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Relentless Love
After six years her secret was public knowledge, and the one man she had tried to avoid finally knew the truth: Rennie Gilbert, famed children's book author, was Lee Chatham, the wife who had deserted him so long ago.
Price Chatham reeled her back into his life with the passion and rage of a man with a score to settle and ready knowledge of how to bait his prey. There was another man in her life...until Price's cruel kisses rekindled the embers that had never really died. She had thought she wanted a quiet kind of love, but when price took he in his arms, she was lost, and her treacherous heart threatened to give her legal husband and wedded enemy the sweetest vengeance of all...
Price Chatham reeled her back into his life with the passion and rage of a man with a score to settle and ready knowledge of how to bait his prey. There was another man in her life...until Price's cruel kisses rekindled the embers that had never really died. She had thought she wanted a quiet kind of love, but when price took he in his arms, she was lost, and her treacherous heart threatened to give her legal husband and wedded enemy the sweetest vengeance of all...
188 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1982
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 17, 2017
What the f#$%&*@÷/>>:%?
You string me along for 188 pages hoping to clear up the Great, Big, Terrible Misunderstanding that led to the lovers' separation (when wifey found her hubby and another woman quasi-undressed in their bedroom) and then you don't even bother to clear it up except for joking that if she knew how innocent that scene was, she would be laughing it up?
I can't believe I wasted a whole day on this. Hayton Monteith is going on my avoid-forever-list :(
You string me along for 188 pages hoping to clear up the Great, Big, Terrible Misunderstanding that led to the lovers' separation (when wifey found her hubby and another woman quasi-undressed in their bedroom) and then you don't even bother to clear it up except for joking that if she knew how innocent that scene was, she would be laughing it up?
I can't believe I wasted a whole day on this. Hayton Monteith is going on my avoid-forever-list :(
January 24, 2026
It had some good points and some bad points.
First the bad ones. The H admitting he'd had feelings for the h from back when she was 15 years old! This would be okay if he were about 18 or 19 at the time but since he was 27, it's one of those "YECK!" cases! Their fathers were business partners and also good friends, and if the H and h had a big brother/kid sister relationship, then the two of them going sailing while the h was wearing a bikini wouldn't be a big deal, but when they're attracted to each other and end up kissing (!!!) it gives a whole other vibe to the story, and not a good one!! The H should have known better, especially considering he was sophisticated and had a playboy rep, AND would be 30 in a few years! This was no late teens/early 20's guy with little experience, and even that wouldn't be an excuse.
I guess the idea is supposed to be that they're destined soulmates so it's okay, but it's really not, unless she had been three years older.
After that, he decides to keep his distance (he got his northern head working and put his southern one on notice), and instead avoids her when he can and five years later (when her father dies and she stays with his father, who becomes a substitute dad) he acts rude and insulting to her (like when she was upset about her dad and his father gave her a hug to comfort her, the H implies something's going on between them), The h tries to avoid him whenever she can, then all of a sudden they both do an about face and do a lot more than kiss this time! The next thing you know, they're married! It was rushed and ridiculous, and the H's father was right in thinking they should be taking their time and be sure of what they're doing.
Then you get those tropes of the 32-year-old H treating the 20-year-old h like a child, the h resenting it, the h also being insecure, wanting all the H's attention, and getting jealous of other women, the H being patronizing and not listening to her, and then the biggest trope of all: the h thinks she sees the H in a compromising situation with another woman (and considering they were both half undressed, I could understand why), and she doesn't confront them, just leaves without them knowing she was there, then packs up and takes off, leaving a note for the H saying just that it's not working out and don't try to find her.
More bad points: the H, who supposedly wanted to find her, listened to what she said and didn't look for her right away. (WHAT????) It would seem to me if he'd wanted to find her, he'd ignore what she said and start searching ASAP, and with his money/connections, he'd find her pretty quick. But this being LaLa land, of course that doesn't happen.
Five years later, she's a successful children's author, one of her books is being made into a TV show (only in La La land do things happen that fast unless you have friends in high places), she's dating an old boyfriend and thinking about marrying him, and (and here's the biggest bad point of all) she had a five-year-old daughter that she hasn't told the H about!
What really irks me is that, despite how she felt about the H, she supposedly loved her father-in-law, yet she left without explaining why to him, deprived him of his granddaughter for five years, and never once in all that time got in touch with him. True, she couldn't have expected him to keep it a secret from his son that he had a daughter, but it still wasn't right that she cut him out of her life, when he was there for her when her father died and he loved her like she was his own daughter.
Another bad point (yes, there are a lot of them) was the h, who supposedly wanted to be mature, independent, her own person, etc., gets involved with an ultra-conservative, domineering, "my way or the highway" guy who thinks he always knows best, even when it comes to her child! He tells her how to act around the country club set, what to wear to fit in with them, how they'll be living once they get married (how could she even think about getting naked with this jerk???) and worst of all, how she should be raising her own child (according to his ideas, naturally)! Why the heck she put up with him form so long, I'll never know! Unlike the H, who gave her a floodtide of passion, this guy didn't even cause a few drips! What did she plan to do, fake orgasms on her honeymoon???
I was glad when the H was back in her life and he claimed his daughter ASAP, making up for lost time, and letting the OM know she was HIS daughter, despite Mr. Jerk thinking the H should keep out of the little girl's life as much as possible! That guy was just asking for a kick in the balls!
And yet another bad point: despite the guy being such a douche bag, once the H was back in her life and (despite the arguments, snark remarks, and so forth) they soon got physical, this was before she broke her engagement to the OM. She took too much time to do that, even after she knew she'd never marry him. And when she told him, his biggest reaction was to worry about what people would think, that's all he cared about. He got angry, pushed the h away from him, which made her stumble, hit her head and almost get knocked out! When the H learned about this, he paid the guy a visit and belted him one! (Too bad this was just talked about, not seen.) Good for the H!!! (Yes, this was one of the good points in the story!)
BTW: the H admits he slept with other women during their years apart, but I don't think any readers should object to that. Remember, the h walked out on him without explaining, and she was planning on marrying another man, even if all they did was kiss.
You get a lot of time wasted jealousy stuff, with the h jealous of all the women who undress the H with their eyes and seem to be always chasing him, and the H jealous of any man that says two words to the h, let alone flirts with her. (Two guys flirted quite a bit, and I was waiting for the H to treat them the way he did the OM.)
One more bad point: the H never explains what happened between him and the OW, he just tells the h it was all "innocent". It was???? I don't know about that, but if that was the case, why didn't he explain??? For that matter, how come she didn't ask for an explanation???? So DUMB!
Now for the good points (and there aren't as many): the h reluctantly takes part in a fox hunt and saves the fox, even though she disrupts the sport. She hates fox hunting and wishes it would be banned (and so do I)!
And, in contrast to when she walked out on the H, the next time she catches him in a compromising situation, she sticks around, realizes it's the woman's fault (the H kept telling her he wasn't interested, but she wouldn't listen and kept badmouthing the h) and then she confronts the "rhymes with rich" and tells her in no uncertain terms to "GET OUT!" She took the hint and left, but I was hoping the h would have kicked her backside as she headed for the door!
And then, of course, the HEA, but I don't know about these two. I just never felt a love vibe, just a lust one. At least, grandfather and granddaughter finally met, and it was love at first sight for them both, the best relationship in the book (and the best of the good points)!
First the bad ones. The H admitting he'd had feelings for the h from back when she was 15 years old! This would be okay if he were about 18 or 19 at the time but since he was 27, it's one of those "YECK!" cases! Their fathers were business partners and also good friends, and if the H and h had a big brother/kid sister relationship, then the two of them going sailing while the h was wearing a bikini wouldn't be a big deal, but when they're attracted to each other and end up kissing (!!!) it gives a whole other vibe to the story, and not a good one!! The H should have known better, especially considering he was sophisticated and had a playboy rep, AND would be 30 in a few years! This was no late teens/early 20's guy with little experience, and even that wouldn't be an excuse.
I guess the idea is supposed to be that they're destined soulmates so it's okay, but it's really not, unless she had been three years older.
After that, he decides to keep his distance (he got his northern head working and put his southern one on notice), and instead avoids her when he can and five years later (when her father dies and she stays with his father, who becomes a substitute dad) he acts rude and insulting to her (like when she was upset about her dad and his father gave her a hug to comfort her, the H implies something's going on between them), The h tries to avoid him whenever she can, then all of a sudden they both do an about face and do a lot more than kiss this time! The next thing you know, they're married! It was rushed and ridiculous, and the H's father was right in thinking they should be taking their time and be sure of what they're doing.
Then you get those tropes of the 32-year-old H treating the 20-year-old h like a child, the h resenting it, the h also being insecure, wanting all the H's attention, and getting jealous of other women, the H being patronizing and not listening to her, and then the biggest trope of all: the h thinks she sees the H in a compromising situation with another woman (and considering they were both half undressed, I could understand why), and she doesn't confront them, just leaves without them knowing she was there, then packs up and takes off, leaving a note for the H saying just that it's not working out and don't try to find her.
More bad points: the H, who supposedly wanted to find her, listened to what she said and didn't look for her right away. (WHAT????) It would seem to me if he'd wanted to find her, he'd ignore what she said and start searching ASAP, and with his money/connections, he'd find her pretty quick. But this being LaLa land, of course that doesn't happen.
Five years later, she's a successful children's author, one of her books is being made into a TV show (only in La La land do things happen that fast unless you have friends in high places), she's dating an old boyfriend and thinking about marrying him, and (and here's the biggest bad point of all) she had a five-year-old daughter that she hasn't told the H about!
What really irks me is that, despite how she felt about the H, she supposedly loved her father-in-law, yet she left without explaining why to him, deprived him of his granddaughter for five years, and never once in all that time got in touch with him. True, she couldn't have expected him to keep it a secret from his son that he had a daughter, but it still wasn't right that she cut him out of her life, when he was there for her when her father died and he loved her like she was his own daughter.
Another bad point (yes, there are a lot of them) was the h, who supposedly wanted to be mature, independent, her own person, etc., gets involved with an ultra-conservative, domineering, "my way or the highway" guy who thinks he always knows best, even when it comes to her child! He tells her how to act around the country club set, what to wear to fit in with them, how they'll be living once they get married (how could she even think about getting naked with this jerk???) and worst of all, how she should be raising her own child (according to his ideas, naturally)! Why the heck she put up with him form so long, I'll never know! Unlike the H, who gave her a floodtide of passion, this guy didn't even cause a few drips! What did she plan to do, fake orgasms on her honeymoon???
I was glad when the H was back in her life and he claimed his daughter ASAP, making up for lost time, and letting the OM know she was HIS daughter, despite Mr. Jerk thinking the H should keep out of the little girl's life as much as possible! That guy was just asking for a kick in the balls!
And yet another bad point: despite the guy being such a douche bag, once the H was back in her life and (despite the arguments, snark remarks, and so forth) they soon got physical, this was before she broke her engagement to the OM. She took too much time to do that, even after she knew she'd never marry him. And when she told him, his biggest reaction was to worry about what people would think, that's all he cared about. He got angry, pushed the h away from him, which made her stumble, hit her head and almost get knocked out! When the H learned about this, he paid the guy a visit and belted him one! (Too bad this was just talked about, not seen.) Good for the H!!! (Yes, this was one of the good points in the story!)
BTW: the H admits he slept with other women during their years apart, but I don't think any readers should object to that. Remember, the h walked out on him without explaining, and she was planning on marrying another man, even if all they did was kiss.
You get a lot of time wasted jealousy stuff, with the h jealous of all the women who undress the H with their eyes and seem to be always chasing him, and the H jealous of any man that says two words to the h, let alone flirts with her. (Two guys flirted quite a bit, and I was waiting for the H to treat them the way he did the OM.)
One more bad point: the H never explains what happened between him and the OW, he just tells the h it was all "innocent". It was???? I don't know about that, but if that was the case, why didn't he explain??? For that matter, how come she didn't ask for an explanation???? So DUMB!
Now for the good points (and there aren't as many): the h reluctantly takes part in a fox hunt and saves the fox, even though she disrupts the sport. She hates fox hunting and wishes it would be banned (and so do I)!
And, in contrast to when she walked out on the H, the next time she catches him in a compromising situation, she sticks around, realizes it's the woman's fault (the H kept telling her he wasn't interested, but she wouldn't listen and kept badmouthing the h) and then she confronts the "rhymes with rich" and tells her in no uncertain terms to "GET OUT!" She took the hint and left, but I was hoping the h would have kicked her backside as she headed for the door!
And then, of course, the HEA, but I don't know about these two. I just never felt a love vibe, just a lust one. At least, grandfather and granddaughter finally met, and it was love at first sight for them both, the best relationship in the book (and the best of the good points)!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews