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Slave to Love
Sweet nights, no promises...
After her year-long affair with Solomon Maclaine, it was clear to Roberta that she would never be anything but his mistress. Mac's first marriage had left its scars on him, but he still seemed to give most of his time to his ex-wife and spoiled daughter.
Roberta faced a hard decision; if she were to have the commitment and children she craved, she'd have to leave. But could she really give up the love she shared with Mac? A love that brought with it no promises…but the sweetest nights of passion?
After her year-long affair with Solomon Maclaine, it was clear to Roberta that she would never be anything but his mistress. Mac's first marriage had left its scars on him, but he still seemed to give most of his time to his ex-wife and spoiled daughter.
Roberta faced a hard decision; if she were to have the commitment and children she craved, she'd have to leave. But could she really give up the love she shared with Mac? A love that brought with it no promises…but the sweetest nights of passion?
186 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 10, 1995
254 people are currently reading
356 people want to read
About the author
Michelle Reid
388 books637 followersHi, my name is Michelle Reid and I’ve been writing for Harlequin Mills & Boon for the last twenty years, and the crazy part about it is that I only realised it had been twenty years while updating this page!
So, hang on for a minute while I take this huge milestone in....
Twenty years with almost forty books published or in the pipeline ... I know it isn’t a great average when compared with some authors but it sounds pretty good to me!
So what was I doing twenty years ago before I wrote books? Well, I did the all of the usual things, like growing up and attending school, finishing at secretarial college, which I hated, then spent the next several years wandering aimlessly from job to job. Eventually I met my husband, we married and produced two daughters who then grew up and between them presented us with two gorgeous grandsons and one beautiful granddaughter. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Somewhere in between my girls growing up and the grandchildren arriving on the scene, I started writing. To this day I don’t know why, unless it was a natural progression from my never being without a book close by—often several—because books have always been an important part of my life for as far back as I can recall.
So, I started to write, by hand at first, scribbling short stories in notebooks which never saw the light of day. At some point I discovered Mills & Boon Romance books and that was pretty much it for me. I’d found my new love, as in reading romantic fiction and inevitably writing it too.
So twenty years on and almost forty books on, here I am still writing and still loving it!
So, hang on for a minute while I take this huge milestone in....
Twenty years with almost forty books published or in the pipeline ... I know it isn’t a great average when compared with some authors but it sounds pretty good to me!
So what was I doing twenty years ago before I wrote books? Well, I did the all of the usual things, like growing up and attending school, finishing at secretarial college, which I hated, then spent the next several years wandering aimlessly from job to job. Eventually I met my husband, we married and produced two daughters who then grew up and between them presented us with two gorgeous grandsons and one beautiful granddaughter. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Somewhere in between my girls growing up and the grandchildren arriving on the scene, I started writing. To this day I don’t know why, unless it was a natural progression from my never being without a book close by—often several—because books have always been an important part of my life for as far back as I can recall.
So, I started to write, by hand at first, scribbling short stories in notebooks which never saw the light of day. At some point I discovered Mills & Boon Romance books and that was pretty much it for me. I’d found my new love, as in reading romantic fiction and inevitably writing it too.
So twenty years on and almost forty books on, here I am still writing and still loving it!
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August 20, 2018
Re Slave to Love - Michelle Reid makes her h a very distant sloppy second in this story of an H who continually prioritizes his ex wife and his Parvo toxic, bovine daughter over anything other than his mega corporate business in life.
MR lets us know that the h has been the H's live-in girlfriend for just about a year. She is the PA for his younger brother in the family firm and met the H a few days after she started working there, the H wasted no time in sweeping her off her feet and into his bed.
The problem the h is having isn't that she wants to marry the H necessarily, she understands that he is gun shy after he got his suitably appropriate wealthy teen-aged date preggers 19 years earlier and the two families were happy to force them into a shotgun marriage.
The H and his ex were massively unsuited to each other, but they stuck it out for ten years and then divorced after his ex wife brought another man into the marital home while the H was off on business and in front of his daughter.
The divorce doesn't please their now 18 yr old daughter, who firmly wants her parents back together and the girl takes on a level of nastiness usually reserved for HP OW to force it.
When the book opens the H's daughter is wandering around her birthday party, (that the H invited the h to hoping she wouldn't show,) telling everyone that she is outraged that her dad's bimbo has been let in to contaminate the bonhomie family togetherness mood.
The h, who got pawned off on the H's brother so everyone else at the family party can ignore or insult her, is finally realizing that the H only wants her for her bedroom skillz and has no intention of ever making her a significant part of his life.
Because the h is the child of two environmentalist parents who also made her a distant second priority in their lives while she was growing up, the h is finally figuring out she needs to move out and move up with a man who is actually man enough to stand up to the manipulative family the H doesn't have the chutzpah to deal with.
She is really tired of being second to everyone else's priorities. The h concludes that if she eventually wants a husband and a family, she isn't going to get it from the H, who can't even make it clear to his own people that she is important to him.
(Tho I would also recommend not responding to the nickname 'Bunny' if you don't want to be thought of as a guy's bimbo blow up toy.)
So the h gets the H's brother to take her home from the party early and moves out of the H's flat that he put her in for easier access.
When the H furiously corners the h at work on Monday because the h wasn't where he put her when he called, the h calmly points out that for all his ranting and raving, he only called, he did not leave his devoted family to actually look for her.
Then the h tells the H they are through, she wants to think about staring a family and she needs to find a man to do that with. The H complains that she has years as she is only 25, the h responds with a tart 'I should wait until your through with me then?'
The H does manage to look a bit abashed at that statement, because he quickly retaliates with the strong application of roofie kisses and attempted lurve force mojo moves. The h is perilously close to weakening her stance, but the H's brother saves the day.
We get a big scene where the H and his brother square off over who has dibs on the h. To her horror, the H winds up punching his brother in the face and the h kicks both of them out, cause she isn't the brass ring on the local merry go round. Then the H manipulates the h into an overseas business trip on her own, so the H can try and corner her there.
The H's brother managed to get one of his friends to woo the h on the trip, trying to thwart his brother's devious plans for seducing the h when he crashes it. The H manages to mess up the OM seduction attempt, but does do a lot of sexual harassing of the h on his own when he suggests the h sleep with him and he will save the business deal for his little brother and preserve lil' brother's status in the family firm.
(That may be a problem for some readers of the book. The H is the Head Honcho and ultimately the h works for him. That leads to a lot of abusive and outright sexist behaviors that the H never makes up for. So try to keep in mind that we aren't very far out time wise from the flagrant misogyny of the HPlandia of the 70's and 80's and adjust your mental mindset accordingly.)
Eventually the H manages to seduce the h again, she just has NO resistance to the H's lurve force mojo - which really messes with her attempts to leave his hiney. The H is thinking he has won and the h will be his blow up doll to play with again, when the phone rings.
The H's ex wife is in hospital with a serious infection, so the H and h have to rush back to England. The H's daughter manages to corner the h in the hospital waiting room and makes all kinds of vile and nasty accusations to the h about the H two timing her with his ex wife and various other tarty tramps names.
Then when the H shows up, the daughter dramatically throws herself on her doting daddy and accuses the h of being mean to her and wanting her mother to die. The H kicks the h out of the waiting area and tells her to leave, full of contempt for the h who abused his precious bovine parasite.
The h is finally done with the H and leaves the country with her parents for two weeks. The h and her parents have a little mini-reconnection while educating us readers on on environmental preservation.
When the h gets back to England, the H is furious she walked out again and the h tries to resign. The H also admits he deliberately set the h up on the business trip and then he practices more roofie kisses on the h. Sadly she totally melts and all the calcium she recently acquired is flushed away by the Lurve Force Mojo.
The H refuses to accept she is leaving and asks her to wait a week while he travels for business. The final day of that week arrives and the H's daughter shows up at the h's office and runs her sewer swilling mouth again.
This time the h doesn't tolerate the brat's excrement laden mouthy spewing and proceeds to deliver a very well deserved and long time coming verbal smackdown. It is the very, very best moment of the book. The h does it with class and dignity, but she does do it very well and the H is nowhere to be found to ruin anything.
The H's daughter then has a conniption fit and the h doesn't care. At least she doesn't until the H shows up and starts to berate the h for being mean to his daughter. So the h explains just what the girl has been doing behind his back and also explains that the H better help the girl sort her baggage or he is going to have a problem child for life.
The H's answer to that is to drag the h over to ex-wife's house and both the wife and the H tell their daughter they are not getting remarried. Then the H tells the h he is marrying her and the h goes utterly brain dead.
The H's daughter decides she will have more fun driving daggers into the h if she is her stepmother and the bovine little blob pustule fakes a conversion in attitude which the h believes.
However the h does gather her wits enough to say no to marriage with the H, so he gets to make a pretty decent I am sorry I treated you like dirt speech, which does convince the h he loves her and he does a pretty good apology too.
The h and H then realize that they need to cement their newfound commitment on the Golden Shores of Transcendent Bliss and we leave them planning the wedding and lurvin' it up for a sorta sparkly HEA.
This one is very intense and it is very well written, I just have no hope that the H will be able to hang on to his manly Alpha mojo for more than a night or two. This H was clearly a wimp in the face of his family and his daughter was probably a better Alpha, so I am not holding out hope for the long term HEA.
Plus I think if the h gets a few more Flinstones with extra calcum, the h might actually develop enough spine to dump the H, her job and find another HP millionaire to get herself an HEA.
Still I liked the story and I liked the h. As far as OW drama goes, the H's daughter was exceedingly excellent and that makes this one a pretty nice jaunt for an HPlandia outing but a bad day on the long term HEA believability front.
MR lets us know that the h has been the H's live-in girlfriend for just about a year. She is the PA for his younger brother in the family firm and met the H a few days after she started working there, the H wasted no time in sweeping her off her feet and into his bed.
The problem the h is having isn't that she wants to marry the H necessarily, she understands that he is gun shy after he got his suitably appropriate wealthy teen-aged date preggers 19 years earlier and the two families were happy to force them into a shotgun marriage.
The H and his ex were massively unsuited to each other, but they stuck it out for ten years and then divorced after his ex wife brought another man into the marital home while the H was off on business and in front of his daughter.
The divorce doesn't please their now 18 yr old daughter, who firmly wants her parents back together and the girl takes on a level of nastiness usually reserved for HP OW to force it.
When the book opens the H's daughter is wandering around her birthday party, (that the H invited the h to hoping she wouldn't show,) telling everyone that she is outraged that her dad's bimbo has been let in to contaminate the bonhomie family togetherness mood.
The h, who got pawned off on the H's brother so everyone else at the family party can ignore or insult her, is finally realizing that the H only wants her for her bedroom skillz and has no intention of ever making her a significant part of his life.
Because the h is the child of two environmentalist parents who also made her a distant second priority in their lives while she was growing up, the h is finally figuring out she needs to move out and move up with a man who is actually man enough to stand up to the manipulative family the H doesn't have the chutzpah to deal with.
She is really tired of being second to everyone else's priorities. The h concludes that if she eventually wants a husband and a family, she isn't going to get it from the H, who can't even make it clear to his own people that she is important to him.
(Tho I would also recommend not responding to the nickname 'Bunny' if you don't want to be thought of as a guy's bimbo blow up toy.)
So the h gets the H's brother to take her home from the party early and moves out of the H's flat that he put her in for easier access.
When the H furiously corners the h at work on Monday because the h wasn't where he put her when he called, the h calmly points out that for all his ranting and raving, he only called, he did not leave his devoted family to actually look for her.
Then the h tells the H they are through, she wants to think about staring a family and she needs to find a man to do that with. The H complains that she has years as she is only 25, the h responds with a tart 'I should wait until your through with me then?'
The H does manage to look a bit abashed at that statement, because he quickly retaliates with the strong application of roofie kisses and attempted lurve force mojo moves. The h is perilously close to weakening her stance, but the H's brother saves the day.
We get a big scene where the H and his brother square off over who has dibs on the h. To her horror, the H winds up punching his brother in the face and the h kicks both of them out, cause she isn't the brass ring on the local merry go round. Then the H manipulates the h into an overseas business trip on her own, so the H can try and corner her there.
The H's brother managed to get one of his friends to woo the h on the trip, trying to thwart his brother's devious plans for seducing the h when he crashes it. The H manages to mess up the OM seduction attempt, but does do a lot of sexual harassing of the h on his own when he suggests the h sleep with him and he will save the business deal for his little brother and preserve lil' brother's status in the family firm.
(That may be a problem for some readers of the book. The H is the Head Honcho and ultimately the h works for him. That leads to a lot of abusive and outright sexist behaviors that the H never makes up for. So try to keep in mind that we aren't very far out time wise from the flagrant misogyny of the HPlandia of the 70's and 80's and adjust your mental mindset accordingly.)
Eventually the H manages to seduce the h again, she just has NO resistance to the H's lurve force mojo - which really messes with her attempts to leave his hiney. The H is thinking he has won and the h will be his blow up doll to play with again, when the phone rings.
The H's ex wife is in hospital with a serious infection, so the H and h have to rush back to England. The H's daughter manages to corner the h in the hospital waiting room and makes all kinds of vile and nasty accusations to the h about the H two timing her with his ex wife and various other tarty tramps names.
Then when the H shows up, the daughter dramatically throws herself on her doting daddy and accuses the h of being mean to her and wanting her mother to die. The H kicks the h out of the waiting area and tells her to leave, full of contempt for the h who abused his precious bovine parasite.
The h is finally done with the H and leaves the country with her parents for two weeks. The h and her parents have a little mini-reconnection while educating us readers on on environmental preservation.
When the h gets back to England, the H is furious she walked out again and the h tries to resign. The H also admits he deliberately set the h up on the business trip and then he practices more roofie kisses on the h. Sadly she totally melts and all the calcium she recently acquired is flushed away by the Lurve Force Mojo.
The H refuses to accept she is leaving and asks her to wait a week while he travels for business. The final day of that week arrives and the H's daughter shows up at the h's office and runs her sewer swilling mouth again.
This time the h doesn't tolerate the brat's excrement laden mouthy spewing and proceeds to deliver a very well deserved and long time coming verbal smackdown. It is the very, very best moment of the book. The h does it with class and dignity, but she does do it very well and the H is nowhere to be found to ruin anything.
The H's daughter then has a conniption fit and the h doesn't care. At least she doesn't until the H shows up and starts to berate the h for being mean to his daughter. So the h explains just what the girl has been doing behind his back and also explains that the H better help the girl sort her baggage or he is going to have a problem child for life.
The H's answer to that is to drag the h over to ex-wife's house and both the wife and the H tell their daughter they are not getting remarried. Then the H tells the h he is marrying her and the h goes utterly brain dead.
The H's daughter decides she will have more fun driving daggers into the h if she is her stepmother and the bovine little blob pustule fakes a conversion in attitude which the h believes.
However the h does gather her wits enough to say no to marriage with the H, so he gets to make a pretty decent I am sorry I treated you like dirt speech, which does convince the h he loves her and he does a pretty good apology too.
The h and H then realize that they need to cement their newfound commitment on the Golden Shores of Transcendent Bliss and we leave them planning the wedding and lurvin' it up for a sorta sparkly HEA.
This one is very intense and it is very well written, I just have no hope that the H will be able to hang on to his manly Alpha mojo for more than a night or two. This H was clearly a wimp in the face of his family and his daughter was probably a better Alpha, so I am not holding out hope for the long term HEA.
Plus I think if the h gets a few more Flinstones with extra calcum, the h might actually develop enough spine to dump the H, her job and find another HP millionaire to get herself an HEA.
Still I liked the story and I liked the h. As far as OW drama goes, the H's daughter was exceedingly excellent and that makes this one a pretty nice jaunt for an HPlandia outing but a bad day on the long term HEA believability front.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2012
This was such a sad, sad, disturbing book. Our heroine and hero have been in a relationship for one year. She is the Personal Assistant to his brother, and he is the CEO of the company. Ok, for me that is a major 'ick' factor...Some author's have pulled this off, but not here. The "ick" really shines especially in one scene where she threatens him with sexual harassment and he outmaneuvers her by insinuating she is the one harassing him. Unfortunately, the poor thing falls for his flawed logic which makes her even more pitiful.
The book opens with a birthday party at the family estate for the hero's 18 year old daughter. At the party, we get a glimpse that all is not well in this storybook romance. He totally ignores her, pawns her off on his brother to entertain all because he does not want to upset his selfish, jealous mean spirited daughter and his viper ex-wife. Seems like this is par for the course for their relationship. However, at the party she snaps and decides enough is enough and walks. He can't understand why she is so upset. After all he was clear, he didn't want more kids, didn't do love and they were just together for a good time. He is appalled that she won't get with the program and sacrifice love, marriage and family just to be with him.
The rest of the book is about the horrible manipulations and gyrations he goes through to keep her, and how she caves every time..Seems like all he has to do is kiss her and she is mush.
And it goes on and on....to the point that she really is a Slave to Love...So I guess the only thing I really liked about this book was the title.
Seriously, I would definitely pass on this one. I am shocked that Michelle Reid wrote this book.
The book opens with a birthday party at the family estate for the hero's 18 year old daughter. At the party, we get a glimpse that all is not well in this storybook romance. He totally ignores her, pawns her off on his brother to entertain all because he does not want to upset his selfish, jealous mean spirited daughter and his viper ex-wife. Seems like this is par for the course for their relationship. However, at the party she snaps and decides enough is enough and walks. He can't understand why she is so upset. After all he was clear, he didn't want more kids, didn't do love and they were just together for a good time. He is appalled that she won't get with the program and sacrifice love, marriage and family just to be with him.
The rest of the book is about the horrible manipulations and gyrations he goes through to keep her, and how she caves every time..Seems like all he has to do is kiss her and she is mush.
And it goes on and on....to the point that she really is a Slave to Love...So I guess the only thing I really liked about this book was the title.
Seriously, I would definitely pass on this one. I am shocked that Michelle Reid wrote this book.
February 18, 2020
That Brian Ferry song with the same title is thundering in my ears as I write this. Thankfully, I like the song - actually more than this story.
The heroine is a young 25 who has given her virginity and a year of her life to a divorced older man. She realizes the relationship isn't going anywhere when she is ignored at his daughter's 18th birthday party. She tries to break it off. Hero keeps chasing her.
There's lots of business talk in between the angst until Hero "gives in" and offers marriage. Yay?
I guess it's a happy ending that the heroine got her man. Hero wasn't charming or interesting to me, but heroine was happy.
I am glad the heroine put the 18 year-old daughter in her place, but I don't foresee an easy marriage for the heroine with all the hero's baggage. Hero got a hot second wife and still has an adoring daughter and friendly ex. Who got the better deal?
The heroine is a young 25 who has given her virginity and a year of her life to a divorced older man. She realizes the relationship isn't going anywhere when she is ignored at his daughter's 18th birthday party. She tries to break it off. Hero keeps chasing her.
There's lots of business talk in between the angst until Hero "gives in" and offers marriage. Yay?
I guess it's a happy ending that the heroine got her man. Hero wasn't charming or interesting to me, but heroine was happy.
I am glad the heroine put the 18 year-old daughter in her place, but I don't foresee an easy marriage for the heroine with all the hero's baggage. Hero got a hot second wife and still has an adoring daughter and friendly ex. Who got the better deal?
November 5, 2025
I figure I've reread this one so many times it's earned the extra star.
Reread-1-30-25 I GOBBLED this up this time. Now if you're in the mood for a swoony romance, keep looking because Mac will 100% disappoint you. He's an ass, and blind as a bat for much of the book. Every time he has an opportunity to stick up for Roberta, he fails, BUT if you love drama llama... YUM.
***Original Review***
3.35 Soapy-Smut Stars
I think you’re either gonna love this one or hate it, because basically the same conflict (the H’s family) cycles the same argument several times throughout. In this one the meddling, vile OW is the H’s 18-yr-old daughter Lulu; I liked the switch up, and found her amusing, but can totally see how others might find her antics annoying.
Roberta and Mac have been dating/living together for a year, but she’s getting tired of taking a backseat every time one of his family (ex & daughter) call him away. This had all the ingredients for an angsty soapy-smut feast, but Roberta’s “betraying body” (bb) sort of stole the thunder before it could ever get really good. I still enjoyed it; I just wish she would’ve followed through on her threats. BB aside, Roberta gets angry & goes off on Mac a lot, and I really liked her Lulu smack down scene, so there's plenty of arguing. Mac’s character is pretty flat; I wish we had more from his POV.
All in all, I found it an entertaining HP read. I just needed a smidge more drama, and for her to stick the break-up landing past one face to face convo. She literally would have to leave town to stay mad at him. 😊
Reread-1-30-25 I GOBBLED this up this time. Now if you're in the mood for a swoony romance, keep looking because Mac will 100% disappoint you. He's an ass, and blind as a bat for much of the book. Every time he has an opportunity to stick up for Roberta, he fails, BUT if you love drama llama... YUM.
***Original Review***
3.35 Soapy-Smut Stars
I think you’re either gonna love this one or hate it, because basically the same conflict (the H’s family) cycles the same argument several times throughout. In this one the meddling, vile OW is the H’s 18-yr-old daughter Lulu; I liked the switch up, and found her amusing, but can totally see how others might find her antics annoying.
Roberta and Mac have been dating/living together for a year, but she’s getting tired of taking a backseat every time one of his family (ex & daughter) call him away. This had all the ingredients for an angsty soapy-smut feast, but Roberta’s “betraying body” (bb) sort of stole the thunder before it could ever get really good. I still enjoyed it; I just wish she would’ve followed through on her threats. BB aside, Roberta gets angry & goes off on Mac a lot, and I really liked her Lulu smack down scene, so there's plenty of arguing. Mac’s character is pretty flat; I wish we had more from his POV.
All in all, I found it an entertaining HP read. I just needed a smidge more drama, and for her to stick the break-up landing past one face to face convo. She literally would have to leave town to stay mad at him. 😊
November 1, 2012
What I liked:
- the heroine has a trip to Vienna. It gave me some ideas for my holiday there next year.
- the heroine generally is reasonably intelligent (at least emotionally). I actually felt like the position she was in was impossible. But that leads to the rest:
What I didn't like:
- the hero calls the heroine "bunny" or "bunny rabbit." A lot. And vomiting isn't enjoyable or good for you.
- the hero is emotionally immature. I get really tired of the whole "I had one bad experience with something important so I'm turning my back on that forever."
- the hero is a jerk. When the heroine is faced by his horrible ex-wife and horrible spoiled daughter, and they continually put her down, he does nothing to intervene, and despite having the evidence of how horrible they are, he more than once fails to stand up for her, and more than once tells the heroine off.
- the hero is a jerk. When the heroine in very clear and reasonable terms explains how this relationship is not working for her and can never work for her (based on his demands and refusal to change his mind or compromise on anything), he threatens her job, threatens her with sexual harrassment, manipulates her, decides consent is not really necessary, and embarrasses her in front of others.
I understand that HP heroes are very often alpholes and macho douchebags who are over-the-top and selfish and all that. Most of the time, though, they manage to stay under toxic levels. Especially Michelle Reid's heroes - they can be ridiculous, but there's something that typically mitigates the alpha-ness. This one, though. Honestly, I alternated between wanting to punch him, and wanting to phone a domestic abuse line to get some help for myself, to recover from the experience of reading about him. Not romantic at all.
- the heroine has a trip to Vienna. It gave me some ideas for my holiday there next year.
- the heroine generally is reasonably intelligent (at least emotionally). I actually felt like the position she was in was impossible. But that leads to the rest:
What I didn't like:
- the hero calls the heroine "bunny" or "bunny rabbit." A lot. And vomiting isn't enjoyable or good for you.
- the hero is emotionally immature. I get really tired of the whole "I had one bad experience with something important so I'm turning my back on that forever."
- the hero is a jerk. When the heroine is faced by his horrible ex-wife and horrible spoiled daughter, and they continually put her down, he does nothing to intervene, and despite having the evidence of how horrible they are, he more than once fails to stand up for her, and more than once tells the heroine off.
- the hero is a jerk. When the heroine in very clear and reasonable terms explains how this relationship is not working for her and can never work for her (based on his demands and refusal to change his mind or compromise on anything), he threatens her job, threatens her with sexual harrassment, manipulates her, decides consent is not really necessary, and embarrasses her in front of others.
I understand that HP heroes are very often alpholes and macho douchebags who are over-the-top and selfish and all that. Most of the time, though, they manage to stay under toxic levels. Especially Michelle Reid's heroes - they can be ridiculous, but there's something that typically mitigates the alpha-ness. This one, though. Honestly, I alternated between wanting to punch him, and wanting to phone a domestic abuse line to get some help for myself, to recover from the experience of reading about him. Not romantic at all.
November 10, 2012
3.5 stars rounded up.
I was going to avoid this one but heard it called "disturbing" and my draw to train wrecks pulled me in. However, I found this to be a rather fun story about a heroine, Roberta, who was fed up with playing second fiddle to an ex-wife and child (18 year old child), being chased hot and heavy by an overly amorous hero, Mac, who is unwilling to let her go.
Lot of angsty moments dealing with with H as well as neglectful parents and angry, teeth-gritting scenes when you just want to bash the H in the face with a lamp for the crap he loads onto the h.
Although the h did indeed let him get away with much more than he deserved, she at least let him have it in the kisser often and strongly enough to keep me from losing too much respect for her. The utter possessiveness and high grovel level from the H helped too.
So if you like them angry and angsty with an uber-possessive H who refuses to give up his territory, then this one might be fun for you.
I was going to avoid this one but heard it called "disturbing" and my draw to train wrecks pulled me in. However, I found this to be a rather fun story about a heroine, Roberta, who was fed up with playing second fiddle to an ex-wife and child (18 year old child), being chased hot and heavy by an overly amorous hero, Mac, who is unwilling to let her go.
Lot of angsty moments dealing with with H as well as neglectful parents and angry, teeth-gritting scenes when you just want to bash the H in the face with a lamp for the crap he loads onto the h.
Although the h did indeed let him get away with much more than he deserved, she at least let him have it in the kisser often and strongly enough to keep me from losing too much respect for her. The utter possessiveness and high grovel level from the H helped too.
So if you like them angry and angsty with an uber-possessive H who refuses to give up his territory, then this one might be fun for you.
June 2, 2011
The heroine, if she'd been male she would have been accused of being led around by her you know what, is so in love with this nasty smarmy man, I honestly thought the brother was the hero when I first started reading the book.
So she's in a relationship of sorts with her boss, and he's invited her to his daughter's 18th birthday party. She's so happy thinking he's finally moving forward in their relationship, but instead he ditches her on his brother and ignores her the whole time. Meanwhile, his horrible daughter circles the room and informs everyone that she's daddy's latest bimbo. She finally grows a pair and takes off with every intention of leaving him.
She goes back to the apartment and was in a horrible accident. In a coma in the hospital for days, no one knew who she was until the hero finally drags himself away from his family at the end of the weekend and she doesn't show up for work. He feels like a complete asshat because he couldn't be bothered to worry about the heroine when there were more important things to worry about, like pretending he was still happy families with his ex. He feels incredibly guilty and realizes what a douche he was to the heroine.
Oh wait. No. I only wished that would have happened.
Heroine leaves him and he tries calling her but can't find her. But does that worry him enough to leave and go looking for her? Nope. Not this guy, he doesn't care about her at all.
But the heroine's resolve is sorely tempted when she realizes she's cutting herself off of some hot sex. Mostly because she's never had it from anyone else, so doesn't realize it can be JUST AS GOOD, and PROBABLY BETTER, from someone who actually cares a little bit about her.
So she's going to leave him, but he'll have none of that. So now she's not going to leave him, but wait, he pulls another asshat trick. Now she's DEFINITELY going to leave him this time. Oh no she's not. And..now he's going to behave even worse.
She should have just given up. She was never going to leave him. It made me sick to my stomach that she kept going back to him. Good lord. Happily ever after would be if the book ended when she finally made up with her parents.
I could totally take a chick lit on this one. She doesn't need to be with him, it's much better if she's not.
But no, the great heroine completely understands everything the hero was trying to say before, and she also doesn't want to hurt miss daddy's latest bimbo any more than the set down she already gave her.
Just tell the truth for once.
No, you don't want to be with him, no little brat, it's not just your fault, you're only a minor problem, it's your nasty nasty father. No woman in their right mind would want to be stuck with him forever. No wonder the ex-wife hated being married to him and cheated on him. He's yucky.
So she's in a relationship of sorts with her boss, and he's invited her to his daughter's 18th birthday party. She's so happy thinking he's finally moving forward in their relationship, but instead he ditches her on his brother and ignores her the whole time. Meanwhile, his horrible daughter circles the room and informs everyone that she's daddy's latest bimbo. She finally grows a pair and takes off with every intention of leaving him.
She goes back to the apartment and was in a horrible accident. In a coma in the hospital for days, no one knew who she was until the hero finally drags himself away from his family at the end of the weekend and she doesn't show up for work. He feels like a complete asshat because he couldn't be bothered to worry about the heroine when there were more important things to worry about, like pretending he was still happy families with his ex. He feels incredibly guilty and realizes what a douche he was to the heroine.
Oh wait. No. I only wished that would have happened.
Heroine leaves him and he tries calling her but can't find her. But does that worry him enough to leave and go looking for her? Nope. Not this guy, he doesn't care about her at all.
But the heroine's resolve is sorely tempted when she realizes she's cutting herself off of some hot sex. Mostly because she's never had it from anyone else, so doesn't realize it can be JUST AS GOOD, and PROBABLY BETTER, from someone who actually cares a little bit about her.
So she's going to leave him, but he'll have none of that. So now she's not going to leave him, but wait, he pulls another asshat trick. Now she's DEFINITELY going to leave him this time. Oh no she's not. And..now he's going to behave even worse.
She should have just given up. She was never going to leave him. It made me sick to my stomach that she kept going back to him. Good lord. Happily ever after would be if the book ended when she finally made up with her parents.
I could totally take a chick lit on this one. She doesn't need to be with him, it's much better if she's not.
But no, the great heroine completely understands everything the hero was trying to say before, and she also doesn't want to hurt miss daddy's latest bimbo any more than the set down she already gave her.
Just tell the truth for once.
No, you don't want to be with him, no little brat, it's not just your fault, you're only a minor problem, it's your nasty nasty father. No woman in their right mind would want to be stuck with him forever. No wonder the ex-wife hated being married to him and cheated on him. He's yucky.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2014
2.5 rounded up to 3
Michelle Reid is one of my favorite HP authors, but this wasn't one of her best works despite the fact that it's one of my favorite plots: Heroine is mistress to the hero and leaves when she's finally had enough of being taken advantage of/unappreciated.
Okay, so she wasn't "technically" a mistress. She worked (for his company, granted -- but you get the impression that she did actually do work there). I'd call her more of a live-in 'booty call'. He gave sex and lots of it, but little else. She was 10+ years younger and he was her first lover. She was in deep, completely head-over-heels and he knew it. Yet, he made it clear that sex was all he was offering.
The entire drama centers around his ex-wife and daughter. Mostly his daughter who was the result of a shotgun wedding between her parents when they were her age. She's 18 and spoiled rotten. However, she never got over the divorce when she was 10 and blamed the H for it since he was the initiator. Her mother wasn't exactly happy with the marriage either (just the comfort it provided, she kept lovers). Apparently the daughter refused to even speak to her father for some time after the divorce and since then he walked on egg shells around her. I sympathized. Really, I did. He loved her and I respected him for that, he just didn't handle the situation well. I love my bratty teenage niece more than anyone in the world and there's no doubt she's obnoxious these days. Her father has passed and there's a lot of drama with that situation, however me and my sister (her mother) are doing our best not to cater to her B.S. (sadly, my dad does though).
So, in an effort to keep bratty Miss Lulu happy, the hero pretends that he doesn't really have a significant other and, for the most part, keeps the h hidden. He also drops everything whenever Lulu calls, even if it's an obvious manipulation. Plus, he and his ex-wife pretend to be practically in love when around her to make her happy. She buys the act so well that she truly believes the two would remarry if Daddy's bimbos would just get out of the picture.
The H finally invites Roberta to one of the family functions (but it turns out he didn't really expect or want her to accept). She goes and is subjected to Mac ignoring her all night and his daughter telling everyone around that she's 'Daddy's latest bimbo'. Final straw time. She leaves the party and moves out of his apt.
Yay, right? Well, it never goes anywhere. He refuses to listen to her. Refuses to respect her decision and patronizes her to the point where I'd have liked to smash his face in. If I was her friend, I'd have called the police on him for trespassing in my apartment (where the heroine had moved in).
Apparently they have great sex and he uses that attraction in a very aggressive way to "bring her to heel". When she admits that she still wants him but also wants marriage and children (which he's made it clear he isn't going to give her) he taunts her with the fact that she can't find someone else since she loves him. That was cruel since he's never once said he loved her or made any commitment beyond making their relationship exclusive - which is, IMHO, just the safe/sane thing to do for any sexually active person and not a great sign of commitment.
I gave the heroine credit for trying, but was frustrated that she didn't break a lamp over his head or most importantly just QUIT HER DAMN JOB. Jeez. Obvious much? Maybe it's just my unfamiliarity with England and the job market there. I'm not saying it's easy to find a new job here on this side of the pond, but it's not like you can't quit. If the H gave a bad reference, I'd have sued his pants off. We're not slaves and I'd assumed England had left the feudal system behind long ago. She was an executive assistant - that's something every company needs and she had resources (friends and even her absentee family) who could have provided her with some support while she job shopped. All in all, very frustrating all around.
Still it kept me reading until almost 1am, so I can't give it a horrible rating.
ETA: Just NO on the 'bunny rabbit' pet name. That's what my dad calls my 6 yr old niece and what he even sometimes still calls us older girls. It's what I call my little niece and other cute little things (like my kitties). Therefore it's just a huge 'ick' when put in a sexual context like this. NOOOO
Michelle Reid is one of my favorite HP authors, but this wasn't one of her best works despite the fact that it's one of my favorite plots: Heroine is mistress to the hero and leaves when she's finally had enough of being taken advantage of/unappreciated.
Okay, so she wasn't "technically" a mistress. She worked (for his company, granted -- but you get the impression that she did actually do work there). I'd call her more of a live-in 'booty call'. He gave sex and lots of it, but little else. She was 10+ years younger and he was her first lover. She was in deep, completely head-over-heels and he knew it. Yet, he made it clear that sex was all he was offering.
The entire drama centers around his ex-wife and daughter. Mostly his daughter who was the result of a shotgun wedding between her parents when they were her age. She's 18 and spoiled rotten. However, she never got over the divorce when she was 10 and blamed the H for it since he was the initiator. Her mother wasn't exactly happy with the marriage either (just the comfort it provided, she kept lovers). Apparently the daughter refused to even speak to her father for some time after the divorce and since then he walked on egg shells around her. I sympathized. Really, I did. He loved her and I respected him for that, he just didn't handle the situation well. I love my bratty teenage niece more than anyone in the world and there's no doubt she's obnoxious these days. Her father has passed and there's a lot of drama with that situation, however me and my sister (her mother) are doing our best not to cater to her B.S. (sadly, my dad does though).
So, in an effort to keep bratty Miss Lulu happy, the hero pretends that he doesn't really have a significant other and, for the most part, keeps the h hidden. He also drops everything whenever Lulu calls, even if it's an obvious manipulation. Plus, he and his ex-wife pretend to be practically in love when around her to make her happy. She buys the act so well that she truly believes the two would remarry if Daddy's bimbos would just get out of the picture.
The H finally invites Roberta to one of the family functions (but it turns out he didn't really expect or want her to accept). She goes and is subjected to Mac ignoring her all night and his daughter telling everyone around that she's 'Daddy's latest bimbo'. Final straw time. She leaves the party and moves out of his apt.
Yay, right? Well, it never goes anywhere. He refuses to listen to her. Refuses to respect her decision and patronizes her to the point where I'd have liked to smash his face in. If I was her friend, I'd have called the police on him for trespassing in my apartment (where the heroine had moved in).
Apparently they have great sex and he uses that attraction in a very aggressive way to "bring her to heel". When she admits that she still wants him but also wants marriage and children (which he's made it clear he isn't going to give her) he taunts her with the fact that she can't find someone else since she loves him. That was cruel since he's never once said he loved her or made any commitment beyond making their relationship exclusive - which is, IMHO, just the safe/sane thing to do for any sexually active person and not a great sign of commitment.
I gave the heroine credit for trying, but was frustrated that she didn't break a lamp over his head or most importantly just QUIT HER DAMN JOB. Jeez. Obvious much? Maybe it's just my unfamiliarity with England and the job market there. I'm not saying it's easy to find a new job here on this side of the pond, but it's not like you can't quit. If the H gave a bad reference, I'd have sued his pants off. We're not slaves and I'd assumed England had left the feudal system behind long ago. She was an executive assistant - that's something every company needs and she had resources (friends and even her absentee family) who could have provided her with some support while she job shopped. All in all, very frustrating all around.
Still it kept me reading until almost 1am, so I can't give it a horrible rating.
ETA: Just NO on the 'bunny rabbit' pet name. That's what my dad calls my 6 yr old niece and what he even sometimes still calls us older girls. It's what I call my little niece and other cute little things (like my kitties). Therefore it's just a huge 'ick' when put in a sexual context like this. NOOOO
August 18, 2025
Re-read 2/20 and 7/25
I LOOOOVVVEE the feels I get with this book lol and lets be honest- there's not much out there. I love the whole he doesn't really think about her, she's not good enough , ugh be still my heart.
If you read it like 20,oooo you can quote it line by line. ;)
I just re-read this for about twentieth time, so it's going to 5 stars. The "other woman" here is a teenage daughter causing problems bc she wants her parents to be together again, but the angst is high. And bc it's a M. Reid it is so well written you feel every little slight, every painful, thoughtless thing the Hero does to our h.
I LOOOOVVVEE the feels I get with this book lol and lets be honest- there's not much out there. I love the whole he doesn't really think about her, she's not good enough , ugh be still my heart.
If you read it like 20,oooo you can quote it line by line. ;)
I just re-read this for about twentieth time, so it's going to 5 stars. The "other woman" here is a teenage daughter causing problems bc she wants her parents to be together again, but the angst is high. And bc it's a M. Reid it is so well written you feel every little slight, every painful, thoughtless thing the Hero does to our h.
January 27, 2018
Worst book by this otherwise much liked author.
September 24, 2022
The book starts with the birthday party of the H’s 18-year old daughter. The h is the mistress of the H.
The h is making it like some sort of fight between her and his daughter. She should never have gone to his daughter’s birthday party knowing that she and the girl don’t get along.
But I can see that the book isn’t really bad, so others may very well like it. I didn’t.
The h is making it like some sort of fight between her and his daughter. She should never have gone to his daughter’s birthday party knowing that she and the girl don’t get along.
But I can see that the book isn’t really bad, so others may very well like it. I didn’t.
April 23, 2014
I thought the heroine was completely immature and a major bitch. Hero was also an asshole so I guess they deserved each other.
November 3, 2015
The H has a magic penis which is balanced by an evil ex and one of the biggest brats in Harley-land. Which one will win?
March 4, 2011
3 Star Harlequin Presents
Michelle Reid is a favorite Harlequin author of mine. When I stumbled across this book reviewed on Goodreads by my friend Mia, I thought that I would give this a go since I was feeling a little bit blue after the recent high I felt reading A Lot Like Love by Julie James. Halfway through I did realize that I had in fact read this a long time back as parts of the book kept coming back to me. Though I don’t support overly much what happened in the story, nevertheless the rabid fascination that always takes a hold of me during these types of reads kept me glued to the pages till the wee hours of the morning.
This story kicks off in the midst of the birthday bash of 18 year old Lulu Maclaine, the one and only daughter of Soloman Macmillan Hunter Maclaine and his ex-wife Delia. Though divorced from Delia for the last 8 years, both Mac and Delia maintain a facade of indulgence and affection in front of their daughter and both their families who had been ecstatic by the fact that Mac and Delia had been forced to marry one another when they were both just 18 years old with Lulu on the way. Badly burnt by the less than perfect marriage Mac had with his ex-wife, he is vehement on the fact that he is not open to the prospect of marrying another woman and conducts all his relationships with this fact out in the open.
When Roberta Chandler, the only child of two wildlife experts comes across the enigmatic, sexy and charismatic Mac who focuses all his efforts and charms into winning her into his bed, Roberta doesn’t know what hits her when all the rules by which she has lived her life comes tumbling and crashing down right in front of her. For someone who has made a promise to herself to never be second best to anyone else in her life, she certainly does the opposite where Mac is concerned when all throughout the 1 year during which their relationship runs its course, Mac’s ex-wife and her coveted daughter Lulu together with his cutthroat business demands takes the center stage of his life.
The final straw (of the many final straws in the story) comes up during Lulu’s party where Lulu calls Roberta “daddy’s current bimbo” in front of her friends and family and the humiliation that she ends up suffering with Mac almost ignoring her in favor of making Lulu’s birthday party a most wonderful one as can be. Determined to walk away from their relationship, Roberta moves out from the town home that Mac had set up and is well on her way to severing the ties that binds her to Mac until he storms in and kisses her senseless, proving to her without a doubt just how vulnerable she is to him.
Its a constant war of walking out and succumbing to Mac’s charms that takes place throughout the story. I found myself going dizzy with just how many times Roberta issues ultimatums and “tries” to walk out on their relationship only to give in to the heady desire of being back in Mac’s arms though he refuses to see just how much Roberta is suffering from his divided loyalties when it comes to sharing his time and affection between his family and Roberta.
I found myself really pissed off at Mac for his callous treatment of Roberta and her feelings. And I was really ready to slap some sense into Roberta who ALWAYS ended up following Mac and his rules in their relationship, no matter how firm a resolve she comes up with to end things between them.
If I were the one who found myself in Mac’s ex-wife’s home and Mac proposes to his ex-wife first even to rule out the possibility of them ever getting back together, I would have slapped Mac silly and walked out and hooked up with the next available guy that I came across. I was that pissed off with his half-assed attempt to apologize and “woo” her back into his life and suddenly admit that he “loves” Roberta more than anything else in this world.
But, as I said before, even though I was ready to scream in frustration at the characters, nevertheless it was a riveting read, a testament to Michelle Reid’s ability in spinning a tale worth indulging in from time to time.
Michelle Reid is a favorite Harlequin author of mine. When I stumbled across this book reviewed on Goodreads by my friend Mia, I thought that I would give this a go since I was feeling a little bit blue after the recent high I felt reading A Lot Like Love by Julie James. Halfway through I did realize that I had in fact read this a long time back as parts of the book kept coming back to me. Though I don’t support overly much what happened in the story, nevertheless the rabid fascination that always takes a hold of me during these types of reads kept me glued to the pages till the wee hours of the morning.
This story kicks off in the midst of the birthday bash of 18 year old Lulu Maclaine, the one and only daughter of Soloman Macmillan Hunter Maclaine and his ex-wife Delia. Though divorced from Delia for the last 8 years, both Mac and Delia maintain a facade of indulgence and affection in front of their daughter and both their families who had been ecstatic by the fact that Mac and Delia had been forced to marry one another when they were both just 18 years old with Lulu on the way. Badly burnt by the less than perfect marriage Mac had with his ex-wife, he is vehement on the fact that he is not open to the prospect of marrying another woman and conducts all his relationships with this fact out in the open.
When Roberta Chandler, the only child of two wildlife experts comes across the enigmatic, sexy and charismatic Mac who focuses all his efforts and charms into winning her into his bed, Roberta doesn’t know what hits her when all the rules by which she has lived her life comes tumbling and crashing down right in front of her. For someone who has made a promise to herself to never be second best to anyone else in her life, she certainly does the opposite where Mac is concerned when all throughout the 1 year during which their relationship runs its course, Mac’s ex-wife and her coveted daughter Lulu together with his cutthroat business demands takes the center stage of his life.
The final straw (of the many final straws in the story) comes up during Lulu’s party where Lulu calls Roberta “daddy’s current bimbo” in front of her friends and family and the humiliation that she ends up suffering with Mac almost ignoring her in favor of making Lulu’s birthday party a most wonderful one as can be. Determined to walk away from their relationship, Roberta moves out from the town home that Mac had set up and is well on her way to severing the ties that binds her to Mac until he storms in and kisses her senseless, proving to her without a doubt just how vulnerable she is to him.
Its a constant war of walking out and succumbing to Mac’s charms that takes place throughout the story. I found myself going dizzy with just how many times Roberta issues ultimatums and “tries” to walk out on their relationship only to give in to the heady desire of being back in Mac’s arms though he refuses to see just how much Roberta is suffering from his divided loyalties when it comes to sharing his time and affection between his family and Roberta.
I found myself really pissed off at Mac for his callous treatment of Roberta and her feelings. And I was really ready to slap some sense into Roberta who ALWAYS ended up following Mac and his rules in their relationship, no matter how firm a resolve she comes up with to end things between them.
If I were the one who found myself in Mac’s ex-wife’s home and Mac proposes to his ex-wife first even to rule out the possibility of them ever getting back together, I would have slapped Mac silly and walked out and hooked up with the next available guy that I came across. I was that pissed off with his half-assed attempt to apologize and “woo” her back into his life and suddenly admit that he “loves” Roberta more than anything else in this world.
But, as I said before, even though I was ready to scream in frustration at the characters, nevertheless it was a riveting read, a testament to Michelle Reid’s ability in spinning a tale worth indulging in from time to time.
August 9, 2020
Roberta and Mac's relationship never seemed to progress beyond the realm of the physical, especially on Mac's side. If they weren't arguing, then they were indulging in sex which seemed to be Mac's solution to distracting Roberta from her dissatisfaction with their relationship. Their interactions could be described in this sequence: Roberta would try dumping Mac, they'd argue and, when words didn't work, he'd seduce her. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
Mac seemed more interested in bedding Roberta than actually loving her (yes, there's a difference!), while Roberta was a definite love slave who never completely followed through with her threats to end their superficial relationship.
Mac seemed more interested in bedding Roberta than actually loving her (yes, there's a difference!), while Roberta was a definite love slave who never completely followed through with her threats to end their superficial relationship.
September 19, 2016
I think this has to be one of the worst "romance" stories I have read.
The things you do for love - but you don't become a doormat to a douchebag. Weak female character - she capitulated too easy and a the male lead was just so over the top. He barked and she ran to him.
The writing language was stilted e.g " I have decided to conclude our relationship" when she left him for about the hundreth time."I must accept that it can never happen to me because I love you and therefore must concede to your dictum" EEK!
Gave up at 76%
The things you do for love - but you don't become a doormat to a douchebag. Weak female character - she capitulated too easy and a the male lead was just so over the top. He barked and she ran to him.
The writing language was stilted e.g " I have decided to conclude our relationship" when she left him for about the hundreth time."I must accept that it can never happen to me because I love you and therefore must concede to your dictum" EEK!
Gave up at 76%
June 22, 2020
My very first romance read! Before this I read RL Stine and The Babysitters Club. Read this in 1997 and after that it was all Danielle Steel.
March 25, 2023
This would have been a 5-star read if these things had changed:
1. The hero wasn’t so affectionate with his ex, calling her darling and flirting and teasing her, and even going so far as acting like he loves her in public. He still calls her “darling” 👀😐
2. The h truly left him. She tried but he reeled her back in. I really wanted her to leave him, so he actually had to scramble and grovel. And preferably, that scrambling and groveling would have led us to:
3. The H being the one to verbally smack down his own horrible vicious daughter. Instead the h does AAAAAALLLLLL the heavy lifting in this book. If I’m gonna believe the HEA, the H has to take the initiative to take out his own trash. Yeah. That includes the vicious daughter. She 18, not a baby, and her behavior was atrocious.
4. If the H asked her to marry him without the crisis with the other 2 women in his life. He’s resisted so much, that I was let down that he only decided to marry her to get back at the spoiled daughter. That’s not cute. And I have doubts that they’ll have much of an HEA. He never put the h first. He was forced into making her his wife so the daughter would know that he’s never gonna remarry his ex. Once again, he’s using the h.
Bottom Line? I prefer a stronger hero and in this case I wanted to h to find more of backbone, even if that meant leaving town so as not to be tempted. I liked the drama tho. So 3.5 stars.
1. The hero wasn’t so affectionate with his ex, calling her darling and flirting and teasing her, and even going so far as acting like he loves her in public. He still calls her “darling” 👀😐
2. The h truly left him. She tried but he reeled her back in. I really wanted her to leave him, so he actually had to scramble and grovel. And preferably, that scrambling and groveling would have led us to:
3. The H being the one to verbally smack down his own horrible vicious daughter. Instead the h does AAAAAALLLLLL the heavy lifting in this book. If I’m gonna believe the HEA, the H has to take the initiative to take out his own trash. Yeah. That includes the vicious daughter. She 18, not a baby, and her behavior was atrocious.
4. If the H asked her to marry him without the crisis with the other 2 women in his life. He’s resisted so much, that I was let down that he only decided to marry her to get back at the spoiled daughter. That’s not cute. And I have doubts that they’ll have much of an HEA. He never put the h first. He was forced into making her his wife so the daughter would know that he’s never gonna remarry his ex. Once again, he’s using the h.
Bottom Line? I prefer a stronger hero and in this case I wanted to h to find more of backbone, even if that meant leaving town so as not to be tempted. I liked the drama tho. So 3.5 stars.
August 4, 2021
This is not a review but a case analysis.
This is a wonderful book where real life is described.
Not a romance. Only the end is a romance because in real life things would work differently.
There is a divorced man with an ex wife and a teenage daughter.
He has an affair with the heroine but he lead a double life.
- the h is there when he’s free. They sleep together, date together and everyone knows about them. She also works for his brother in his company.
- when the ex or his daughter call, he runs and the heroine must accept that his family comes before her
- the heroine’s parents basically abandoned her to some aunt because they had to save the world and so she was a neglected child who grew up without the love of parents, that makes a person self confident and believing her deserving of being loved. She lacks this confidence.
- she turns to the older and more experienced hero who uses her for sex and company when he’s alone. He also tells her he will never marry her and will never have other children.
- so she basically accepts to be used. Because this is the only way she knows, the only kind of relationship she has ever had. She doesn’t think she deserves better.
- when she realizes he will never change and that she actually deserves better she leaves him but he pursues her, only because he wants his mistress back though. A mistress who will never interfere with his family (ex and daughter)
-his daughter is a spoiled and unsure child who is afraid she will lose his father’s affection and who only wants what all children in the world want: a close family with mum and dad married happily.
She can result a real bitch and she is, but deep down she’s a child who only has her parents and is split between the loyalty to her mother and his father’s desires.
- the man is a selfish coward, and here MR says just this without pulling her punches.
- when their affair began the heroine accepted all his conditions, no children, no marriage, stay away from his family, thinking he would change with time, of course he didn’t and she stood up for herself.
Yes, we readers would like that she stays strong without wavering but real life is oh so different. I can’t count how many women I helped in her same situation: a divorced man who is not willing to make concessions to his new girlfriend, causing her pain and suffering. I always suggest: talk to him about what you want, about what you don’t like about your relationship explaining what and why it makes you suffer. Ask him what you need, and if he refuses, leave him, because this means that he does not really care for you. At first nobody listens to me, and they go on with painful affairs and never ending quarrels. Eventually most women leave, because no affair can be one sided. Both partners have to compromise.
-why men act like that? Because they are cowards! Because they don’t want to deal with the issue and they want to make everyone happy, but in the end they make everyone unhappy.
- the hero should talk to his daughter and make her understand that even if he marries and has other children he will always love her and be there for her. It’s not the daughter’s fault, it’s his fault, because she was never 36 but he was 18 and should know how you feel at that age.
- the heroine is angry and verbally abuses the daughter: it wasn’t her place to tell those things it was the hero’s
- the hero married when he was 18, never loved his wife but he is a great father, and I appreciate that he was always there for his teenage daughter, going to holiday with her, calling her. So many fathers forget that they have children when they divorce and find another woman! Too many! Sadly he was not able to be a good partner for the heroine…
-this is not a situation that is solved easily. The heroine must cope with his family forever if they get married. She will have to be patient, but then she chose to have an affair with a man encumbered with a daughter and an ex wife!
- yes I know that I speak like a therapist…
It is never easy when divorced parents with children meet other people, I always suggest to go to a counselor that will guide them and the children in their meetings.
My review:
I loved the book. The angst level is really very high. MR is very good at describing feelings and emotions in a very believable way and never shallow. You can feel the heroine’s pain and the narrative is captivating.
I only give 3 starts because I didn’t like the end.
The hero seems to be forced to propose marriage, it looks like it’s the heroine who wants to get married and he gives up. We are left with the impression that if the heroine didn’t leave him he would have never changed their relationship.
I don’t feel he’s so much in love with her.
I don’t believe in this happy ending where suddenly the ex and the daughter are so happy that he marries the heroine and everything is solved like that.
I expected something more and their relationship should have been gradually developed.
It looks like there were no pages enough and the writer had to end the book quite abruptly.
This is a wonderful book where real life is described.
Not a romance. Only the end is a romance because in real life things would work differently.
There is a divorced man with an ex wife and a teenage daughter.
He has an affair with the heroine but he lead a double life.
- the h is there when he’s free. They sleep together, date together and everyone knows about them. She also works for his brother in his company.
- when the ex or his daughter call, he runs and the heroine must accept that his family comes before her
- the heroine’s parents basically abandoned her to some aunt because they had to save the world and so she was a neglected child who grew up without the love of parents, that makes a person self confident and believing her deserving of being loved. She lacks this confidence.
- she turns to the older and more experienced hero who uses her for sex and company when he’s alone. He also tells her he will never marry her and will never have other children.
- so she basically accepts to be used. Because this is the only way she knows, the only kind of relationship she has ever had. She doesn’t think she deserves better.
- when she realizes he will never change and that she actually deserves better she leaves him but he pursues her, only because he wants his mistress back though. A mistress who will never interfere with his family (ex and daughter)
-his daughter is a spoiled and unsure child who is afraid she will lose his father’s affection and who only wants what all children in the world want: a close family with mum and dad married happily.
She can result a real bitch and she is, but deep down she’s a child who only has her parents and is split between the loyalty to her mother and his father’s desires.
- the man is a selfish coward, and here MR says just this without pulling her punches.
- when their affair began the heroine accepted all his conditions, no children, no marriage, stay away from his family, thinking he would change with time, of course he didn’t and she stood up for herself.
Yes, we readers would like that she stays strong without wavering but real life is oh so different. I can’t count how many women I helped in her same situation: a divorced man who is not willing to make concessions to his new girlfriend, causing her pain and suffering. I always suggest: talk to him about what you want, about what you don’t like about your relationship explaining what and why it makes you suffer. Ask him what you need, and if he refuses, leave him, because this means that he does not really care for you. At first nobody listens to me, and they go on with painful affairs and never ending quarrels. Eventually most women leave, because no affair can be one sided. Both partners have to compromise.
-why men act like that? Because they are cowards! Because they don’t want to deal with the issue and they want to make everyone happy, but in the end they make everyone unhappy.
- the hero should talk to his daughter and make her understand that even if he marries and has other children he will always love her and be there for her. It’s not the daughter’s fault, it’s his fault, because she was never 36 but he was 18 and should know how you feel at that age.
- the heroine is angry and verbally abuses the daughter: it wasn’t her place to tell those things it was the hero’s
- the hero married when he was 18, never loved his wife but he is a great father, and I appreciate that he was always there for his teenage daughter, going to holiday with her, calling her. So many fathers forget that they have children when they divorce and find another woman! Too many! Sadly he was not able to be a good partner for the heroine…
-this is not a situation that is solved easily. The heroine must cope with his family forever if they get married. She will have to be patient, but then she chose to have an affair with a man encumbered with a daughter and an ex wife!
- yes I know that I speak like a therapist…
It is never easy when divorced parents with children meet other people, I always suggest to go to a counselor that will guide them and the children in their meetings.
My review:
I loved the book. The angst level is really very high. MR is very good at describing feelings and emotions in a very believable way and never shallow. You can feel the heroine’s pain and the narrative is captivating.
I only give 3 starts because I didn’t like the end.
The hero seems to be forced to propose marriage, it looks like it’s the heroine who wants to get married and he gives up. We are left with the impression that if the heroine didn’t leave him he would have never changed their relationship.
I don’t feel he’s so much in love with her.
I don’t believe in this happy ending where suddenly the ex and the daughter are so happy that he marries the heroine and everything is solved like that.
I expected something more and their relationship should have been gradually developed.
It looks like there were no pages enough and the writer had to end the book quite abruptly.
August 29, 2023
4.5 Stars
Look, at this point I'm just happy I read a book 😂 The struggle is real.
It could have been a perfect 5 Stars, but the last part of the book derailed into over-the-top, silly drama territory. Still, I read this baby non-stop without ever needing to skim-read (a rarity). I loved the writing style, it completely sucked me in. Side note: I'm filing this under 'marriage in trouble' even though the main characters weren't married. They were, however, in a 'relationship in trouble.' They had been together for a year and cohabiting at the beginning of the story. This is one big reason why the story worked for me from the start—it skips all the slow 'getting to know each other' parts typical in a romance, and drives right into the conflict, the nitty-gritty. For this impatient reader—hook, line, and sinker. It was highly enjoyable! The heroine, Roberta, starts out strong in this one and I was praying that wouldn't change. Sadly, though, she suffered from a really bad case of Body Betraying Syndrome. I tried seeing past this major glitch in her character but it became exceedingly annoying. She never stuck to her guns! Instead, she'd become a stuttering fool, instantly melting like butter any time she was near the hero. On the other hand, he was an irresistible, devastatingly charming bastard. Nevertheless, I expect better from my heroines. This weakness is why the hero didn't need to grovel much at the end. She actually tells him he doesn't need to apologize. I felt stabby 🔪.
The hero, Mac, or Solomon Macmillan Hunter Maclane, "to give him his full and most glorious title," was as I said, a charming SOB. And an alpha to the max! I absolutely loved that. I greatly appreciate a romance hero who isn’t afraid to go after what he wants, and Mac wanted—scratch that—NEEDED Roberta. He literally fought like hell to keep her.
I don't want to racap the story because I'm lazy, but more things to note:
***SPOILERS***
● surprisingly angsty (a positive in my book);
● H has been divorced for almost 8 yrs (not a love-match) and has an 18yo daughter;
● no cheating or OW drama, although H's daughter was like the OW, constantly trying to split them up;
● H is turned off marriage, refusing to commit like that again;
● H's brother was h's ally, he cared and defended her; I loved how blunt he was with Mac;
● H accuses his brother of wanting the h;
● H acts obsessed with and desperate for the h (another positive LOL);
● spicy sexy times throughout the story;
● H's daughter finally apologizes and embraces the h;
● I wish H had defended the h against his daughter, firmly put her in her place;
● HEA (he proposed💍 and wants everything with her including babies) was satisfying but no epilogue or time jump into the future whatsoever. I think I needed one.
Look, at this point I'm just happy I read a book 😂 The struggle is real.
It could have been a perfect 5 Stars, but the last part of the book derailed into over-the-top, silly drama territory. Still, I read this baby non-stop without ever needing to skim-read (a rarity). I loved the writing style, it completely sucked me in. Side note: I'm filing this under 'marriage in trouble' even though the main characters weren't married. They were, however, in a 'relationship in trouble.' They had been together for a year and cohabiting at the beginning of the story. This is one big reason why the story worked for me from the start—it skips all the slow 'getting to know each other' parts typical in a romance, and drives right into the conflict, the nitty-gritty. For this impatient reader—hook, line, and sinker. It was highly enjoyable! The heroine, Roberta, starts out strong in this one and I was praying that wouldn't change. Sadly, though, she suffered from a really bad case of Body Betraying Syndrome. I tried seeing past this major glitch in her character but it became exceedingly annoying. She never stuck to her guns! Instead, she'd become a stuttering fool, instantly melting like butter any time she was near the hero. On the other hand, he was an irresistible, devastatingly charming bastard. Nevertheless, I expect better from my heroines. This weakness is why the hero didn't need to grovel much at the end. She actually tells him he doesn't need to apologize. I felt stabby 🔪.
The hero, Mac, or Solomon Macmillan Hunter Maclane, "to give him his full and most glorious title," was as I said, a charming SOB. And an alpha to the max! I absolutely loved that. I greatly appreciate a romance hero who isn’t afraid to go after what he wants, and Mac wanted—scratch that—NEEDED Roberta. He literally fought like hell to keep her.
I don't want to racap the story because I'm lazy, but more things to note:
***SPOILERS***
● surprisingly angsty (a positive in my book);
● H has been divorced for almost 8 yrs (not a love-match) and has an 18yo daughter;
● no cheating or OW drama, although H's daughter was like the OW, constantly trying to split them up;
● H is turned off marriage, refusing to commit like that again;
● H's brother was h's ally, he cared and defended her; I loved how blunt he was with Mac;
● H accuses his brother of wanting the h;
● H acts obsessed with and desperate for the h (another positive LOL);
● spicy sexy times throughout the story;
● H's daughter finally apologizes and embraces the h;
● I wish H had defended the h against his daughter, firmly put her in her place;
● HEA (he proposed💍 and wants everything with her including babies) was satisfying but no epilogue or time jump into the future whatsoever. I think I needed one.
October 26, 2021
Reread 10/25/2021. Dropped to 2 ⭐️
She has treacherous body syndrome and is desperately looking for love. He’s an unforgivable ass—he couldn’t grovel enough to make up for his crappy treatment of her. And honestly, instead of a wicked stepmother, we got the wicked stepdaughter, who is even less forgivable than her father.
Not a likable character in the bunch..
She has treacherous body syndrome and is desperately looking for love. He’s an unforgivable ass—he couldn’t grovel enough to make up for his crappy treatment of her. And honestly, instead of a wicked stepmother, we got the wicked stepdaughter, who is even less forgivable than her father.
Not a likable character in the bunch..
November 18, 2010
She went through HELL with this guy and his ex and 18 yo monster child!! This guy was a real POW and POS! And the brother? What a weasel!!
April 17, 2018
"Slave to Love" is the story of Roberta and Mac.
Sooooooooooooo.. WHY!?!
What do you get when you get an overbearing blind hero, a doormat heroine, a spoiled ex and daughter, a conniving brother and "lust" that cant be denied..THIS MESS of a story!
The hero has an annoying and petulant 18 going on 8 daughter who constantly causes trouble for the heroine- something the heroine tries to get over by breaking up with the hero who ALWAYS chooses his ex and family over the heroine.
But does it happen? NO.
Every single time the heroine tries to get away, the hero kisses her which acts like a drug and heroine literally is back in his arms, and on his sausage.
OK so he was obsessed with the heroine, but he almost never treats her with respect and throughout the book, she is no more than a possession and a sex object for him.
This was a thoroughly disappointing read and every character either needed a backbone, or a smack on their rosy masseters.
The ending was the most random of all things, when the heroine suddenly starts defending the idiotic daughter and accepts all.
GRRRR
Safe
1/5
Sooooooooooooo.. WHY!?!
What do you get when you get an overbearing blind hero, a doormat heroine, a spoiled ex and daughter, a conniving brother and "lust" that cant be denied..THIS MESS of a story!
The hero has an annoying and petulant 18 going on 8 daughter who constantly causes trouble for the heroine- something the heroine tries to get over by breaking up with the hero who ALWAYS chooses his ex and family over the heroine.
But does it happen? NO.
Every single time the heroine tries to get away, the hero kisses her which acts like a drug and heroine literally is back in his arms, and on his sausage.
OK so he was obsessed with the heroine, but he almost never treats her with respect and throughout the book, she is no more than a possession and a sex object for him.
This was a thoroughly disappointing read and every character either needed a backbone, or a smack on their rosy masseters.
The ending was the most random of all things, when the heroine suddenly starts defending the idiotic daughter and accepts all.
GRRRR
Safe
1/5
November 23, 2017
Surprisingly... i loved this book, everytime i read a harlequin i take sides either H or h but in this i just went with flow. Both H and h are really adorable and their chemistry is combustible. H is manipulative arrogant jerk which didn't stop me from loving him. And yes, H grovelled OK and the last 5 pages i read with a smile on my face :)
January 17, 2018
I hated the hero and his daughter but I couldn't put this book down, which is why I gave it 3 stars!
January 17, 2016
What did you think?
That's what goodreads wants to know.
That's what I think. The H was a JERK and the h was doormat.
His daughter and ex-wife are horrible. I wanted to punch them both.
I kept expecting him to apologize and when he finally "apologized" it was like half a page maybe. And then his daughter did a 180 puhleaze girl, who are you trying to fool. I couldn't feel his "love" for the h at all. I mean I know this is HQN but come on.
That's what goodreads wants to know.
That's what I think. The H was a JERK and the h was doormat.
His daughter and ex-wife are horrible. I wanted to punch them both.
I kept expecting him to apologize and when he finally "apologized" it was like half a page maybe. And then his daughter did a 180 puhleaze girl, who are you trying to fool. I couldn't feel his "love" for the h at all. I mean I know this is HQN but come on.
June 9, 2021
Sweet nights, no promises...
After her year-long affair with Solomon Maclaine, it was clear to Roberta that she would never be anything but his mistress. Mac's first marriage had left its scars on him, but he still seemed to give most of his time to his ex-wife and spoiled daughter.
Roberta faced a hard decision; if she were to have the commitment and children she craved, she'd have to leave. But could she really give up the love she shared with Mac ? A love that brought with it no promises...but the sweetest nights of passion?
After her year-long affair with Solomon Maclaine, it was clear to Roberta that she would never be anything but his mistress. Mac's first marriage had left its scars on him, but he still seemed to give most of his time to his ex-wife and spoiled daughter.
Roberta faced a hard decision; if she were to have the commitment and children she craved, she'd have to leave. But could she really give up the love she shared with Mac ? A love that brought with it no promises...but the sweetest nights of passion?
February 13, 2017
4.5 Slavish Stars
This is a really exciting book!
Roberta is in a relationship with the CEO of the company she works for. She loves him but he has an ex-wife and 18 year old daughter that demands his constant time and attention. It's gotten to the point where she realizes that he will never give her what she needs out of life as long as he is at their beck and call. She decides to leave him after she is repeatedly insulted by daughter, Lulu at her 18th birthday party. That sets off one of the best HP's I have read.
I love Roberta's character. She is hella strong. Even though she loves Mac she is willing to walk away if he's not willing to give her the "more" that she needs.
Mac may be the strong businessman but he's a total byotch when it comes to his daughter and ex-wife. They have him wrapped around their finger and know it. His relationship with Roberta is always the one to suffer and he's ok with that as long as Roberta stays in the box he's put her in.
There is so much passion between Mac and Roberta. You see it in every interaction the share. Sparks fly when they are together.
Michelle Reid outdid herself with this one. It was an engrossing, fun book to read. I will be reading this again!
This is a really exciting book!
Roberta is in a relationship with the CEO of the company she works for. She loves him but he has an ex-wife and 18 year old daughter that demands his constant time and attention. It's gotten to the point where she realizes that he will never give her what she needs out of life as long as he is at their beck and call. She decides to leave him after she is repeatedly insulted by daughter, Lulu at her 18th birthday party. That sets off one of the best HP's I have read.
I love Roberta's character. She is hella strong. Even though she loves Mac she is willing to walk away if he's not willing to give her the "more" that she needs.
Mac may be the strong businessman but he's a total byotch when it comes to his daughter and ex-wife. They have him wrapped around their finger and know it. His relationship with Roberta is always the one to suffer and he's ok with that as long as Roberta stays in the box he's put her in.
There is so much passion between Mac and Roberta. You see it in every interaction the share. Sparks fly when they are together.
Michelle Reid outdid herself with this one. It was an engrossing, fun book to read. I will be reading this again!
March 16, 2011
So appropriately titled you wouldn't believe.
I thought the antagonist in this story (which happened to be the 18 year old daughter of the hero) did not get an appropriate set down with what she had done. Might have been that drug history she had, wouldn't want to 'send her back' there...she was a spoiled bitchy brat and really deserved more than making an apology and getting a few home truths told to her by the heroine. Quite frankly I wouldn't have taken it from her from the start, you start as you mean to go on.
That being said the heroine set up herself for the way she was treated by the hero too, in my opinion. You reap what you sow.
I thought the antagonist in this story (which happened to be the 18 year old daughter of the hero) did not get an appropriate set down with what she had done. Might have been that drug history she had, wouldn't want to 'send her back' there...she was a spoiled bitchy brat and really deserved more than making an apology and getting a few home truths told to her by the heroine. Quite frankly I wouldn't have taken it from her from the start, you start as you mean to go on.
That being said the heroine set up herself for the way she was treated by the hero too, in my opinion. You reap what you sow.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 23, 2016
Started off real good but lost me half way. I loved it when the hero told the heroine "to hell with you then" after she wouldn't take him back, but then by the next few days he was scheming to win her back and I was like what happened to "to hell with you then". It would have been more interesting if he was a little more unpredictable and it took him a little while longer to sort out his feelings since he had so much baggage.
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