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في قلبي رغم الجميع
He'd always been a law unto himself. Rafe Lindsay, Earl of Invercaldy, was lord of all he surveyed. But the days when noblemen held the right to seduce any village maiden he fancied were long gone. Not that the message had reached Rafe!
But then Isobel Jacobson was hardly a maiden. She was a widow, struggling to raise an unruly teenage daughter of her own. She was also awoman who longed to feel the passion that intimacy held...
But then Isobel Jacobson was hardly a maiden. She was a widow, struggling to raise an unruly teenage daughter of her own. She was also awoman who longed to feel the passion that intimacy held...
Unknown Binding
First published April 8, 1994
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84 people want to read
About the author
Anne Mather
799 books360 followersAnne Mather is the pseudonym used by Mildred Grieveson, a popular British author of over 160 romance novels. She also signed novels as Caroline Fleming and Cardine Fleming.
Mildred Grieveson began to write down stories in her childhood years. The first novel that she actually finished, Caroline (1965), was also her first book to be published. Her novel, Leopard in the Snow (1974), was developed into a 1978 film.
Mildred Grieveson began to write down stories in her childhood years. The first novel that she actually finished, Caroline (1965), was also her first book to be published. Her novel, Leopard in the Snow (1974), was developed into a 1978 film.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 2, 2018
Re Strange Intimacy - Anne Mather outdoes herself on the bigoted, elitist, biased, misogynistic, Devil Spawn of Satan tropes with this one.
Gather up your adult beverages and your chocolate or cookie supplies, this one is not to be approached without a serious stockpile of brain tranquilizers.
The h is a widow with a teenage Spawn of Satan for a daughter. To get out of the evil influence of her Jewish mother in law (and AM doesn't hold back on the bigotry there,) the h takes a job in small village Scotland as the medical secretary for an old friend's father.
The H is the alcoholic local Lord of Manor, complete with the droit du seigneur attitude that he should be able to lurve club the h when in the mood. His attitude for most of the book is he can't understand why the plain and jelly blobule h is so attractive to him, but it is her serf's duty to spread at his convenience and he gets irate when she refuses to do so.
Add in stereotypical condescending and against outsiders villagers, a snobbish Lady of the Manor H mother and another pit viper Lady of Another Manor OW and there is not one likable character in this entire book. The H thinks he can't possibly love the h because he loved his frigid Lady of the Manor wife, until she died along with their unborn child.
After various small town incursions and excursions, including the Demon Spawn of Satan skipping school and almost drowning in the local loch-which the H rescued her from, the H convinces the h to let the Demon Spawn go torment the h's mother in law. They also have a big lurve club moment which the H dismisses as animal attraction to a peasant, but he wouldn't mind swiving around in the muck with the little plain Jane h again.
The h, for all her willingness to lay in the gutter for the H, does at least want to be a good mother. (Unfortunately her lack of calcium all her life has made good parenting more a distant dream rather than a reality.) So when the H intervenes and convinces the h to let her daughter go back to London with the mother in law, the h finally shows him to the door and closes the mud pit.
Then of course the Devil Spawn of Satan skips out on her grandmother via some underhanded and dubious means, cause Granny is a martinet and the h is a doormat waiting to be stomped on. The Devil Spawn of Satan insists that the h go and apologize to the H for whatever, so the h dutifully trots off and the H decides that she is the perfect accessory brood mare for a son and heir.
The H does a decent I love you to the h declaration. He is thinking that if the h provides him with a son, he can finally really stick it to his Ice Witch Snob mother and his Ice Witch Jr. sister, (who wants the title and estate for her own son.)
The h is only to happy to throw herself into the muck to be trodden on once again and the Demon Spawn happily continues to spread her misery around. We get a little epilogue where the H gets his heir and the h is delighted to be tromped on for the big HEA.
I had no patience for this sad excuse for a book. At times I felt bad for the h, but really she was a non event in the overall story line. The Demon Spawn is going to be an Evil OW extraordinaire, and as much as I detested her, she probably was the most interesting character in the book. Everyone else should have just descended back to the sub-sewer they slithered out of, as this was not a good experience for an HPlandia outing and probably should be avoided before it bites you.
Gather up your adult beverages and your chocolate or cookie supplies, this one is not to be approached without a serious stockpile of brain tranquilizers.
The h is a widow with a teenage Spawn of Satan for a daughter. To get out of the evil influence of her Jewish mother in law (and AM doesn't hold back on the bigotry there,) the h takes a job in small village Scotland as the medical secretary for an old friend's father.
The H is the alcoholic local Lord of Manor, complete with the droit du seigneur attitude that he should be able to lurve club the h when in the mood. His attitude for most of the book is he can't understand why the plain and jelly blobule h is so attractive to him, but it is her serf's duty to spread at his convenience and he gets irate when she refuses to do so.
Add in stereotypical condescending and against outsiders villagers, a snobbish Lady of the Manor H mother and another pit viper Lady of Another Manor OW and there is not one likable character in this entire book. The H thinks he can't possibly love the h because he loved his frigid Lady of the Manor wife, until she died along with their unborn child.
After various small town incursions and excursions, including the Demon Spawn of Satan skipping school and almost drowning in the local loch-which the H rescued her from, the H convinces the h to let the Demon Spawn go torment the h's mother in law. They also have a big lurve club moment which the H dismisses as animal attraction to a peasant, but he wouldn't mind swiving around in the muck with the little plain Jane h again.
The h, for all her willingness to lay in the gutter for the H, does at least want to be a good mother. (Unfortunately her lack of calcium all her life has made good parenting more a distant dream rather than a reality.) So when the H intervenes and convinces the h to let her daughter go back to London with the mother in law, the h finally shows him to the door and closes the mud pit.
Then of course the Devil Spawn of Satan skips out on her grandmother via some underhanded and dubious means, cause Granny is a martinet and the h is a doormat waiting to be stomped on. The Devil Spawn of Satan insists that the h go and apologize to the H for whatever, so the h dutifully trots off and the H decides that she is the perfect accessory brood mare for a son and heir.
The H does a decent I love you to the h declaration. He is thinking that if the h provides him with a son, he can finally really stick it to his Ice Witch Snob mother and his Ice Witch Jr. sister, (who wants the title and estate for her own son.)
The h is only to happy to throw herself into the muck to be trodden on once again and the Demon Spawn happily continues to spread her misery around. We get a little epilogue where the H gets his heir and the h is delighted to be tromped on for the big HEA.
I had no patience for this sad excuse for a book. At times I felt bad for the h, but really she was a non event in the overall story line. The Demon Spawn is going to be an Evil OW extraordinaire, and as much as I detested her, she probably was the most interesting character in the book. Everyone else should have just descended back to the sub-sewer they slithered out of, as this was not a good experience for an HPlandia outing and probably should be avoided before it bites you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2024
I had no patience for the heroine, a jelly-spined ninny who lets her thirteen year old Demon spawn from hell run circles around her. Puh-leeze.
It isn't even only her daughter who bullies her. This doormat lays down for EVERYBODY: her late husband, her mother-in-law (who tells her outright she should have died instead of her husband), her frienemy, her employers, the hero, the hero's mom (who berates her for inconveniencing her dinner plans due to her daughter almost dying), and....goodness knows how many others, if I had kept turning the pages...
But the straw that broke the camel's back is when she let her traitorous body give in to the nearly stranger hero and her mind wander into jealous speculation over the current woman in his life while her daughter is lying in bed steps from her, nearly dead from hypothermia.
If I can't respect her as a mother, I can't respect her at all so reading the rest of this book is just a waste of time :(
It isn't even only her daughter who bullies her. This doormat lays down for EVERYBODY: her late husband, her mother-in-law (who tells her outright she should have died instead of her husband), her frienemy, her employers, the hero, the hero's mom (who berates her for inconveniencing her dinner plans due to her daughter almost dying), and....goodness knows how many others, if I had kept turning the pages...
But the straw that broke the camel's back is when she let her traitorous body give in to the nearly stranger hero and her mind wander into jealous speculation over the current woman in his life while her daughter is lying in bed steps from her, nearly dead from hypothermia.
If I can't respect her as a mother, I can't respect her at all so reading the rest of this book is just a waste of time :(
September 4, 2017
Why am I compelled to read books that my GR friends say no to?
Not a lot of nice people in this book, and a few laughs might lighten the load as well.
The widowed h saddled with both a MIL and daughter from hell has moved to a small Scottish town mainly to get away from the MIL. She's to be the secretary to an old friend's father. With friends like the h's, who needs viperous Dowager Countesses, snide other women, judgey small town folk.
The hero is an alcoholic brooder motivated by guilt over his dead sexless wife who died in childbirth.
The main theme of the book is that class IS a big issue. I mean big. The heroine has been in town for about 5 minutes when her "friend" warns her off the Laird. They never say Laird unfortunately, but My Lord is thrown around a bit.
Not a lot of nice people in this book, and a few laughs might lighten the load as well.
The widowed h saddled with both a MIL and daughter from hell has moved to a small Scottish town mainly to get away from the MIL. She's to be the secretary to an old friend's father. With friends like the h's, who needs viperous Dowager Countesses, snide other women, judgey small town folk.
The hero is an alcoholic brooder motivated by guilt over his dead sexless wife who died in childbirth.
The main theme of the book is that class IS a big issue. I mean big. The heroine has been in town for about 5 minutes when her "friend" warns her off the Laird. They never say Laird unfortunately, but My Lord is thrown around a bit.
September 3, 2017
3.5 stars would be more appropriate.
The characters were honest, relatable and their relationship was simple and ethical !
Which is a big thing in itself for an Anne Mather story.
Her heroes and heroines almost never have a relationship that isn't forbidden by societal norms.
However, some of her earlier work was less convoluted and I believe this book is one of them.
A young widow, with a 13 year old unruly daughter comes to work in a small Scottish town.
The landlord and boss in town takes a liking for this new mother daughter duo and helps them settle down in their new life. In the process, he discovers simple pleasures of ordinary life. Which are denied to him due to his exalted status in that town.
Both the leads have a history, with their respective spouses having died, after not very happy marriages. But now they find succor in each other.
Its all very well, but the only grudge I have is that the relationship that develops between them is overwhelmingly sexual. Hardly any meeting of minds or personalities is shown.
Even their goal of marrying eventually is only to find pleasure in bed and raise more kids. Somewhat stunted view of life, it appears. But that's that.
Nevertheless, a tale well told.
The characters were honest, relatable and their relationship was simple and ethical !
Which is a big thing in itself for an Anne Mather story.
Her heroes and heroines almost never have a relationship that isn't forbidden by societal norms.
However, some of her earlier work was less convoluted and I believe this book is one of them.
A young widow, with a 13 year old unruly daughter comes to work in a small Scottish town.
The landlord and boss in town takes a liking for this new mother daughter duo and helps them settle down in their new life. In the process, he discovers simple pleasures of ordinary life. Which are denied to him due to his exalted status in that town.
Both the leads have a history, with their respective spouses having died, after not very happy marriages. But now they find succor in each other.
Its all very well, but the only grudge I have is that the relationship that develops between them is overwhelmingly sexual. Hardly any meeting of minds or personalities is shown.
Even their goal of marrying eventually is only to find pleasure in bed and raise more kids. Somewhat stunted view of life, it appears. But that's that.
Nevertheless, a tale well told.
June 21, 2014
nice one!actually better as a saga than a romance! however, i got mad at both rafe and his mother for looking down on isobel! his mother was a big snob! while rafe was not a pompous ass, he wud each time wondered how he cud be attracted to isobel. der was an emphasis on her plainness and he wud even describe her features to give u an idea of it lol;) yet, he was irresistibly drawn to her! looking at the cover, i thought she wud be a sultry blond when she's infact a mousy brown-haired woman. a mouse to be brief! her mother-in-law, her daughter all had the upper hand on her! poor character! this is a sweet read, anyway, about the lord of the manor falling for the hired help!:D
October 9, 2013
Rating: 2.5
Review to come.
Edit: This felt like your standard harliquin but it a more dated modern-day setting. There was a lot of no-no-yes-noing and fighting, and sick teenagers. Also sexy talk about making her pregnant at the end. Yes, that always get's me hot too. lol
There was a rich mother of the hero, who was really snobby and elitist. Along with the heorine's ex mother-in-law. I enjoy reading about rich snobby old ladies. :D
Review to come.
