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A Certain Smile
It was a whole new world for Amanda
Meeting her father for the first time at age eighteen was quite an experience for Amanda Dawson. She was catapulted from life in a quiet Devonshire village into the urbane sophistication of her father's world.
Amanda's fresh innocence had not prepared her for wealth, tycoons or wild parties. Nor was she prepared for a man like Blair Craddock, her father's business partner.
It was easy to fall in love with him--but he was planning to marry his lovely colleague, Juliet!
Meeting her father for the first time at age eighteen was quite an experience for Amanda Dawson. She was catapulted from life in a quiet Devonshire village into the urbane sophistication of her father's world.
Amanda's fresh innocence had not prepared her for wealth, tycoons or wild parties. Nor was she prepared for a man like Blair Craddock, her father's business partner.
It was easy to fall in love with him--but he was planning to marry his lovely colleague, Juliet!
Hardcover
First published September 1, 1979
About the author
Marjorie Lewty
81 books19 followersMarjorie Lewty, née Lobb, was a British writer of short stories and over 45 romance novels from 1958 to 1999 to Mills & Boon.
She studied at Queen Mary High School in Liverpool, but her plans to study sciences at university were thwarted, when her father died. She was forced to take a hated job at secretary of the District Bank Ltd. from 1923 to 1933, when she married with Richard Arthur Lewty, a dental surgeon of Liverpool. They had one son and one daughter. After her marriage she began to write short stories which were published in magazines. In 1958, she sold her first romance novel to Mills & Boon, and her last novel in 1999.
She studied at Queen Mary High School in Liverpool, but her plans to study sciences at university were thwarted, when her father died. She was forced to take a hated job at secretary of the District Bank Ltd. from 1923 to 1933, when she married with Richard Arthur Lewty, a dental surgeon of Liverpool. They had one son and one daughter. After her marriage she began to write short stories which were published in magazines. In 1958, she sold her first romance novel to Mills & Boon, and her last novel in 1999.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 10, 2018
Sweet vintage story about a bratty/naive 18 year-old who meets her wealthy father for the first time and is thrown into a sophisticated world she has never known. The first night at her father's house, his evil sister-in-law from his second marriage dresses the heroine up like a tart and men begin to prey on her. The hero, her father's business partner, is instantly attracted to the heroine and puts the moves on her. (Example - if that dress makes you uncomfortable you can wear my dressing gown) Heroine is so naive she doesn't get that the hero is rushing her to bed. Hero has no idea who she is. They eventually work out the mistaken identity.
The hero sounds like a player, but he's not at all. He's really a good guy. Both the H/h are smitten with each other, but a misunderstanding about a very nice OW and a fake engagement after her father's heart attack keeps them from getting together.
The title refers to an at-first unconscious smile the heroine gives to the hero that has all sorts of sensual promise. It is the smile that reconciles them at the end and shows the heroine has finally grown up to use it consciously. The hero is so overwhelmed by it at the end and my cynical heart melted right there.
As Nasked said in her review, heroine is annoying in that special TSL vintage way. Thankfully, the hero made up for it. There is an annoying OM and lots of party/food/clothing scenes for some vintage goodness.
The hero sounds like a player, but he's not at all. He's really a good guy. Both the H/h are smitten with each other, but a misunderstanding about a very nice OW and a fake engagement after her father's heart attack keeps them from getting together.
The title refers to an at-first unconscious smile the heroine gives to the hero that has all sorts of sensual promise. It is the smile that reconciles them at the end and shows the heroine has finally grown up to use it consciously. The hero is so overwhelmed by it at the end and my cynical heart melted right there.
As Nasked said in her review, heroine is annoying in that special TSL vintage way. Thankfully, the hero made up for it. There is an annoying OM and lots of party/food/clothing scenes for some vintage goodness.
July 23, 2017
Country Mouse meets rich City Father for the first time when she is eighteen. Her naivety knows no bounds. She prefers to listen to the sly innuendos and ugly untruths of a couple of jaded City Rats who would love to throw a wrench into her budding romance with the suave Mr. Fox. Follow Great, Big, Terrible Misunderstandings, some sub-par travelogues into London and Paris, and a predictable denouement.
This was a well-written vintage romance but the heroine was too stupid and unlikable to really get me on board. However, I look forward to reading more from this new-to-me author. Old-fashioned style reminds me somewhat of Mary Burchell.
February 8, 2019
It's been a long time since I read a Harley. This was nice and sweet way to get back into them. The hero was a sweetheart, but I don't get why the father put up with the sister-in-law from hell. She should have been show the curb. I agree with other reviewers, the heroine was a ninny. Then again, she was only 18.
June 6, 2026
Unlike the other reviewers, I liked this heroine (18) and did not consider her stupid. She’s sweet, upfront and at times feisty, but she’s also very forgiving. Her dad abandons her when she is 6 months old and then wants to see her 18 years later - and she’s so down to Earth and nice to him.
The hero (30s) initially comes across as a bit of a creep (as he says to her, he takes what is offered when he is in the mood), but you do get the impression that he falls for her and is thwarting any male that she gives the eye. He is the business partner of her father and the OW in this also works at the company as a designer. The problem is that the lovely OW is explained away - mostly - but there’s a level of uncertainty for me. The OM2 did say they stayed as man and wife when in France, as he thought that they were married. So I’m not so sure, and it spoils his sincerity for me.
At the end, the hero is in a desperate hurry to put his ring on her finger. It was quite a cute and unusual ending, especially for 1979, and he is desperate for her not to change her mind now she’s sampled the goods.
The hero (30s) initially comes across as a bit of a creep (as he says to her, he takes what is offered when he is in the mood), but you do get the impression that he falls for her and is thwarting any male that she gives the eye. He is the business partner of her father and the OW in this also works at the company as a designer. The problem is that the lovely OW is explained away - mostly - but there’s a level of uncertainty for me. The OM2 did say they stayed as man and wife when in France, as he thought that they were married. So I’m not so sure, and it spoils his sincerity for me.
At the end, the hero is in a desperate hurry to put his ring on her finger. It was quite a cute and unusual ending, especially for 1979, and he is desperate for her not to change her mind now she’s sampled the goods.
February 19, 2021
Did not finish. 18 year old’s gran dies and her rich father summons her to meet him. He isn’t there for the meeting but she’s dressed up for a party at his house like a tart by his supposed mistress. I left it there. Not one for me. I dislike this plot device.
abrierto-to-read-hr-other
November 13, 2020It was a whole new world for Amanda
Meeting her father for the first time at age eighteen was quite an experience for Amanda Dawson. She was catapulted from life in a quiet Devonshire village into the urbane sophistication of her father's world.
Amanda's fresh innocence had not prepared her for wealth, tycoons or wild parties. Nor was she prepared for a man like Blair Craddock, her father's business partner.
It was easy to fall in love with him--but he was planning to marry his lovely colleague, Juliet!
Meeting her father for the first time at age eighteen was quite an experience for Amanda Dawson. She was catapulted from life in a quiet Devonshire village into the urbane sophistication of her father's world.
Amanda's fresh innocence had not prepared her for wealth, tycoons or wild parties. Nor was she prepared for a man like Blair Craddock, her father's business partner.
It was easy to fall in love with him--but he was planning to marry his lovely colleague, Juliet!
April 23, 2013
When Amanda loses her Grandmother her world spirals out of control as she is taken out of the small village she was raised in and plopped down into the opulent world of her business tycoon Father. Bewildered at first by all the changes taking place things begin to brighten in the young girls world when Blair Craddock enters her life in an unexpected and compromising meeting. While character development happened rather fast, its hard not to root for Amanda as the lead 'actress' in the book, and Blair is cast as the protective male heroine. The things I liked were the characters of Amanda, Juliet who was fun and sassy, and Amanda's Father who had better character build up. Some wording was more difficult because of the timing of when the book was published but overall a good romantic harlequin. This and other reviews can also be found at my review sitehttp://booksalicious.blogspot.com/
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews