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A Spanish Marriage
"It would be a marriage on paper. I wouldn't expect you to share my bed." Javier married Zoe purely to protect the young heiress from male predators who were tempted by her money and her beauty; he has all the money he could ever need. But as their paper marriage continues he finds it increasingly hard to resist his wife. Yet he made her a promise . . .
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
17 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
About the author
Diana Hamilton
325 books74 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Diana Hamilton was born in a English town. Wanting to be a country child, her imagination came into play at an early age, transforming a neighbor’s tree into a forest, a hole in a stone wall into a gingerbread house, a gas puddle into a fairyland, complete with mountains, lakes and flower meadows. She loathed housework but made to do her share, to lessen the boredom, she told herself stories, in a very loud voice, featuring princesses and flower gardens, discovering that telling herself stories was almost as good as reading them in a book.
She loathed school with an equal passion and got through it by pretending to be somewhere else. Even so she left grammar school with respectable grades... And was sent to art college when she wanted to study to be a vet. This was nowhere as bad as it had seemed because it was there, at age 18, she first saw Peter. He had returned from two years’ active service in Korea to resume his studies, and Diana immediately fell in love with him.
Gaining a degree in advertising copywriting, Diana worked as a copywriter and married Peter. They moved to a remote part of Wales after the birth of their second child, Paul, when their daughter, Rebecca, was three years old. There, Diana enjoyed pony trekking and walking in the mountains; and her third child, Andrew, was born. Itchy feet brought them back to England to the beautiful county of Shropshire four years later and they have been there ever since, gradually restoring the rambling Elizabethan manor that Diana gave her heart to on sight, creating a garden out of a wilderness of nettles, brambles and old bedsteads.
In the mid-'70s Diana took up her pen again to write stories to read to her three children at bedtime. These were never offered for publication but the bug had bitten. Over the next 10 years she combined writing over 30 novels, published by Robert Hale of London, with bringing up her children, gardening and cooking for the restaurant of a local inn—a wonderful excuse to avoid the dreaded housework! In 1987 Diana realized her dearest ambition—the publication of her first Mills & Boon romance, Song in a Strange Land. She had come home. And that feeling persists to this day as, around 30 Harlequin/Mills & Boon romantic novels late, she was still in love with the genre.
Sadly, Diana Hamilton passed away on May 3, 2009, at her home in Shropshire, surrounded by her family. She will be sorely missed by her fans and everyone at Mills & Boon/Harlequin
Diana Hamilton was born in a English town. Wanting to be a country child, her imagination came into play at an early age, transforming a neighbor’s tree into a forest, a hole in a stone wall into a gingerbread house, a gas puddle into a fairyland, complete with mountains, lakes and flower meadows. She loathed housework but made to do her share, to lessen the boredom, she told herself stories, in a very loud voice, featuring princesses and flower gardens, discovering that telling herself stories was almost as good as reading them in a book.
She loathed school with an equal passion and got through it by pretending to be somewhere else. Even so she left grammar school with respectable grades... And was sent to art college when she wanted to study to be a vet. This was nowhere as bad as it had seemed because it was there, at age 18, she first saw Peter. He had returned from two years’ active service in Korea to resume his studies, and Diana immediately fell in love with him.
Gaining a degree in advertising copywriting, Diana worked as a copywriter and married Peter. They moved to a remote part of Wales after the birth of their second child, Paul, when their daughter, Rebecca, was three years old. There, Diana enjoyed pony trekking and walking in the mountains; and her third child, Andrew, was born. Itchy feet brought them back to England to the beautiful county of Shropshire four years later and they have been there ever since, gradually restoring the rambling Elizabethan manor that Diana gave her heart to on sight, creating a garden out of a wilderness of nettles, brambles and old bedsteads.
In the mid-'70s Diana took up her pen again to write stories to read to her three children at bedtime. These were never offered for publication but the bug had bitten. Over the next 10 years she combined writing over 30 novels, published by Robert Hale of London, with bringing up her children, gardening and cooking for the restaurant of a local inn—a wonderful excuse to avoid the dreaded housework! In 1987 Diana realized her dearest ambition—the publication of her first Mills & Boon romance, Song in a Strange Land. She had come home. And that feeling persists to this day as, around 30 Harlequin/Mills & Boon romantic novels late, she was still in love with the genre.
Sadly, Diana Hamilton passed away on May 3, 2009, at her home in Shropshire, surrounded by her family. She will be sorely missed by her fans and everyone at Mills & Boon/Harlequin
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 2, 2019
Okay this was another read that was just not there. I normally don't like Diana Hamilton but I do like Marriage of Convenience novels normally. This one just took so long for them to get together. One thing is that he is her new guardian and has known her forever. He took over her guardianship when she was like 14 or 15 I think and of course he had OW since she was so young. He even had them take her on trips so he didn't have to interact with the heroine because she tried to kiss him one time. I think it said when she was 18 he had been celibate for one year because he was sick of sex only relationships or something like that. He marries her to keep bad people away from her and her fortune. He also thinks the h is a 'slapper' which means easy I guess in this book and thinks she has had sex with many people. But of course she is a virgin because she has loved the hero since she was 15. They get married and another year goes by with no sex and barely any interaction and she is sick of it. They finally have sex and there are more misunderstandings and then HEA. There is some OW drama at the end but it is quickly resolved. Jost a so so read and I was disappointed at the end of it. I need to go reread stuff or a different genre for a while. I am suffering from book ennui!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2018
A guardian/ward story that really never jells. Heroine lost both her parents when she was 8. She lived with her cold grandmother and then was shipped off to boarding school. The hero, 12 years her senior, knew her as a friend of his family's. He made a point to visit her whenever he was in England, etc. . .
Her grandmother asked the hero to take over her guardianship when the heroine was 16 and ran away from boarding school.
Hero takes her on as a duty and hesitates to show her any affection after she clumsily came on to him. He pretty much leaves her alone with his servants as she finishes school and hangs out with the local kids. Heroine is very beautiful and very rich and there is one creepy guy who keeps pursuing her.
Hero is jealous of creepy guy and he decides that he'll marry the heroine and keep her safe for two years in a marriage of convenience. Heroine is 19 now and has high hopes she can convince the hero to love her.
And so it goes - fast forward a year and heroine has not made any progress. Hero spends his time away while she does charity work. When she hears party noises during his nightly phone calls, she decides she'll go to her friend's wedding without the H. The H tears back to England and finds the OM drunkenly trying to kiss the heroine.
This story started out well and then the long, dry first year of marriage was a bit much to take. This did not feel like a May/Dec romance just because the hero acted as immature as the heroine at times.
Her grandmother asked the hero to take over her guardianship when the heroine was 16 and ran away from boarding school.
Hero takes her on as a duty and hesitates to show her any affection after she clumsily came on to him. He pretty much leaves her alone with his servants as she finishes school and hangs out with the local kids. Heroine is very beautiful and very rich and there is one creepy guy who keeps pursuing her.
Hero is jealous of creepy guy and he decides that he'll marry the heroine and keep her safe for two years in a marriage of convenience. Heroine is 19 now and has high hopes she can convince the hero to love her.
And so it goes - fast forward a year and heroine has not made any progress. Hero spends his time away while she does charity work. When she hears party noises during his nightly phone calls, she decides she'll go to her friend's wedding without the H. The H tears back to England and finds the OM drunkenly trying to kiss the heroine.
This story started out well and then the long, dry first year of marriage was a bit much to take. This did not feel like a May/Dec romance just because the hero acted as immature as the heroine at times.
October 21, 2014
A wonderful read. Such a amazing passion sizzles between Zoe and Javier making for a sexy read. Zoe was needful in needing love but she still had a lot of respect for herself and did not turn into a slut or druggie; she actually is a strong heroine. Javier of course is sexy than sin and twice as delicious plus charming to boot; who couldn't help but fall in love with him. The only thing that gives you a pause is the age different. This book was an emotionally passionate read.
June 22, 2021
It would be a marriage on paper. I wouldn't expect you to share my bed."
Javier has married Zoe purely to protect the young heiress from male predators who are tempted by her money and her beauty. But as their paper marriage continues, Javier finds it increasingly hard to resist his wife....
Javier has married Zoe purely to protect the young heiress from male predators who are tempted by her money and her beauty. But as their paper marriage continues, Javier finds it increasingly hard to resist his wife....
December 10, 2020
3.5 stars
A sort of guardian/ward romance: she’s in love since.... forever, he’s in denial since..... forever.
Enjoyable
A sort of guardian/ward romance: she’s in love since.... forever, he’s in denial since..... forever.
Enjoyable
October 12, 2019
تبدأ احداث الرواية عندما يقرر خافيير أن يأخد المراهقة زوي في عنايته .. الفتاة اليتيمة التي كان والدها يمتلك الشركة التي عند والده الان .
يقرر العناية بها الى حين أن تكبر الا أن المواقف التي تحدث تجبره على أن يتخطى تلك الحدود أيضاً ويصبح زوجها .
(حبيت الاحداث خفيفة وتضحك خصوصاً وقت ماكانت مراهقة وكيف أنه خافيير كان ينصدم من تصرفاتها كل مره )
يقرر العناية بها الى حين أن تكبر الا أن المواقف التي تحدث تجبره على أن يتخطى تلك الحدود أيضاً ويصبح زوجها .
(حبيت الاحداث خفيفة وتضحك خصوصاً وقت ماكانت مراهقة وكيف أنه خافيير كان ينصدم من تصرفاتها كل مره )
February 4, 2019
2 stars
I like angst in books when there is a good reason for it–big, misunderstanding, external factors, OW/OM–all these reasons are welcomed. My problem with this book is that there was a lot of angst for no reason at all! Both H and h are living under the same roof yet they can't contemplate each other's feeling nor do they talk like adults should. And H was 30 y/o. They were worse than teenagers. There was so much over thinking that it frustrated me and not in a good way. I was annoyed by their level of miscommunication or lack thereof. The angst was not justified until the last two chapters, where everything was sorted out but then comes the OW to creat a small drama, which I enjoyed a bit, better than unjustifiable angst. I didn't enjoyed it as much as I expected. And nothing much happened throughout the story.
I like angst in books when there is a good reason for it–big, misunderstanding, external factors, OW/OM–all these reasons are welcomed. My problem with this book is that there was a lot of angst for no reason at all! Both H and h are living under the same roof yet they can't contemplate each other's feeling nor do they talk like adults should. And H was 30 y/o. They were worse than teenagers. There was so much over thinking that it frustrated me and not in a good way. I was annoyed by their level of miscommunication or lack thereof. The angst was not justified until the last two chapters, where everything was sorted out but then comes the OW to creat a small drama, which I enjoyed a bit, better than unjustifiable angst. I didn't enjoyed it as much as I expected. And nothing much happened throughout the story.
September 25, 2020
I like it when the man is crazy in love and pursues the woman. In this book the man doesn’t do that. I can understand why: he is her legal guardian and he is 12 years older than she is.
No chemistry in this book. After they had sex, he feels guilty for having sex with her. He had asked her several times for permission to have sex with her and she was already 19, which is not too young for sex. So his feelings of guilt were annoying.
The romance never gets going because she is smitten and he pushes her away every time.
No chemistry in this book. After they had sex, he feels guilty for having sex with her. He had asked her several times for permission to have sex with her and she was already 19, which is not too young for sex. So his feelings of guilt were annoying.
The romance never gets going because she is smitten and he pushes her away every time.
December 10, 2018
La historia es llevadera, algunas actitudes de ella te sacan de las casillas pero es normal teniendo la edad que tiene ella y la diferencia de edades que hay entre los protagonistas... A pesar de todo, no hay edad para el amor aunque nos neguemos a aceptarlo cuando aparece.
February 22, 2019
Sentí que tuvo muy pocas páginas, y todo pasó muy rápido.
February 26, 2019
Can't believe this book was written in the 21st century especially by an experienced author. The h is a bloody teenager and the H has been like a pseudo guardian since h was a 8 year old!
October 29, 2020
un'ereditiera diciannovenne che lava, cucina e stira? mah.
January 25, 2011
So, I chose this book because it had a "marriage of convenience" storyline.
I must say that I found the book to be just ok.
I first felt sorry for the female character, because she had lost her parents at a young age and was stuck with a grandparent that was overly critical about any and everything she did, and just really didn't want her around, and therefore, requested that the make character take over the raising of the girl as a teenager. But then as the story went on (years passing) the female character really got on my nerves with all the unnecessary bad behavior, whining, and misunderstood communication with the male character.
With the male character I first applauded him for taking on the care of the female character, and again as time when on, I didn't quite understand how he could misunderstand some of her actions, as well as be bad with his communication, considering he was a successful business man.
As I said above this book was in my opinion just ok.
I must say that I found the book to be just ok.
I first felt sorry for the female character, because she had lost her parents at a young age and was stuck with a grandparent that was overly critical about any and everything she did, and just really didn't want her around, and therefore, requested that the make character take over the raising of the girl as a teenager. But then as the story went on (years passing) the female character really got on my nerves with all the unnecessary bad behavior, whining, and misunderstood communication with the male character.
With the male character I first applauded him for taking on the care of the female character, and again as time when on, I didn't quite understand how he could misunderstand some of her actions, as well as be bad with his communication, considering he was a successful business man.
As I said above this book was in my opinion just ok.
May 3, 2014
this was a huge disappointment, after waiting more than 1 year 2 read the book! the book bored me n it seemed der were lil incoherent gaps in between. like javier proposed n then the next chapter we were at the wedding. or like it was their wedding night n the next chapter started 1 year later n so on. the book was filled wid such gaps n it did not make a story wid smooth flow or the right pace. i was unconcerned, did not feel attached 2 the characters; i mean i did not care what was happening 2 them. i guess this author's style of narration is not 2 my tastes:P
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May 7, 2016رمال الحب المتحركة
- سيبقى زواجنا مجرد حبر على ورق , لا اكثر........
تزوج خافيير من زوي بهدف حماية الوريثة الشابة من صائدي الثروات الذين يحومون حولها طامحين للحصول على مالها وجمالها معا . اما هو فصاحب ثروة ولا يحتاج الى المزيد من المال . ولكن هل سيصمد طويلا امام سحر زوجته !
مقاومته لها تغدو اكثر صعوبة مع استمرار زواجهما الصوري الذي كاد يفقده صوابه . فهل سيتمكن من الحفاظ على وعده !
- سيبقى زواجنا مجرد حبر على ورق , لا اكثر........
تزوج خافيير من زوي بهدف حماية الوريثة الشابة من صائدي الثروات الذين يحومون حولها طامحين للحصول على مالها وجمالها معا . اما هو فصاحب ثروة ولا يحتاج الى المزيد من المال . ولكن هل سيصمد طويلا امام سحر زوجته !
مقاومته لها تغدو اكثر صعوبة مع استمرار زواجهما الصوري الذي كاد يفقده صوابه . فهل سيتمكن من الحفاظ على وعده !
November 14, 2012
I kind of liked the hero in this one and I found myself fascinated enough to keep reading the novel. However I didn't like how the hero handled the marriage, I thought he could of been a lot better written for that part. However the angst was there.
Want to read
April 28, 2021My complaints with this one were the massive time jumps and verb tense changes/awkwardness. And the first kiss? We don't even see it. The first sex? It's a flashback description. Really angsty toward the end.
February 27, 2011
This book started out ok but went on for too long. The characters ended up being irritating and stupid. I really don't know what to say. This book was such a disappointment.
July 25, 2015
روايات أحلام 371
رمال الحب المتحركة، ديانا هاملتون
this book was such a disappointment...
رمال الحب المتحركة، ديانا هاملتون
this book was such a disappointment...
January 1, 2016
Heroine is nothing more than a spoiled brat who likes getting her way.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews