The Driftwood Dragon

by Ann Charlton

Dru held on to what she loved

At first, Dru didn't like Locke Matthews, the tenant at her cottage near Brisbane.

Then she discovered the vulnerable and sensitive man beneath the film star's celluloid image, and Dru fell in love. She knew that Locke was haunted by his past and struggling to change his typecast image, but Locke declared he needed her.

Dru dared hope for more. Left alone, without his brother's interference, she and Locke stood a rare chance for love.

186 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1985

About the author

Ann Charlton was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and now lives in Brisbane. She traces the beginning of her writing to a childhood period when, in trying to avoid nightmares, she began telling herself a story, continued each night. She wanted to be a commercial artist but became a secretary. She wanted to play the piano but plays guitar instead, and she never planned to be a writer. Her professional writing began with a short-story contest. She published her first romance novel in 1984.

Now Ann writes every weekday, interspersed with looking after her family Tennis, sketching, reading, modern music and dancing are other interests. When both daughters have finished high school, Ann looks forward to travel and seeing new places. She would like to do more tapestry work and paint miniatures and has absolutely no plans to research a book in the Amazon or to learn to play the bouzouki. From time to time she abseils, which surprises her because she is afraid of heights.

Reviews

[Iris · Rating 3 out of 5]

4/26/21
Edited to add cover artist info: Len Goldberg did this one. I was just reading his obituary from 2017. He passed away at 95, and he seems to have been a lovely and cultured man.

9/21/20
Blunt talking Plain Jane in a MOC with sexy actor who claims to need her and her blunt talking ways to protect him from former girlfriends, scandals and various meanies. Their friendship and verbal dynamic works for me much better than their fairly tepid physical attraction. Isn't the entire point of a MOC to force the h and H into a pressure cooker situation where their overwhelming passion for each other finally explodes into hot sex on the acres wide bed that has been taunting them with it's proximity? This book ends with them still only TALKING about finally consummating the marriage. I felt cheated.

Also, the h who I kept picturing looking like Janis Joplin, is so insecure about her looks compared to H's (who is a sweetie) that it becomes its own form of vanity, she's basically thinking about her looks all the livelong day. It's boring.

Also too, her supposed blunt talk seems to stem from insecurity, so she's never actually honest in her communications with H when it would matter, it's more of a lashing out and at certain points it's fairly ugly.

Generally I love Ann Charlton but this one was just ok.

[Caz · Rating 2 out of 5]

First half of the book was 4 stars, 2 for the rest and 1 for the flat, drab ending. I liked the banter between the two leads, and loved Sam. But the MOC was dull, the villain got no comeuppance whatsoever, and the MMC didn't grovel for her forgiveness although he certainly owed it to her - she gets called an ungrateful bitch and is disbelieved when she tries to alert him to the villain's plotting, then he maintains silence and distance after the villain is revealed. (She's the victim, yet she doesn't merit even a measly phone call?) Despite her sharp tongue and bluntness, the MFC is a doormat after the MOC - she's insecure, puts up with her husband's shoddy treatment and with the villain way too long, is reluctant and sorry to expose the villain's lies (!) and at the end she forgave/forgot way too quickly. The only romance in the entire book comes from a few heated kisses. Meh.

[christine spurrier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn’t fussed on him or her found her quite a weak character

[Diamond]

مر من هنا :
من هذا الذي تسلل إلى كوخ ليز و أخافها حتى الموت؟ هل هو وحش المستنقعات؟ قاتل خطير؟لا... لم يكن إلا الممثل الشهير دون فيلوز فارس أحلام النساء في كل انحاء العالم و لكن هذا لم يخفف من مخاوف ليز.من حسن حظها انها كانت تملك لسانا سليطا حادا تعرف في اللحظات الحاسمة كيف تستعمله
-أنت لست رجلا حقيقيا سيد فيلوز انت وهم صنعته أحلام المراهقات البلهاوات.ولماذا سيهتم برأي فتاة بسيطة عادية الجمال مثلك يا ليز؟ انظري إلي عينيه جيدا و لن تري إلا الشفقة! ماذا ستفعلين برجل يشعر نحوك بالشفقة؟