Edit: This felt like your standard harliquin but it a more dated modern-day setting. There was a lot of no-no-yes-noing and fighting, and sick teenagers. Also sexy talk about making her pregnant at the end. Yes, that always get's me hot too. lol
There was a rich mother of the hero, who was really snobby and elitist. Along with the heorine's ex mother-in-law. I enjoy reading about rich snobby old ladies. :D
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 14, 2012
Read in April, 2010.
I can honestly say I don't remember much about this novel, given the fact that I am going back and reviewing all the Anne Mather books I've read. Judging by my rating it was a great novel and I shall have to go back and read it again.
I can honestly say I don't remember much about this novel, given the fact that I am going back and reviewing all the Anne Mather books I've read. Judging by my rating it was a great novel and I shall have to go back and read it again.
October 2, 2020
A good story, likeable hero and heroine, both in their 30s, both widowed. Could have done with being a bit longer so the characters had more interaction between the characters and the ending a little less rushed, otherwise I really enjoyed the story.
May 7, 2016
رواية عبير
في قلبي رغم الجميع
لم احب الرواية وجدتها ممله
في قلبي رغم الجميع
لم احب الرواية وجدتها ممله
Read
October 2, 2025“I get that I’m your wife and the mother of your kid, but I just don’t get why your religion is more important than ~human compassion~. No im not antisemetic, I totally have a ton of Jewish friends, I just don’t get why you’d want me to convert to your religion that’s passed down matrilineally when we plan on having kids”
I can’t root for this protag
I can’t root for this protag
February 3, 2026
I’m going to be the voice of dissent.
The heroine Isobel got orphaned at 19 and soon fell in love with a much older man and got married and had a daughter.
Her husband was kind and affectionate and she was happy. There was an overbearing rich mother in law who felt that heroine must change her religion. Then heroine’s husband died in an accident. Suddenly heroine found herself alone and trying to bring up a wilful and disobedient teenager. Her daughter played truant from school and was also caught sniffing glue.
Isobel’s mother in law was upset all the time (she had lost a son after all) So the mother in law began saying that they should move in with her and the child should go to a school of mother in law’s choice.
Thankfully for Isobel, she met an old school friend, Clare, with whom she had been close. The friend was now married to the younger brother of an earl in Scotland. She invited Isobel to go to the Scottish village where her father was the local doctor.
His secretary had retired and gone away. Isobel could move into her cottage and the job was hers.
Isobel did not commit immediately but on coming home there was another situation with mother in law so she accepted the job.
So two weeks later she and her daughter left for Invercaldy.
They reached Glasgow and at the station a man approached them and said he was there to pick them up.
Isobel was suitably suspicious but then he knew who they were and where they were going. So she accepted that he must be someone from the place sent by Clare.
Later she found that the dark, disturbing man was the Earl himself.
Now. The hero. Rafe. He had made a suitable marriage at his mother’s instigation. He had been in love with his wife Sarah. They were married for eight years. Finally she became pregnant but as is God’s wish at the end of nine months she and the baby died.
Rafe totally went off the rails. He was grief stricken and became an alcoholic. It had been two years. He was still drinking.
His brother was keen to step into his shoes. His sister in law Clare had made a big play for him but after finding him uninterested settled for his younger brother.
Anyway. There was instant attraction between Isobel and Rafe.
Conveniently, Isobel’s daughter Cory left her back pack in Rafe’s car when he dropped them at their new home.
The very next morning he was at Isobel’s cottage to drop it off.
Then he was there again offering her a lift to the market.
The third meeting was when Cory almost drowned. Rafe found her and took her to the castle.
From the beginning there was immense physical attraction between hero and heroine.
They were both surprised to feel this way which hadn’t even been there with their spouses.
Hero in fact was unable to find what the reason was. He just knew he adored her.
From the first he began to take care of her. Sending milk and eggs! Giving her the keys to his SUV. He was sweet to the daughter. Avuncular. The child immediately picked up on fact that he’s attracted to the mother and also claimed him. Basically from the beginning he grew enmeshed in their lives.
Whether it was the eighties or even today class differences exist. The landed gentry are closed and insular and that aspect is shown well.
All the side characters were interesting and well fleshed out.
I liked the fact that the heroine had such a devastating shock .. and yet she started her life afresh and found love once again.
So also the hero. The way he fell for her. In the end he tells her- don’t go away. I couldn’t bear it. If I could just see you even if we weren’t talking it would be bearable.
Yes. There was lust. But also there was love. An immediate recognition and a drawing together of both the sad souls.
I love the story. To me it’s five stars.
Will definitely re-read.
There is nothing smutty and filthy about sex.
You can’t tolerate people lusting for each other. Don’t read romances. Read crime fiction or horror.
The heroine Isobel got orphaned at 19 and soon fell in love with a much older man and got married and had a daughter.
Her husband was kind and affectionate and she was happy. There was an overbearing rich mother in law who felt that heroine must change her religion. Then heroine’s husband died in an accident. Suddenly heroine found herself alone and trying to bring up a wilful and disobedient teenager. Her daughter played truant from school and was also caught sniffing glue.
Isobel’s mother in law was upset all the time (she had lost a son after all) So the mother in law began saying that they should move in with her and the child should go to a school of mother in law’s choice.
Thankfully for Isobel, she met an old school friend, Clare, with whom she had been close. The friend was now married to the younger brother of an earl in Scotland. She invited Isobel to go to the Scottish village where her father was the local doctor.
His secretary had retired and gone away. Isobel could move into her cottage and the job was hers.
Isobel did not commit immediately but on coming home there was another situation with mother in law so she accepted the job.
So two weeks later she and her daughter left for Invercaldy.
They reached Glasgow and at the station a man approached them and said he was there to pick them up.
Isobel was suitably suspicious but then he knew who they were and where they were going. So she accepted that he must be someone from the place sent by Clare.
Later she found that the dark, disturbing man was the Earl himself.
Now. The hero. Rafe. He had made a suitable marriage at his mother’s instigation. He had been in love with his wife Sarah. They were married for eight years. Finally she became pregnant but as is God’s wish at the end of nine months she and the baby died.
Rafe totally went off the rails. He was grief stricken and became an alcoholic. It had been two years. He was still drinking.
His brother was keen to step into his shoes. His sister in law Clare had made a big play for him but after finding him uninterested settled for his younger brother.
Anyway. There was instant attraction between Isobel and Rafe.
Conveniently, Isobel’s daughter Cory left her back pack in Rafe’s car when he dropped them at their new home.
The very next morning he was at Isobel’s cottage to drop it off.
Then he was there again offering her a lift to the market.
The third meeting was when Cory almost drowned. Rafe found her and took her to the castle.
From the beginning there was immense physical attraction between hero and heroine.
They were both surprised to feel this way which hadn’t even been there with their spouses.
Hero in fact was unable to find what the reason was. He just knew he adored her.
From the first he began to take care of her. Sending milk and eggs! Giving her the keys to his SUV. He was sweet to the daughter. Avuncular. The child immediately picked up on fact that he’s attracted to the mother and also claimed him. Basically from the beginning he grew enmeshed in their lives.
Whether it was the eighties or even today class differences exist. The landed gentry are closed and insular and that aspect is shown well.
All the side characters were interesting and well fleshed out.
I liked the fact that the heroine had such a devastating shock .. and yet she started her life afresh and found love once again.
So also the hero. The way he fell for her. In the end he tells her- don’t go away. I couldn’t bear it. If I could just see you even if we weren’t talking it would be bearable.
Yes. There was lust. But also there was love. An immediate recognition and a drawing together of both the sad souls.
I love the story. To me it’s five stars.
Will definitely re-read.
There is nothing smutty and filthy about sex.
You can’t tolerate people lusting for each other. Don’t read romances. Read crime fiction or horror.
Read
June 18, 2018He'd always been a law unto himself. Rafe Lindsay, Earl of Invercaldy, was lord of all he surveyed. But the days when noblemen held the right to seduce any village maiden he fancied were long gone. Not that the message had reached Rafe!
But then Isobel Jacobson was hardly a maiden. She was a widow, struggling to raise an unruly teenage daughter of her own. She was also awoman who longed to feel the passion that intimacy held...
But then Isobel Jacobson was hardly a maiden. She was a widow, struggling to raise an unruly teenage daughter of her own. She was also awoman who longed to feel the passion that intimacy held...
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews