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Some scars wound too deeply to heal
Amber's once lithe body had been crippled and disfigured by a horrible accident. The prospect of never walking again disheartened her, but much worse was the pain she felt when her fiance suddenly abandoned her.
Time had done nothing to heal her broken heart. And though she could walk again, resuming her nursing career was out of the question.
Then a stranger offered her employment, a home and the money for a necessary operation. All she had to do was become his wife!
Amber's once lithe body had been crippled and disfigured by a horrible accident. The prospect of never walking again disheartened her, but much worse was the pain she felt when her fiance suddenly abandoned her.
Time had done nothing to heal her broken heart. And though she could walk again, resuming her nursing career was out of the question.
Then a stranger offered her employment, a home and the money for a necessary operation. All she had to do was become his wife!
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1983
25 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
About the author
Penny Jordan
1,129 books670 followersPenelope Jones Halsall
aka Caroline Courtney, Annie Groves, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".
She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialized bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her younger sister Prue, who was always the heroine. At eleven, she fell in love with Mills & Boon, and with their heroes. In those days the books could only be obtained via private lending libraries, and she quickly became a devoted fan; she was thrilled to bits when the books went on full sale in shops and she could have them for keeps.
Penny left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography. She first discovered Mills & Boon books, via a girl she worked with. She married Steve Halsall, an accountant and a "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, and suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity. Her husband bought her the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first novels, at a time when he could ill afford it. He died at the beginning of 21st century.
She earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, Penny found an agent who was looking for a new Georgette Heyer. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her nom de plume to Melinda Wright for three air-hostess romps and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her more historical romance novels, she adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70 of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
Penny Halsall lived in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, with her Alsatian Sheba and cat Posh. She worked from home, in her kitchen, surrounded by her pets, and welcomed interruptions from her friends and family.
aka Caroline Courtney, Annie Groves, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".
She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialized bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her younger sister Prue, who was always the heroine. At eleven, she fell in love with Mills & Boon, and with their heroes. In those days the books could only be obtained via private lending libraries, and she quickly became a devoted fan; she was thrilled to bits when the books went on full sale in shops and she could have them for keeps.
Penny left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography. She first discovered Mills & Boon books, via a girl she worked with. She married Steve Halsall, an accountant and a "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, and suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity. Her husband bought her the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first novels, at a time when he could ill afford it. He died at the beginning of 21st century.
She earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, Penny found an agent who was looking for a new Georgette Heyer. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her nom de plume to Melinda Wright for three air-hostess romps and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her more historical romance novels, she adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70 of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
Penny Halsall lived in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, with her Alsatian Sheba and cat Posh. She worked from home, in her kitchen, surrounded by her pets, and welcomed interruptions from her friends and family.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 9, 2017
Uneven is the word that comes to mind about this story. The beginning is a bog-standard MOC story. The ending is a travelogue of California and an adventure story.
The premise: heroine has been jilted by her surgeon fiance after she suffers unsightly scars and limp from being hit by a car. It's been six months and she is now looking for work in the Lake District. She is turned down for a position at a boarding school and is limping to the train station when the hero almost runs her down. After the hero yells at her for a bit, he offers to drive her to the station. In the five minutes in the car, he comes up with a solution to all of their problems. Marriage of convenience to him so he can get full custody of his son and the heroine gets a roof over her head and then a payout after six months.
The heroine agrees. Turns out the hero's son also has a limp from a car accident that he was involved in with his evil mother. The two bond over physio exercises.
The hero is pretty much grumpy the whole time. The heroine thinks it's because of his enduring love for his she-devil wife. (How she ever thought that, I don't know - the hero hated her, the son hated her, her own parents hated her). The hero thinks the heroine is still in love with her feckless fiance. Even after having sex with the virgin heroine, the hero still thinks that.
All their stupid, jealous behavior stems from this primary misunderstanding.
But there's more!
So PJ works some thoughts about outer beauty and inner beauty as the heroine struggles with thoughts about her scarred leg. The heroine is in full pity party mode at the beginning and really never shrugs it off until the very end when the hero finally reveals his true feelings. That she had to have the hero's validation really kind of undermined PJ's whole argument, but it's a romance and this theme was a secondary concern.
The hero in this one was pretty ragey and not a lot of fun. He never lightened up. So this is a matter ( for me) of being happy the heroine is happy.
The premise: heroine has been jilted by her surgeon fiance after she suffers unsightly scars and limp from being hit by a car. It's been six months and she is now looking for work in the Lake District. She is turned down for a position at a boarding school and is limping to the train station when the hero almost runs her down. After the hero yells at her for a bit, he offers to drive her to the station. In the five minutes in the car, he comes up with a solution to all of their problems. Marriage of convenience to him so he can get full custody of his son and the heroine gets a roof over her head and then a payout after six months.
The heroine agrees. Turns out the hero's son also has a limp from a car accident that he was involved in with his evil mother. The two bond over physio exercises.
The hero is pretty much grumpy the whole time. The heroine thinks it's because of his enduring love for his she-devil wife. (How she ever thought that, I don't know - the hero hated her, the son hated her, her own parents hated her). The hero thinks the heroine is still in love with her feckless fiance. Even after having sex with the virgin heroine, the hero still thinks that.
All their stupid, jealous behavior stems from this primary misunderstanding.
But there's more!
So PJ works some thoughts about outer beauty and inner beauty as the heroine struggles with thoughts about her scarred leg. The heroine is in full pity party mode at the beginning and really never shrugs it off until the very end when the hero finally reveals his true feelings. That she had to have the hero's validation really kind of undermined PJ's whole argument, but it's a romance and this theme was a secondary concern.
The hero in this one was pretty ragey and not a lot of fun. He never lightened up. So this is a matter ( for me) of being happy the heroine is happy.
January 28, 2022
2.5-stars
MEH or the BAD: ***SPOILERS***
Average rom/rom dev/emo/S chem/S scenes. Didn't like bitter 25yo virgin h, who was obsessed with her scarred-leg disfigurement & her wish to make her ex-BF regret breaking up with because of her scarred looks. Didn't like how easy h was with her romantic affections & was relatively quick for her to switch from her ex-BF to H. Good thing about that was she became less bitter after 40-50%, since she was now focused on H & her feelings for ex-BF faded. Didnt' like it was her ex-BF not pushing sex that kept her virginity although she & he had plans to get away for the weekend for smexxing but for the car accident.
H was a typical brooding alpha-male of the HP variety who felt had by his sexy cheating ex-wife & put h in the same category but understandably so with h's quick agreement to a temporary marriage for H's son custody's sake in exchange for $25k. h let him think that she was a materialistic gold-digger by not informing him that the $25k was for her leg surgery. More out of pride than anything else. Meh emo with drama from H's ex-wife's wiles to get H back & to use their son to do so and some kidnapping attempts of h & H's son ordered by H's ex-wife.
The GOOD:
A bit of anguish from H's wrestling with his uncontrollable desire for h despite his promises to not touch her.
Sexual History:
virgin h had been kissed by other men including her ex-BF. The main reason why she was still a virgin with her ex-BF was due to him not pushing sex but they both planned on a sex-weekend before the accident happened & h already bought some sexy lingerie with sex in mind. H had other lovers aside from his ex-wife who he admitted to desiring a lot in the beginning until he realized how she used her sexuality to manipulate men. H had been sleeping in a separate room from his ex-wife while still married & he knew that she had affairs until the car accident involving their son who she was going to drop off to have a sexual rendezvous that finally made H file for divorce.
MEH or the BAD: ***SPOILERS***
Average rom/rom dev/emo/S chem/S scenes. Didn't like bitter 25yo virgin h, who was obsessed with her scarred-leg disfigurement & her wish to make her ex-BF regret breaking up with because of her scarred looks. Didn't like how easy h was with her romantic affections & was relatively quick for her to switch from her ex-BF to H. Good thing about that was she became less bitter after 40-50%, since she was now focused on H & her feelings for ex-BF faded. Didnt' like it was her ex-BF not pushing sex that kept her virginity although she & he had plans to get away for the weekend for smexxing but for the car accident.
H was a typical brooding alpha-male of the HP variety who felt had by his sexy cheating ex-wife & put h in the same category but understandably so with h's quick agreement to a temporary marriage for H's son custody's sake in exchange for $25k. h let him think that she was a materialistic gold-digger by not informing him that the $25k was for her leg surgery. More out of pride than anything else. Meh emo with drama from H's ex-wife's wiles to get H back & to use their son to do so and some kidnapping attempts of h & H's son ordered by H's ex-wife.
The GOOD:
A bit of anguish from H's wrestling with his uncontrollable desire for h despite his promises to not touch her.
Sexual History:
virgin h had been kissed by other men including her ex-BF. The main reason why she was still a virgin with her ex-BF was due to him not pushing sex but they both planned on a sex-weekend before the accident happened & h already bought some sexy lingerie with sex in mind. H had other lovers aside from his ex-wife who he admitted to desiring a lot in the beginning until he realized how she used her sexuality to manipulate men. H had been sleeping in a separate room from his ex-wife while still married & he knew that she had affairs until the car accident involving their son who she was going to drop off to have a sexual rendezvous that finally made H file for divorce.
July 4, 2019
"The Flawed Marriage" is the story of Amber and Joel.
Yeah this was a classic..classically eyeroll worthy romance.
Our h is a sad little waif who has not just lost her job, but also a fiance after an accident left her crippled. Wallowing in self pity and out of financial alternatives, things change when she is almost run over by a stranger..who soon offers her a job..to be his wife!
For financial benefits, she agrees to be his pretend wife, so that he can keep custody of his handicapped son from his vile ex. But while the marriage starts in name only, passions soon intervene, and so do OW/OM drama, crazy jealousy, almost forced seduction, kidnappings, lots of whining and anger outburst followed by a supposed HEA.
Keep your anta-acids in handy for this one. This will leave you shook, in a bad way. Also your eyes will roll back to your bum.
Safe
2.5/5
Yeah this was a classic..classically eyeroll worthy romance.
Our h is a sad little waif who has not just lost her job, but also a fiance after an accident left her crippled. Wallowing in self pity and out of financial alternatives, things change when she is almost run over by a stranger..who soon offers her a job..to be his wife!
For financial benefits, she agrees to be his pretend wife, so that he can keep custody of his handicapped son from his vile ex. But while the marriage starts in name only, passions soon intervene, and so do OW/OM drama, crazy jealousy, almost forced seduction, kidnappings, lots of whining and anger outburst followed by a supposed HEA.
Keep your anta-acids in handy for this one. This will leave you shook, in a bad way. Also your eyes will roll back to your bum.
Safe
2.5/5
January 2, 2020
2.5 stars
I enjoyed the book more in the first act than in the latter portion. Before the change in setting, Amber and Joel's interactions were frequent and infused with greater tension. The overall sexual tension between them felt decent, but Joel's restrained passion and love for Amber killed the romance a little.
Joel fit the mold of an alpha hero, but wasn't as besotted as I would have liked. He fought hard against loving Amber and succeeded, because I had a difficult time telling if he did! I didn't care, too, that he offered to pay Amber to be his faux wife, yet thought she was greedy for accepting his offer. Hypocritical much? I didn't hate Joel but, as far as heroes go, he was just an average Joe(l). :)
I liked Amber. She possessed some spunk, especially at the beginning, despite her low-body image. Being a sensitive soul, her moods fluctuated as the story progressed. She'd wallow in self-pity, then would gain confidence so her character definitely grew. I also liked how protective she was of Joel's son, Paul. I just wish this admirable heroine had been paired up with a more smitten hero, which would have sweetened the happy ending.
I enjoyed the book more in the first act than in the latter portion. Before the change in setting, Amber and Joel's interactions were frequent and infused with greater tension. The overall sexual tension between them felt decent, but Joel's restrained passion and love for Amber killed the romance a little.
Joel fit the mold of an alpha hero, but wasn't as besotted as I would have liked. He fought hard against loving Amber and succeeded, because I had a difficult time telling if he did! I didn't care, too, that he offered to pay Amber to be his faux wife, yet thought she was greedy for accepting his offer. Hypocritical much? I didn't hate Joel but, as far as heroes go, he was just an average Joe(l). :)
I liked Amber. She possessed some spunk, especially at the beginning, despite her low-body image. Being a sensitive soul, her moods fluctuated as the story progressed. She'd wallow in self-pity, then would gain confidence so her character definitely grew. I also liked how protective she was of Joel's son, Paul. I just wish this admirable heroine had been paired up with a more smitten hero, which would have sweetened the happy ending.
January 31, 2022
Absolute silliness!
April 14, 2017
Leído el 08/07/2010
September 20, 2023
I'm being generous with 3. It's not quite right. Full marks for batshit hasty MoC set up. Don't know about you but if a bloke nearly ran me over, offered me a lift then took me to a deserted house in the Lake District and told me I was going to marry him I'd probably not be saying oh yes alright then. Much is made of her disfigurement which as far as I can tell amounted to some leg scars and a limp which fluctuated massively in pain intensity and disablement according to whether she was out walking for an hour, dancing with the H, dancing with the OM or needing carrying up to a bed. (What is it with all the carrying in these? I'm not large and my husband is strong but I'd think he'd lost his mind if he carried me around like a sack of compost at the slightest pretext). Anyway, Joel's son Paul also has a bad leg from an accident and the H needs Amber so as to win a custody dispute with his beautiful but money grabbing ex. The ex is cartoonishly evil, the ex's parents (in California) are perplexingly lovely and the lack of communication between the 2 leads is off the charts. Allover the place basically. Very PJ.
December 27, 2017
248-وطال الانتظار
عبير الجديدة
بعد ذلك الحادث , تغيرت ايزابيل كثيراً, اصبحت تعرج من رجلها المريضة , وتخلى عنها خطيبها , ولم تعد تجد عملاً تعيش منه... رغم حاجتها للمال الكثير لكي تدفع تكاليف العملية الجراحية التي تشفي رجلها تماماً.
وهكذا , اضطرت لقبول عرض جويل سنكلار. وطلب منها ان تكون زوجته لمدة ستة اشهر , لكي يتمكن من الاحتفاظ وبوصايته على ابنه , ولكن وبسرعة لم تعد ايزابيل تعلم , هل وقعت هذا العقد من اجل المال فقط ...؟ ام بسبب الحب...؟
عبير الجديدة
بعد ذلك الحادث , تغيرت ايزابيل كثيراً, اصبحت تعرج من رجلها المريضة , وتخلى عنها خطيبها , ولم تعد تجد عملاً تعيش منه... رغم حاجتها للمال الكثير لكي تدفع تكاليف العملية الجراحية التي تشفي رجلها تماماً.
وهكذا , اضطرت لقبول عرض جويل سنكلار. وطلب منها ان تكون زوجته لمدة ستة اشهر , لكي يتمكن من الاحتفاظ وبوصايته على ابنه , ولكن وبسرعة لم تعد ايزابيل تعلم , هل وقعت هذا العقد من اجل المال فقط ...؟ ام بسبب الحب...؟
June 19, 2019
DNF, I know it's a product of its time, but whoa. Woman is walking alone down a country road, guy almost hits her, he pops out and bitches her out then offers her a ride to the station. Which she accepts? And then after a brief chat where he discovers she needs a job he offers her one as his wife for 6 months (for 25k pounds!) and again, she accepts! And then he takes her to his home, which he won't let her leave to go get all her shit to move in with him and I just. Could not keep going.
April 16, 2021
Amber's once lithe body had been crippled and disfigured by a horrible accident. The prospect of never walking again disheartened her, but much worse was the pain she felt when her fiance suddenly abandoned her.
Time had done nothing to heal her broken heart. And though she could walk again, resuming her nursing career was out of the question.
Then a stranger offered her employment, a home and the money for a necessary operation. All she had to do was become his wife!
Time had done nothing to heal her broken heart. And though she could walk again, resuming her nursing career was out of the question.
Then a stranger offered her employment, a home and the money for a necessary operation. All she had to do was become his wife!
May 14, 2023
This story should be a wakeup call for people who find themselves obsessing over appearance, how truly ridiculous it is. The h of this novel, amber, is a flawed character, as she lets the results of an accident - a limp and leg scars - embitter her and as a result, gives them too much importance, thinking everyone pities her or thinks she's unattractive. This is partly the fault of her crummy ex-fiancé, Rob who dumped her because he's a shallow social climber who thinks her marred appearance will be a hindrance. (Now there's someone who should be in an accident himself and end up with a face that'd make Frankenstein's monster faint!) So she shuts down her heart and determines to somehow afford the surgery she'll need to repair the damage to her leg and also the scars.
That "somehow" is the H, Jordan, who's willing to pay for her services as a temporary wife, because his ex-wife, Teri (who cheated on him with a rich guy who she later married) has decided she wants custody of their son, and with her husband's money/power to back her up, there's a good chance she'll get it, but less of a chance if Jordan's married. Amber agrees, as there's no strings, and she'll later have enough money for all the surgery. Strictly a business arrangement.
Or so they thought.
What weakens the novel is the silliness of each of them thinking the other is still hung up on their ex. Considering how they were both treated like crap by them, they'd have to be the biggest masochists for that to be true! It even interferes with their lovemaking (not part of the deal, but what the heck), as Amber's sure Jordan's comparing her inexperience with Teri's worldliness (she'd been around quite a bit when Jordan married her and knew how to use sex to manipulate men), while Jordan thought Amber regretted losing her virginity to him, instead of Rob. It goes on too much like that, and different situations make it worse.
There's more silliness when, at a party while visiting Jordan's ex- in-laws (so they can see their grandson) Amber wears a sexy harem style outfit to get Jordan's attention, but attracts too much attention from other men, especially a jerk named Chet who comes on to her, knowing that she's married. Then, when Amber gets in secure after seeing Jordan with Teri, she dances with Chet and he takes advantage of her vulnerability by kissing her, while she allows the kiss, because she's pretending he's Jordan!! Just plain DUMB!!! Needless to say, Jordan didn't react too well to that!
There are other incidents that seem silly and unnecessary. Even the potentially scary situation toward the end involving Amber and her stepson is too contrived, and doesn't come off the way it should, particularly when Chet gets involved. (Why doesn't he just disappear, as he shouldn't have appeared in the first place.)
It's not bad, but, like the title, flawed.
That "somehow" is the H, Jordan, who's willing to pay for her services as a temporary wife, because his ex-wife, Teri (who cheated on him with a rich guy who she later married) has decided she wants custody of their son, and with her husband's money/power to back her up, there's a good chance she'll get it, but less of a chance if Jordan's married. Amber agrees, as there's no strings, and she'll later have enough money for all the surgery. Strictly a business arrangement.
Or so they thought.
What weakens the novel is the silliness of each of them thinking the other is still hung up on their ex. Considering how they were both treated like crap by them, they'd have to be the biggest masochists for that to be true! It even interferes with their lovemaking (not part of the deal, but what the heck), as Amber's sure Jordan's comparing her inexperience with Teri's worldliness (she'd been around quite a bit when Jordan married her and knew how to use sex to manipulate men), while Jordan thought Amber regretted losing her virginity to him, instead of Rob. It goes on too much like that, and different situations make it worse.
There's more silliness when, at a party while visiting Jordan's ex- in-laws (so they can see their grandson) Amber wears a sexy harem style outfit to get Jordan's attention, but attracts too much attention from other men, especially a jerk named Chet who comes on to her, knowing that she's married. Then, when Amber gets in secure after seeing Jordan with Teri, she dances with Chet and he takes advantage of her vulnerability by kissing her, while she allows the kiss, because she's pretending he's Jordan!! Just plain DUMB!!! Needless to say, Jordan didn't react too well to that!
There are other incidents that seem silly and unnecessary. Even the potentially scary situation toward the end involving Amber and her stepson is too contrived, and doesn't come off the way it should, particularly when Chet gets involved. (Why doesn't he just disappear, as he shouldn't have appeared in the first place.)
It's not bad, but, like the title, flawed.
August 4, 2021
Amber's life plans were destroyed when she was left with scars from an car accident. The man she thought would stand beside her left her. She is left basically on the streets. When fate steps in and she finds out that a stranger needs her help with his son. And with that a chance to get reconstruction done on her leg. Will she realize her second chance is with love not just an operation for her leg? What happens when the ex wife comes back and tries to take away Ambers new family?
August 9, 2024
Great read
September 2, 2012
Although the ending was amazing, I was kind of turned off by reading this novel. The heroine was absolutely destroyed and distraught until the hero came around offering her a bribe. Although it all turned out well I felt the hero used the heroine in some ways because the heroine was and seemed so emotionally damaged.
September 11, 2023
Author did some interesting things with the nanny / convenient wife theme.
Reread and once again am puzzled at how both h and H jump to ridiculous assumptions. First H thinks h is hard, trample, greedy - based on nothing more than his ex wife - then she has no love and she’s having affairs. Yeesh, what a dope.
Reread and once again am puzzled at how both h and H jump to ridiculous assumptions. First H thinks h is hard, trample, greedy - based on nothing more than his ex wife - then she has no love and she’s having affairs. Yeesh, what a dope.
May 4, 2017
Re-read June 19, 2014
March 12, 2009
I read the manga version.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews