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Hollingworth #1
Captives of the Past
Jennet was sure of one thing ...There'd be no welcome for her at Te Puriri Station--especially not from her stepbrother, Rafe Hollingworth. To Rafe she would always be an amoral, scheming troublemaker!Still, she had to try. She just couldn't let her half sister, Melly, marry Derek Compton.Jennet's own marriage to Derek Compton had ended four years earlier--for reasons she'd never disclosed to her family. But now, to save Melly, she'd have to risk her own chance for future happiness. And risk Rafe's continued hatred and contempt. If only she didn't love him....
192 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1986
About the author
Robyn Donald
449 books149 followersRobyn Elaine Donald was born on 14 August 1940 in Northland, New Zealand. She was the oldest child in her family, and as a child, she thrilled her four sisters and one brother with bloodcurdling adventure tales, usually very like the latest book she'd borrowed from the library.
Robyn owes her writing career to two illnesses. The first was a younger sister's flu. She was living with her husband and Robyn and spent most of that winter acquiring, suffering, and recovering from various infections. One day she croaked that she had read everything on Robyn's bookshelves, so would Robyn please buy her something cheerful and sustaining. Robyn found three paperbacks- one Mills and Boon Modern Romance novel and a couple of other romances. Robyn read them, too, of course, and so enjoyed them she spent the next couple of years hunting down more Mills and Boon books. This was much more difficult then than it is today, so she decided to write her own, and for the following busy 10 years she wrote and hoped that one day she would finish a manuscript good enough that was good enough to send to a publisher.
The second illness was her husband's, and it was bad a heart attack. He was so young it terrified them all. While he was recovering, he suggested that Robyn finish the manuscript she was writing and send it off. It wasn't a perfect manuscript, but the doctor had said to humour her husband, so she finished the manuscript, edited it as best she could, and sent it off. Three months later, she was astounded to read a letter from the editor saying that if She made a few revisions they would buy her novel Bride at Whangatapu.
Published since 1977, Robyn sees her readers as intelligent women who insist on accurate backgrounds, so she spends time researching as well as writing.Robyn Donald sometimes thinks that writing is much like gardening. It's a similar process creating landscapes for the mind and emotions from the seeds of ideas and dreams and images. Both activities can also lead to moments of extreme delight, moments of total despair, and backache.Now Robyn lives in the Bay Islands. She continues writing, and also finds time for a very supportive husband, two adult children and their partners, a granddaughter and her mother, not to mention the member of the family that keeps her fit - a loud, cheerful, and ruthlessly determined "almost" Labradordog.
Robyn owes her writing career to two illnesses. The first was a younger sister's flu. She was living with her husband and Robyn and spent most of that winter acquiring, suffering, and recovering from various infections. One day she croaked that she had read everything on Robyn's bookshelves, so would Robyn please buy her something cheerful and sustaining. Robyn found three paperbacks- one Mills and Boon Modern Romance novel and a couple of other romances. Robyn read them, too, of course, and so enjoyed them she spent the next couple of years hunting down more Mills and Boon books. This was much more difficult then than it is today, so she decided to write her own, and for the following busy 10 years she wrote and hoped that one day she would finish a manuscript good enough that was good enough to send to a publisher.
The second illness was her husband's, and it was bad a heart attack. He was so young it terrified them all. While he was recovering, he suggested that Robyn finish the manuscript she was writing and send it off. It wasn't a perfect manuscript, but the doctor had said to humour her husband, so she finished the manuscript, edited it as best she could, and sent it off. Three months later, she was astounded to read a letter from the editor saying that if She made a few revisions they would buy her novel Bride at Whangatapu.
Published since 1977, Robyn sees her readers as intelligent women who insist on accurate backgrounds, so she spends time researching as well as writing.Robyn Donald sometimes thinks that writing is much like gardening. It's a similar process creating landscapes for the mind and emotions from the seeds of ideas and dreams and images. Both activities can also lead to moments of extreme delight, moments of total despair, and backache.Now Robyn lives in the Bay Islands. She continues writing, and also finds time for a very supportive husband, two adult children and their partners, a granddaughter and her mother, not to mention the member of the family that keeps her fit - a loud, cheerful, and ruthlessly determined "almost" Labradordog.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 20, 2018
Anne Mather goes to New Zealand.
Stepbrother/step sister romance. Heroine was scarred for life after hero rejected her when she was 16 and he was 23. She married an abusive man and then divorced him after 8 months. She’s been acting in a soap opera and producing pottery in the big city ever since her divorce.
The story opens when she’s returning to the rural homestead (now owned by the hero) to warn her half sister off from marrying her abusive ex husband. The hero thinks she is a dog in the manger about her ex and doesn’t want her half sister to be happy. Heroine is ashamed she was in an abusive relationship and doesn’t tell him why their mutual half-sister shouldn’t marry her ex.
So there is high tension with the hero kissing the heroine every two minutes and then slut shaming her for her responses. The ex husband is menacing and no one seems to notice. It’s all too connected and weird to be very romantic – but it is interesting.
Hero is a jealous control freak with hang ups a mile long, but heroine is nuts, too – so they’re a matched set.
Rec. for trainwreckiness only.
Stepbrother/step sister romance. Heroine was scarred for life after hero rejected her when she was 16 and he was 23. She married an abusive man and then divorced him after 8 months. She’s been acting in a soap opera and producing pottery in the big city ever since her divorce.
The story opens when she’s returning to the rural homestead (now owned by the hero) to warn her half sister off from marrying her abusive ex husband. The hero thinks she is a dog in the manger about her ex and doesn’t want her half sister to be happy. Heroine is ashamed she was in an abusive relationship and doesn’t tell him why their mutual half-sister shouldn’t marry her ex.
So there is high tension with the hero kissing the heroine every two minutes and then slut shaming her for her responses. The ex husband is menacing and no one seems to notice. It’s all too connected and weird to be very romantic – but it is interesting.
Hero is a jealous control freak with hang ups a mile long, but heroine is nuts, too – so they’re a matched set.
Rec. for trainwreckiness only.
February 8, 2023
**SPOILERS**
#1. Unpredictable dramatic story/chars/romance.
The drama is so OTT that chapter 1 was already brimming with it:
#2. Good emo & S tension/pacing/drama.
#3. Both H&h were flawed characters, whose dysfunctions brought a lot of drama and realism in their romance.
1.) Both masked their true feelings and actions with flippancy/sarcasm/flirtatiousness.
2.) Lots of things including both H&h’s characters were edgy and questionable . I'm still not sure if I really like either of them much.
3.) They both misunderstood each other and kept secrets, making big mistakes as a result (i.e., h married her ex-husband coz she thought H hated her, H left abroad for years after he kissed her when she was 16 to control his feelings for her).
4.) Both played mental-emotional games with each other and sometimes used sexual seduction to get answers from each other or to 1-up each other.
5.) They were better as a couple than they were as flawed individuals.
#4. H was a judgmental jerk who accused h of being a promiscuous and money-grabbing seductress like her mother/his stepmother.
#5. Ending was good since all big secrets were finally revealed and their ILYs finally said. Potential HEA.
Sexual History:
h's stepbrother 31yo H was 23yo h’s 2nd lover. Her only other lover was her ex-husband (who she married 4 years before and who beat her up) partially due to her sexual non-responsiveness with him. Very possible that h may have been raped by her ex-husband since he got off on hurting her, especially since he believed that h had feelings for her stepbrother H. When h left & then divorced her ex-husband, she dated quite a few men but none affected her sexually like H did that only day they kissed when she was 16yo.
31yo H was a known player since he became a teen. Even h’s mom made a few plays towards H but he rejected her advances. Not sure how quick he rejected h’s mom and if it was all the time. When he kissed 16yo h, he was basically cheating on his steady GF at that time with h. He had several GFs but no one he was close to marriage.
#1. Unpredictable dramatic story/chars/romance.
The drama is so OTT that chapter 1 was already brimming with it:
23yo divorced actress h gets an unwelcomed response by her stepbrother 31yo H to her unexpected visit to the family estate the night of his sister’s engagement to h’s ex-husband (whom she left 4 years ago after being only married to him for 8 months). h’s mom divorced her dad and married H’s dad when h was age 2 because h’s mom got pregnant from their secret affair. Thus, h is also a half-sister to H’s half-sister (SIS). When h was 7yo, she realized that their parents and H valued SIS much more than her and that she was just 2ndary to their family. So, h began to mask her true feelings from them since then.
#2. Good emo & S tension/pacing/drama.
#3. Both H&h were flawed characters, whose dysfunctions brought a lot of drama and realism in their romance.
1.) Both masked their true feelings and actions with flippancy/sarcasm/flirtatiousness.
2.) Lots of things including both H&h’s characters were edgy and questionable . I'm still not sure if I really like either of them much.
3.) They both misunderstood each other and kept secrets, making big mistakes as a result (i.e., h married her ex-husband coz she thought H hated her, H left abroad for years after he kissed her when she was 16 to control his feelings for her).
4.) Both played mental-emotional games with each other and sometimes used sexual seduction to get answers from each other or to 1-up each other.
5.) They were better as a couple than they were as flawed individuals.
#4. H was a judgmental jerk who accused h of being a promiscuous and money-grabbing seductress like her mother/his stepmother.
#5. Ending was good since all big secrets were finally revealed and their ILYs finally said. Potential HEA.
Sexual History:
h's stepbrother 31yo H was 23yo h’s 2nd lover. Her only other lover was her ex-husband (who she married 4 years before and who beat her up) partially due to her sexual non-responsiveness with him. Very possible that h may have been raped by her ex-husband since he got off on hurting her, especially since he believed that h had feelings for her stepbrother H. When h left & then divorced her ex-husband, she dated quite a few men but none affected her sexually like H did that only day they kissed when she was 16yo.
31yo H was a known player since he became a teen. Even h’s mom made a few plays towards H but he rejected her advances. Not sure how quick he rejected h’s mom and if it was all the time. When he kissed 16yo h, he was basically cheating on his steady GF at that time with h. He had several GFs but no one he was close to marriage.
March 14, 2018
Re Captives of the Past - There is a lot of debate on this one as the book is actually the prequel to Long Journey Back but is published later. There IS a valid reason for this. If we had gotten COTP first, we would have totally hated Melly (the h's half sister and h of LJB) and would have been hoping for the h of COTP and the H of LJB to get together instead of the nematode slime she winds up with - which is her half sister's half brother.
RD was giving Anne Mather a run for her money on keepin' it in the family on this one. Cause not only do we have the whole half sibling rivalry scenario between the H, h and sister, the sister's eventual H is the cousin of the h's abusive ex and the half sister's new fiance.
The story goes like this, the h returns to her stepbrother's and half sister's home when her narcissistically malicious mum writes her that the half sis is marrying her ex. The h wants to stop the wedding desperately, the ex is an abusive bully and if the ex's cousin (the H of LJB) hadn't rescued her when he did, the ex probably would have beaten the h to death.
This whole family is whacked, but the h is a decent person who got some serious help after her marriage ended and is now a reasonably successful actress and has taken a lot of self defense classes.
The H hates the h and her mother because when HIS mother died, HIS father (the h's stepfather), brought home the h's 19 or 20 year old mum a few short months after his first wife's death. AND the mum was already preggers with the half sister. The H's dad was obsessed with the h's mum and the H did not like it AT ALL.
Supposedly the mum tried it on with him as well, but since this was related to the h during a verbal H abuse session of her character and morals, my thinking was the H thought the mum was hot and wanted to get a leg over and she probably flirted with him (she was that kinda woman,) but kicked him back when he pushed. The H's dad was incapacitated by heart problems at that point, so the H callously remarks that his dad wasn't much use to her mum, but I suspect the mum just wasn't that interested in a 24 yr old spoilt would be stud.
The problem is that we never see the mum's actual role in the preceding years prior to the H's father's death. The H SAYS a lot of things, but it comes across as the rantings of a deprived spoilt child and not actual events.
No one else in the area seems to think the h's mum was having affairs or trying it on with other people and the H himself admits he resents his mum dying and abandoning him. Yet he supposedly adores his half sister. That also is suspect cause he hates the mum and resented how much his father doted upon his second wife.
The h is very neglected growing up, her mum was married to another man when the H's father seduced her and got her up the duff. Apparently the h's father was eager to move on and left the h to her mum while he started a new family and the h's mum did not want the reminder of her first hubby and the H hated her for being there and the half sister was a spoilt brat.
Essentially the h has been part of the family since she was two. The H was 10 at the time they all moved in together and the half sister is supposedly two years younger but that must have been an error cause the mum was preggers with her when they got there. The mum couldn't have been more than 21 or so at the time (if she was really 19 when she moved in and so the age difference between the father and the mum was around 20 or more years but the age difference with the H and the mum was about 8 years - the same difference between the h and H.) Yet when the H's father died when she was 16 or 17, he did not even mention her in the will -though he left a ton of money for everyone else.
The h marries the ex at 18, he thought she had inherited some of the money and plus she is very attractive, just like her mum. When he finds out she is poor and after a really bad first time he becomes increasingly violent until his cousin helps her escape and get a divorce eight months later.
Essentially the h was a bit adrift like most teenagers are, the ex was Prince charming until the marriage and the non inheritance and then he showed his true self. The h was too ashamed to ask for help, not that the H or anyone else in that family would have helped, their callous disregard was made pretty clear. The H refused to even walk the h down the aisle when asked as her only male relative, after 1 punishing kiss he instigated when the h was 16 and he 24, he has treated the h like dirt for almost 20 years.
So the h is at the estate and trying to convince her half sister that the marriage is a bad idear. The half sis, after being told that the h had an affair with the cousin by the H in an effort to break up the half sister and the cousin when they started dating, decides that she wants more sloppy seconds and get's engaged to the ex.
The ex had told the H that he beat the h when he found her in bed with the cousin. The H thought that was perfectly fine and a grand response. He continually threatens the h with rape and abuse throughout the book, he doesn't actually do more than a few punishing kisses tho, I guess even RD has a few limits she just wouldn't cross.
The h decides that she is going to have to get the ex to expose himself, as everyone calls her a liar on NO evidence. She does her best vamp act and finally sets the ex off enough to hit the half sister when SHE gets too close to his cousin. The h jumps in and rescues the half sister and herself by kicking the ex to his knees. The H supposedly had some suspicions, but the h actually saves her sister and her self. All the H does is insult the ex a bit and then whines that he drove him to his death when the ex winds up wrecking his car in the river and drowning.
There is a dreaming seduction scene where the h falls asleep in the H's room, he gets it on with the lurve club and then he confesses he has always been obsessed with her and that is why he has been a toe rag pustule for so long.
He now really loves her and wants her to marry him and the h decides the prickly feeling she gets around him is true lurve no matter how many time he calls her a tart or a prostitute and she will live with him for the HEA. They marry and now it is all roses and glitz and the h doing pottery.
What I liked about this one, beside the sheer ingenuity of the interrelations, was the fact the RD did actually do some research on domestic violence and she did a decent job of conveying that a woman is never responsible for her abuse.
Even when the H tells her she deserved it for the supposed cheating (which never happened, tho I did think the cousin and the h were better matched,) RD has the h refuting that statement pretty firmly.
She also has the ex accuse the h of not loving him because of her repressed desire for the H (which was pretty debatable as the h wasn't really feeling it at 16 or her marriage,) but again RD makes it clear that the ex was responsible for his own actions, - no matter that he probably was raised in a violent home himself - HE was responsible for getting help and getting fixed and since he wouldn't, his death probably saved a few more victims.
She also had the h get some counseling and showed the h standing up to the ex and winning. These were positive messages in a line where violence against women was par for the course and dismissed in past stories and I thought that was pretty brave of RD to go there. Hypocritical, considering some of her back list, but still brave and a good message for young ladies to have.
Now if she would have kept the H's mouth shut a lot more, the book would have been far more believable in the HEA, as it was the ONLY reason I buy the HEA in this one is that the H is obviously head over hills for his h in LJB and having read that book prior to this, I bought the HEA by the end.
So five stars for the underlying stand against domestic violence in a time when the subject was rarely discussed and not really condemned all that much. Five stars for a great h and the cousin (the LJB future H) being willing to step up and help a desperate woman and 1 star for the sister and the H. Cause really, what kind of sister does that and gets herself engaged to her older sister's ex? Not a very nice one and one that appears to be motivated by little more than spite and malice - just like her mother.
So while the h looked like her mum, it appears the half sister had the more negative aspects of the mum's character. Considering the H adored his little sister and hated the h for most of the story, it does make you wonder about what really went on between the H and his stepmum and what is his integrity really like under his surface veneer between his threats of rape and violence against the h and his complete willingness to idolize the half sister?
RD did not redeem this H and the fact that he isn't the knight to rescue the h calls a ton of things into question. Still the writing is riveting and the story is dramatic enough that this one is always entertaining, tho not one I would pull off the shelf too often.
RD was giving Anne Mather a run for her money on keepin' it in the family on this one. Cause not only do we have the whole half sibling rivalry scenario between the H, h and sister, the sister's eventual H is the cousin of the h's abusive ex and the half sister's new fiance.
The story goes like this, the h returns to her stepbrother's and half sister's home when her narcissistically malicious mum writes her that the half sis is marrying her ex. The h wants to stop the wedding desperately, the ex is an abusive bully and if the ex's cousin (the H of LJB) hadn't rescued her when he did, the ex probably would have beaten the h to death.
This whole family is whacked, but the h is a decent person who got some serious help after her marriage ended and is now a reasonably successful actress and has taken a lot of self defense classes.
The H hates the h and her mother because when HIS mother died, HIS father (the h's stepfather), brought home the h's 19 or 20 year old mum a few short months after his first wife's death. AND the mum was already preggers with the half sister. The H's dad was obsessed with the h's mum and the H did not like it AT ALL.
Supposedly the mum tried it on with him as well, but since this was related to the h during a verbal H abuse session of her character and morals, my thinking was the H thought the mum was hot and wanted to get a leg over and she probably flirted with him (she was that kinda woman,) but kicked him back when he pushed. The H's dad was incapacitated by heart problems at that point, so the H callously remarks that his dad wasn't much use to her mum, but I suspect the mum just wasn't that interested in a 24 yr old spoilt would be stud.
The problem is that we never see the mum's actual role in the preceding years prior to the H's father's death. The H SAYS a lot of things, but it comes across as the rantings of a deprived spoilt child and not actual events.
No one else in the area seems to think the h's mum was having affairs or trying it on with other people and the H himself admits he resents his mum dying and abandoning him. Yet he supposedly adores his half sister. That also is suspect cause he hates the mum and resented how much his father doted upon his second wife.
The h is very neglected growing up, her mum was married to another man when the H's father seduced her and got her up the duff. Apparently the h's father was eager to move on and left the h to her mum while he started a new family and the h's mum did not want the reminder of her first hubby and the H hated her for being there and the half sister was a spoilt brat.
Essentially the h has been part of the family since she was two. The H was 10 at the time they all moved in together and the half sister is supposedly two years younger but that must have been an error cause the mum was preggers with her when they got there. The mum couldn't have been more than 21 or so at the time (if she was really 19 when she moved in and so the age difference between the father and the mum was around 20 or more years but the age difference with the H and the mum was about 8 years - the same difference between the h and H.) Yet when the H's father died when she was 16 or 17, he did not even mention her in the will -though he left a ton of money for everyone else.
The h marries the ex at 18, he thought she had inherited some of the money and plus she is very attractive, just like her mum. When he finds out she is poor and after a really bad first time he becomes increasingly violent until his cousin helps her escape and get a divorce eight months later.
Essentially the h was a bit adrift like most teenagers are, the ex was Prince charming until the marriage and the non inheritance and then he showed his true self. The h was too ashamed to ask for help, not that the H or anyone else in that family would have helped, their callous disregard was made pretty clear. The H refused to even walk the h down the aisle when asked as her only male relative, after 1 punishing kiss he instigated when the h was 16 and he 24, he has treated the h like dirt for almost 20 years.
So the h is at the estate and trying to convince her half sister that the marriage is a bad idear. The half sis, after being told that the h had an affair with the cousin by the H in an effort to break up the half sister and the cousin when they started dating, decides that she wants more sloppy seconds and get's engaged to the ex.
The ex had told the H that he beat the h when he found her in bed with the cousin. The H thought that was perfectly fine and a grand response. He continually threatens the h with rape and abuse throughout the book, he doesn't actually do more than a few punishing kisses tho, I guess even RD has a few limits she just wouldn't cross.
The h decides that she is going to have to get the ex to expose himself, as everyone calls her a liar on NO evidence. She does her best vamp act and finally sets the ex off enough to hit the half sister when SHE gets too close to his cousin. The h jumps in and rescues the half sister and herself by kicking the ex to his knees. The H supposedly had some suspicions, but the h actually saves her sister and her self. All the H does is insult the ex a bit and then whines that he drove him to his death when the ex winds up wrecking his car in the river and drowning.
There is a dreaming seduction scene where the h falls asleep in the H's room, he gets it on with the lurve club and then he confesses he has always been obsessed with her and that is why he has been a toe rag pustule for so long.
He now really loves her and wants her to marry him and the h decides the prickly feeling she gets around him is true lurve no matter how many time he calls her a tart or a prostitute and she will live with him for the HEA. They marry and now it is all roses and glitz and the h doing pottery.
What I liked about this one, beside the sheer ingenuity of the interrelations, was the fact the RD did actually do some research on domestic violence and she did a decent job of conveying that a woman is never responsible for her abuse.
Even when the H tells her she deserved it for the supposed cheating (which never happened, tho I did think the cousin and the h were better matched,) RD has the h refuting that statement pretty firmly.
She also has the ex accuse the h of not loving him because of her repressed desire for the H (which was pretty debatable as the h wasn't really feeling it at 16 or her marriage,) but again RD makes it clear that the ex was responsible for his own actions, - no matter that he probably was raised in a violent home himself - HE was responsible for getting help and getting fixed and since he wouldn't, his death probably saved a few more victims.
She also had the h get some counseling and showed the h standing up to the ex and winning. These were positive messages in a line where violence against women was par for the course and dismissed in past stories and I thought that was pretty brave of RD to go there. Hypocritical, considering some of her back list, but still brave and a good message for young ladies to have.
Now if she would have kept the H's mouth shut a lot more, the book would have been far more believable in the HEA, as it was the ONLY reason I buy the HEA in this one is that the H is obviously head over hills for his h in LJB and having read that book prior to this, I bought the HEA by the end.
So five stars for the underlying stand against domestic violence in a time when the subject was rarely discussed and not really condemned all that much. Five stars for a great h and the cousin (the LJB future H) being willing to step up and help a desperate woman and 1 star for the sister and the H. Cause really, what kind of sister does that and gets herself engaged to her older sister's ex? Not a very nice one and one that appears to be motivated by little more than spite and malice - just like her mother.
So while the h looked like her mum, it appears the half sister had the more negative aspects of the mum's character. Considering the H adored his little sister and hated the h for most of the story, it does make you wonder about what really went on between the H and his stepmum and what is his integrity really like under his surface veneer between his threats of rape and violence against the h and his complete willingness to idolize the half sister?
RD did not redeem this H and the fact that he isn't the knight to rescue the h calls a ton of things into question. Still the writing is riveting and the story is dramatic enough that this one is always entertaining, tho not one I would pull off the shelf too often.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2018
Years after she dramatically fled, Jennet the drama queen has returned to the only home she knows – the gracious Northland mansion surrounded by orchards and cows and a stream and nearby access to the sea. Her so-called family hate her! They’ve always hated her! But, she must try to prevent her half-sister Mellie’s engagement to Jennet’s vile ex-husband.
Stepbrother Lyle is first on the scene to inform Jennet that no one wants her around to infect any decent proceedings with her sluttish, whore-ways. She should go back to being a crappy actress on her crappy Australian soap! She should stay away from Mellie the Perfect, who is in love with Ex-Husband the Wonderful! They are going to get married, now that Ex-Husband is final over what Jennet did to him!
Jennet ran away with Ex-Husband’s cousin, the dreamy Trent Addison. Trent Addision is knight-errant for two Donald heroines, and eventually goes on to a romance of his own with Mellie the Perfect, which is a shame. I haven’t read Mellie’s book, compared to Jennet, and later Cathy, she seems boring.
Lyle is fabulously the Worst. He is exactly what you want from a love-to-hate-him Donald hero: judgemental, cruel and impossible. You can guarantee that he’s going to have at least one of those wonderfully perfect Donald scenes where he tells the heroine to spread her legs and stop trying to sell him on her self-serving lies. Sure, he’ll still have sex with her, like she wants. He doesn’t need to respect her to give her multiple orgasms.
What sells me on the Lyles of Donald’s romances is that she manages to pop in a few subtle hints that they will turn out to be the kind of hero who will protect their heroine without suffocating her, and will be her cheer squad fan club when she goes on to save the world’s children (future connected heroine Cathy) or revolutionise some complicated mathematical thing (future less-but-still-slightly connected heroine Alexa) or do nice pottery (future Jennet). And Lyles do the best remorse and poetic expressions of love when they get to the grovel. Go the Lyles! They are mostly sexy while being just despicable, and they clearly suffer terribly for love, and they articulate how perfectly adorable the heroine is about three pages before the end, and it makes it all worthwhile.
Lyle decides to let Jennet stay so he can bully her. Jennet has built herself this sharp, hard persona, but it has cracks. She’s interesting. She has that flair for drama, she’s artistic, and she cares about her family. She’s also cranky and injured, and determined to put things right. There’s an early scene where she struggles to explain why she found living with the blended family so difficult. Her mother, she and Lyle agree, was an awful bitch, which didn’t help matters at all. Diana stole Lyle’s daddy while his mother lay dying, and later made the moves on Lyle when his father lay dying, so she’s gross. She’s living it up comfortably on her ill-gotten widow money, and knows how to push her daughter’s buttons. Jennet looks like Diana so Lyle is convinced they are the same person. Oh Lyle. Plus, Lyle started wanting to touch Jennet’s boobs when she was 16, and he did once, down by the creek, and this is all Jennet’s fault.
Mellie, is of course, Perfect, and Lyle excuses her of any blame for having a cruddy mother. This drove poor Jennet crazy when she was a kid, and she does struggle to explain it once to Lyle, when she relates a moment from her childhood when she came home with pretty cards she’d made at school and he and his dad and her mum were polite about her efforts, and then went super-effusive over little Mellie’s offering. Jennet gets part way through telling this story and realises that it just makes her sound jealous and selfish, so she gives up trying to explain why she was such a cranky child, and it made me feel really sorry for her. But then … she also tells a story about her step-father taking her out to look at the night sky through a telescope, so it sounds like her childhood may not have been completely dire?
What is dire, of course, is the real story behind Jennet’s escape from her marriage. I appreciate that Donald made this nuanced, and that she always takes the time for her heroine to reveal the complicated feelings she has about her past. And I appreciate that the way it all played out provided more opportunities to profoundly and totally hate Lyle.
Jennet’s Ex is a nasty villain, and I choose to believe that’s him on the cover, getting grabby with Jennet and making her look terrified. And I only choose to believe that because I cannot help myself: I like Lyle. I think he’s awful because he can’t cope with how messed up Jennet makes him feel, and I trust Donald when she tries to point out that he’s just not good at coping with feelings, but that he’ll get better, and that under it all he’s a good man and will be a loyal devoted husband. And reliable provider of orgasms.
And I feel kind of bad for giving the Lyles of the romance world a pass because I trust Robyn Donald when she tells me that they all turn out fine. I don’t trust a lot of other authors who try to sell me on this, because objectively: it’s probably not true. Donald performs this voodoo on me where I think her protagonists are smart and introspective and self-aware and therefore can’t be utter cads. I go along with that, despite reading experiences with many smart, introspective and self-aware villains and anti-heroes.
I totally love this book, and think its Donald at her best. I love her, and am mid-binge. I’ve read 12 more of her books between reading ‘Captives of the Past’ and writing this review, and while I’m looking at some of the titles on my list and thinking ‘now what was that one again?’ this one stayed with me.
Stepbrother Lyle is first on the scene to inform Jennet that no one wants her around to infect any decent proceedings with her sluttish, whore-ways. She should go back to being a crappy actress on her crappy Australian soap! She should stay away from Mellie the Perfect, who is in love with Ex-Husband the Wonderful! They are going to get married, now that Ex-Husband is final over what Jennet did to him!
Jennet ran away with Ex-Husband’s cousin, the dreamy Trent Addison. Trent Addision is knight-errant for two Donald heroines, and eventually goes on to a romance of his own with Mellie the Perfect, which is a shame. I haven’t read Mellie’s book, compared to Jennet, and later Cathy, she seems boring.
Lyle is fabulously the Worst. He is exactly what you want from a love-to-hate-him Donald hero: judgemental, cruel and impossible. You can guarantee that he’s going to have at least one of those wonderfully perfect Donald scenes where he tells the heroine to spread her legs and stop trying to sell him on her self-serving lies. Sure, he’ll still have sex with her, like she wants. He doesn’t need to respect her to give her multiple orgasms.
What sells me on the Lyles of Donald’s romances is that she manages to pop in a few subtle hints that they will turn out to be the kind of hero who will protect their heroine without suffocating her, and will be her cheer squad fan club when she goes on to save the world’s children (future connected heroine Cathy) or revolutionise some complicated mathematical thing (future less-but-still-slightly connected heroine Alexa) or do nice pottery (future Jennet). And Lyles do the best remorse and poetic expressions of love when they get to the grovel. Go the Lyles! They are mostly sexy while being just despicable, and they clearly suffer terribly for love, and they articulate how perfectly adorable the heroine is about three pages before the end, and it makes it all worthwhile.
Lyle decides to let Jennet stay so he can bully her. Jennet has built herself this sharp, hard persona, but it has cracks. She’s interesting. She has that flair for drama, she’s artistic, and she cares about her family. She’s also cranky and injured, and determined to put things right. There’s an early scene where she struggles to explain why she found living with the blended family so difficult. Her mother, she and Lyle agree, was an awful bitch, which didn’t help matters at all. Diana stole Lyle’s daddy while his mother lay dying, and later made the moves on Lyle when his father lay dying, so she’s gross. She’s living it up comfortably on her ill-gotten widow money, and knows how to push her daughter’s buttons. Jennet looks like Diana so Lyle is convinced they are the same person. Oh Lyle. Plus, Lyle started wanting to touch Jennet’s boobs when she was 16, and he did once, down by the creek, and this is all Jennet’s fault.
Mellie, is of course, Perfect, and Lyle excuses her of any blame for having a cruddy mother. This drove poor Jennet crazy when she was a kid, and she does struggle to explain it once to Lyle, when she relates a moment from her childhood when she came home with pretty cards she’d made at school and he and his dad and her mum were polite about her efforts, and then went super-effusive over little Mellie’s offering. Jennet gets part way through telling this story and realises that it just makes her sound jealous and selfish, so she gives up trying to explain why she was such a cranky child, and it made me feel really sorry for her. But then … she also tells a story about her step-father taking her out to look at the night sky through a telescope, so it sounds like her childhood may not have been completely dire?
What is dire, of course, is the real story behind Jennet’s escape from her marriage. I appreciate that Donald made this nuanced, and that she always takes the time for her heroine to reveal the complicated feelings she has about her past. And I appreciate that the way it all played out provided more opportunities to profoundly and totally hate Lyle.
Jennet’s Ex is a nasty villain, and I choose to believe that’s him on the cover, getting grabby with Jennet and making her look terrified. And I only choose to believe that because I cannot help myself: I like Lyle. I think he’s awful because he can’t cope with how messed up Jennet makes him feel, and I trust Donald when she tries to point out that he’s just not good at coping with feelings, but that he’ll get better, and that under it all he’s a good man and will be a loyal devoted husband. And reliable provider of orgasms.
And I feel kind of bad for giving the Lyles of the romance world a pass because I trust Robyn Donald when she tells me that they all turn out fine. I don’t trust a lot of other authors who try to sell me on this, because objectively: it’s probably not true. Donald performs this voodoo on me where I think her protagonists are smart and introspective and self-aware and therefore can’t be utter cads. I go along with that, despite reading experiences with many smart, introspective and self-aware villains and anti-heroes.
I totally love this book, and think its Donald at her best. I love her, and am mid-binge. I’ve read 12 more of her books between reading ‘Captives of the Past’ and writing this review, and while I’m looking at some of the titles on my list and thinking ‘now what was that one again?’ this one stayed with me.
July 17, 2014
"Captives of the Past" was one of those nostalgic grabs I made, having remembered this distinctive cover and that it was an angsty read. I do like angsty books, and I like how the old school HPs had a lot of emotional payoff.
Robyn Donald is known for her cruel, jerky heroes, and Rafe is definitely one of them. His treatment towards Jennet was reprehensible throughout the book. Yes, he does apologize and feel genuine remorse at the end, but he didn't quite feel redeemed to me, consider the pain and anguish he put Jennet through and how he turned a blind eye to her legitimate suffering, doing it all out of selfishness because he didn't want to love her or desire her because he resented her mother so much.
Jennet inspired a lot of sympathy in me as I read this book. Her situation was much like being between a rock and a hard place, although part of me wished she never returned to her step-family's cattle station. I understand why she did it, because she was concerned for her sister Melly taking up with her ex-husband, who was abusive, and was more than likely to continue being so, despite any excuses he might make.
It was inexcusable that Rafe would rationalize Jennet's being abused by her husband out of jealousy because Derek claimed it was after she initiated an affair with his cousin. Does that matter?
Rafe comes off as phenomenally self-absorbed, caught up in his unwanted feelings towards Jennet and his rage at his father taking up with Jennet's mother so soon after his own mother died. Funny how he was not angry at Melly existing, considering that Jennet's mother got pregnant with her immediately after taking up with his father. His feelings for Jennet were never rational though. While I like my possessive/jealous heroes, I think Rafe is definitely the dark side of that kind of hero.
This book is full of intense emotions and tackles some serious issues such as spousal abuse. While Rafe's viewpoint about it was ridiculous and reprehensible (even though it was because he was believing lies), I think the author gets points for making it clear that Derek's problems are his own, and that they are not Jennet's fault for not loving or being attracted to him. Regardless of how their marriage started, Derek's responsibility was to love his wife and care for her, and love comes as a result of being loved. Maybe if he had done that, things would have turned out different. Yeah, I know that wasn't likely based on this being a Harlequin Presents romance where Jennet was eternally in love with Rafe, but in real life, things aren't so cut and dried.
Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars.
Robyn Donald is known for her cruel, jerky heroes, and Rafe is definitely one of them. His treatment towards Jennet was reprehensible throughout the book. Yes, he does apologize and feel genuine remorse at the end, but he didn't quite feel redeemed to me, consider the pain and anguish he put Jennet through and how he turned a blind eye to her legitimate suffering, doing it all out of selfishness because he didn't want to love her or desire her because he resented her mother so much.
Jennet inspired a lot of sympathy in me as I read this book. Her situation was much like being between a rock and a hard place, although part of me wished she never returned to her step-family's cattle station. I understand why she did it, because she was concerned for her sister Melly taking up with her ex-husband, who was abusive, and was more than likely to continue being so, despite any excuses he might make.
It was inexcusable that Rafe would rationalize Jennet's being abused by her husband out of jealousy because Derek claimed it was after she initiated an affair with his cousin. Does that matter?
Rafe comes off as phenomenally self-absorbed, caught up in his unwanted feelings towards Jennet and his rage at his father taking up with Jennet's mother so soon after his own mother died. Funny how he was not angry at Melly existing, considering that Jennet's mother got pregnant with her immediately after taking up with his father. His feelings for Jennet were never rational though. While I like my possessive/jealous heroes, I think Rafe is definitely the dark side of that kind of hero.
This book is full of intense emotions and tackles some serious issues such as spousal abuse. While Rafe's viewpoint about it was ridiculous and reprehensible (even though it was because he was believing lies), I think the author gets points for making it clear that Derek's problems are his own, and that they are not Jennet's fault for not loving or being attracted to him. Regardless of how their marriage started, Derek's responsibility was to love his wife and care for her, and love comes as a result of being loved. Maybe if he had done that, things would have turned out different. Yeah, I know that wasn't likely based on this being a Harlequin Presents romance where Jennet was eternally in love with Rafe, but in real life, things aren't so cut and dried.
Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars.
August 19, 2019
There's a whole sub-series that branches off this one book. So if you ever wonder "what happens to...?", check out these stories:
"Long Journey Back" (Harlequin Presents, No 936), featuring the hero's sister, Melly Hollingworth and family friend, Trent Addison, who are featured prominently in this one. Yes, this story was written (or at least released) before "Captives of the Past" - it is a much more enjoyable story (not to mentioned, it makes more sense) to read "Captives of the Past" first, then follow up with "Long Journey Back".
Then enjoy "Love's Reward" (Harlequin Presents, No 1233), featuring Trent's first wife, Cathy Durant, who finally gets her HEA.
And lastly, enjoy "A Bitter Homecoming" (Harlequin Presents, No 1263), featuring Cathy's best friend, Alexa Severn.
"Long Journey Back" (Harlequin Presents, No 936), featuring the hero's sister, Melly Hollingworth and family friend, Trent Addison, who are featured prominently in this one. Yes, this story was written (or at least released) before "Captives of the Past" - it is a much more enjoyable story (not to mentioned, it makes more sense) to read "Captives of the Past" first, then follow up with "Long Journey Back".
Then enjoy "Love's Reward" (Harlequin Presents, No 1233), featuring Trent's first wife, Cathy Durant, who finally gets her HEA.
And lastly, enjoy "A Bitter Homecoming" (Harlequin Presents, No 1263), featuring Cathy's best friend, Alexa Severn.
July 18, 2011
Dislike the hero intensely as he condoned domestic violence. A case in point: Jennet had left Derek as he had been physically abusing her during their marriage. When she later told Rafe about those severe beatings, Rafe said that he knew as Derek had already told him and that she deserved it as she had been cheating during her marriage.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 20, 2021
The h in this story has basically been let down by anyone and everyone that should have loved and cared for her. It is not a huge surprise that she ended up marrying an abusive man at the age of 18 only to leave him(bravo) 8 months later. Now, 4 years later, this om is getting ready to marry her 1/2 sister. The 1/2 sister she shares with her stepbrother, the hero(I use this term loosely)which I often do when reading an RD book.
The stepbrother, Rafe, has a very low opinion of his stepsister, the h, Jennet . He believes her to be a carbon copy of her beautiful mother, who bewitched his father within months of his mother’s death. She left her own husband to be with the H’s father and quickly became pregnant with Melly the 1/2 sister. Basically, since the H is only 9 at that time he has some very kid like feelings to all that is going on. First, stepmom comes in with 2 year old in tow, and relegates the son(who recently lost his mom)to boarding school(while is father meekly sits by and lets it happen). He sees this 2 year old (the h) as competition and as a replacement. So, he is inclined to dislike the h while she is still in nappies. When the 1/2 sister Melly comes along, he is more welcoming of her. Not being the middle child, she is not directly responsible for the defection of the H’s father’s love for him, so he is free to love her. Plus, they share an actual blood connection. So where does that leave our h? Smack dab in the dreaded middle child syndrome with extra demerits because she shares no blood relation with either the H or his dad. So our h tries and tries to get the acceptance and love she desperately needs from those around her by making them cards and gifts etc… At the same time she is jealous of the younger sister. The younger sister gets all the love and attention. As soon as possible the h is sent to boarding school as well. She is also an interloper when she visits bio dad as he has moved on with new kids of his own.
PoorJan I mean Jennet.
It is no wonder that the h sought out an attention seeking profession such as being an actress, or that she married the first man to give her attention at the tender age of 18.
Off topic for a second because I had issues with figuring out the ages/timelines: ..
So the mom was 19(pregnant with Melly the 1/2 sister) and previously married with a daughter (the h) who had to have been 2. Which means that the mom must have been pregnant by age 16. So I am assuming her marriage to the h’s father was more of a shotgun wedding. It is made clear that she doesn’t love the h’s less financially secure father. The H’s father is much more of a catch. Since the H is nine at the time of the stepmom moving in, I would assume his dad is at least early 30’s. However, since he has major heart issues, it makes me think he must be much older than that. (Although younger people can have heart issues) The ages bothered me. I guess I felt everyone should have been a little older for so much to happen. Even the h’s bio dad was married with child quickly after her mom left him. It just makes the h’s plight even worse imo, because she is cast aside while still in diapers!!!
Ok lets fast forward(or go backwards) to when the h was 16 sunbathing in the nude. Now, since she hit puberty she has been having some feelings for the H. He being 7 years older, has a bevy of beauties to squire about town. However, he goes on full alert after spying the nude h through the trees. His first instinct is to insult her. His next instinct is to go for her breasts.(this man is all about the breasts as the book shows in future moments).
He doesn’t stop there and the h has all these feelings coming to light. Both are very close to succumbing to it and the H pulls back. Insults the h and takes off. She doesn’t see him again for 2 years as they both avoid each other. 2 years later he refuses to give her away for her wedding(his father is now dead, leaving nothing to the h but most of the fortune to the stepmom and 1/2 sister) Even the H had to buy the family home(and pays for the h’s wedding as mom is too cheap to do so). She marries Derek. It isn’t good, because she still isn’t over her feelings for the H.
Her marriage being a disaster, she runs away with her husband’s cousin. She files for divorce from her husband. So basically in the H’s eyes she has become a carbon copy of her mom, or in his words a slut. But he does expand his vocabulary to other more colorful words.
Of course as the reader, we know the more cruel he is the more in love he is.
He keeps up these endearments for most of the book. They usually occur after he has either been grabbing or sucking her breasts. It’s like they have their own gravitational pull for the H.
He is very territorial of her and he isn’t going to allow her to break up the 1/2 sister and Derek the ex. She doesn’t tell him why she is trying to break the two up for most of the book. When she does, come clean and tells him that the ex is abusive, he doesn’t believe her. Later the h is crying in her room and the H goes to comfort her. He stays the night(no sex) but is back to slut shaming the next day when he hears her talking to Trent on the phone. With no one to believe her, she puts a plan in action with Trent(who once loved the 1/2 sister) to get the ex to reveal his true colors.
So he ends up revealing his true colors. Melly is safe from future overtures by him. The H realizes that he has been an absolute cad although I don’t feel he groveled enough. He and the rest of the family’s treatment of the h are part of the reason the h found herself in an abusive marriage. She was unable to reach out to any of them, because no one showed her any kindness. Trent, the real hero of the story, rescued her. The H hated Trent and chased him away from the 1/2 sister because he was jealous that he and the h may have been lovers(they weren’t).
After the H takes care of business concerning Derek’s comeuppance(oh and he gets a comeuppance) he comes back home to find the h sleeping in one of his bedroom chairs. She thinks she is dreaming as she feels someone carry her to bed. She tells the H she loves him in her dreamlike state and he reciprocates. Finally, she awakens for the ultimate love fest.
He has been in love with her for years. (Totally his fault for not being nicer to the h, she would have waited for him had she known she had 1/2 a chance to change his mind about her) In fact he was so torn up he got drunk in his bedroom the night she married. They end the story with the 2 married. She plans on taking up her love of pottery and he built her a kiln. This is good, because his possessiveness of the h would make it difficult for her to have a job where she traveled much. The biggest problem facing the H in the future is when the has children. I doubt he will be happy sharing the breasts with even his progeny.
Melly and Trent get their own story, which occurs 3 years after this one. (I guess it was written before this book though). I am not super pumped about Melly’s story, but I am looking forward to seeing how Rafe and Jennet are getting along. Long Journey Back
The stepbrother, Rafe, has a very low opinion of his stepsister, the h, Jennet . He believes her to be a carbon copy of her beautiful mother, who bewitched his father within months of his mother’s death. She left her own husband to be with the H’s father and quickly became pregnant with Melly the 1/2 sister. Basically, since the H is only 9 at that time he has some very kid like feelings to all that is going on. First, stepmom comes in with 2 year old in tow, and relegates the son(who recently lost his mom)to boarding school(while is father meekly sits by and lets it happen). He sees this 2 year old (the h) as competition and as a replacement. So, he is inclined to dislike the h while she is still in nappies. When the 1/2 sister Melly comes along, he is more welcoming of her. Not being the middle child, she is not directly responsible for the defection of the H’s father’s love for him, so he is free to love her. Plus, they share an actual blood connection. So where does that leave our h? Smack dab in the dreaded middle child syndrome with extra demerits because she shares no blood relation with either the H or his dad. So our h tries and tries to get the acceptance and love she desperately needs from those around her by making them cards and gifts etc… At the same time she is jealous of the younger sister. The younger sister gets all the love and attention. As soon as possible the h is sent to boarding school as well. She is also an interloper when she visits bio dad as he has moved on with new kids of his own.
Poor
It is no wonder that the h sought out an attention seeking profession such as being an actress, or that she married the first man to give her attention at the tender age of 18.
Off topic for a second because I had issues with figuring out the ages/timelines: ..
So the mom was 19(pregnant with Melly the 1/2 sister) and previously married with a daughter (the h) who had to have been 2. Which means that the mom must have been pregnant by age 16. So I am assuming her marriage to the h’s father was more of a shotgun wedding. It is made clear that she doesn’t love the h’s less financially secure father. The H’s father is much more of a catch. Since the H is nine at the time of the stepmom moving in, I would assume his dad is at least early 30’s. However, since he has major heart issues, it makes me think he must be much older than that. (Although younger people can have heart issues) The ages bothered me. I guess I felt everyone should have been a little older for so much to happen. Even the h’s bio dad was married with child quickly after her mom left him. It just makes the h’s plight even worse imo, because she is cast aside while still in diapers!!!
Ok lets fast forward(or go backwards) to when the h was 16 sunbathing in the nude. Now, since she hit puberty she has been having some feelings for the H. He being 7 years older, has a bevy of beauties to squire about town. However, he goes on full alert after spying the nude h through the trees. His first instinct is to insult her. His next instinct is to go for her breasts.(this man is all about the breasts as the book shows in future moments).
He doesn’t stop there and the h has all these feelings coming to light. Both are very close to succumbing to it and the H pulls back. Insults the h and takes off. She doesn’t see him again for 2 years as they both avoid each other. 2 years later he refuses to give her away for her wedding(his father is now dead, leaving nothing to the h but most of the fortune to the stepmom and 1/2 sister) Even the H had to buy the family home(and pays for the h’s wedding as mom is too cheap to do so). She marries Derek. It isn’t good, because she still isn’t over her feelings for the H.
Her marriage being a disaster, she runs away with her husband’s cousin. She files for divorce from her husband. So basically in the H’s eyes she has become a carbon copy of her mom, or in his words a slut. But he does expand his vocabulary to other more colorful words.
Of course as the reader, we know the more cruel he is the more in love he is.
He keeps up these endearments for most of the book. They usually occur after he has either been grabbing or sucking her breasts. It’s like they have their own gravitational pull for the H.
He is very territorial of her and he isn’t going to allow her to break up the 1/2 sister and Derek the ex. She doesn’t tell him why she is trying to break the two up for most of the book. When she does, come clean and tells him that the ex is abusive, he doesn’t believe her. Later the h is crying in her room and the H goes to comfort her. He stays the night(no sex) but is back to slut shaming the next day when he hears her talking to Trent on the phone. With no one to believe her, she puts a plan in action with Trent(who once loved the 1/2 sister) to get the ex to reveal his true colors.
So he ends up revealing his true colors. Melly is safe from future overtures by him. The H realizes that he has been an absolute cad although I don’t feel he groveled enough. He and the rest of the family’s treatment of the h are part of the reason the h found herself in an abusive marriage. She was unable to reach out to any of them, because no one showed her any kindness. Trent, the real hero of the story, rescued her. The H hated Trent and chased him away from the 1/2 sister because he was jealous that he and the h may have been lovers(they weren’t).
After the H takes care of business concerning Derek’s comeuppance(oh and he gets a comeuppance) he comes back home to find the h sleeping in one of his bedroom chairs. She thinks she is dreaming as she feels someone carry her to bed. She tells the H she loves him in her dreamlike state and he reciprocates. Finally, she awakens for the ultimate love fest.
He has been in love with her for years. (Totally his fault for not being nicer to the h, she would have waited for him had she known she had 1/2 a chance to change his mind about her) In fact he was so torn up he got drunk in his bedroom the night she married. They end the story with the 2 married. She plans on taking up her love of pottery and he built her a kiln. This is good, because his possessiveness of the h would make it difficult for her to have a job where she traveled much. The biggest problem facing the H in the future is when the has children. I doubt he will be happy sharing the breasts with even his progeny.
Melly and Trent get their own story, which occurs 3 years after this one. (I guess it was written before this book though). I am not super pumped about Melly’s story, but I am looking forward to seeing how Rafe and Jennet are getting along. Long Journey Back
August 23, 2020
Question: why(in romance books) do heroine's only love the guys that HATE them? What is that about? I don't understand how that is swoon worthy 'your a slut', 'you bitch'. I don't CARE what the hero thinks the heroine has done, how is that something women should try to love someone out of? I don't get it. Anyway.
I liked our heroine...even though not a single other character in the entire book does(until the last little bit). Everyone treats her like shit. EVERYONE! And everyone is okay with that. Did the half-sister ever wake the hell up and make up for how she treated her? I mean jeez. The one draw back to her is she is way too understanding to her abuser/the other characters who mistreat her. Honey, you are a masochist and that's unhealthy. What did this hero do to deserve this heroine? What?! Cause I'm glad she helped her half-sister avoid a horrible marriage to someone horrible. But WHAT did HE do that we can all think 'hmm you know, glad they got together, they will work well together, and make each other happy'. He is just a huge prick. 'why did you marry the other guy? waahh'...you lead the heroine on then rejected her and never spoke to her for like 2 years, she moved on. Why should she punished for that? He claims in the end(after it is proved the heroine was abused) he always loved her...yeah I don't believe you. She was a battered spouse, she confided to you later and you claimed 'you deserved it for sleeping around'....wow...great. Just awful. He didn't love the heroine. He did pay for her wedding(which the heroine would never have allowed if she had known) and that pretty dark but there is nothing in this character that makes me think he should be forgiven and get the girl...or ANY girl for that matter. If you like scary train wrecks that have no bases in the real world, read it. If not, skip.
I liked our heroine...even though not a single other character in the entire book does(until the last little bit). Everyone treats her like shit. EVERYONE! And everyone is okay with that. Did the half-sister ever wake the hell up and make up for how she treated her? I mean jeez. The one draw back to her is she is way too understanding to her abuser/the other characters who mistreat her. Honey, you are a masochist and that's unhealthy. What did this hero do to deserve this heroine? What?! Cause I'm glad she helped her half-sister avoid a horrible marriage to someone horrible. But WHAT did HE do that we can all think 'hmm you know, glad they got together, they will work well together, and make each other happy'. He is just a huge prick. 'why did you marry the other guy? waahh'...you lead the heroine on then rejected her and never spoke to her for like 2 years, she moved on. Why should she punished for that? He claims in the end(after it is proved the heroine was abused) he always loved her...yeah I don't believe you. She was a battered spouse, she confided to you later and you claimed 'you deserved it for sleeping around'....wow...great. Just awful. He didn't love the heroine. He did pay for her wedding(which the heroine would never have allowed if she had known) and that pretty dark but there is nothing in this character that makes me think he should be forgiven and get the girl...or ANY girl for that matter. If you like scary train wrecks that have no bases in the real world, read it. If not, skip.
June 2, 2020
Jennet grew up something of an outcast at Te Puriri station, the daughter of a hated and selfish step-mother who had no time for Jennet...nor did the rest of the family, especially her big crush, step-brother, Rafe Hollingworth. He briefly seduced her with his kisses, awakened her passion and then cruelly rejected her, insisting she was exactly like her slutty mother. Jennet went on to marry Derek, who abused her horribly before she escaped with his cousin - but now everyone believes she just abandoned her marriage for a hot affair and left behind a despondent Derek - they have no idea of the abuse she endured. Then, Jennet learns that Derek is to marry her half-sister, Melly, and knowing the abuse will continue, returns to Te Puriri to try to stop the marriage. Rafe is certainly not happy to see Jennet, suspicious to what she's up to, slut-shaming her at every turn and trying to seduce her so he can finally get her out of his system and prove to himself that she's every bit the cold-hearted slut he's always believed her to be (just like her mother). Jennet, for her part, still loves Rafe, despite his verbal smackdowns and cruel behavior. She's convinced she'll never be able to win Rafe's love (though she's willing to try), but she can do what 's right and save Melly from an abusive marriage.
This was pretty whacktastic. I really did like the heroine. She has some of her mopey moments recalling how terrible things were for her as a child and how awful Rafe and her mother treated her, but it's balanced by a bit of snark and an ability to suck it up to hide her pain and avoid giving these sharks any scent of blood. She'd much rather they believe the worst of her than to show them how much they've hurt her. And she throws out some pretty good lines...even if the hero does constantly get the last word. She also does have a bit of a problem with going to goo whenever the hero touches her, but she's able to come out of it at crucial moments. And here, I really appreciated that they didn't actually consummate their relationship until after the truth has been revealed and Rafe is no longer being an asshole. And believe me, Rafe is an asshole in this story. I also pretty much adored that she laid a huge smackdown on her ex-husband after she caught him beating up on Melly and the fact that she took the higher ground most of the story and kept asking him to get help. This was an admirable heroine.
Rafe, Rafe, Rafe. What can I say? What on Earth did the heroine find lovable about him? He largely ignored her growing up, until he realized she had a figure and then blamed her for his temptation, calling her a slut, just like her mother. He's really big on slut-shaming Jennet's mother, whom she resembles, so therefore, Jennet is also a slut. He accuses her of all manner of malicious behaviors, refuses to believe her about her abuse (since he claims she would have come to him if it were true) and believes she's been sleeping around indiscriminately ever since her marriage. And he is always disdainful towards her and it shows. I got absolutely no impression that he had any soft feelings for her...which evidently he does because after he learns she's been telling the truth the whole time, he admits that he'd loved her all along and just didn't want to. I didn't really buy his whole switch over and more than likely, the two of them were just feeling the lust, not love. But I did like the fact that he does feel quite a bit of remorse for being a blind, prejudiced fool towards the heroine and he apologizes pretty nicely. He doesn't grovel or atone in any way, but he at least acknowledges that he was an ass. For me, doesn't quite excuse the degree of his behavior, but it's a nice attempt.
So this was a fun ride, which I was able to stick with despite my dislike for the hero. This is kinda train-wrecky in its ability to do that. He was just so awful and she was just so likeable that I couldn't help myself. Can't wait to read Melly's story now...
This was pretty whacktastic. I really did like the heroine. She has some of her mopey moments recalling how terrible things were for her as a child and how awful Rafe and her mother treated her, but it's balanced by a bit of snark and an ability to suck it up to hide her pain and avoid giving these sharks any scent of blood. She'd much rather they believe the worst of her than to show them how much they've hurt her. And she throws out some pretty good lines...even if the hero does constantly get the last word. She also does have a bit of a problem with going to goo whenever the hero touches her, but she's able to come out of it at crucial moments. And here, I really appreciated that they didn't actually consummate their relationship until after the truth has been revealed and Rafe is no longer being an asshole. And believe me, Rafe is an asshole in this story. I also pretty much adored that she laid a huge smackdown on her ex-husband after she caught him beating up on Melly and the fact that she took the higher ground most of the story and kept asking him to get help. This was an admirable heroine.
Rafe, Rafe, Rafe. What can I say? What on Earth did the heroine find lovable about him? He largely ignored her growing up, until he realized she had a figure and then blamed her for his temptation, calling her a slut, just like her mother. He's really big on slut-shaming Jennet's mother, whom she resembles, so therefore, Jennet is also a slut. He accuses her of all manner of malicious behaviors, refuses to believe her about her abuse (since he claims she would have come to him if it were true) and believes she's been sleeping around indiscriminately ever since her marriage. And he is always disdainful towards her and it shows. I got absolutely no impression that he had any soft feelings for her...which evidently he does because after he learns she's been telling the truth the whole time, he admits that he'd loved her all along and just didn't want to. I didn't really buy his whole switch over and more than likely, the two of them were just feeling the lust, not love. But I did like the fact that he does feel quite a bit of remorse for being a blind, prejudiced fool towards the heroine and he apologizes pretty nicely. He doesn't grovel or atone in any way, but he at least acknowledges that he was an ass. For me, doesn't quite excuse the degree of his behavior, but it's a nice attempt.
So this was a fun ride, which I was able to stick with despite my dislike for the hero. This is kinda train-wrecky in its ability to do that. He was just so awful and she was just so likeable that I couldn't help myself. Can't wait to read Melly's story now...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 12, 2025
Talk about flawed characters! Although I must say, it mad for entertaining reading, despite some unpleasant subject matter. Reading this book (and its companion novel, "Long Journey Back"), I'm more than convinced that back in the 80's, Ms. Donald was an avid fan of nighttime soaps, because I swear, I could hear the theme songs of "Dynasty", "Falcon Crest". "Dallas", and any others I might have missed echoing in the background. This book would have made a great TV movie, with a few changes here and there.
But the people themselves left a lot to be desired! The unseen characters were the worst! You've got the H's late father, a man whose late wife was barely buried when he got the hots for a sexy teenage gold-digger and let her lead him around by his middle-aged penis, until he was wimpy simpy putty in her hands. Given a choice between her and his son, the kid lost! He paid scant attention to his stepdaughter and reserved his love for the daughter he had with his sexy young wife. he almost cheated his son out of his inheritance and left nothing in his will to his stepdaughter, despite her being only two when he married her mother, and being virtually ignored by her father.
Then there's the h's mother (also unseen, though talked about enough), who was a sexy teenage siren who apparently got married barely out of high school, then dumped her hubby (the h's father) for a wealthy, middle-aged man (the H's father) who was hot for her while she was hot for his money. She was self-centered, greedy, materialistic, and found motherhood to be a bore (except for a smidgeon of affection for her youngest daughter), then an inconvenience, when her eldest daughter started growing up, with looks to match her own, a younger face and body, and too much potential competition! It seems Mommy had the hots for her young stepson and sensed his interest in her daughter that he tried to hide, and realizing it was mutual (this family's surname should have been Incest) she contrived to get the h married off ASAP, as in getting rid of the competition. When she got nowhere with the H, she gladly moved on to a younger hubby after the H's dad croaked (not soon enough for her)!
What a piece of work! The h's father (also unseen) wasn't any better. He apparently didn't mind his wife dumping him and taking their toddler with her, and he preferred to think the h didn't exist, especially after he remarried and started another family, which he made clear did NOT include her.
Now, for the supporting characters! There's the OM, who's not only the h's ex-husband, but her sister's fiancée! (More incest vibes!) He's also a psycho, sadistic, manipulative creep, who used the h as a punching bag because she was guilty of not having the money he thought she had and of not really loving him. as with most sociopaths, he was able to manipulate people and situations to suit his purpose, and he did an excellent job of that, as he got both the h's half-sister and stepbrother to believe him, that he was the wronged husband and she the cheating wife, who ran off with his cousin. It was four years before the whole truth came out, and under very sketchy circumstances!
This guy acts so incredibly HORRIBLE in one of his final scenes, but rest assured, he gets his comeuppance!
Ironically, the cousin the h was supposed to have had an affair with was the guy her sister had been dating, until her brother discovered his identity (how, it's never explained, but you assume the OM told him) and broke that romance up. (They become the H and h in the companion novel.)
The h's sister comes across better in the other book; in this one, she's too judgmental with her sister, doesn't even ask to hear her side of the story, just assumes the OM was the wronged party and deserves all her sympathy. Right away, she assumes the h returns for her wedding to cause trouble, that she maybe wants the OM back (HAH!!!) and won't listen to anything she has to say.
It's ridiculous that she fell for everything the OM said hook, line and sinker and completely turned against her sister, just like she thought the worst of her former boyfriend (the H in the other book) on the words of her brother. She was too easily led and too quick to jump to wrong conclusions.
Now for the H! He was handsome, sexy, strong, powerful, rich, intelligent, and other things a woman looks for, but also judgmental, arrogant, quick tempered, and with a giant chip on his shoulder from childhood resentments that didn't go away. He hated his stepmother (with good reason) and because the h looked so much like her (gorgeous and sexy) he assumed she was just like her. (He couldn't be more wrong.) When she was 16, her childhood crush on him (boarding schools for both of them kept them from seeing a lot of each other) turned to love (though she wasn't fully aware of it) and at 23, he had feelings for her he knew were wrong, and after a situation got out of hand (involving making out and some fondling), he made her feel cheap, saying she was no different than her mother, when meanwhile he was the adult who almost seduced a teenager, and he also had a girlfriend at the time!!
After that, he saw to it that they hardly saw each other for the next several years, until her return for the wedding. He had girlfriends and affairs, but couldn't forget the h, and all his hostility was repressed desire, not to mention love! Like his sister, he won't give her the benefit of the doubt, or a chance to explain. Several times she tried, but he'd cut her off. He'd alternate between making nasty remarks about her morals (or lack of them) and coming on to her, then telling her to leave, then trying to seduce her, then rejecting her. At one point, he was holding her in his arms when things got rough and she needed comfort, then the next thing you know, he's calling her a scheming bitch, slut, and other insults when he hears her on the phone with the OM's cousin, not bothering to find out the reason! She tried to tell him about the beatings, but when the OM beat her to it and spun the truth, he believed him, instead!!! He didn't even bother to hear her version of the story, which would have been the true one! And yet he later claimed how much he loved her! It's hard for that to ring true, especially after he was still suspicious about her and the cousin, even after knowing what really happened. (Do I sense major trust issues????)
As for the h, she was the best of the lot, though she had a few flaws. She allowed herself to be talked into marrying the OM when she was only 18, knowing she didn't love him, and then took his abuse for eight months (which included hurting her so badly on their wedding night that she fainted) because she let him convince her that she was cold and frigid and deserved his wrath (!!!!), and also because she had repressed feelings for her stepbrother! Her guilt about these feelings made her believe for a time that she deserved this abuse, until the truth about his only marrying her for the money he thought she'd inherit, and the violence escalating, caused her to finally make the break.
Sad to say, she felt so little connection to anyone in her family that she felt she couldn't turn to them. She rarely saw them after her marriage and not at all after she left her husband, which made them believe the rumors about her. It was for this reason that she didn't interfere when the OM started dating her sister. It's never explained how that got started, I'm guessing they felt like kindred spirits: he played the abandoned husband, and she was still hurting over her ex (his cousin). It was rebound for her, for him it was finding out that - unlike the h - she really was inheriting a lot of money. The h knew nothing she'd say would be listened to, but when she learned they were getting married, she knew it was time to interfere.
Having become a popular actress (how she went from abused wife to nighttime soap star in a few short years was never explained, nor how she managed to have time to get an artistic career in pottery designing started), she used her skills to play the flirt, acting like she had something up her sleeve, perhaps to win back her ex from her sister???? This was part of her scheme to make the OM think so and throw him off guard, hopefully make her sister see who he really was. If necessary, she'd goad him into violence, if that's what it took. It was interesting to watch her work on him, and the way his veneer of self-confidence and power began to crumble. (The violence, when it came, was directed at her sister, and that was really awful, but it did the trick!)
There was a lot of back-and-forth between the H and h, flirting, desire, anger, hurtful remarks, snarky comments, witty repartee, and enough to hold your interest, but after a time you kind of wanted to shake them both! (Especially when he comments on all the lovers she must have had, being in show business, when the only man she slept with was her husband, and their sex life was a disaster. After she left him, she dated but never got physical beyond maybe some kisses.) What's worse, was that he admitted he'd fallen for her back when she was 16 and couldn't handle it, so he deliberately hurt and insulted her, covering his guilt. If he had just told her the truth, they could have waited and in two years she'd have been 18 (he'd be 25) and they could have got married, saving everyone a heck of a lot of trouble!
They had so many issues, all stemming from their childhood, that they should have both gotten some therapy before their HEA. (She only saw a psychiatrist to get advice about her sister and the OM, apparently not when she could have really used it. Go figure!)
BTW: they both suffered from what many people would say "Big Deal!" to: amazingly good looks, that could be a two-edged sword. They were both hot and sexy without effort, and didn't ask for attention, but they both sure got it, and learned a painful lesson about human nature: how shallow it can be! Too many men were after her body, and too many women wanted his, as well as his money! While those men just wanted her in their bed, the women wanted him for a husband, but he was smart (and cynical) enough to know that without his money/social connections, they'd skip the wedding and just hit the sheets!
Sad to say, when he asked her opinion, she said he could lose it all and she'd still care, but he didn't seem to take her seriously.
Entertaining, frustrating and very soapy!
But the people themselves left a lot to be desired! The unseen characters were the worst! You've got the H's late father, a man whose late wife was barely buried when he got the hots for a sexy teenage gold-digger and let her lead him around by his middle-aged penis, until he was wimpy simpy putty in her hands. Given a choice between her and his son, the kid lost! He paid scant attention to his stepdaughter and reserved his love for the daughter he had with his sexy young wife. he almost cheated his son out of his inheritance and left nothing in his will to his stepdaughter, despite her being only two when he married her mother, and being virtually ignored by her father.
Then there's the h's mother (also unseen, though talked about enough), who was a sexy teenage siren who apparently got married barely out of high school, then dumped her hubby (the h's father) for a wealthy, middle-aged man (the H's father) who was hot for her while she was hot for his money. She was self-centered, greedy, materialistic, and found motherhood to be a bore (except for a smidgeon of affection for her youngest daughter), then an inconvenience, when her eldest daughter started growing up, with looks to match her own, a younger face and body, and too much potential competition! It seems Mommy had the hots for her young stepson and sensed his interest in her daughter that he tried to hide, and realizing it was mutual (this family's surname should have been Incest) she contrived to get the h married off ASAP, as in getting rid of the competition. When she got nowhere with the H, she gladly moved on to a younger hubby after the H's dad croaked (not soon enough for her)!
What a piece of work! The h's father (also unseen) wasn't any better. He apparently didn't mind his wife dumping him and taking their toddler with her, and he preferred to think the h didn't exist, especially after he remarried and started another family, which he made clear did NOT include her.
Now, for the supporting characters! There's the OM, who's not only the h's ex-husband, but her sister's fiancée! (More incest vibes!) He's also a psycho, sadistic, manipulative creep, who used the h as a punching bag because she was guilty of not having the money he thought she had and of not really loving him. as with most sociopaths, he was able to manipulate people and situations to suit his purpose, and he did an excellent job of that, as he got both the h's half-sister and stepbrother to believe him, that he was the wronged husband and she the cheating wife, who ran off with his cousin. It was four years before the whole truth came out, and under very sketchy circumstances!
This guy acts so incredibly HORRIBLE in one of his final scenes, but rest assured, he gets his comeuppance!
Ironically, the cousin the h was supposed to have had an affair with was the guy her sister had been dating, until her brother discovered his identity (how, it's never explained, but you assume the OM told him) and broke that romance up. (They become the H and h in the companion novel.)
The h's sister comes across better in the other book; in this one, she's too judgmental with her sister, doesn't even ask to hear her side of the story, just assumes the OM was the wronged party and deserves all her sympathy. Right away, she assumes the h returns for her wedding to cause trouble, that she maybe wants the OM back (HAH!!!) and won't listen to anything she has to say.
It's ridiculous that she fell for everything the OM said hook, line and sinker and completely turned against her sister, just like she thought the worst of her former boyfriend (the H in the other book) on the words of her brother. She was too easily led and too quick to jump to wrong conclusions.
Now for the H! He was handsome, sexy, strong, powerful, rich, intelligent, and other things a woman looks for, but also judgmental, arrogant, quick tempered, and with a giant chip on his shoulder from childhood resentments that didn't go away. He hated his stepmother (with good reason) and because the h looked so much like her (gorgeous and sexy) he assumed she was just like her. (He couldn't be more wrong.) When she was 16, her childhood crush on him (boarding schools for both of them kept them from seeing a lot of each other) turned to love (though she wasn't fully aware of it) and at 23, he had feelings for her he knew were wrong, and after a situation got out of hand (involving making out and some fondling), he made her feel cheap, saying she was no different than her mother, when meanwhile he was the adult who almost seduced a teenager, and he also had a girlfriend at the time!!
After that, he saw to it that they hardly saw each other for the next several years, until her return for the wedding. He had girlfriends and affairs, but couldn't forget the h, and all his hostility was repressed desire, not to mention love! Like his sister, he won't give her the benefit of the doubt, or a chance to explain. Several times she tried, but he'd cut her off. He'd alternate between making nasty remarks about her morals (or lack of them) and coming on to her, then telling her to leave, then trying to seduce her, then rejecting her. At one point, he was holding her in his arms when things got rough and she needed comfort, then the next thing you know, he's calling her a scheming bitch, slut, and other insults when he hears her on the phone with the OM's cousin, not bothering to find out the reason! She tried to tell him about the beatings, but when the OM beat her to it and spun the truth, he believed him, instead!!! He didn't even bother to hear her version of the story, which would have been the true one! And yet he later claimed how much he loved her! It's hard for that to ring true, especially after he was still suspicious about her and the cousin, even after knowing what really happened. (Do I sense major trust issues????)
As for the h, she was the best of the lot, though she had a few flaws. She allowed herself to be talked into marrying the OM when she was only 18, knowing she didn't love him, and then took his abuse for eight months (which included hurting her so badly on their wedding night that she fainted) because she let him convince her that she was cold and frigid and deserved his wrath (!!!!), and also because she had repressed feelings for her stepbrother! Her guilt about these feelings made her believe for a time that she deserved this abuse, until the truth about his only marrying her for the money he thought she'd inherit, and the violence escalating, caused her to finally make the break.
Sad to say, she felt so little connection to anyone in her family that she felt she couldn't turn to them. She rarely saw them after her marriage and not at all after she left her husband, which made them believe the rumors about her. It was for this reason that she didn't interfere when the OM started dating her sister. It's never explained how that got started, I'm guessing they felt like kindred spirits: he played the abandoned husband, and she was still hurting over her ex (his cousin). It was rebound for her, for him it was finding out that - unlike the h - she really was inheriting a lot of money. The h knew nothing she'd say would be listened to, but when she learned they were getting married, she knew it was time to interfere.
Having become a popular actress (how she went from abused wife to nighttime soap star in a few short years was never explained, nor how she managed to have time to get an artistic career in pottery designing started), she used her skills to play the flirt, acting like she had something up her sleeve, perhaps to win back her ex from her sister???? This was part of her scheme to make the OM think so and throw him off guard, hopefully make her sister see who he really was. If necessary, she'd goad him into violence, if that's what it took. It was interesting to watch her work on him, and the way his veneer of self-confidence and power began to crumble. (The violence, when it came, was directed at her sister, and that was really awful, but it did the trick!)
There was a lot of back-and-forth between the H and h, flirting, desire, anger, hurtful remarks, snarky comments, witty repartee, and enough to hold your interest, but after a time you kind of wanted to shake them both! (Especially when he comments on all the lovers she must have had, being in show business, when the only man she slept with was her husband, and their sex life was a disaster. After she left him, she dated but never got physical beyond maybe some kisses.) What's worse, was that he admitted he'd fallen for her back when she was 16 and couldn't handle it, so he deliberately hurt and insulted her, covering his guilt. If he had just told her the truth, they could have waited and in two years she'd have been 18 (he'd be 25) and they could have got married, saving everyone a heck of a lot of trouble!
They had so many issues, all stemming from their childhood, that they should have both gotten some therapy before their HEA. (She only saw a psychiatrist to get advice about her sister and the OM, apparently not when she could have really used it. Go figure!)
BTW: they both suffered from what many people would say "Big Deal!" to: amazingly good looks, that could be a two-edged sword. They were both hot and sexy without effort, and didn't ask for attention, but they both sure got it, and learned a painful lesson about human nature: how shallow it can be! Too many men were after her body, and too many women wanted his, as well as his money! While those men just wanted her in their bed, the women wanted him for a husband, but he was smart (and cynical) enough to know that without his money/social connections, they'd skip the wedding and just hit the sheets!
Sad to say, when he asked her opinion, she said he could lose it all and she'd still care, but he didn't seem to take her seriously.
Entertaining, frustrating and very soapy!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 4, 2019
All her heroes are cruel, but the biggest problem is that love is a mind altering drug. Women stop to think because of hormones. 😕
Plus the men do the cruelest things and never grovel.
Plus the men do the cruelest things and never grovel.
June 5, 2018
" Your opinion means nothing to me.."
Jennet's voice was indifferent.
"Do you think I don't know that?" Rafe leaned over her, his harshly chiseled features bleak. "You hate me- and fear me- because I'm one of the few men who can see right through you to the mean little soul inside.
He meant every word, yet there was something else behind the controlled distaste, something just as potent.
"Yes," he continued savagely as he sat down beside her on the lounger "There's lust. too- and you feel it Justas I do.
"No," she protested, even while her body melted.
Only this man, she thought bemusedly, It had never been like this with Derek, not with anyone.
What was between them was love. Passion and hatred and suspicion and love. She should have realized it sooner.
Jennet's voice was indifferent.
"Do you think I don't know that?" Rafe leaned over her, his harshly chiseled features bleak. "You hate me- and fear me- because I'm one of the few men who can see right through you to the mean little soul inside.
He meant every word, yet there was something else behind the controlled distaste, something just as potent.
"Yes," he continued savagely as he sat down beside her on the lounger "There's lust. too- and you feel it Justas I do.
"No," she protested, even while her body melted.
Only this man, she thought bemusedly, It had never been like this with Derek, not with anyone.
What was between them was love. Passion and hatred and suspicion and love. She should have realized it sooner.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 6, 2021
Jennet knows that returning home after all this time she will not be welcomed. But she needs to talk to someone before her ex husband marries again. Secrets need to come out. But will her step brother believe what she has to say? All evidence is against her. But to save Melly she will reveal all if necessary. Rafe has not been able to forgive her for marring another. This has triggers in the story. If abuse is one of these for you beware. I have read this several times and enjoyed how she was able to overcome her past to free another from the same fate.
November 21, 2017
I liked the story line but how many times does someone have to call someone a slut or whore or call them stupid or a bitch. I cringed every time. Personally I thought she would've backed away from him. Yes she wanted to help her sister but............. I came to the conclusion, at the end of the story, that he was trying to protect himself and by saying those things he was pushing her away. But still his attitude was not nice at all. Three stars because I thought the story was good.
April 23, 2024
"Captives of the Past" is the story of Jennet and Rafe.
Heroine returns home after years to prevent her half sister from marrying her abusive ex. Instead she is verbally and/or physically assaulted by almost every male and her previous abuse is mocked, while the abuser gets away with stuff in 90% of book.
Terrible.
Unsafe
1/5
Heroine returns home after years to prevent her half sister from marrying her abusive ex. Instead she is verbally and/or physically assaulted by almost every male and her previous abuse is mocked, while the abuser gets away with stuff in 90% of book.
Terrible.
Unsafe
1/5
September 4, 2020
I didn't like the hero and heroine sister.Not going to continue with the series as the hero was very cruel to the heroine till the last pages of book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2022
I liked the h and her ex's cousin, didn't like the other characters and the plot was silly, but this is still compelling.
Read
August 11, 2025Can't remember really
September 8, 2024
I AM in the mood for hq right now and this one was exactly the sort of crazy, off kilter, crazy, dramatic soap opera I was in the mood for. Except that I prefer my heroes to be bloodthirstier. It was very anticlimactic when all he did was to goad the evil wife beating ex husband of the heroine. And for her to worry about the toe rag ex dying! Are people truly like this I wonder? If someone systematically beat the hell out of me, going so far as to nearly beat me to death, I’d want them beaten soundly back. Surely everyone would?
November 23, 2014
This was a very emotional read.
There was not one person in Jennets entire life who loved or cared about her.
Rafe(the stepbrother/h) was pleased that her husband was hitting her, he thought she deserved it!
There was not one person in Jennets entire life who loved or cared about her.
Rafe(the stepbrother/h) was pleased that her husband was hitting her, he thought she deserved it!
May 23, 2012
i really like this story... :) nice ♥
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