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No Reprieve
Seven faced a real problem
It didn't really matter to the quiet librarian that her Aunt Jane had become Madame Zoe, medium and spiritualist. Nor that she often enlisted Seven's aid.
But that was before Jake Jackson's mother wanted Madame Zoe to trace her missing grandchild. Jake, editor and owner of a crusading newspaper, wanted no part in their plan.
Seven knew that any future she dreamed of with Jake was in jeopardy. Trying to extricate Aunt Jane while maintaining her own anonymity was going to be next to impossible. Especially when this forceful abrasive man turned up at every corner...
It didn't really matter to the quiet librarian that her Aunt Jane had become Madame Zoe, medium and spiritualist. Nor that she often enlisted Seven's aid.
But that was before Jake Jackson's mother wanted Madame Zoe to trace her missing grandchild. Jake, editor and owner of a crusading newspaper, wanted no part in their plan.
Seven knew that any future she dreamed of with Jake was in jeopardy. Trying to extricate Aunt Jane while maintaining her own anonymity was going to be next to impossible. Especially when this forceful abrasive man turned up at every corner...
187 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
1 person is currently reading
82 people want to read
About the author
Susan Napier
141 books153 followersPerhaps being born on Valentine’s Day was an omen that Susan Napier would become a romance writer. This New Zealand author has written over 30 Mills & Boon category romances since 1984. Napier and her husband Tony Potter met when they both worked at the Auckland Star newspaper. After they married, she left the newspaper to work for a film company where she learned the art of dialogue. After the birth of her sons, Simon and Ben, she was a freelance scriptwriter for documentaries. It was soon after that she decided to try her hand at writing the romance fiction she dearly loved.
She and her husband still live in the home they bought in Auckland shortly after their marriage.
She and her husband still live in the home they bought in Auckland shortly after their marriage.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 18, 2017
Re No Reprieve - Susan Napier dips onto the psychic plane in this one with an h who is literally called 'Mouse" and an H who is, in the h's words "a citizen of Sleazeville" as he runs a notorious scandal-mongering, muck-raking newspaper.
This seems like it should be a very fun book, and to be fair the humor is great in this one. The H and h chemistry is very well done and both characters are very strong. But there is a very, very dark theme under all of this and it is one that I have a hard time doing an adequate spoilerization for because I am so morally outraged by the outcome. I will tolerate a lot in HPlandia, but this outcome I just couldn't come to terms with.
The book opens with the H storming into the quiet, introverted librarian h's home that she shares with her aunt. Her elderly aunt has a little side business of being a psychic and does tea readings and palmistry for various acquaintances. The h considers her aunt's eccentricities harmless fun and thinks it is good that her elderly aunt is getting a bit of spirit in her old age.
The h loves her aunt. When she and her twin sister were orphaned as children, her spinster aunt took them in and raised them with love and kindness. The h's parents were circus people and the h and her twin are genuinely psychic and used to do demonstrations as part of their parent's circus act. A fire swept through their caravan one night and the h and her sister were rescued but the parents did not survive.
The h, who finds it easier to pick on negative emotions as opposed to positive ones, gradually grew more and more introverted and reclusive. She is a librarian, but she doesn't watch tv, she doesn't read the news and she doesn't follow local events. She tries to distance herself from everyday life as much as possible because otherwise she gets overwhelmed with the miserable situations that happen to people and all that pain and sorrow and hurt is really wearing on her psyche.
The H on the other hand, is a born muckraker. However, part of his journalistic muckraking drive comes from having his daughter kidnapped when she was a toddler. The H and his daughter's mother had a brief fling, she got preggers and wasn't interested in motherhood so she left and the H kept his daughter and dearly loved her. A woman who had recently lost her own child took the H's daughter (this is revealed over the course of the story,) and she and her husband escaped from New Zealand to Australia.
The H has spent many tormented years trying to find his little girl, and as a journalist he is all too aware of the harsh realities of what happens to kidnapped children. He storms the h's home because the h's aunt has been charging the H's mother - who is just as tormented as the H by the loss of her grandchild- to do psychic readings on the premise that she can locate the little girl.
The aunt has no psychic abilities, but the h does and the h got a feeling that the little girl was safe when she saw a picture of the child in an old newspaper. The h did not really read the article, she just saw the headline and saw the picture and knew the girl was okay.
However the aunt seems to be determined to continue the charade with the H's mother, but she is using the h's skills in lieu of her lack. The h is against this, she really gets angry. But her aunt just keeps pushing things and eventually this leads to closer involvement with the H - even tho he is beyond skeptical and the h is very aware of how harsh and critical other's can be about her talent. The h is getting more and more impressions of the H's daughter and in the process she is getting closer and closer to the H. He likes her back and eventually they become lovers.
The H's mother then has a spell and ends in hospital and the h gets one of her feelings. The h finds the little girl on the children's ward of the hospital and tells the H. The h and H talk their way onto the children's ward and his daughter is there. But she thinks she was adopted, her 'mother' -really the lady who kidnapped her- lost her husband after they had been wandering around Australia for a bit.
They were in a remote mining region and the 'mother' was taken in by the little girl's adopted parents. The kidnapper soon realized that she preferred her freedom to having a child to care for and since the couple that took them in were desperate for a child, the kidnapper left the little girl with them. To their credit, they love the little girl and they took exceptional care of her and even the kidnapper did her best to make sure the girl was safe and loved.
The kidnapper eventually drowned in an accident and then the little girl got meningitis when her adoptive parents moved back to New Zealand, this led to the hospital stay and discovery by the h and H. The H visits every day and finally tells the adoptive parents that they have his child. Here is where I lose the plot and wind up smashing the book against the wall.
The adoptive parents knew there was something off about the whole situation, so they never formally or legally adopted the little girl. When the H explains that they have his child, the mother gets belligerent and demands that the H give up his daughter. This was all highly dramatic but I felt the woman should have been brained with a skillet.
Irregardless of how much they loved the little girl, they KNEW something was wrong and they did NOTHING about it. That in my world view completely disqualifies you from being a parent - period. You STOLE someone else's baby and then throw a fit when that parent, who has been through YEARS of torment and anguish, wants his child back. If you do that, you don't deserve sewer slurping status, let alone parenthood.
The little girl is six at this point, so the H caves, he allows the parasite slime swillers to adopt his child, as long as she knows he is her father and he can set up a trust fund for her. The h, having helped the H through what has easily been the most horrific experience of his life when he gives up all rights to his child, feels like her presence and her psychic abilities will only serve as a harsh reminder of all the H had to endure only to have it end in pain. She leaves the H and goes off on her own, alone and miserable because she really loves the H.
The h's twin sister, who is a very free spirit and roaming the world, calls the H and tells the H that the h is somewhere connected to Anthony Perkins in the north and that the h needs the H desperately. The H does some journalistic snooping and finds the h at the Bates motel - there were several sly Psycho references in there too, which was good cause light relief was definitely needed at that point.
The H and h finally talk about the major events and the H is just happy that his daughter is safe, has a family and that he can be in her life too. He loves the h, doesn't mind her psychic abilities because it reunited him with his daughter and he is marrying the h asap, before any other poaching male tries to find out that there is a lion under the h's mouse exterior.
We get a little epilogue where the H and h have their own child, the H retired from muckraking news and now writes novels, his first daughter is visiting while her parents are on holiday and the H is gradually learning to cope with fear of being separated from his daughter with the h, whose uncomfortable psychic visions have decreased in frequency. The h's aunt and the H's mum are very best friends and everyone is happy and together for the HEA.
This is an excellently written book. The interactions between the H and h are fantastic. I just couldn't handle the outcome for the H's daughter or the callous lack of empathy the adoptive sewer sludge had for a man who has his child ripped away from him through no fault of his own. This book made me deeply uneasy and that is really because of my own personal ethics and POV. So my tirade shouldn't discourage anyone from trying this one.
It is an unusual HP, the h and H are fabulous in their character growth and the story is very compelling. Give this one a try if the truly different kind of HPlandia outing appeals, I don't think anyone will be sorry if they do.
This seems like it should be a very fun book, and to be fair the humor is great in this one. The H and h chemistry is very well done and both characters are very strong. But there is a very, very dark theme under all of this and it is one that I have a hard time doing an adequate spoilerization for because I am so morally outraged by the outcome. I will tolerate a lot in HPlandia, but this outcome I just couldn't come to terms with.
The book opens with the H storming into the quiet, introverted librarian h's home that she shares with her aunt. Her elderly aunt has a little side business of being a psychic and does tea readings and palmistry for various acquaintances. The h considers her aunt's eccentricities harmless fun and thinks it is good that her elderly aunt is getting a bit of spirit in her old age.
The h loves her aunt. When she and her twin sister were orphaned as children, her spinster aunt took them in and raised them with love and kindness. The h's parents were circus people and the h and her twin are genuinely psychic and used to do demonstrations as part of their parent's circus act. A fire swept through their caravan one night and the h and her sister were rescued but the parents did not survive.
The h, who finds it easier to pick on negative emotions as opposed to positive ones, gradually grew more and more introverted and reclusive. She is a librarian, but she doesn't watch tv, she doesn't read the news and she doesn't follow local events. She tries to distance herself from everyday life as much as possible because otherwise she gets overwhelmed with the miserable situations that happen to people and all that pain and sorrow and hurt is really wearing on her psyche.
The H on the other hand, is a born muckraker. However, part of his journalistic muckraking drive comes from having his daughter kidnapped when she was a toddler. The H and his daughter's mother had a brief fling, she got preggers and wasn't interested in motherhood so she left and the H kept his daughter and dearly loved her. A woman who had recently lost her own child took the H's daughter (this is revealed over the course of the story,) and she and her husband escaped from New Zealand to Australia.
The H has spent many tormented years trying to find his little girl, and as a journalist he is all too aware of the harsh realities of what happens to kidnapped children. He storms the h's home because the h's aunt has been charging the H's mother - who is just as tormented as the H by the loss of her grandchild- to do psychic readings on the premise that she can locate the little girl.
The aunt has no psychic abilities, but the h does and the h got a feeling that the little girl was safe when she saw a picture of the child in an old newspaper. The h did not really read the article, she just saw the headline and saw the picture and knew the girl was okay.
However the aunt seems to be determined to continue the charade with the H's mother, but she is using the h's skills in lieu of her lack. The h is against this, she really gets angry. But her aunt just keeps pushing things and eventually this leads to closer involvement with the H - even tho he is beyond skeptical and the h is very aware of how harsh and critical other's can be about her talent. The h is getting more and more impressions of the H's daughter and in the process she is getting closer and closer to the H. He likes her back and eventually they become lovers.
The H's mother then has a spell and ends in hospital and the h gets one of her feelings. The h finds the little girl on the children's ward of the hospital and tells the H. The h and H talk their way onto the children's ward and his daughter is there. But she thinks she was adopted, her 'mother' -really the lady who kidnapped her- lost her husband after they had been wandering around Australia for a bit.
They were in a remote mining region and the 'mother' was taken in by the little girl's adopted parents. The kidnapper soon realized that she preferred her freedom to having a child to care for and since the couple that took them in were desperate for a child, the kidnapper left the little girl with them. To their credit, they love the little girl and they took exceptional care of her and even the kidnapper did her best to make sure the girl was safe and loved.
The kidnapper eventually drowned in an accident and then the little girl got meningitis when her adoptive parents moved back to New Zealand, this led to the hospital stay and discovery by the h and H. The H visits every day and finally tells the adoptive parents that they have his child. Here is where I lose the plot and wind up smashing the book against the wall.
The adoptive parents knew there was something off about the whole situation, so they never formally or legally adopted the little girl. When the H explains that they have his child, the mother gets belligerent and demands that the H give up his daughter. This was all highly dramatic but I felt the woman should have been brained with a skillet.
Irregardless of how much they loved the little girl, they KNEW something was wrong and they did NOTHING about it. That in my world view completely disqualifies you from being a parent - period. You STOLE someone else's baby and then throw a fit when that parent, who has been through YEARS of torment and anguish, wants his child back. If you do that, you don't deserve sewer slurping status, let alone parenthood.
The little girl is six at this point, so the H caves, he allows the parasite slime swillers to adopt his child, as long as she knows he is her father and he can set up a trust fund for her. The h, having helped the H through what has easily been the most horrific experience of his life when he gives up all rights to his child, feels like her presence and her psychic abilities will only serve as a harsh reminder of all the H had to endure only to have it end in pain. She leaves the H and goes off on her own, alone and miserable because she really loves the H.
The h's twin sister, who is a very free spirit and roaming the world, calls the H and tells the H that the h is somewhere connected to Anthony Perkins in the north and that the h needs the H desperately. The H does some journalistic snooping and finds the h at the Bates motel - there were several sly Psycho references in there too, which was good cause light relief was definitely needed at that point.
The H and h finally talk about the major events and the H is just happy that his daughter is safe, has a family and that he can be in her life too. He loves the h, doesn't mind her psychic abilities because it reunited him with his daughter and he is marrying the h asap, before any other poaching male tries to find out that there is a lion under the h's mouse exterior.
We get a little epilogue where the H and h have their own child, the H retired from muckraking news and now writes novels, his first daughter is visiting while her parents are on holiday and the H is gradually learning to cope with fear of being separated from his daughter with the h, whose uncomfortable psychic visions have decreased in frequency. The h's aunt and the H's mum are very best friends and everyone is happy and together for the HEA.
This is an excellently written book. The interactions between the H and h are fantastic. I just couldn't handle the outcome for the H's daughter or the callous lack of empathy the adoptive sewer sludge had for a man who has his child ripped away from him through no fault of his own. This book made me deeply uneasy and that is really because of my own personal ethics and POV. So my tirade shouldn't discourage anyone from trying this one.
It is an unusual HP, the h and H are fabulous in their character growth and the story is very compelling. Give this one a try if the truly different kind of HPlandia outing appeals, I don't think anyone will be sorry if they do.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 13, 2019
"No Reprieve" is the story of Seven and Jake.
What a lovely book!
The story of a shy, curvy librarian with secrets, and her "psychic aunt"; meets a shrewd journalist hero and his mother, who are searching for his long lost daughter.
There is instant chemistry, cynicism, heartbreak, longing and drama- all to culminate in an explosive coupling, a bittersweet ending and a HEA with an adorable epilogue.
I loved the fragile yet strong heroine and the broken but determined hero. They both had loads of troubles in their relationship, but ultimately were made for each other. I could not help but cry at the hero's helplessness, or his longing, but I am SO GLAD everything worked out in the end.
Amazing read!
Safe
5/5
What a lovely book!
The story of a shy, curvy librarian with secrets, and her "psychic aunt"; meets a shrewd journalist hero and his mother, who are searching for his long lost daughter.
There is instant chemistry, cynicism, heartbreak, longing and drama- all to culminate in an explosive coupling, a bittersweet ending and a HEA with an adorable epilogue.
I loved the fragile yet strong heroine and the broken but determined hero. They both had loads of troubles in their relationship, but ultimately were made for each other. I could not help but cry at the hero's helplessness, or his longing, but I am SO GLAD everything worked out in the end.
Amazing read!
Safe
5/5
August 31, 2021
Not funny as usual but interesting!
May 11, 2012
Fun little HP. The heroine is an ex circus performer and the hero is the owner/editor of a sleazy tabloid. He as also a big bully to the heroine. I mean really a bully. He did see the error of his ways and change for her though. She was psychic and was reluctantly roped in to help find his kidnapped daughter by his mother. He himself didn't believe in psychics of course. Well written and pretty well plotted.
November 25, 2020
Published in 1991 from Harlequin, No Reprieve by Susan Napier is a delightful and quirky read for the most part. With a psychic heroine who is a librarian, and a cynic of a hero who is a journalist specializing in exposés, needless to say the fireworks are a given when these two clash.
26 year old Seven Selkirkik is confronted by the indomitable 36 year old Jake Jackson in her home, when he turns up to warn her off on pretending to be able to help grieving families and fleecing them for what they are worth, plying them with false hopes. In a case of mistaken identity which Seven takes advantage of, she lets Jake believe what he may, until she is drawn into finding Jake’s long lost daughter.
Jake does not know what to do with Seven and how she makes him feel. Its exasperation, desire, and a sense of discomposure that he feels, even when all the facets of her character continues to draw him to her. Jake is a skeptic through and through, wary of the charlatans and false messiahs of the world who take advantage of the emotionally vulnerable. The question remains then, how will these ever reconcile their differences long enough to understand what their love is worth?
I loved the two main protagonists and the secondary characters. Seven, who strives and craves for normalcy when she is far from being average and normal, having chosen the staid profession of being a librarian just so she could remain sequestered in her little corner of the world. She craves stability, never having had that in her childhood up to a point.
While Jake is driven and dynamic in a way that is the complete antithesis of Seven, the fire that is between them is too strong to deny. Jake who should rightfully be turning away from a woman like Seven finds himself inexorably drawn towards her until they reach a point of no return.
No Reprieve reminded me of one my favorites from Linda Howard, Cry No More, a book that I re-read from time to time. No Reprieve presents the loss of a child from the perspective of the hero and has to come to terms with what he should do when the time comes to take that painful decision.
I loved the ending and the fact that Jake went after Seven when all was said and done. I loved how the reluctant psychic manages to chip away at the brittle walls surrounding the heart of the cynical and jaded hero, who believes love and loving only makes one vulnerable to loss. I also loved the epilogue and I delighted in seeing the changes in both Seven and Jake, with the family getting along marvelously.
Recommended for those who love a good category romance you can sink your teeth into. Ms. Napier certainly delivers!
Final Verdict: Combining emotionally gripping scenes with the sensually tender, No Reprieve is a story meant to draw the reader in for an unforgettable ride!
Rating = 4.25/5
For more reviews and quotes, please visit A Maldivian's Passion for Romance
26 year old Seven Selkirkik is confronted by the indomitable 36 year old Jake Jackson in her home, when he turns up to warn her off on pretending to be able to help grieving families and fleecing them for what they are worth, plying them with false hopes. In a case of mistaken identity which Seven takes advantage of, she lets Jake believe what he may, until she is drawn into finding Jake’s long lost daughter.
Jake does not know what to do with Seven and how she makes him feel. Its exasperation, desire, and a sense of discomposure that he feels, even when all the facets of her character continues to draw him to her. Jake is a skeptic through and through, wary of the charlatans and false messiahs of the world who take advantage of the emotionally vulnerable. The question remains then, how will these ever reconcile their differences long enough to understand what their love is worth?
I loved the two main protagonists and the secondary characters. Seven, who strives and craves for normalcy when she is far from being average and normal, having chosen the staid profession of being a librarian just so she could remain sequestered in her little corner of the world. She craves stability, never having had that in her childhood up to a point.
While Jake is driven and dynamic in a way that is the complete antithesis of Seven, the fire that is between them is too strong to deny. Jake who should rightfully be turning away from a woman like Seven finds himself inexorably drawn towards her until they reach a point of no return.
No Reprieve reminded me of one my favorites from Linda Howard, Cry No More, a book that I re-read from time to time. No Reprieve presents the loss of a child from the perspective of the hero and has to come to terms with what he should do when the time comes to take that painful decision.
I loved the ending and the fact that Jake went after Seven when all was said and done. I loved how the reluctant psychic manages to chip away at the brittle walls surrounding the heart of the cynical and jaded hero, who believes love and loving only makes one vulnerable to loss. I also loved the epilogue and I delighted in seeing the changes in both Seven and Jake, with the family getting along marvelously.
Recommended for those who love a good category romance you can sink your teeth into. Ms. Napier certainly delivers!
Final Verdict: Combining emotionally gripping scenes with the sensually tender, No Reprieve is a story meant to draw the reader in for an unforgettable ride!
Rating = 4.25/5
For more reviews and quotes, please visit A Maldivian's Passion for Romance
August 9, 2014
3 stars. The premise was very cool. An HP with a supernatural aspect. I had never run across that before. Everything was in place to make it a nice angsty read, but it just fell a bit short. I can't put my finger on why I didn't like it more, but everything felt a bit distant and I never made a real connection to either of the main characters. The H's decision to allow his daughter to stay with her adopted family came too easy.
October 11, 2021
Triggers for child abduction
This was a really compelling, extremely well written story. I came to it with a healthy dose of scepticism since paranormal stuff always seems hokey to me, but even that part of the story was sufficiently riveting that I wasn't scoffing.
However, it was almost unbearably painful at times regarding the issue of the kidnapped child. I have read other HP's with the same theme without being affected, but this one just triggered me so much I had to skim parts of it. It was excruciating to witness the unending torture of the parent (hero) whose child had been taken years ago. The anguish was raw and heartrending. My children have never been in such danger but I guess it tapped into my darkest fears of a parent to read about it.
The romance was a five star. Hard-bitten, abrasive, cynical tabloid editor meets buttoned-up, prim librarian. Somehow she cuts through his pain to get through to soft heart of him and changes him, while she goes on her own journey out of repression. Both of them help the other come out of darkness into light. It was a rather wonderful, delicious romance.
This was a really compelling, extremely well written story. I came to it with a healthy dose of scepticism since paranormal stuff always seems hokey to me, but even that part of the story was sufficiently riveting that I wasn't scoffing.
However, it was almost unbearably painful at times regarding the issue of the kidnapped child. I have read other HP's with the same theme without being affected, but this one just triggered me so much I had to skim parts of it. It was excruciating to witness the unending torture of the parent (hero) whose child had been taken years ago. The anguish was raw and heartrending. My children have never been in such danger but I guess it tapped into my darkest fears of a parent to read about it.
The romance was a five star. Hard-bitten, abrasive, cynical tabloid editor meets buttoned-up, prim librarian. Somehow she cuts through his pain to get through to soft heart of him and changes him, while she goes on her own journey out of repression. Both of them help the other come out of darkness into light. It was a rather wonderful, delicious romance.
February 4, 2015
I loved it. :)
The h is a librarian who lives with her elderly aunt and had psychic dreams. The H is a sarcastic brooding newspaper owner whos young daughter was kidnapped 6 years ago. They come together when the crazy aunt contacts the H mother and hints that she may be able to help find the missing girl.
It was wonderful. Really. The h is "mousy" and reserved and very sterotypical of a "librarian" on the outside, buts she's also strong willed and determined and I adored how she was able to stand up to the H and match him hit for hit. The H is heartbroken over the loss of his child, especially since hes in the news business, he has a terrible understanding of why a pretty little girl would be snatched and never seen again. On one hand he's furious with the h and her aunt for stirring up the past but on the other he's intrigued by the h and her quite way of getting him to open up about himself and his pain. This could have been a long read filled with torment and anguish, but while you still get those feelings, the predominant feeling is hope, and love. The focus is more on healing both the h and H, instead of the pain of loss andI ended up laughing more than tearing up.
They exchange confidences, barbs and kisses and fall in love in a way that was both charming and believable.
A must read.
The h is a librarian who lives with her elderly aunt and had psychic dreams. The H is a sarcastic brooding newspaper owner whos young daughter was kidnapped 6 years ago. They come together when the crazy aunt contacts the H mother and hints that she may be able to help find the missing girl.
It was wonderful. Really. The h is "mousy" and reserved and very sterotypical of a "librarian" on the outside, buts she's also strong willed and determined and I adored how she was able to stand up to the H and match him hit for hit. The H is heartbroken over the loss of his child, especially since hes in the news business, he has a terrible understanding of why a pretty little girl would be snatched and never seen again. On one hand he's furious with the h and her aunt for stirring up the past but on the other he's intrigued by the h and her quite way of getting him to open up about himself and his pain. This could have been a long read filled with torment and anguish, but while you still get those feelings, the predominant feeling is hope, and love. The focus is more on healing both the h and H, instead of the pain of loss andI ended up laughing more than tearing up.
They exchange confidences, barbs and kisses and fall in love in a way that was both charming and believable.
A must read.
March 6, 2012
This was a fantastic book and very different from your typical HP...wow. That said, there was some very dark elements to this book that made this hard to feel great about for me
October 21, 2025
5 stars. this book must be one of Susan napiers masterpieces. it wasn't just a romance, but a deeper emotional tale too. it was mildly angsty more than my usual super angsty read, buy sucked me right in with a powerful story of love and loss.
the hero, at first, is a mean angry bully to the sweet quiet heroine. he's furious as he thinks she is a con woman psychic trying to get money out of his grieving and sick mom. the H's 3 yesr old daughter vanished 6 years ago and 2as never found but his money, the girls grandma, has never given up hope of finding her and will even accept help from a psychic.
our h has a crafty old aunt who does indeed try to get money out of th3 grandma but doesn't mean to harm anyone because she knows her neice, our h, really is a psychic and really can help.
yep, our h is a psychic. however this aspect of the story is realistically and sensitively told, and doesn't detract from the romance. the story of a missing child is also se sitively told and didn't cause me undue heartache. and the epilogue was healing in that regards as well as showing the lovely hea of our couple.
so anyway, the book starts of with furious H confronting the h about conning his mom. he doesn't let up, hounds her a bit, doesn't beleive any psychic bullcrap etc. but he also finds himself surprised at being attracted to the little mouse of a h, who he even rather sweetly starts calling miss mouse. meanwhile our h, who is a librarian, and determinedly keepa her psychic aide locked down and hidden, is so heartbroken for H and his mom that she resolves to help him find the daughter, who her gift tells her is still alive. she helps him despite all his angry backlash at her efforts.
the rest unfold in such a lively way with kild angst, wonderfully writing, and a gently and authentically developing romance. it was a gorgeous read. hero was a bully sometimes but at his core also a deeply hurt man who had known once how to love deeply before his child was snatched from him. this chance at a new love gives him a chance to find that loving part of himself again.
some of the quotes in this book are just beautiful. I was v impressed to find such writing in a HPland tale. I'm not being snobbish as I love good old HPland.
the steam scenes were lovely too. the way the hero behaves with the h was so beautiful and dominant/masterful yet gentle.
so anyway, this book was wonderful and you should read it. aha.
I would reread it if ever in the right mood, but I'm usually drawn towards re-reading more torrid chemistry couple romances with a tonne more angst. but this is definitely a 5 star story. gorgeous.
the hero, at first, is a mean angry bully to the sweet quiet heroine. he's furious as he thinks she is a con woman psychic trying to get money out of his grieving and sick mom. the H's 3 yesr old daughter vanished 6 years ago and 2as never found but his money, the girls grandma, has never given up hope of finding her and will even accept help from a psychic.
our h has a crafty old aunt who does indeed try to get money out of th3 grandma but doesn't mean to harm anyone because she knows her neice, our h, really is a psychic and really can help.
yep, our h is a psychic. however this aspect of the story is realistically and sensitively told, and doesn't detract from the romance. the story of a missing child is also se sitively told and didn't cause me undue heartache. and the epilogue was healing in that regards as well as showing the lovely hea of our couple.
so anyway, the book starts of with furious H confronting the h about conning his mom. he doesn't let up, hounds her a bit, doesn't beleive any psychic bullcrap etc. but he also finds himself surprised at being attracted to the little mouse of a h, who he even rather sweetly starts calling miss mouse. meanwhile our h, who is a librarian, and determinedly keepa her psychic aide locked down and hidden, is so heartbroken for H and his mom that she resolves to help him find the daughter, who her gift tells her is still alive. she helps him despite all his angry backlash at her efforts.
the rest unfold in such a lively way with kild angst, wonderfully writing, and a gently and authentically developing romance. it was a gorgeous read. hero was a bully sometimes but at his core also a deeply hurt man who had known once how to love deeply before his child was snatched from him. this chance at a new love gives him a chance to find that loving part of himself again.
some of the quotes in this book are just beautiful. I was v impressed to find such writing in a HPland tale. I'm not being snobbish as I love good old HPland.
the steam scenes were lovely too. the way the hero behaves with the h was so beautiful and dominant/masterful yet gentle.
so anyway, this book was wonderful and you should read it. aha.
I would reread it if ever in the right mood, but I'm usually drawn towards re-reading more torrid chemistry couple romances with a tonne more angst. but this is definitely a 5 star story. gorgeous.
June 3, 2024
I adored this one!
The plot was off the charts bonkers, I mean the heroine was an ex-circus performer turned prim librarian who lead a secret double life as a murder-solving psychic. The hero is the owner of a trashy redtop newspaper, whose daughter was abducted and believed to be long dead. When the heroine, in a weirdly roundabout way, starts to unravel the mystery of the little girl's disappearance the hero loses his shit and vows to destroy her because he simply cannot believe in psychics.
With this sort of bonkers plot I'm already hugely entertained. But along the way this book showed itself to be full of pathos and heart. We learn that the heroine was raised as a gypsy who had never been to school, and after her parents untimely death she was uprooted from her life and transplanted into 'normal' society. She was utterly unprepared to live in the settled, suburban world and tried so hard to conform she became the ultimate prim librarian. We also learn the hero, brash, loud, crude, nasty and a bully - is also a man torn apart inside because he had given up hope of seeing his daughter again. At times he's a reckless bully, and at others so achingly vulnerable. It's really unusual to see men this fragile in this genre of romance, and I LOVED IT.
The plot was off the charts bonkers, I mean the heroine was an ex-circus performer turned prim librarian who lead a secret double life as a murder-solving psychic. The hero is the owner of a trashy redtop newspaper, whose daughter was abducted and believed to be long dead. When the heroine, in a weirdly roundabout way, starts to unravel the mystery of the little girl's disappearance the hero loses his shit and vows to destroy her because he simply cannot believe in psychics.
With this sort of bonkers plot I'm already hugely entertained. But along the way this book showed itself to be full of pathos and heart. We learn that the heroine was raised as a gypsy who had never been to school, and after her parents untimely death she was uprooted from her life and transplanted into 'normal' society. She was utterly unprepared to live in the settled, suburban world and tried so hard to conform she became the ultimate prim librarian. We also learn the hero, brash, loud, crude, nasty and a bully - is also a man torn apart inside because he had given up hope of seeing his daughter again. At times he's a reckless bully, and at others so achingly vulnerable. It's really unusual to see men this fragile in this genre of romance, and I LOVED IT.
pback-to-read
May 7, 2021Seven faced a real problem
It didn't really matter to the quiet librarian that her Aunt Jane had become Madame Zoe, medium and spiritualist. Nor that she often enlisted Seven's aid.
But that was before Jake Jackson's mother wanted Madame Zoe to trace her missing grandchild. Jake, editor and owner of a crusading newspaper, wanted no part in their plan.
Seven knew that any future she dreamed of with Jake was in jeopardy. Trying to extricate Aunt Jane while maintaining her own anonymity was going to be next to impossible. Especially when this forceful abrasive man turned up at every corner.
It didn't really matter to the quiet librarian that her Aunt Jane had become Madame Zoe, medium and spiritualist. Nor that she often enlisted Seven's aid.
But that was before Jake Jackson's mother wanted Madame Zoe to trace her missing grandchild. Jake, editor and owner of a crusading newspaper, wanted no part in their plan.
Seven knew that any future she dreamed of with Jake was in jeopardy. Trying to extricate Aunt Jane while maintaining her own anonymity was going to be next to impossible. Especially when this forceful abrasive man turned up at every corner.
September 7, 2023
3.5 stars
Really enjoyable story and endearing H/h
Really enjoyable story and endearing H/h
September 26, 2022
Good h H interaction, unusual plot and setup. Amazed H was willing to let the people who had his daughter and who knew it was fishy keep her. That brings it down a star.
January 3, 2017
Hacía mucho que no leía una novela romántica con «suspence» incluído y me gustó bastante. Estuve interesada durante toda la trama y me gustó el estilo de la autora (ahora no recuerdo si alguna vez he leído otras novelas de ella). El único negrito del arroz fue que el final no se resolvió como yo hubiera querido, pero igual eso me pasa muchas veces. No por ello deja de ser un buen final.
March 4, 2024
Seven was scared of her past and her carrent bizzare "gift" in seeing things and having strong feeling of certain people which always made her cautious, reserved and tidy and therefore became a librarian. Yet, it was a shock to her when one day a certain Jake Jackson accused her aunt of fraud and extortion for the mere reason of contacting his mother and asking for service money to find his long ago disppeared daughter! Her aunt solved cased through Seven's unwanted "gift", but Jake saw nothing of it and was dermined to smash any notion that Seven and her aunt could haelp in any way to his ill mother. Yet, Seven, for his mother's sake, tried her best to come along with her fear of both her "gift" and Jake!
It's an ok read. Not the best of Susan Napier - not at all by all means - but it was ok. Not exiting or thilling or even interesting, but a good pass time - albiet boring and unbelievable at times.
It's an ok read. Not the best of Susan Napier - not at all by all means - but it was ok. Not exiting or thilling or even interesting, but a good pass time - albiet boring and unbelievable at times.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 23, 2015
Seven had a problem, her aunt told to a tribulated grandma that she had information about her missing granddaughter. The truth is that Seven was a psychic and when she saw the picture of Rebecca she felt that the girl was ok.
Her aut, as Madame Zoe, searched for Rebecca's family and told Seven vision. When the father of the girl, a prestigious journalist, knew about that, she acuse Seven's aunt of lying. Seven, in order to try to protect her aunt, started to investigate Rebecca's disappearance.
But in the process fall in love with her father who didn't belive in psychics...
The sacrifices of Rebecca's father when he discovered the happy life her daughter has, broke my heart because he had to accept that she had another family and a man who cal daddy...
Her aut, as Madame Zoe, searched for Rebecca's family and told Seven vision. When the father of the girl, a prestigious journalist, knew about that, she acuse Seven's aunt of lying. Seven, in order to try to protect her aunt, started to investigate Rebecca's disappearance.
But in the process fall in love with her father who didn't belive in psychics...
The sacrifices of Rebecca's father when he discovered the happy life her daughter has, broke my heart because he had to accept that she had another family and a man who cal daddy...
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November 26, 2008LP Nap
July 24, 2012
it was awwwsome! the girl reminds me of myself
January 22, 2013
i really enjoyed this book, it was great! i liked the characters personality.
June 11, 2020
went back and read some old harlequins by a favorite author from back in the day
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