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Carvers Bride
Why had the famous sculptor Jason Carver insisted that Linzi Barwick be the model for his latest commission? He had, after all, had to trick her into the whole thing; she would never have gone into it voluntarily. Surely, after the way she had jilted him and walked out on him five years ago, it was hardly possible that he now had any feelings left for her. But Linzi soon realised that, whatever Jason might or might not feel, the jealous, devious Ceri Penrhys was going to see that nothing came of it!
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
About the author
Nicola West
46 books8 followersaka Donna Baker, Lilian Harry
Donna Thomson was born in Gosport, near Portsmouth Harbour, England, UK. Growing up during the terrifying years of the Blitz in a two-up, two-down terraced house, the youngest of four, she aspired to be a writer from an early age.
As a young woman she worked in the Civil Service and moved to Devon to be near her sailor husband. They had a son and a daughter. When the marriage ended, she and her two children moved to the Midlands, where she happily married again to her second husband. After living in the Lake District for twelve years, she finally moved back to Devon, and now lives in a village on the edge of Dartmoor. She lost her son Philip in 2008, and has two grandchildren. A keen walker and animal-lover, she now has a dog and three ginger cats to keep her busy, along with a wide range of hobbies she enjoys.
She started signing her romance novels as Donna Baker and Nicola West, now she also writes as Lilian Harry (inspired by the first names of her grandparents). Among her works are historical novels, romances and even two books giving advice on how to write short stories and novels.
Donna Thomson was born in Gosport, near Portsmouth Harbour, England, UK. Growing up during the terrifying years of the Blitz in a two-up, two-down terraced house, the youngest of four, she aspired to be a writer from an early age.
As a young woman she worked in the Civil Service and moved to Devon to be near her sailor husband. They had a son and a daughter. When the marriage ended, she and her two children moved to the Midlands, where she happily married again to her second husband. After living in the Lake District for twelve years, she finally moved back to Devon, and now lives in a village on the edge of Dartmoor. She lost her son Philip in 2008, and has two grandchildren. A keen walker and animal-lover, she now has a dog and three ginger cats to keep her busy, along with a wide range of hobbies she enjoys.
She started signing her romance novels as Donna Baker and Nicola West, now she also writes as Lilian Harry (inspired by the first names of her grandparents). Among her works are historical novels, romances and even two books giving advice on how to write short stories and novels.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 17, 2017
Can you get contact stupid from a TSL heroine? Asking for me, since I have nothing much to say about this very predictable second chance story between a model heroine and a sculptor hero (His last name is Carver! Get it?). They were engaged five years before when the heroine was 18 and newly orphaned. The hero was her “brother” having been raised by her parents after he was orphaned. He was a good 15 years older, so they weren’t raised under the same roof as siblings.
The heroine ran away because she didn’t feel the hero loved her and only wanted to control her. She became a model and eventually settled on a staid banker to marry. When she runs her fingers through his thinning hair, you know this one isn’t going to work out. The staid banker travels all the time, so the heroine decides to take on one last mysterious assignment before her wedding.
She travels to Wales and discovers the hero has a commission for statue for a London hotel and he wants her to model for him.
Throw in an evil OW and OM (they’re twins!) frequent warnings about the dangers of being lost on the hills, doctored nudie pictures of the heroine for blackmail purposes, a 17 year-old local girl with a baby that looks like the H and you have a predictable mess of misunderstandings.
The virgin heroine cries a lot. The hero growls at the h a lot and flirts with the OW, whom he had a sexual relationship with in the past. The staid banker fiancé is predictably condescending and smug. The OW be crazy. The OM be slimy – and yes, he is the father of the 17 year-old’s infant.
*brightens * But the hero’s dog was great. He was a police dog who was injured in the line of duty and was rescued by the hero. He finds the heroine when she is lost in the hills after she ran away when the OW produced the doctored nudie pics. Since hero was a sculptor and knew the h’s body – his artist eye could see they were doctored, plus he trusts the heroine. (Why? I don’t know. I wouldn’t trust her with beer money – she’s that dense.)
Read to see how a kitchen sink full of cliches arrange themselves into a story.
The heroine ran away because she didn’t feel the hero loved her and only wanted to control her. She became a model and eventually settled on a staid banker to marry. When she runs her fingers through his thinning hair, you know this one isn’t going to work out. The staid banker travels all the time, so the heroine decides to take on one last mysterious assignment before her wedding.
She travels to Wales and discovers the hero has a commission for statue for a London hotel and he wants her to model for him.
Throw in an evil OW and OM (they’re twins!) frequent warnings about the dangers of being lost on the hills, doctored nudie pictures of the heroine for blackmail purposes, a 17 year-old local girl with a baby that looks like the H and you have a predictable mess of misunderstandings.
The virgin heroine cries a lot. The hero growls at the h a lot and flirts with the OW, whom he had a sexual relationship with in the past. The staid banker fiancé is predictably condescending and smug. The OW be crazy. The OM be slimy – and yes, he is the father of the 17 year-old’s infant.
*brightens * But the hero’s dog was great. He was a police dog who was injured in the line of duty and was rescued by the hero. He finds the heroine when she is lost in the hills after she ran away when the OW produced the doctored nudie pics. Since hero was a sculptor and knew the h’s body – his artist eye could see they were doctored, plus he trusts the heroine. (Why? I don’t know. I wouldn’t trust her with beer money – she’s that dense.)
Read to see how a kitchen sink full of cliches arrange themselves into a story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2022
okay I suck at goodreads housekeeping stuff. I wanted to add the beautiful Will Davies harlequin romance image to the existing edition, well that never works. But I can't even add a different edition in order to get the image on the site. Why do they make it so difficult? Look at it on FictionDB if you're interested. Harlequin didn't publish it until 1984—but 1984 was a great year for Harlequin Romance covers—it was all pretty couples set against backdrops of glorious nature. And naturally artist Will Davies who could lay down the most coolly glamourous couples and make it seem effortless could also do landscapes with painterly aplomb.
This M&B cover has another hot Alessandro Biffignandi man staring me down!
Hero's problem: How oh how to reconcile this teenaged girl raised as his sister and his promise to her dying father (his foster father) to look after her?
Hero's solution: Bind her to him before she's had any life experience and shag her. It's the solution M&B men generally come up with and this hero is nothing if not absolutely generic*—but an example of stupendous brain work it isn't.
Heroine's problems: A much older brother who doesn't listen to her and who wants to bind her to him before she's had any life experience—the screwing wasn't going to be a stumbling block.
Heroine's solution: Once she realizes big bro wants control without communication she sneaks out of town just before the wedding.
Have you ever surprised a dove on the ground and seen the silly creature freak and fly off in a panic? That's Linzi. She's easily flustered and lets herself be flushed out of situations when perhaps she should stand her ground and ask a few questions. Maybe the girl just knows her limitations and those of big brother the decider as well. 5 years later he's lost none of his certainty about the rightness of his decisions, claiming her reasons for escaping were just rationalizations. Jason—you big galoot—shut up and listen. She's articulating legitimate issues which you still refuse to engage with. If she'd meekly married this rocks for brains as a teen I would have had no respect for her at all.
Whatever. My point is they are each quintessential examples—the male and female versions—of M&B's TSTL principle. Subpar problem solvers behaving in the most stereotypical way possible and having boilerplate arguments. Well matched and they should do fine together.
This is a trope I avoid but it came up against my attraction to male artists and that cover. The real curiosity is how you take a quasi brother/sister plotline and end up with something this blah? Where's the ick? Given the baseless male jealousy and female dithering I bet someone was gobbling up those early Penny Jordans. Wrong influence entirely. Anne Mather is the right genius here; she'd have taken this plot and really made me squirm.
*The only thing I was legitimately impressed by is that this M&B artist hero references as his main influence Barbara Hepworth. Abstract artist, a famous but not clichéd mentor, correct era, and female no less. Really kind of a wow.
This M&B cover has another hot Alessandro Biffignandi man staring me down!
Hero's problem: How oh how to reconcile this teenaged girl raised as his sister and his promise to her dying father (his foster father) to look after her?
Hero's solution: Bind her to him before she's had any life experience and shag her. It's the solution M&B men generally come up with and this hero is nothing if not absolutely generic*—but an example of stupendous brain work it isn't.
Heroine's problems: A much older brother who doesn't listen to her and who wants to bind her to him before she's had any life experience—the screwing wasn't going to be a stumbling block.
Heroine's solution: Once she realizes big bro wants control without communication she sneaks out of town just before the wedding.
Have you ever surprised a dove on the ground and seen the silly creature freak and fly off in a panic? That's Linzi. She's easily flustered and lets herself be flushed out of situations when perhaps she should stand her ground and ask a few questions. Maybe the girl just knows her limitations and those of big brother the decider as well. 5 years later he's lost none of his certainty about the rightness of his decisions, claiming her reasons for escaping were just rationalizations. Jason—you big galoot—shut up and listen. She's articulating legitimate issues which you still refuse to engage with. If she'd meekly married this rocks for brains as a teen I would have had no respect for her at all.
Whatever. My point is they are each quintessential examples—the male and female versions—of M&B's TSTL principle. Subpar problem solvers behaving in the most stereotypical way possible and having boilerplate arguments. Well matched and they should do fine together.
This is a trope I avoid but it came up against my attraction to male artists and that cover. The real curiosity is how you take a quasi brother/sister plotline and end up with something this blah? Where's the ick? Given the baseless male jealousy and female dithering I bet someone was gobbling up those early Penny Jordans. Wrong influence entirely. Anne Mather is the right genius here; she'd have taken this plot and really made me squirm.
*The only thing I was legitimately impressed by is that this M&B artist hero references as his main influence Barbara Hepworth. Abstract artist, a famous but not clichéd mentor, correct era, and female no less. Really kind of a wow.
October 31, 2015
Giving this a 1 star seems a bit harsh, but I really didn't care for it. The heroine was a very self-centered, spoiled, silly woman with absolutely no commonsense or integrity. (I tend to enjoy category romances where I can like and relate to the heroine.)
I wanted the hero to find someone better.
I wanted the hero to find someone better.
June 25, 2026
What's wrong with this whole picture? Just a tad too much!
The H was around 13 when the h was born and became a big brother/surrogate father to her after her parents passed away, then decides when she turns 18 that they should get married because the housekeeper died (a lot of croaking in this story) and it wouldn't be proper for the two of them to be living in the house alone together. WHAT??? This book was written in the 1980's not the 1890's, so who would say or do anything, even if they though it wasn't proper??? Besides, people knew they were like brother and sister, so I doubt they'd be thinking anything at all.
Of course, it's more complex than that. Their true feelings for each other are not very sibling like. The h is confused, thinking maybe she hasn't gotten over her schoolgirl crush on him (he was away at school for a time and so was she, so they had long periods of time when they didn't see each other), and that he just feels responsible for her and feels it's his duty to marry her. Also, he tended to be strict (refused to let her go out on dates with someone he didn't approve of, made her come home early from parties, etc.) which she, of course, saw as controlling, and since he didn't want to give her some space to either go to college or get a job, I can understand why.
For his part, despite a big age difference (18 to around 31 or 32) he knew he loved her and wanted her for a wife but didn't take into account that she was so young and needed time, especially to adjust to them going from big brother/kid sister to a romantic couple, let alone a married one!
He insists they get married; she feels trapped and scared and runs away to London, where a former teacher helps her out, becomes a maternal figure/mentor, and makes her a top model in five years! (Remember: this is HP La La land, so these things are possible.)
The H, who was an artist, became a famous sculptor and decided on the perfect model for his next subject, and if you guessed the h, you win the prize!!! After five years apart, they're back together again, and all sorts of dumb things happen!
And in case anyone's wondering about the h accepting that job, she had no idea she'd be posing for the H because he requested that he remain anonymous. Most famous models accept assignments to pose for unknown men in some out of the way place and travel there alone. YEAH, RIGHT!!! Sometimes I think these HP writers think their readers are really dumb!
But, back to our tale. The H had apparently been keeping close tabs on her for five years, always knew where she was and what she was doing, later claiming he was giving her time to grow up and be on her own so that she'd be ready to marry him. WTF??? If he really felt that way and knew she needed time, then why the heck didn't he give it to her in the first place???? She could have gone to college or gotten a job (maybe her own place, too) and they could have taken it slow, dated a while (which they never did at all) and let things happen naturally. Since we're supposed to believe they're soul mates, they would have ended up together, probably in two or three years, and it would have saved them a lot of trouble and supposed longing for each other. (???)
We're supposed to believe that, though during their five years apart both had dated other people, the H had affairs (including one with the OW) and the h got engaged to the OM, they were both longing for each other??? Somehow, I doubt it, because neither would have let five years go by with no contact at all if this had really been the case.
And I can't say I approve of the h's treatment of the OM. The author got around this by making this guy a pompous fool, controlling, stuffy, and the type who'd tell a woman not to worry her pretty little head and just do what he says, and wrote him in a way that he was a bit comical, too. In other words, making him so unpleasant that you won't blame the h for cheating, which is just what she did, as on more than one occasion she almost does the deed with the H (and we're talking naked on the bed at one point) while still wearing the OM's ring! Now that's what you'd call not proper!
Even worse, despite all that, despite knowing she loved the H, despite finally admitting that the reason she still had her V card at 23 was because she wanted only the H to take it from her, she was still considering marrying the OM, because if the H didn't want her (at the time she had lots of doubts about his feelings) then at least she'd have a secure, stable life with a successful banker who could provide her with a good lifestyle since she had quit modelling (this assignment was an exception) and was at loose ends. Okay, so in other words, she was using him for his resources! Despite the guy being an annoying stuffed shirt, that wasn't very nice of her!
And, considering her lack of desire for the OM (they never went beyond kisses and not very passionate ones), did she really think she'd be able to endure getting naked with him??? I doubt even pretending he was the H would have helped!
And if all that didn't have an effect, the fact that while she and the OM were discussing their wedding plans, she found herself thinking of the children she and the H might have had should have really done the trick!
And the H has to be called on for his behavior as well, as he admitted (both to the h and to the OW) that what he had with the OW was just a fun, no-strings fling, which is all any of his relationships were (according to gossip, there were a lot of them), but he also knew the OW hoped to marry him, and though it was more for mercenary than romantic reasons, he shouldn't have got involved with her knowing the h was the only woman he'd marry.
It was silly for the h to let herself be manipulated both by the OW and her equally self-centered, conniving twin brother. First, they arranged for the H to catch the h and the brother in a compromising position (with the brother making an unwelcome pass at the h, then pushing her down on the sofa and forcing kisses on her) and later when the brother lets her know he's aware of her dark secret (some photographer took advantage of her and turned innocent shots into centerfold ones) and that he'd show the magazine to the H if she didn't leave town and let his sister have him, and she goes along with it, rather than tell the H, because she thinks he won't believe the truth!
That's probably because she didn't believe that the H wasn't the father of a local teenager's baby, (want to guess who was???) and wouldn't admit her feelings for him because she thought he was a "cad", to use an old-fashioned term. And I'm guessing it was also because she had tried to make him think she'd gotten over him long ago by hinting at all the lovers she'd had, and how fantastic the OM was in bed, when meanwhile she hadn't gone beyond kisses with any man! Giving him that impression, she had reason to believe he would think she had really posed for those shots!
(BTW: the H was really hurt that the h believed not only that he had seduced a teenage girl but then wouldn't acknowledge his own child and help her out financially. Even after things were okay between them, that still bothered him. And considering that it was the OW who put that idea in the h's head, she was silly to believe it (though to her credit, when she learned the truth, she apologized and even groveled a bit).
Even sillier, is all the interruptions when the H and h try to assuage their hots for each other! It's one thing after another: the OW almost catching them (twice), the h having a change of heart (for a dumb reason and right before she flees from him for the second time), the h confessing when things got pretty intense, that she had lied about her experience and was in fact a virgin, and at one point, the H putting a halt on things so he can tend to his dog!!! Now that was really too much!! True, the dog had helped rescue the h who had been stranded in a rainstorm after fleeing (yet again) from the H because of something the OW was about to show him (the phony sexy shots) but still, to put the brakes on lovemaking because your dog needs drying off is not too flattering to the ego!
And when they finally do make love, where does it happen, of all places, but in a chapel!!! Yes, that's right, the same place where they had a previous false start! I guess it's supposed to symbolize their belonging together, a sacred bond, but COME ON!! It makes it come off more like a bad porno movie!
And all this mess could have been avoided if the H had just let the h go to college or get a job!
The H was around 13 when the h was born and became a big brother/surrogate father to her after her parents passed away, then decides when she turns 18 that they should get married because the housekeeper died (a lot of croaking in this story) and it wouldn't be proper for the two of them to be living in the house alone together. WHAT??? This book was written in the 1980's not the 1890's, so who would say or do anything, even if they though it wasn't proper??? Besides, people knew they were like brother and sister, so I doubt they'd be thinking anything at all.
Of course, it's more complex than that. Their true feelings for each other are not very sibling like. The h is confused, thinking maybe she hasn't gotten over her schoolgirl crush on him (he was away at school for a time and so was she, so they had long periods of time when they didn't see each other), and that he just feels responsible for her and feels it's his duty to marry her. Also, he tended to be strict (refused to let her go out on dates with someone he didn't approve of, made her come home early from parties, etc.) which she, of course, saw as controlling, and since he didn't want to give her some space to either go to college or get a job, I can understand why.
For his part, despite a big age difference (18 to around 31 or 32) he knew he loved her and wanted her for a wife but didn't take into account that she was so young and needed time, especially to adjust to them going from big brother/kid sister to a romantic couple, let alone a married one!
He insists they get married; she feels trapped and scared and runs away to London, where a former teacher helps her out, becomes a maternal figure/mentor, and makes her a top model in five years! (Remember: this is HP La La land, so these things are possible.)
The H, who was an artist, became a famous sculptor and decided on the perfect model for his next subject, and if you guessed the h, you win the prize!!! After five years apart, they're back together again, and all sorts of dumb things happen!
And in case anyone's wondering about the h accepting that job, she had no idea she'd be posing for the H because he requested that he remain anonymous. Most famous models accept assignments to pose for unknown men in some out of the way place and travel there alone. YEAH, RIGHT!!! Sometimes I think these HP writers think their readers are really dumb!
But, back to our tale. The H had apparently been keeping close tabs on her for five years, always knew where she was and what she was doing, later claiming he was giving her time to grow up and be on her own so that she'd be ready to marry him. WTF??? If he really felt that way and knew she needed time, then why the heck didn't he give it to her in the first place???? She could have gone to college or gotten a job (maybe her own place, too) and they could have taken it slow, dated a while (which they never did at all) and let things happen naturally. Since we're supposed to believe they're soul mates, they would have ended up together, probably in two or three years, and it would have saved them a lot of trouble and supposed longing for each other. (???)
We're supposed to believe that, though during their five years apart both had dated other people, the H had affairs (including one with the OW) and the h got engaged to the OM, they were both longing for each other??? Somehow, I doubt it, because neither would have let five years go by with no contact at all if this had really been the case.
And I can't say I approve of the h's treatment of the OM. The author got around this by making this guy a pompous fool, controlling, stuffy, and the type who'd tell a woman not to worry her pretty little head and just do what he says, and wrote him in a way that he was a bit comical, too. In other words, making him so unpleasant that you won't blame the h for cheating, which is just what she did, as on more than one occasion she almost does the deed with the H (and we're talking naked on the bed at one point) while still wearing the OM's ring! Now that's what you'd call not proper!
Even worse, despite all that, despite knowing she loved the H, despite finally admitting that the reason she still had her V card at 23 was because she wanted only the H to take it from her, she was still considering marrying the OM, because if the H didn't want her (at the time she had lots of doubts about his feelings) then at least she'd have a secure, stable life with a successful banker who could provide her with a good lifestyle since she had quit modelling (this assignment was an exception) and was at loose ends. Okay, so in other words, she was using him for his resources! Despite the guy being an annoying stuffed shirt, that wasn't very nice of her!
And, considering her lack of desire for the OM (they never went beyond kisses and not very passionate ones), did she really think she'd be able to endure getting naked with him??? I doubt even pretending he was the H would have helped!
And if all that didn't have an effect, the fact that while she and the OM were discussing their wedding plans, she found herself thinking of the children she and the H might have had should have really done the trick!
And the H has to be called on for his behavior as well, as he admitted (both to the h and to the OW) that what he had with the OW was just a fun, no-strings fling, which is all any of his relationships were (according to gossip, there were a lot of them), but he also knew the OW hoped to marry him, and though it was more for mercenary than romantic reasons, he shouldn't have got involved with her knowing the h was the only woman he'd marry.
It was silly for the h to let herself be manipulated both by the OW and her equally self-centered, conniving twin brother. First, they arranged for the H to catch the h and the brother in a compromising position (with the brother making an unwelcome pass at the h, then pushing her down on the sofa and forcing kisses on her) and later when the brother lets her know he's aware of her dark secret (some photographer took advantage of her and turned innocent shots into centerfold ones) and that he'd show the magazine to the H if she didn't leave town and let his sister have him, and she goes along with it, rather than tell the H, because she thinks he won't believe the truth!
That's probably because she didn't believe that the H wasn't the father of a local teenager's baby, (want to guess who was???) and wouldn't admit her feelings for him because she thought he was a "cad", to use an old-fashioned term. And I'm guessing it was also because she had tried to make him think she'd gotten over him long ago by hinting at all the lovers she'd had, and how fantastic the OM was in bed, when meanwhile she hadn't gone beyond kisses with any man! Giving him that impression, she had reason to believe he would think she had really posed for those shots!
(BTW: the H was really hurt that the h believed not only that he had seduced a teenage girl but then wouldn't acknowledge his own child and help her out financially. Even after things were okay between them, that still bothered him. And considering that it was the OW who put that idea in the h's head, she was silly to believe it (though to her credit, when she learned the truth, she apologized and even groveled a bit).
Even sillier, is all the interruptions when the H and h try to assuage their hots for each other! It's one thing after another: the OW almost catching them (twice), the h having a change of heart (for a dumb reason and right before she flees from him for the second time), the h confessing when things got pretty intense, that she had lied about her experience and was in fact a virgin, and at one point, the H putting a halt on things so he can tend to his dog!!! Now that was really too much!! True, the dog had helped rescue the h who had been stranded in a rainstorm after fleeing (yet again) from the H because of something the OW was about to show him (the phony sexy shots) but still, to put the brakes on lovemaking because your dog needs drying off is not too flattering to the ego!
And when they finally do make love, where does it happen, of all places, but in a chapel!!! Yes, that's right, the same place where they had a previous false start! I guess it's supposed to symbolize their belonging together, a sacred bond, but COME ON!! It makes it come off more like a bad porno movie!
And all this mess could have been avoided if the H had just let the h go to college or get a job!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2024
Read the first half, skimmed the rest. Have to say it was skimmed-worthy. But not very entertaining. No real plot, just redundant stuff going round and round, also very low on angst. I don’t think we ever read them working together on the sculpting-modeling job. It was only said for a plot device.
Heroine, by far, was too damn wishy-washy. Five years ago she couldn’t marry him, present-time she still can’t be with him nor does she want to marry her fiancé anymore. Well, shoot me, I don’t even know why the guys would want her in the first place!
Heroine, by far, was too damn wishy-washy. Five years ago she couldn’t marry him, present-time she still can’t be with him nor does she want to marry her fiancé anymore. Well, shoot me, I don’t even know why the guys would want her in the first place!
abrierto-to-read-hr-other
March 3, 2021Why had the famous sculptor Jason Carver insisted that Linzi Berwick be his model for his latest commission, after the way she had jilted him and walked out on him five years ago? After all, it was hardly possible, after all this time, that he had any feelings left for her. But Linzi soon realised that, whatever Jason might or might not feel, the jealous, devious Ceri Penrhys was going to see to it that nothing came of it!
March 1, 2016
Re-read.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews