gives the sister a verbal lashing, and makes the hero understand the callousness they treat her with.. only to going back to giving into both their dramatic assholeness a page later.
Average at its best.
Safe?
2/5
When the 17 year old heroine is exchanged like cattle and sold to the hero in exchange for marriage, the dowdy teenager realizes the transaction as heartless and solely for the hero's financial saving. She runs away after the name-only wedding.
Three years later, he tracks her down, and decides to retrieve her back to Texas to fulfill her uncaring father's last wish. He will teach her ranching and to survive in the wilderness, even if he refuses to divorce her.
The heroine is then faced with the bitchiest of the bitchy sisters, a OW smitten hero, a kind OM, loads of jealousy, some heartbreak.. and they ultimately find their HEA.
The hero and the heroine danced around each other, changing their feelings in the blink of an eye and played with each other's emotions. The plot changed between giving in and pushing away every five pages and gave me a headache. In one of the best scenes, the heroine gives the sister a verbal lashing, and makes the hero understand the callousness they treat her with.. only to going back to giving into both their dramatic assholeness a page later.
Average at its best.
Safe?
2/5
December 6, 2021
The book is 3 stars all for the heroine.
She's not a doormat and she doesn't accept abuses from the hero or his bitchy sister.
The hero married her some years ago because he needed money, she was a clumsy teenager and infatuated with him, but when she found out the truth she left him.
Now the hero is back and he insists she comes back to him because her father in his will asked him to teach her to manage her ranch.
The heroine in the meantime has become a stunning creature, and both the hero and his sister don't recognize her.
(Usual miracle transformation possible only in Hplandia)
The hero now has a big and prosperous ranch and is a SOB with the heroine.
I don't know why he is a SOB with her, since he very happily grabbed the money he needed to pay all his debts at the heroine's expenses.
He's also a stupid cheater, since he's been in love with another woman and he didn't marry her because he married the heroine for money.
As you surely noticed, I don't like this hero at all.
The love of his life married another man, so I don't think the hero was the love of her life, but she is now free because she's a widow.
The stupid hero is panting after her like a dog.
Disgusting.
As time goes by the heroine turns out to be a clever and brave woman, and when other men starts sniffing around her, the hero goes ape and marks .
The ow is- unusually- a very nice person, and she's not in love with the hero.
This was really funny because everyone seems to know she's not in love with him but the hero.
The hero eventually understand he's in love with the heroine but the heroine thinks he's still in love with him, so BM in order, then there are other angsty moments and we have our hea.
The book is all about the heroine, who doesn't suffer any abuse, but strikes back and strikes hard.
The hero is a sorry excuse of a man, and I have the impression that the heroine settle for him, that is better this one than nothing.
Not a very romantic attitude.
As for safety, we don't know if the hero has been celibate while they were apart; it seems he was in love with ow but it was all very platonic.
She's not a doormat and she doesn't accept abuses from the hero or his bitchy sister.
The hero married her some years ago because he needed money, she was a clumsy teenager and infatuated with him, but when she found out the truth she left him.
Now the hero is back and he insists she comes back to him because her father in his will asked him to teach her to manage her ranch.
The heroine in the meantime has become a stunning creature, and both the hero and his sister don't recognize her.
(Usual miracle transformation possible only in Hplandia)
The hero now has a big and prosperous ranch and is a SOB with the heroine.
I don't know why he is a SOB with her, since he very happily grabbed the money he needed to pay all his debts at the heroine's expenses.
He's also a stupid cheater, since he's been in love with another woman and he didn't marry her because he married the heroine for money.
As you surely noticed, I don't like this hero at all.
The love of his life married another man, so I don't think the hero was the love of her life, but she is now free because she's a widow.
The stupid hero is panting after her like a dog.
Disgusting.
As time goes by the heroine turns out to be a clever and brave woman, and when other men starts sniffing around her, the hero goes ape and marks .
The ow is- unusually- a very nice person, and she's not in love with the hero.
This was really funny because everyone seems to know she's not in love with him but the hero.
The hero eventually understand he's in love with the heroine but the heroine thinks he's still in love with him, so BM in order, then there are other angsty moments and we have our hea.
The book is all about the heroine, who doesn't suffer any abuse, but strikes back and strikes hard.
The hero is a sorry excuse of a man, and I have the impression that the heroine settle for him, that is better this one than nothing.
Not a very romantic attitude.
As for safety, we don't know if the hero has been celibate while they were apart; it seems he was in love with ow but it was all very platonic.
May 6, 2018
The h is exceptional, as all Susan Fox h 's are. I wanted the H and his skank trash sister to die and would willingly sacrifice a thousand or so toilet seats to shower down on their heads in hope of a lucky strike.
The h should have divorced his rear and taken his assets, as he used her money to get them, then let these two scum swilling sub sewer dwelling gold diggers retreat to their natural habitat and stop polluting the air for the rest of the nice people.
The only reason he claimed to love her in the end is that Texas was an at fault divorce state at the time and he would have lost his entire livelihood when she presented the circumstances of the marriage and his and his sister's abuse in a court of law. So I said NO to sloppy seconds, which the H felt this h very much was.
The h should have divorced his rear and taken his assets, as he used her money to get them, then let these two scum swilling sub sewer dwelling gold diggers retreat to their natural habitat and stop polluting the air for the rest of the nice people.
The only reason he claimed to love her in the end is that Texas was an at fault divorce state at the time and he would have lost his entire livelihood when she presented the circumstances of the marriage and his and his sister's abuse in a court of law. So I said NO to sloppy seconds, which the H felt this h very much was.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 30, 2023
This is a fascinating read for me. The H and his sister are both self-centered, and the poor h clearly has a lot of psychological problems due to her upbringing. Still, it's something I'd read again and I honestly can't explain why.
May 26, 2021
Edited to add cover artist: Frank Kalan. A large number of Kalan's paintings available for viewing on his website.
Susan Fox's usual formula (western romance, alpha cowboy hero, heroine with past trauma, a vile secondary character or townfolk, boatloads of angst). It works! Take one uberalpha surly hero, a sweet-but-steely heroine with daddy-abandonment issues, an MOC, the most benign and friendzoned OM/OW, the hero's sister (who is a #@!@$!), and some simmering fade-to-black sex, give it a good shake, and drink up the angst!
Susan Fox's usual formula (western romance, alpha cowboy hero, heroine with past trauma, a vile secondary character or townfolk, boatloads of angst). It works! Take one uberalpha surly hero, a sweet-but-steely heroine with daddy-abandonment issues, an MOC, the most benign and friendzoned OM/OW, the hero's sister (who is a #@!@$!), and some simmering fade-to-black sex, give it a good shake, and drink up the angst!
January 2, 2021
Solid 3,5 stars for the angst of insecure mind created with the help of SIL from hell.
June 21, 2011
When I first read this book about 20 years ago, it was a DNF (did-not-finish) for me. The plot was the reversal of the conventional Cinderella stories so it totally turned off my young sensibilities: rich girl married off to a cash-poor rancher so he could have the necessary funds to rebuild his ranch; she ran soon after the wedding; and three years later, rancher is now seeking divorce so he can marry the other woman (OW) he loves.
But first, he has to fulfill his part of the bargain for which he was paid, that is, teach the girl how to manage her own ranch.
Though well deserved, the exasperation that he directs at his wife for her lack of ranch experience is most unkind. One instance in particular is memorable. After one grueling workday together, he snidely snapped at her to make a list of things she does know how to do as it’s bound to be a shorter list than a list of things she does NOT know how to do. Ouch! He tried to apologize but as we all know, words are cheap and actions speak louder.
Which brings to the reason why I’ve rated this book only 4 stars.
The book definitely has all the ingredients to become a 5 star angsty read: the nights he went missing to help out the OW, the other man who was gentler and emotionally sensitive to the heroine, the heroine learning to stand up to slights, the bratty sister-in-law who constantly belittled her while the hero looked on, and most of all, their unabashed stance that she was just an interloper in the family to be tolerated when she had been their very means to regain wealth.
What was missing however is the demonstrable proof – the actions -- that he has truly fallen in love with her. Sure, at the end, he explained, he apologized, and he said the three little words, but he didn’t show enough remorse when she left him or enough torment when she was hospitalized or enough gumption to stake his claim over her.
I’d say she was cheated of a satisfying grovel in the bargain.
But first, he has to fulfill his part of the bargain for which he was paid, that is, teach the girl how to manage her own ranch.
Though well deserved, the exasperation that he directs at his wife for her lack of ranch experience is most unkind. One instance in particular is memorable. After one grueling workday together, he snidely snapped at her to make a list of things she does know how to do as it’s bound to be a shorter list than a list of things she does NOT know how to do. Ouch! He tried to apologize but as we all know, words are cheap and actions speak louder.
Which brings to the reason why I’ve rated this book only 4 stars.
The book definitely has all the ingredients to become a 5 star angsty read: the nights he went missing to help out the OW, the other man who was gentler and emotionally sensitive to the heroine, the heroine learning to stand up to slights, the bratty sister-in-law who constantly belittled her while the hero looked on, and most of all, their unabashed stance that she was just an interloper in the family to be tolerated when she had been their very means to regain wealth.
What was missing however is the demonstrable proof – the actions -- that he has truly fallen in love with her. Sure, at the end, he explained, he apologized, and he said the three little words, but he didn’t show enough remorse when she left him or enough torment when she was hospitalized or enough gumption to stake his claim over her.
I’d say she was cheated of a satisfying grovel in the bargain.
September 19, 2016
What a crazy ride!!! Where do I begin? Let's see the fact that her husband is in love with someone else of the fact that his sister is a first class bitch rubbing her face in it while taking all the financial security she could from the marriage from hell aka the hero and heroine. Let's just say I wished I had not open this can of wtf! Holy good god what else could happen to the poor girl. I know she could have been raped because everything else happened. How he could be such a dick to her after all she did for him....jag me she was just too easy!!! It was painful to watch I wanted more of a spine from her but honestly I loved one thing about this book and that is she was very noble. He was a barn animal mostly in how he treated her but she was a complete lady. I was sad she lost the baby but glad also because I don't like the way they both did not want kids anyways it just happened and she was sad. She was sexual active but using protection. This screams I am not ready for kids yet. I don't like him at all and he never made it out of the dog house to me he just let things happen like oh well I will try when I have the time to give a shit attitude. He was not that invested in this relationship and he did not even give her a ring until the end. What an asshole!!!! I just hated the hero so for me this book was not good. I really wished I had not bought it now. I will not be reread this book in the near future that is for sure.
December 4, 2016
3 1/2 Stars ~ When Joanna was 5 her mother died and her father shipped her off to live with an cranky old aunt. At 16, when the aunt had died, Joanna refused to stay at the boarding school and headed home to her father's Texas ranch. But he didn't know what to do with a daughter, so when his neighbour Wade came into some rough times, he'd agreed to loan him the money to keep his ranch afloat on the condition he marry Joanna and teach her to ranch. Just shy of 18 and 2 days from her wedding, her father suffered a stroke and then hours after she married Wade, her father died. Struggling to run two ranches, Wade hadn't had time to sort out what to do with Joanna, so when she runs off and refuses to return, all he can do is let her go. It's 3 years later, and Wade has arrived to collect his wife -- he's succeeded in restoring his family's coffers and return the money borrowed, including Joanna's ranch. Wade had thought it all would be straight forward, but Joanna isn't the meek and mousey young girl he'd married; she's now a stunning beauty with a stubborn streak.
Tragic heroines and alpha heroes are Ms Fox's specialty. Joanna is carrying a lot of emotional baggage from a childhood of rejection and when Wade is abrupt and easily frustrated with her, she believes he finds her a burden. Wade resents Joanna as she's a reminder that his family had nearly lost everything, and he's startled when Joanna calls him on it. These two have charged confrontations that usually end with one stomping away and always with Joanna feeling inadequate. Past baggage, misunderstandings, chips of shoulders, and blazing passion -- an emotional rollercoaster.
Tragic heroines and alpha heroes are Ms Fox's specialty. Joanna is carrying a lot of emotional baggage from a childhood of rejection and when Wade is abrupt and easily frustrated with her, she believes he finds her a burden. Wade resents Joanna as she's a reminder that his family had nearly lost everything, and he's startled when Joanna calls him on it. These two have charged confrontations that usually end with one stomping away and always with Joanna feeling inadequate. Past baggage, misunderstandings, chips of shoulders, and blazing passion -- an emotional rollercoaster.
February 8, 2022
Lots of great reviews for this one, so I will spend most of my time commenting on those and less time here!
Daddy marries off his daughter to the hero when she is only 17. It is the only way the hero can get the money he needs to save his ranch even though he is in love with another woman. Father has stroke before the marriage and a killer stroke after the marriage. The H basically ignores the h so after 3 days of non wedded bliss she leaves for Iowa to make a life there. The H covertly keeps tabs on her for the next 3 years. He made a promise to the father that he would teach the h ranching skills so she could take over her own family ranch. He wants to get this done so he can divorce the h and marry his now widowed true love.
Things don’t quite work out that way. The h wheedles her way into the H’s heart and by the end of the story the H realizes:
Highlights:
The strong ass heroine: starting at 17 when she walked out on her husband, continues when she calls him out on his hypocrisy (more than once), bubbles over when she puts the mean sil in her place, and finishes with her leaving her husband again and refusing his too little, too late overtures. (Until he gives it another try with the help of his friends)
The ow is nice. Along with the non om who knows who the good women are in the story.
The evil sister looks at herself and how she comes off and actually makes changes in the end. Oh she is definitely one spoiled b&*^%, but she actually doesn’t get everything she wants in the end and realizes that she really doesn’t deserve it.
The H actually realizing he was wrong to treat the 17 year old now 20 year old h the way that he did. I am not sure how old he is, but it is safe to see he was old enough to know better.
After reading several low angst stories, this gave me the angst fix I needed. As AOU stated the angst is driven from the h’s insecurities.
So many good reviews on this one here are a few: Stmargarets, Vintage, Grrrrace, Raffaella, etc….
Daddy marries off his daughter to the hero when she is only 17. It is the only way the hero can get the money he needs to save his ranch even though he is in love with another woman. Father has stroke before the marriage and a killer stroke after the marriage. The H basically ignores the h so after 3 days of non wedded bliss she leaves for Iowa to make a life there. The H covertly keeps tabs on her for the next 3 years. He made a promise to the father that he would teach the h ranching skills so she could take over her own family ranch. He wants to get this done so he can divorce the h and marry his now widowed true love.
Things don’t quite work out that way. The h wheedles her way into the H’s heart and by the end of the story the H realizes:
Highlights:
The strong ass heroine: starting at 17 when she walked out on her husband, continues when she calls him out on his hypocrisy (more than once), bubbles over when she puts the mean sil in her place, and finishes with her leaving her husband again and refusing his too little, too late overtures. (Until he gives it another try with the help of his friends)
The ow is nice. Along with the non om who knows who the good women are in the story.
The evil sister looks at herself and how she comes off and actually makes changes in the end. Oh she is definitely one spoiled b&*^%, but she actually doesn’t get everything she wants in the end and realizes that she really doesn’t deserve it.
The H actually realizing he was wrong to treat the 17 year old now 20 year old h the way that he did. I am not sure how old he is, but it is safe to see he was old enough to know better.
After reading several low angst stories, this gave me the angst fix I needed. As AOU stated the angst is driven from the h’s insecurities.
So many good reviews on this one here are a few: Stmargarets, Vintage, Grrrrace, Raffaella, etc….
July 9, 2018
Its a nice book but its not really that romantic. The H and h have a marriage of convenience that her father arranged. H gets to use her money to save his farm and he has to teach her how to farm, she was a 17 year old neglected child. If this was written now she would have been hot and horny and that would have been the end of it. Lol. But its not, its an old book so she was plain with high morals so after the wedding she ran. The H used her money but didnt teach her anything cause he felt resentment that he had to marry for money.
Now its 3 years later and he came for her because the woman he loves is a widow and he wants to hold up his end of the bargain so they can divorce. The story itself is nice, the heroine is a nice character with enough depth to keep it interesting and she not a pushover, i just felt bad for her to live in a house with the silently resentful hero and the bitchy mean sister. But she was graceful about it cause i would have been petty and mean. Eventually the H and h start having sex. Its great for her but hes her only one so yeah. It seems to be great for him too cause he keeps coming back. The other women meanwhile looks at the hero and treats him as a junkless monk friend which i liked. But in this case i wanted her to go for him because now it kinda feels like the hero went after the heroine cause the ow showed zeroo interest. And i really felt like the om would have courted the heroine better and show her that shes important and valued to him. With the hero i felt sometimes like he treated her bad and just when she was close to say F U dude he would give her some compliments. But maybe its just me. Again. Nice story on how the heroine grew up and matured but its not really romantic at all.
Now its 3 years later and he came for her because the woman he loves is a widow and he wants to hold up his end of the bargain so they can divorce. The story itself is nice, the heroine is a nice character with enough depth to keep it interesting and she not a pushover, i just felt bad for her to live in a house with the silently resentful hero and the bitchy mean sister. But she was graceful about it cause i would have been petty and mean. Eventually the H and h start having sex. Its great for her but hes her only one so yeah. It seems to be great for him too cause he keeps coming back. The other women meanwhile looks at the hero and treats him as a junkless monk friend which i liked. But in this case i wanted her to go for him because now it kinda feels like the hero went after the heroine cause the ow showed zeroo interest. And i really felt like the om would have courted the heroine better and show her that shes important and valued to him. With the hero i felt sometimes like he treated her bad and just when she was close to say F U dude he would give her some compliments. But maybe its just me. Again. Nice story on how the heroine grew up and matured but its not really romantic at all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2025
A book written in 1996 but still relevant today.
This was a great story. An age gap romance with Dad’s friend; just not forbidden. A business arrangement marriage that turns into something else.
There is romance, angst…so much angst. Chemistry off the charts for the main couple and a cute HEA for them.
June 17, 2025 - first reread and I’m sure there will be more!
This was a great story. An age gap romance with Dad’s friend; just not forbidden. A business arrangement marriage that turns into something else.
There is romance, angst…so much angst. Chemistry off the charts for the main couple and a cute HEA for them.
June 17, 2025 - first reread and I’m sure there will be more!
October 9, 2023
3.75 ⭐️
I’m una Harlequin momentum and I must say they have all the angst!
The OW plot was good and original and I would love to know about Lorna and Jake.
Maybe more groveling would have been great but well, it was entertaining.
I’m una Harlequin momentum and I must say they have all the angst!
The OW plot was good and original and I would love to know about Lorna and Jake.
Maybe more groveling would have been great but well, it was entertaining.
November 26, 2024
3 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ the low self esteem got old after awhile. I think she was a little obtuse about H. Wish there had been more angst from the OW. I. Some ways the sister was more like the OW! She was so hateful!
Read
August 12, 2019Not for me.
February 27, 2014
Good book! Joanna is our heroine and she is married since she was 17 to a man her father made her wed, his name is Wade. They wed because her father didn't know what to do with her and Wade's brother ruined them financially so the arrangement was to have Joanna a home and Wade money to save his ranch.
The story takes place 3 years later, Wade is ready to divorce his bride and possibly marry the woman he wanted to marry before he was put into this marriage. He along with his hateful (same age as heroine ) sister live on the ranch next to her families. I never really got why the sister Megan was always hateful to the heroine...she made excuses for her loathsome behavior before a pivotal moment but she had never been nice to the heroine...in fact is so hateful she goes out of her way to hurt her, slip her a mickey, talks down to her...and pretty much Wade allows it...treating it more like kid fighting than taking an exception that his hateful sister is mistreating the person who pretty much saved their ranch..the sister never redeemed... Wade has been in love with Lorna awhile and he is ready to teach Joanna about her ranch so he can get divorced and marry his real love.(whom married another while she was waiting for him...he since then has died...). the story is really good, Joanna has always felt a unloved burden, she disappointed her father in everything... she cannot drive, she cannot ride a horse...never danced... she has lived a life on pause after fleeing their marriage on day 3 after being yet again abandoned.... so they have ALOT to work thru. They fell in love slowly... both denying.... ignoring.... he doe not stop the divorce and just after they sort of settle into a relationship of at least sex...she gets served and that starts a whole new edge to the story....
spoiler
there is a miscarriage in the story, having had 4 they always catch me off guard and make me react,
The story takes place 3 years later, Wade is ready to divorce his bride and possibly marry the woman he wanted to marry before he was put into this marriage. He along with his hateful (same age as heroine ) sister live on the ranch next to her families. I never really got why the sister Megan was always hateful to the heroine...she made excuses for her loathsome behavior before a pivotal moment but she had never been nice to the heroine...in fact is so hateful she goes out of her way to hurt her, slip her a mickey, talks down to her...and pretty much Wade allows it...treating it more like kid fighting than taking an exception that his hateful sister is mistreating the person who pretty much saved their ranch..the sister never redeemed... Wade has been in love with Lorna awhile and he is ready to teach Joanna about her ranch so he can get divorced and marry his real love.(whom married another while she was waiting for him...he since then has died...). the story is really good, Joanna has always felt a unloved burden, she disappointed her father in everything... she cannot drive, she cannot ride a horse...never danced... she has lived a life on pause after fleeing their marriage on day 3 after being yet again abandoned.... so they have ALOT to work thru. They fell in love slowly... both denying.... ignoring.... he doe not stop the divorce and just after they sort of settle into a relationship of at least sex...she gets served and that starts a whole new edge to the story....
spoiler
there is a miscarriage in the story, having had 4 they always catch me off guard and make me react,
July 5, 2020
Again, I agree with boogenhagen's review (but then again, when do I not?) The h did have some backbone. She should've just divorced his gold-digging a$$ until he came back crawling, not lounging on an hotel bed.
And that sister-in-law, ARRGGH! There's a special place in hell for people like her and it's called the "there-is-no-chance-ever-of-you-getting-out"corner, she'll find Stalin and a few other tyrants (one's I won't name because they're so offensive) there too, just a little further on into it's depths.
And that sister-in-law, ARRGGH! There's a special place in hell for people like her and it's called the "there-is-no-chance-ever-of-you-getting-out"corner, she'll find Stalin and a few other tyrants (one's I won't name because they're so offensive) there too, just a little further on into it's depths.
October 19, 2020
i just want to say that i loved the heroine and felt total sympathy for joanna's predicament. The Hero was a good man who eventually realized his feelings for his wife and during the three years of joannas absence -i have a strong hunch- that he never committed adultery. Beautiful story. The writer did a fantastic job in evoking all these emotions in me.
June 28, 2026
This is the tropiest of tropes of the 1980s: a saint-like Mary Sue is tortured by the cruel hero, her marriage of convenience husband who married her for her money, and by her deadbeat sister-in-law and a bevy of others. The grand finale, after she suffered unbearable rudeness and crudeness, was publicly humiliated, emotionally abused, used as blow-up doll, served divorce papers, and suffered a miscarriage, is that the hero tells her he loved her all along. This is epic gaslighting because none of the actions matched his supposed love. I guess I will take a tiny amount of satisfaction from the fact that the heroine stood up a little bit for her herself at the end. She leaves the nincompoop, and tells off the deadbeat sis-in-law, shockingly extracting a sincere apology from her. The horrid sister-in-law won’t get her man to boot, as added punishment. As is expected, the hero doesn’t have to apologize for anything, his redemption arc is simply that he chose the heroine over the Other Woman. I am sure this was gripping and effective back in the day but these types of tropes are simply not my cuppa anymore. Nice heroine deserved better.
September 15, 2023
I can't stand the hero who's in love with another woman!
Wade certainly seems in love with gentle Lorna when he's forced to marry young Joanna to save his ranch. He detests the circumstances that have made him do so but he has no other choice.
When Joanna runs away 3 days after the wedding, he lets her go.
Only his sense of duty makes him bring Joanna back home three years later.
Wade certainly seems in love with gentle Lorna when he's forced to marry young Joanna to save his ranch. He detests the circumstances that have made him do so but he has no other choice.
When Joanna runs away 3 days after the wedding, he lets her go.
Only his sense of duty makes him bring Joanna back home three years later.
June 22, 2022
The story was good . I liked that the heroine eventually stroked back and didn’t let Megan continue to belittle her. It was a little frustrating with misunderstanding between the MCs . The H deserved to be mistrusted though. All in all I enjoyed the book.
March 18, 2020
3.5 Like a lite Diane Palmer
August 15, 2021
The hero was downright mean. He covered it up at times but still every so often it boiled over again. He doesn’t make for a good husband .
May 12, 2022
I kind of DNF’d this one because it did not grab my attention.
June 12, 2022
Girl need a dose of self-esteem.
Read
June 27, 2022Did Not Read. Refuse to Read. Not My Cuppa.
February 24, 2024
This is fine. But they couple needed to fall more in love. The heroine was in the dark for the entire time. Just lacking a lot of interaction between the couple. I say skip it.
November 19, 2023
Good but not her best. Reread. Same rating. Author specializes in women with nasty families who don’t expect anything from anyone.
Re-read because I remembered the great smack down h gave her brat spiteful sister in law, “you weren’t too ashamed to use my inheritance to repair your own.” Like better.
Story is compelling although I’m disgusted with how h and H allow his sister to act, spiteful brat, insulting and rude. H is not much better. The h is not a doormat exactly, more a rise above it type, sis in law is too full of herself to respect h’s behavior.
I’ve been on a Susan Fox/The Great Betty kick. As one reviewer notes the two authors write similar stories although SF makes her hs suffer even more, “the deep black loneliness “, so accurate.
Re-read because I remembered the great smack down h gave her brat spiteful sister in law, “you weren’t too ashamed to use my inheritance to repair your own.” Like better.
Story is compelling although I’m disgusted with how h and H allow his sister to act, spiteful brat, insulting and rude. H is not much better. The h is not a doormat exactly, more a rise above it type, sis in law is too full of herself to respect h’s behavior.
I’ve been on a Susan Fox/The Great Betty kick. As one reviewer notes the two authors write similar stories although SF makes her hs suffer even more, “the deep black loneliness “, so accurate.
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