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Reawakened by His Touch
Re-read this classic romance by New York Times bestselling author Penny Jordan,previously published as Too Short A Blessing in 1986Why wouldn't Jonas Chesney just leave her alone with her memories? Why was thisarrogant new neighbor so determined to intrude on Sara's emotions—and arouse herpassion? After her fiancé's sudden death more than a year before, Sara had resolved neverto fall in love again. But she'd reckoned without the strong-willed Jonas Chesney…To her own surprise, Sara found her body awakened by his caress—and she responded with a fervorso intense it promised to overshadow her past!
154 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1986
6 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
Penny Jordan
1,131 books672 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 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 17, 2022
Heroine Sara Barclay and her brother Sam both lost their partners in a car accident… Sara’s fiancé Rick, and Sam’s wife Holly. Sam was also in the accident and is having trouble using his legs, sometimes he uses a wheelchair. It’s been over a year and Sara’s brother decides he wants to move to the country (Dorset). He asks Sara to join him. Sara agrees. She is content looking after Sam and his young daughter Carly. When Sara gets to Dorset she meets their neighbor, Jonas Chesney. Sara finds herself attracted to Jonas, which disturbs her because she is still in love with her late fiancé Rick and doesn’t intend to fall in love again. But Jonas is determined to change her mind.
I really enjoyed this story. I liked Jonas, he was a great hero. I felt sorry for him at times when Sara was a bit cold towards him, telling him she will only love Rick when Jonas is obviously falling in love with Sara. I enjoyed the secondary romance between Sara’s brother Sam and Jonas’s step-sister Vanessa.
Another romantic read by Penny Jordan.
I really enjoyed this story. I liked Jonas, he was a great hero. I felt sorry for him at times when Sara was a bit cold towards him, telling him she will only love Rick when Jonas is obviously falling in love with Sara. I enjoyed the secondary romance between Sara’s brother Sam and Jonas’s step-sister Vanessa.
Another romantic read by Penny Jordan.
September 11, 2020
Yet again Penny Jordan delivers a breathtaking and highly sensual romance between the heroine who has lost her first love and fiance in a car-accident and now decides together with her brother and nephew to move into the country where they soon find home in the cottage there-and Sara finds the hot pursuit of her darkly handsome neighbour,the great land-lord Jonas Chesney irresistible.
I find myself agree with many readers about the heroine being too destructive on herself-and even i thought Jonas too good for her.Their chemistry are burning through every scenes and i greatly enjoyed the angst between them-and the love-scenes between them were soooo steamy,yeah Penny Jordan creates it the best in her own way!
Unlike many of PJ heroes,Jonas declared his love for Sara very early on which shocked me,but ah how i melted.And this heroine just threw his love back on his face and makes him suffer throughout the whole story.There is much worse you can do,and one of the things is hurling another man`s name in hero`s face,which we could see right clearly devastated the hero who really loves her irrevocably.But this is PJ after all,and i came to love this book MOSTLY because of Jonas Chesney-A truly worthy hero to die for,he is one of my favourites heroes of PJ,with his insulent seduction,passion,pursuit and unwavering love for his Sara-and the way he whisks her off her feet after their marriage...yeah,Power of Love..!
I find myself agree with many readers about the heroine being too destructive on herself-and even i thought Jonas too good for her.Their chemistry are burning through every scenes and i greatly enjoyed the angst between them-and the love-scenes between them were soooo steamy,yeah Penny Jordan creates it the best in her own way!
Unlike many of PJ heroes,Jonas declared his love for Sara very early on which shocked me,but ah how i melted.And this heroine just threw his love back on his face and makes him suffer throughout the whole story.There is much worse you can do,and one of the things is hurling another man`s name in hero`s face,which we could see right clearly devastated the hero who really loves her irrevocably.But this is PJ after all,and i came to love this book MOSTLY because of Jonas Chesney-A truly worthy hero to die for,he is one of my favourites heroes of PJ,with his insulent seduction,passion,pursuit and unwavering love for his Sara-and the way he whisks her off her feet after their marriage...yeah,Power of Love..!
August 15, 2017
The heroine in this one really needed therapy. Despite her Great, Big, Traumatic Past (a car crash killed her fiance and her sister-in-law, left her brother paralyzed and her niece an orphan), I could not make myself like her as she was so mean to everyone around her and the type of person who seems to wallow in self-pity.
She resented her brother his ability to healthily move on. She was jealous of his budding romance with their nice neighbour, callously accusing him of trying to replace his dead wife when that was not the case at all.
She was really vile to the hero, seducing him one minute, and then humiliating him the next, telling him she used him sexually as a stand in for her dead fiance.
When he gallantly offered her marriage when she inevitably became pregnant, she felt jealous of her unborn baby for the solicitude and unconditional love that the hero automatically bestowed on the baby and that she expected him to heap on her as well despite all the terrible things she kept spewing at him.
At some point, even if the person is grieving, you stop excusing all their bad behaviors on the trauma they suffered and you have to admit that it is the person herself who is unlikable, as she is purposefully making the choice to engage in these petty, nasty behaviors. It was all the more obvious in this case since her brother, who suffered a much greater loss than her, was able, after the period of mourning, to pull himself together and act and behave rationally.
She resented her brother his ability to healthily move on. She was jealous of his budding romance with their nice neighbour, callously accusing him of trying to replace his dead wife when that was not the case at all.
She was really vile to the hero, seducing him one minute, and then humiliating him the next, telling him she used him sexually as a stand in for her dead fiance.
When he gallantly offered her marriage when she inevitably became pregnant, she felt jealous of her unborn baby for the solicitude and unconditional love that the hero automatically bestowed on the baby and that she expected him to heap on her as well despite all the terrible things she kept spewing at him.
At some point, even if the person is grieving, you stop excusing all their bad behaviors on the trauma they suffered and you have to admit that it is the person herself who is unlikable, as she is purposefully making the choice to engage in these petty, nasty behaviors. It was all the more obvious in this case since her brother, who suffered a much greater loss than her, was able, after the period of mourning, to pull himself together and act and behave rationally.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 28, 2016
Re Too Short A Blessing - PJ brings us a story about second loves and moving on from loss, though that isn't the big surprise of this book. This book probably has the most volatile ratings of all PJ's work. There doesn't seem to be much middle ground on this one, it is either loved or hated.
Mainly cause PJ frankly and specifically addresses the issue of a pregnancy termination for the h - as far as I can tell this is the ONLY book in HPlandia that has an h actually decide upon that course of action, only to stop her at the clinic steps at the VERY LAST minute - when she does what HP h's do in crisis, she faints into the H's arms.
TSaB starts with the h talking with her brother. Eighteen months prior to the start of the story, the h's fiance, the brother and the brother's wife were all in a bad car accident. The h's fiance and the wife died and the brother was seriously injured, to the point of needing a permanent wheelchair for at least part of the time. The wife and brother also have a toddler sized daughter and the h had to leap into the fray of holding her tiny family together, even while being weighted with her own grief.
She had to fight for her brother's health care, try to console a tiny little girl who just wants her parents and she has to earn a living to support three people, as the brother's employer decreed that he was too physically unfit to continue working for them. The h has been so busy fighting and caring for what remains of her family that she hasn't even really started to grieve, she has buried the pain and the sorrow and just got on with getting on. She doesn't plan to fall in love again tho, her fiance was it for her as far as she is concerned.
The brother has just announced that he has bought a country cottage, he is doing economic writing from home now and London no longer fits in with his lifestyle. So they all pack up and move to the country. The h is immediately antagonized by the local squire, whose estate is home to his big nursery business. Their first meeting winds up in a game of Mr. Gropey hands and tho the h's body is hot, her mind is not tolerating him.
It soon becomes apparent that the brother's new country living interest was motivated by his overwhelming personal interest in the stepsister of the local country squire, and the h has to come to terms with her brother moving on. The local squire makes no bones about being attracted to the h, in fact after a few more gropey hands sessions complete with passionate kisses, he declares he is falling love with her.
The h isn't buying and doesn't want another falling in love t-shirt and she puts the H down hard -but honestly -by telling him her body is responding to the lust but her mind is screaming for the man she lost.
Naturally this doesn't go over well with the H, and so the h seduction offensive continues as the h's brother proposes to the stepsister. The h is trying to avoid the H's lurve club mojo and planning to move her life on - without the dubious benefits of a relationship, even as those around her are cajoling and berating her for holding on to the past.
(In fact one of the biggest complaints about this book is how mean the h is to the H while turning him down. I actually accepted that what the h said and felt was very valid. Since the accident she has had no time whatsoever to process the HUGE changes that affected her life.
Her fiance was a man she had known for years as her brother's friend, they never slept together and she was in the first stages of giddy, walking on air love when he was taken away. Then she had to be all things to a very broken and ill man and a traumatized four year old. She was so busy doing and caring that she just never took the time to reconcile her own grief.
It is no wonder she doesn't want to deal with another relationship, she has never recovered from losing her last one. In fact she hasn't even really acknowledged the huge loss yet in an internal kind of way. Also, the H doesn't woo her slowly, he slams his mouth on her like a mac truck and grabs like an octopus when he hasn't even been introduced. The h was right to question his supposed love, cause it seemed a lot more like lust to me, irregardless of what everyone else said.)
Eventually the H and h wind up giving in to the mutual passion, tho the h is insistent that it was just her body acting on a need for release and that she was pretending the H was her fiance they whole time - which wasn't entirely true, but this h is honestly nowhere near love yet. She winds up preggers, and decides that a termination is the only way to handle the situation. She can't be an unwed mum to her brother's future in law and she has to make a new start with her life. She makes the appointment. Then she stops at the last minute and realizes she can't go through with it.
In a deus ex machina divine PJ intervention, the H happens along to accuse the h and catch her as she dramatically faints. That does it for him, he orders the Hhto marry him and the fallout from her grief and near miss on the termination keep her meekly compliant with his orders. They agree to a MOC, but the h soon realizes that while it may not be true love, she sure misses the lurve club mojo aftereffect.
The H and h are distant from each other with the usual PJ h angsting, until the h takes a chance and confesses her love for the H - only to be shot down. As the h is running away from the H, she falls and winds up unconscious again. This spurs the H into retracting his rejection for the big HEA of mutual adoration and a cozy little family scenario with the h's brother right next door in his own cozy little marital love nest.
This one has all the usual PJ drama but it also has the unusual plot of having the h consider a termination as a first response to unexpected arrival news. There is no other book in HPlandia that has ever addressed the issue so openly, usually the t word is absolutely avoided or if it is mentioned, a firm NO is given as a defiant club against the H, should he be so utterly callous as to mention it. I bet you anything this book never got published in Ireland - even a hint of h termination consideration would have been censored heavily.
That is why it is so remarkable that PJ went there and not only that, the H's stepsister admits to having one at 18 after a married man affair went bad. That too is unprecedented. Even tho the stepsister suffered severely physically when the after effects from the procedure when badly wrong - PJ makes a point to state that the stepsister was given nothing but love and support from her family.
In essence what PJ is stating is that if you have to consider not carrying a child, it doesn't make you a bad person tho you will probably have huge regrets and I can only admire how deftly she slides that in under the cover of a category romance.
TSaB isn't PJ's best romance, but it is definitely one of her best social commentary stories. The way she has her typical PJ h hold the alpha aggressive H off for most of the book is actually quite well done too. PJ uses the mechanism of recovering from grief to keep an overly handsey aggressive male at bay from overwhelming a much less sophisticated h and this time the H gets his ego shot down a bit too - quite different from the usual H delivered ego blows to the h for not jumping on his advances that we usually get in this HP era.
This total grief effect also gives the reader room to forgive the h her initial plans, being overwhelmed in the agony of loss is a good excuse for maybe not making the best choices for those who don't like those choices and it allows the reader to continue to root for the h and love story. Again, PJ had a very deft way of getting her points in without really overly antagonizing or insulting anyone.
While I can't call this the best love story ever, I can call this a groundbreaking HP - PJ used her popularity as an author to push through a book with a subject that even today is almost NEVER even considered or talked about in ALL of the Romance universe and that is something that makes this book worth a read - even tho mileage always varies and this may be far, far from your cuppa.
Mainly cause PJ frankly and specifically addresses the issue of a pregnancy termination for the h - as far as I can tell this is the ONLY book in HPlandia that has an h actually decide upon that course of action, only to stop her at the clinic steps at the VERY LAST minute - when she does what HP h's do in crisis, she faints into the H's arms.
TSaB starts with the h talking with her brother. Eighteen months prior to the start of the story, the h's fiance, the brother and the brother's wife were all in a bad car accident. The h's fiance and the wife died and the brother was seriously injured, to the point of needing a permanent wheelchair for at least part of the time. The wife and brother also have a toddler sized daughter and the h had to leap into the fray of holding her tiny family together, even while being weighted with her own grief.
She had to fight for her brother's health care, try to console a tiny little girl who just wants her parents and she has to earn a living to support three people, as the brother's employer decreed that he was too physically unfit to continue working for them. The h has been so busy fighting and caring for what remains of her family that she hasn't even really started to grieve, she has buried the pain and the sorrow and just got on with getting on. She doesn't plan to fall in love again tho, her fiance was it for her as far as she is concerned.
The brother has just announced that he has bought a country cottage, he is doing economic writing from home now and London no longer fits in with his lifestyle. So they all pack up and move to the country. The h is immediately antagonized by the local squire, whose estate is home to his big nursery business. Their first meeting winds up in a game of Mr. Gropey hands and tho the h's body is hot, her mind is not tolerating him.
It soon becomes apparent that the brother's new country living interest was motivated by his overwhelming personal interest in the stepsister of the local country squire, and the h has to come to terms with her brother moving on. The local squire makes no bones about being attracted to the h, in fact after a few more gropey hands sessions complete with passionate kisses, he declares he is falling love with her.
The h isn't buying and doesn't want another falling in love t-shirt and she puts the H down hard -but honestly -by telling him her body is responding to the lust but her mind is screaming for the man she lost.
Naturally this doesn't go over well with the H, and so the h seduction offensive continues as the h's brother proposes to the stepsister. The h is trying to avoid the H's lurve club mojo and planning to move her life on - without the dubious benefits of a relationship, even as those around her are cajoling and berating her for holding on to the past.
(In fact one of the biggest complaints about this book is how mean the h is to the H while turning him down. I actually accepted that what the h said and felt was very valid. Since the accident she has had no time whatsoever to process the HUGE changes that affected her life.
Her fiance was a man she had known for years as her brother's friend, they never slept together and she was in the first stages of giddy, walking on air love when he was taken away. Then she had to be all things to a very broken and ill man and a traumatized four year old. She was so busy doing and caring that she just never took the time to reconcile her own grief.
It is no wonder she doesn't want to deal with another relationship, she has never recovered from losing her last one. In fact she hasn't even really acknowledged the huge loss yet in an internal kind of way. Also, the H doesn't woo her slowly, he slams his mouth on her like a mac truck and grabs like an octopus when he hasn't even been introduced. The h was right to question his supposed love, cause it seemed a lot more like lust to me, irregardless of what everyone else said.)
Eventually the H and h wind up giving in to the mutual passion, tho the h is insistent that it was just her body acting on a need for release and that she was pretending the H was her fiance they whole time - which wasn't entirely true, but this h is honestly nowhere near love yet. She winds up preggers, and decides that a termination is the only way to handle the situation. She can't be an unwed mum to her brother's future in law and she has to make a new start with her life. She makes the appointment. Then she stops at the last minute and realizes she can't go through with it.
In a deus ex machina divine PJ intervention, the H happens along to accuse the h and catch her as she dramatically faints. That does it for him, he orders the Hhto marry him and the fallout from her grief and near miss on the termination keep her meekly compliant with his orders. They agree to a MOC, but the h soon realizes that while it may not be true love, she sure misses the lurve club mojo aftereffect.
The H and h are distant from each other with the usual PJ h angsting, until the h takes a chance and confesses her love for the H - only to be shot down. As the h is running away from the H, she falls and winds up unconscious again. This spurs the H into retracting his rejection for the big HEA of mutual adoration and a cozy little family scenario with the h's brother right next door in his own cozy little marital love nest.
This one has all the usual PJ drama but it also has the unusual plot of having the h consider a termination as a first response to unexpected arrival news. There is no other book in HPlandia that has ever addressed the issue so openly, usually the t word is absolutely avoided or if it is mentioned, a firm NO is given as a defiant club against the H, should he be so utterly callous as to mention it. I bet you anything this book never got published in Ireland - even a hint of h termination consideration would have been censored heavily.
That is why it is so remarkable that PJ went there and not only that, the H's stepsister admits to having one at 18 after a married man affair went bad. That too is unprecedented. Even tho the stepsister suffered severely physically when the after effects from the procedure when badly wrong - PJ makes a point to state that the stepsister was given nothing but love and support from her family.
In essence what PJ is stating is that if you have to consider not carrying a child, it doesn't make you a bad person tho you will probably have huge regrets and I can only admire how deftly she slides that in under the cover of a category romance.
TSaB isn't PJ's best romance, but it is definitely one of her best social commentary stories. The way she has her typical PJ h hold the alpha aggressive H off for most of the book is actually quite well done too. PJ uses the mechanism of recovering from grief to keep an overly handsey aggressive male at bay from overwhelming a much less sophisticated h and this time the H gets his ego shot down a bit too - quite different from the usual H delivered ego blows to the h for not jumping on his advances that we usually get in this HP era.
This total grief effect also gives the reader room to forgive the h her initial plans, being overwhelmed in the agony of loss is a good excuse for maybe not making the best choices for those who don't like those choices and it allows the reader to continue to root for the h and love story. Again, PJ had a very deft way of getting her points in without really overly antagonizing or insulting anyone.
While I can't call this the best love story ever, I can call this a groundbreaking HP - PJ used her popularity as an author to push through a book with a subject that even today is almost NEVER even considered or talked about in ALL of the Romance universe and that is something that makes this book worth a read - even tho mileage always varies and this may be far, far from your cuppa.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2022
“Too short a blessing” is the story of Sara and Jonas.
It started out very well. The heroine is still recovering from the death of her fiancé, and takes care of her recently disable brother and niece (who also lost his wife in the same accident).
They move to a new place, where they meet these super attractive siblings. There are insane sparks between the hero and heroine, and they kiss every time due to her chagrin. Her brother and his sister hit it off too, and all seems hunky dory.
That is until the heroine decides to be a shrew. She taunts the hero with her dead ex, then when they have sex
It takes a lot of back and forth for the confession to come, and I wanted to push the heroine off a ditch
Fine, she was recovering but dear lord did she take her merry time torturing the hero who was pretty sweet.
Safe
2/5
It started out very well. The heroine is still recovering from the death of her fiancé, and takes care of her recently disable brother and niece (who also lost his wife in the same accident).
They move to a new place, where they meet these super attractive siblings. There are insane sparks between the hero and heroine, and they kiss every time due to her chagrin. Her brother and his sister hit it off too, and all seems hunky dory.
That is until the heroine decides to be a shrew. She taunts the hero with her dead ex, then when they have sex
It takes a lot of back and forth for the confession to come, and I wanted to push the heroine off a ditch
Fine, she was recovering but dear lord did she take her merry time torturing the hero who was pretty sweet.
Safe
2/5
October 9, 2018
Sara and Jonas really go through the emotional wringer in this afraid-to-love romance. Jonas is immediately smitten with Sara upon meeting her and thereafter only wants to love her, which includes some mighty-good sexual healing too. ;) Unfortunately, their path to happiness is clouded by Sara's deep fear of losing someone she loves.
In response, Sara constantly rejects and hurts Jonas. Sara's cruel words didn't make me hate her (my tolerance level for cruel heroines must have been unusually high the day I read this). So Jonas suffers, but his deep love for Sara keeps him around. It must be deep, because why else would he put up with her crappy behavior?! But Sara isn't the only one capable of "torture". Jonas in his own way torments Sara with his sex appeal, passionate kisses, and the romantic feelings he unwillingly evokes from her.
At one point, Sara decides on a course of action that I never thought to see in any romance. (I feel the author must have written this device in to once again highlight Sara's excruciatingly delicate, emotional state rather than attempting to stir controversy.) This is avoided thankfully and they find their hard-won Happily Ever After.
An angsty read where love triumphs over fear!
In response, Sara constantly rejects and hurts Jonas. Sara's cruel words didn't make me hate her (my tolerance level for cruel heroines must have been unusually high the day I read this). So Jonas suffers, but his deep love for Sara keeps him around. It must be deep, because why else would he put up with her crappy behavior?! But Sara isn't the only one capable of "torture". Jonas in his own way torments Sara with his sex appeal, passionate kisses, and the romantic feelings he unwillingly evokes from her.
At one point, Sara decides on a course of action that I never thought to see in any romance. (I feel the author must have written this device in to once again highlight Sara's excruciatingly delicate, emotional state rather than attempting to stir controversy.) This is avoided thankfully and they find their hard-won Happily Ever After.
An angsty read where love triumphs over fear!
July 20, 2011
Eighteen months previously the h's fiance, sister n law a d brother are in car accident. The fiance and SIS die and her brother seriously injured. The h is living with the brother and 5 year old niece. The h is still in grief re fiance and never wants to love again and risk the possible pain of loss. They move to a country cottage and the h developes an antagonistic relationship with their neighbor, the H. The H falls into love at first sight with h, but is given no encouragement. Actually the h is quite mean to him. In the meantime the H's step sister falls for the h's brother.
The H/h manage to have a sexual interlude despite her antagonism and she falls pregnant. There is some serious angst and HEA.
The H/h manage to have a sexual interlude despite her antagonism and she falls pregnant. There is some serious angst and HEA.
July 27, 2015
I loved the angst but Sara was so cruel to Jonas. The death of her fiancé crippled her emotions and I understand that she was afraid of loving and losing again but poor Jonas didn't deserve her bitter words and rejection.
November 10, 2013
This was a fairly intense read with Jonas pushing Sara with the strong physical attraction right from the first meeting. Sara is still grieving the loss of her fiance 18 months ago in an accident that crippled her brother and killed her sister-in-law.
She has made Sam, and his daughter Carly, the centre of her world while clinging to her memories of Rick.
Jonas confronts her immediately because she feels the strong attraction but she fights it, using her memories of Rick as a barrier to admitting she could be falling in love. She is afraid of loving and losing again.
*minor spoilers ahead* I would have liked this book a lot better if it hadn't been for the abortion motif. First Sam's new love interest had a tragic experience in the past. Our heroine not only doesn't learn from that but immediately she finds out she's pregnant she is in so much denial she dances off immediately to an abortion clinic.
Needless to say I finished the book which I wouldn't have if she had made a different decision. I know women in real life have to make these decisions but I want no part of them in my romance reading.
The ending was pretty satisfying if the whole clinic thing hadn't left a sour taste in my mouth.
She has made Sam, and his daughter Carly, the centre of her world while clinging to her memories of Rick.
Jonas confronts her immediately because she feels the strong attraction but she fights it, using her memories of Rick as a barrier to admitting she could be falling in love. She is afraid of loving and losing again.
*minor spoilers ahead* I would have liked this book a lot better if it hadn't been for the abortion motif. First Sam's new love interest had a tragic experience in the past. Our heroine not only doesn't learn from that but immediately she finds out she's pregnant she is in so much denial she dances off immediately to an abortion clinic.
Needless to say I finished the book which I wouldn't have if she had made a different decision. I know women in real life have to make these decisions but I want no part of them in my romance reading.
The ending was pretty satisfying if the whole clinic thing hadn't left a sour taste in my mouth.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2021
You can't cling to the past forever, Sara!"
Why wouldn't Jonas Chesney just leave her alone with her memories? Why was this arrogant new neighbor so determined to intrude on Sara's emotions - and arouse her passion?
After her fiance's sudden death more than a year before, Sara had resolved never to fall in love again. But she'd reckoned without the strong-willed Jonas Chesney...
To her own surprise, Sara found herselfresponding to his kisses - responding with a fervor so intense it overshadowed all her memories.
Why wouldn't Jonas Chesney just leave her alone with her memories? Why was this arrogant new neighbor so determined to intrude on Sara's emotions - and arouse her passion?
After her fiance's sudden death more than a year before, Sara had resolved never to fall in love again. But she'd reckoned without the strong-willed Jonas Chesney...
To her own surprise, Sara found herselfresponding to his kisses - responding with a fervor so intense it overshadowed all her memories.
September 2, 2021
Alternate title: Reawakened by his touch
Hmmm didn’t really enjoy this one. I picked it up because i read that it deals w the issue of abortion, so well… it was out of curiosity.
The Hero and heroine experience strong feelings of lust for each other, from their first and succeeding encounters, so much so that they act like mindless beings instead of normal people🙄. Maybe this was the author’s way of showing the strength of their feelings for each other but I didn’t find this hot, or exciting I was mostly just embarrassed for them and kinda disgusted.
The Hero is clearly besotted and not hesitant about declaring his feelings; at their 4th meeting. But the heroine is much more reluctant since she has been mourning her dead fiancé for 18months. I did not like how she kept throwing her late fiance’s name at the face of the Hero but on the other hand, can’t control her lust for him.
Of course w all that lust, they can help but fall into bed together, but he heroine lies to the Hero and tells him she was pretending he was her dead fiance. 😖So $#i% hits the fan!
She gets pregnant, considers having an abortion, but decides against it. She runs into the Hero and he convinces her to marry him. But they go on lying to each other. She didnt believe when he said he loved her. Now abruptly when she admits she loves him, He does not believe her either. 🙄
She acted like an idiot, He acted like an a$$ (but he had cause). They wallow in a miasma of misery for a time before they declare their HEA…ugh… was just a disaster.
SPOILERS:
Aside from the heroine contemplating abortion, the Hero’s sister apparently had one when she was young and regrets it ever since. So the issue was not really discussed except for the mention of this two instances.
Hmmm didn’t really enjoy this one. I picked it up because i read that it deals w the issue of abortion, so well… it was out of curiosity.
The Hero and heroine experience strong feelings of lust for each other, from their first and succeeding encounters, so much so that they act like mindless beings instead of normal people🙄. Maybe this was the author’s way of showing the strength of their feelings for each other but I didn’t find this hot, or exciting I was mostly just embarrassed for them and kinda disgusted.
The Hero is clearly besotted and not hesitant about declaring his feelings; at their 4th meeting. But the heroine is much more reluctant since she has been mourning her dead fiancé for 18months. I did not like how she kept throwing her late fiance’s name at the face of the Hero but on the other hand, can’t control her lust for him.
Of course w all that lust, they can help but fall into bed together, but he heroine lies to the Hero and tells him she was pretending he was her dead fiance. 😖So $#i% hits the fan!
She gets pregnant, considers having an abortion, but decides against it. She runs into the Hero and he convinces her to marry him. But they go on lying to each other. She didnt believe when he said he loved her. Now abruptly when she admits she loves him, He does not believe her either. 🙄
She acted like an idiot, He acted like an a$$ (but he had cause). They wallow in a miasma of misery for a time before they declare their HEA…ugh… was just a disaster.
SPOILERS:
Aside from the heroine contemplating abortion, the Hero’s sister apparently had one when she was young and regrets it ever since. So the issue was not really discussed except for the mention of this two instances.
August 10, 2015
I love reading Penny Jordan's books, but unfortunately this one was just a miss for me..
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Such a weird turn of events.
We've got a male widower (heroine's brother) married for 6 or so years, quick to move on 18 months after the death of his wife.
Then we've got our heroine, who's fiance died but is living the nun life. It doesn't matter that her fiance was experienced physically and sexually before he proposed to her, she chose to completely be null and void to love after the loss of her fiance.
Opposites and yet the same. I wouldve liked the male widower to mourn awhile longer, but hey. I guess men move on far quicker..
Dont even get me started how quickly the events escalated as soon as our H/h met. I mean talk about Lust at first sight..
-------
Just when I was ready to embrace the characters and the story, the heroine just keeps on putting a damper on my food. She needs a good shaking or shrink assessment fast, woman's got attachment issues like theirs no tomorrow.
Heroine gave me whiplash with her duplicity..
----------------
Such a weird turn of events.
We've got a male widower (heroine's brother) married for 6 or so years, quick to move on 18 months after the death of his wife.
Then we've got our heroine, who's fiance died but is living the nun life. It doesn't matter that her fiance was experienced physically and sexually before he proposed to her, she chose to completely be null and void to love after the loss of her fiance.
Opposites and yet the same. I wouldve liked the male widower to mourn awhile longer, but hey. I guess men move on far quicker..
Dont even get me started how quickly the events escalated as soon as our H/h met. I mean talk about Lust at first sight..
-------
Just when I was ready to embrace the characters and the story, the heroine just keeps on putting a damper on my food. She needs a good shaking or shrink assessment fast, woman's got attachment issues like theirs no tomorrow.
Heroine gave me whiplash with her duplicity..
no-leer
January 18, 2016"No quisiera amarte"
August 18, 2021
“All women who loved were open to the same pain, all of her sex sharing a deep in-bred awareness of just how devastating it could be, Sara thought.”
I can understand her motives that she is afraid of falling in love and then losing the man again. And she was a bit harsh, but she wasn’t cruel.
I think that’s because of the excellency of Penny Jordan’s writing that I can understand her. Usually I don’t have that patience with HP h’s.
The book is from 1987. What’s the reason that Jordan’s HP’s of the 20th century are so much better than of this century? It’s as if it’s from a different writer.
I am Dutch and I have this book in the Dutch translation. I was stunned that the original version in English is about 30 pages longer. And I discovered why. The Dutch translator left all the steamy, hot, sexy bits out. Wtf.
The way he loves her with that raw passion, even I felt that! Their first encounter was hot, and I am so glad that they didn’t go all the way immediately. So much heat. Absolutely 5 stars. This book is a keeper.
I can understand her motives that she is afraid of falling in love and then losing the man again. And she was a bit harsh, but she wasn’t cruel.
I think that’s because of the excellency of Penny Jordan’s writing that I can understand her. Usually I don’t have that patience with HP h’s.
The book is from 1987. What’s the reason that Jordan’s HP’s of the 20th century are so much better than of this century? It’s as if it’s from a different writer.
I am Dutch and I have this book in the Dutch translation. I was stunned that the original version in English is about 30 pages longer. And I discovered why. The Dutch translator left all the steamy, hot, sexy bits out. Wtf.
The way he loves her with that raw passion, even I felt that! Their first encounter was hot, and I am so glad that they didn’t go all the way immediately. So much heat. Absolutely 5 stars. This book is a keeper.
October 27, 2019
I've read many PJ books, she may be my fave old school Harlequin writer. Her books a very psychological and probing. What reviews below seem to be referencing a lot is how "cruel" Sara is....but when reading this book, try to put yourself in her shoes and empathize. The scenes in this book are very sensual and sexual straight off the bat and this is because Sara's character needs to literally be jolted out of her grief, and how does this start? With a unconcious primal attraction. Sara has to first realize that she out of of all the characters in the book has been walking around in an emotional fog, which while super understandable, makes it so that she may miss out on her "blessing" which is actually love. There's a saying in spirituality about being open to recieving the unexpected so that you don't "miss your blessing" and I believe this is what the book is about.
September 16, 2025
Terrible!
January 18, 2015
this was one where heroine picked on my nerves! sara was so cruel to jonas; like saying she was pretending he was her dead fiance when they made love. how horrible! in jonas's place, i wud have been too disgusted to take her back when she got pregnant. some things are unforgivable and kill love!
August 10, 2015
The only part I did not like was the way she acted after they made love and that she was going to have an abortion. Wft? Why? She could have had the baby no problem her brother was awesome and the father was a prince at first anyways. Good read.
September 2, 2012
I didn't think it was too bad but I really never felt any emotion from the book. I found it kind of bland.
May 23, 2020
Pretty decent story with likable characters.
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