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Darkness of the Heart
Did she really want to know the truth?Nicole Lawton was one of London's most successful private detectives. But she had more than a professional interest in the mystery surrounding her friend Melanie's death.Had she drowned, as the facts suggested—an expert swimmer in a calm Grecian sea? Or was she murdered by her husband, the powerful and enigmatic Frazer Holt?Nicole was haunted by the questions…and by her old love for Frazer. Neither time nor his almost certain guilt had changed it at all.
192 pages, Paperback
Published April 10, 1992
About the author
Charlotte Lamb
263 books322 followersSheila Ann Mary Coates Holland
aka Sheila Holland, Sheila Coates, Charlotte Lamb, Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Woolf, Laura Hardy
Sheila Ann Mary Coates was born on 1937 in Essex, England, just before the Second World War in the East End of London. As a child, she was moved from relative to relative to escape the bombings of World War II. Sheila attended the Ursuline Convent for Girls. On leaving school at 16, the convent-educated author worked for the Bank of England as a clerk. Sheila continued her education by taking advantage of the B of E's enormous library during her lunch breaks and after work. She later worked as a secretary for the BBC. While there, she met and married Richard Holland, a political reporter. A voracious reader of romance novels, she began writing at her husband's suggestion. She wrote her first book in three days with three children underfoot! In between raising her five children (including a set of twins), Charlotte wrote several more novels. She used both her married and maiden names, Sheila Holland and Sheila Coates, before her first novel as Charlotte Lamb, Follow a Stranger, was published by Mills & Boon in 1973. She also used the pennames: Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Wolf and Laura Hardy. Sheila was a true revolutionary in the field of romance writing. One of the first writers to explore the boundaries of sexual desire, her novels often reflected the forefront of the "sexual revolution" of the 1970s. Her books touched on then-taboo subjects such as child abuse and rape, and she created sexually confident - even dominant - heroines. She was also one of the first to create a modern romantic heroine: independent, imperfect, and perfectly capable of initiating a sexual or romantic relationship. A prolific author, Sheila penned more than 160 novels, most of them for Mills & Boon. Known for her swiftness as well as for her skill in writing, Sheila typically wrote a minimum of two thousand words per day, working from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. While she once finished a full-length novel in four days, she herself pegged her average speed at two weeks to complete a full novel. Since 1977, Sheila had been living on the Isle of Man as a tax exile with her husband and four of their five children: Michael Holland, Sarah Holland, Jane Holland, Charlotte Holland and David Holland. Sheila passed away on October 8, 2000 in her baronial-style home 'Crogga' on the Island. She is greatly missed by her many fans, and by the romance writing community.
aka Sheila Holland, Sheila Coates, Charlotte Lamb, Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Woolf, Laura Hardy
Sheila Ann Mary Coates was born on 1937 in Essex, England, just before the Second World War in the East End of London. As a child, she was moved from relative to relative to escape the bombings of World War II. Sheila attended the Ursuline Convent for Girls. On leaving school at 16, the convent-educated author worked for the Bank of England as a clerk. Sheila continued her education by taking advantage of the B of E's enormous library during her lunch breaks and after work. She later worked as a secretary for the BBC. While there, she met and married Richard Holland, a political reporter. A voracious reader of romance novels, she began writing at her husband's suggestion. She wrote her first book in three days with three children underfoot! In between raising her five children (including a set of twins), Charlotte wrote several more novels. She used both her married and maiden names, Sheila Holland and Sheila Coates, before her first novel as Charlotte Lamb, Follow a Stranger, was published by Mills & Boon in 1973. She also used the pennames: Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Wolf and Laura Hardy. Sheila was a true revolutionary in the field of romance writing. One of the first writers to explore the boundaries of sexual desire, her novels often reflected the forefront of the "sexual revolution" of the 1970s. Her books touched on then-taboo subjects such as child abuse and rape, and she created sexually confident - even dominant - heroines. She was also one of the first to create a modern romantic heroine: independent, imperfect, and perfectly capable of initiating a sexual or romantic relationship. A prolific author, Sheila penned more than 160 novels, most of them for Mills & Boon. Known for her swiftness as well as for her skill in writing, Sheila typically wrote a minimum of two thousand words per day, working from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. While she once finished a full-length novel in four days, she herself pegged her average speed at two weeks to complete a full novel. Since 1977, Sheila had been living on the Isle of Man as a tax exile with her husband and four of their five children: Michael Holland, Sarah Holland, Jane Holland, Charlotte Holland and David Holland. Sheila passed away on October 8, 2000 in her baronial-style home 'Crogga' on the Island. She is greatly missed by her many fans, and by the romance writing community.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 2, 2018
The h is private investigator in London, she sees a guy being attacked and jumps in with mad fighting skills and runs them off.
Turns out the guy is the brother of her ex BFF, who married the love of the h's life when she was 19. He thinks the h's former love murdered ex BFF as she was found drowned off the coast of the Greek island where he lives.
The h goes to investigate cause she totally believes the H could and would murder someone if he was annoyed enough. (Nothing like the rosy glow of love to view your future husband with.)
She sails to island, meets up with H and starts poking around, she also finds out why H dumped her with out a word when she was 19. Turns out ex BFF wasn't really such a good friend and stole her man.
The H got drunk in Paris woke up and ex BFF was in bed with him and later said she was preggers. Whether he actually lurved her up is doubtful as he was cataclysmically drunk and remembers nothing.
Eventually murder mystery solved, actually it was an accident, jealous accusations resolved and big HEA. Not her angsty best but pretty entertaining for a break.
Turns out the guy is the brother of her ex BFF, who married the love of the h's life when she was 19. He thinks the h's former love murdered ex BFF as she was found drowned off the coast of the Greek island where he lives.
The h goes to investigate cause she totally believes the H could and would murder someone if he was annoyed enough. (Nothing like the rosy glow of love to view your future husband with.)
She sails to island, meets up with H and starts poking around, she also finds out why H dumped her with out a word when she was 19. Turns out ex BFF wasn't really such a good friend and stole her man.
The H got drunk in Paris woke up and ex BFF was in bed with him and later said she was preggers. Whether he actually lurved her up is doubtful as he was cataclysmically drunk and remembers nothing.
Eventually murder mystery solved, actually it was an accident, jealous accusations resolved and big HEA. Not her angsty best but pretty entertaining for a break.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 6, 2018
Nicole and Frazer were torn apart by Nicole's backstabbing "friend", Melanie, who deserved what she received! What's worse is that they both enabled Queen Maleficent Melanie to continue with her dark and evil ways. But with opponents as weak as Frazer and Nicole it really was just child's play for Melanie.
Frazer was a wimp who gave in to Melanie like a plastic toy run over by a Hummer. This shining example of manhood didn't verify any of Melanie's claims. Once her second claim proved false, he stayed married for years. He apparently felt responsible for the drug-addicted Melanie. Really? Why martyr yourself for someone who didn't deserve it? Lame! What about Nicole, the woman you'd fallen in love with? The one you'd dumped without a word?
Nicole claimed to be a persistent person who questioned everything, yet she never confronted Frazer or Melanie after they had unexpectedly married each other. I found that lack of initiative inconsistent with present-day Nicole. And what's up with Nicole forgiving Melanie all of a sudden? Maybe time did heal her wounds, but I think it was just one more case of enabling. Nicole claimed it wasn't Melanie's fault because she'd been spoiled. Besides, Melanie had befriended a bullied Nicole back in the day so that apparently made all of Melanie's past sins null and void. ***Excuse me while I puke.*** Pathetic.
Charlotte Lamb really pushed my buttons with this book. However, Darkness of the Heart still receives two stars for characters who were fascinating because they were such train wrecks.
Frazer was a wimp who gave in to Melanie like a plastic toy run over by a Hummer. This shining example of manhood didn't verify any of Melanie's claims. Once her second claim proved false, he stayed married for years. He apparently felt responsible for the drug-addicted Melanie. Really? Why martyr yourself for someone who didn't deserve it? Lame! What about Nicole, the woman you'd fallen in love with? The one you'd dumped without a word?
Nicole claimed to be a persistent person who questioned everything, yet she never confronted Frazer or Melanie after they had unexpectedly married each other. I found that lack of initiative inconsistent with present-day Nicole. And what's up with Nicole forgiving Melanie all of a sudden? Maybe time did heal her wounds, but I think it was just one more case of enabling. Nicole claimed it wasn't Melanie's fault because she'd been spoiled. Besides, Melanie had befriended a bullied Nicole back in the day so that apparently made all of Melanie's past sins null and void. ***Excuse me while I puke.*** Pathetic.
Charlotte Lamb really pushed my buttons with this book. However, Darkness of the Heart still receives two stars for characters who were fascinating because they were such train wrecks.
June 15, 2021
This was such an odd story and missing Lamb's signature intensity, tight plots, and chemistry. The execution just wasn't there. The entire novel was in tell mode and there were too many open holes in both the hero and heroine's logic. I'm leaving it at 3 stars, but it is really more like 2.5 stars.
My original review is below.
_______________________________
His lying cheating heart. I don't believe for one minute that he was innocent.
The book was intense, but there were a lot of loose ends. Not typical of Lamb. She usually wraps things up more tightly.
My original review is below.
_______________________________
His lying cheating heart. I don't believe for one minute that he was innocent.
The book was intense, but there were a lot of loose ends. Not typical of Lamb. She usually wraps things up more tightly.
June 8, 2021
Second chance story that is interesting because of the suspense CL create as the heroine tries to determine how her childhood bff died off the coast of Delos, Greece. To do this she must confront her first love, the hero, who dumped her to marry the bff.
The solved mystery is a letdown as is the hero's reason for dumping the h.
What I will remember about this story are the stunning descriptions of Greece and that the OM was named Bevis. (totally distracting!)
The solved mystery is a letdown as is the hero's reason for dumping the h.
What I will remember about this story are the stunning descriptions of Greece and that the OM was named Bevis. (totally distracting!)
March 31, 2021
I just went on a Charlotte Lamb reading binge. This was the latest book on there.
It's decent enough, although there are a ton of bits that feel slow due to the Harlequin editorial board's policy of the time to write tour guides of far away lands, this time Mykonos and Delos. We were treated to a lot of description of the place as well as some of the history.
There were other shifts as well. As Charlotte Lamb wrote for Harlequin for a good long time, one could see how her writing changed, as well as the cultural norms. The age difference between H and h is here eight years, instead of 19 (which was the case in an earlier book), and the H presented some slight vulnerability instead of being a "self-assured" bedrock. Seriously, one can note an author's quirks if one binge-reads, and this description was used in every single book on the hero. Here, our hero was knocked out initially by our heroine, who's a black belt in judo.
There's also a sex scene without a forced marriage (shocking!), and while reading it, I kept thinking, mm-hmm, so Charlotte Lamb got pressure from her editors to spice things up a bit? No more of this fade to black business within the confines of a contrived marriage, eh? But Charlotte Lamb is a clever puss, and so the sex scene isn't what one would call satisfactory for the heroine. Way to stick it to the editors, Ms Lamb!
This wasn't my favorite of hers. There was something missing. I just didn't completely buy how the hero was manipulated by a young girl (OW) into marriage and never even attempted to meet up one last time with the heroine to explain. If that was an attempt to be vulnerable, it wasn't the cleverest way. I thought the proposal of marriage was too quick anger pat and the ending felt extremely abrupt, although I had guessed his ultra secret photo album she'd snitched to find out more contained her pictures. That also felt weird to me, because if he had been so obsessed with her, he really should have done something about it. Instead he told her to leave the island and came off inconsistent in characterisation. I couldn't decide whether he was a hermit, a sentimental loser, or what. You'd think if a grown man was still pining over his little lady love, he could at least bother to find out if she were married or not. Especially as he used to be a journalist. But maybe that's just me.
It's decent enough, although there are a ton of bits that feel slow due to the Harlequin editorial board's policy of the time to write tour guides of far away lands, this time Mykonos and Delos. We were treated to a lot of description of the place as well as some of the history.
There were other shifts as well. As Charlotte Lamb wrote for Harlequin for a good long time, one could see how her writing changed, as well as the cultural norms. The age difference between H and h is here eight years, instead of 19 (which was the case in an earlier book), and the H presented some slight vulnerability instead of being a "self-assured" bedrock. Seriously, one can note an author's quirks if one binge-reads, and this description was used in every single book on the hero. Here, our hero was knocked out initially by our heroine, who's a black belt in judo.
There's also a sex scene without a forced marriage (shocking!), and while reading it, I kept thinking, mm-hmm, so Charlotte Lamb got pressure from her editors to spice things up a bit? No more of this fade to black business within the confines of a contrived marriage, eh? But Charlotte Lamb is a clever puss, and so the sex scene isn't what one would call satisfactory for the heroine. Way to stick it to the editors, Ms Lamb!
This wasn't my favorite of hers. There was something missing. I just didn't completely buy how the hero was manipulated by a young girl (OW) into marriage and never even attempted to meet up one last time with the heroine to explain. If that was an attempt to be vulnerable, it wasn't the cleverest way. I thought the proposal of marriage was too quick anger pat and the ending felt extremely abrupt, although I had guessed his ultra secret photo album she'd snitched to find out more contained her pictures. That also felt weird to me, because if he had been so obsessed with her, he really should have done something about it. Instead he told her to leave the island and came off inconsistent in characterisation. I couldn't decide whether he was a hermit, a sentimental loser, or what. You'd think if a grown man was still pining over his little lady love, he could at least bother to find out if she were married or not. Especially as he used to be a journalist. But maybe that's just me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 22, 2014
4 Stars ~ Nicole and Melanie had become fast friends when they were both the new girls in their school. Melanie was the pretty and popular girl, while Nicole was the tall, lanky one open to teasing from their peers. But Melanie had stood up for Nicole, and Melanie's popularity rubbed off. When Nicole was orphaned her father's best friend took her in and encouraged her inquisitive mind. They loved to sail together, and when Nicole was 19, they sailed the British Isles and that's where Nicole met Frazer. He was a journalist on a sailing holiday too and over the next weeks, Nicole and Frazer formed an affectionate friendship. Holiday over, Nicole is riding on cloud nine and she shares her stories about Frazer with Melanie, who at 19 is a very vivacious young woman, fully aware of her power to attractive men. Melanie is intrigued, and when Frazer comes to share a small film he'd put together of their sailing adventures, Melanie makes a play for him, but he ignores her. Frazer misses a date with Nicole, and seems to have disappeared without a word. Nicole's heartbroken, and when Melanie tells her that she and Frazer are getting married and have been seeing each other for months, Nicole is devastated.
Eight years later, and Nicole is now a partner with her surrogate father in an insurance investigative firm. Walking home she comes across too youths beating up a man. Having trained in judo, she steps in and chases the boys away. The man turns out to be Melanie's brother, and he tells her that Melanie had died two years ago in a mysterious drowning in Greece. He tells Nicole that every attempt to find out the truth about her death has been blocked, and he's certain that Frazer is responsible. Shocked to learn that her childhood friend is dead, Nicole's inquisitive mind sends her off to the Greek isles to learn the truth. But when she arrives at the isle of Mykonos where Frazer and Melanie lived, she faces the same barriers. Frazer is still powerfully attractive, and now a world acclaimed author. With the aid of the villagers, he thwarts her efforts, but still Nicole slowly fits tiny pieces into the puzzle. And as she learns about Melanie's life and then death on Mykonos, she learns too the truth of what really happened eight years ago, and comes to realize she's still in love with Frazer.
This is not a typical Harlequin Presents, in that the romance almost takes a back seat to the mystery. A nice twist is that this time it's the hero who had been trapped by the evil other woman and the heroine was the betrayed. Nicole is a very strong heroine and Frazer is her match. While Nicole and Frazer have a strong chemistry, Ms. Lamb allows the secrets create the angst in this story and this seemed to tame the romance. Cleverly crafted, this is a compelling read.
Eight years later, and Nicole is now a partner with her surrogate father in an insurance investigative firm. Walking home she comes across too youths beating up a man. Having trained in judo, she steps in and chases the boys away. The man turns out to be Melanie's brother, and he tells her that Melanie had died two years ago in a mysterious drowning in Greece. He tells Nicole that every attempt to find out the truth about her death has been blocked, and he's certain that Frazer is responsible. Shocked to learn that her childhood friend is dead, Nicole's inquisitive mind sends her off to the Greek isles to learn the truth. But when she arrives at the isle of Mykonos where Frazer and Melanie lived, she faces the same barriers. Frazer is still powerfully attractive, and now a world acclaimed author. With the aid of the villagers, he thwarts her efforts, but still Nicole slowly fits tiny pieces into the puzzle. And as she learns about Melanie's life and then death on Mykonos, she learns too the truth of what really happened eight years ago, and comes to realize she's still in love with Frazer.
This is not a typical Harlequin Presents, in that the romance almost takes a back seat to the mystery. A nice twist is that this time it's the hero who had been trapped by the evil other woman and the heroine was the betrayed. Nicole is a very strong heroine and Frazer is her match. While Nicole and Frazer have a strong chemistry, Ms. Lamb allows the secrets create the angst in this story and this seemed to tame the romance. Cleverly crafted, this is a compelling read.
January 17, 2022
The hero is a loser.
Stop.
This book starts quite well with a detective heroine, a strong and clever woman who kicks a**es and saves whining men.
She does it throughout all the story.
The second star is for her, since I did not like it al all.
She finds out that her ex BFF died in strange circumstances in Greece, where she lived with her husband.
He and the heroine had a flirt eight years before when she was 19 and he was thirty, but he left her without a word and married her BFF.
When she finds out she’s dead, the heroine has a big party and she gets drunk and happy and has sex with a hot guy to celebrate the happy piece of news. Because karma it is.
No! No! She doesn’t!
She decides to go to Greece and see what happened to her.
And that’s my first question.
Why?
I mean, they were BFF, ow knew the heroine loved the hero, but she didn’t have any problem to steal him and marry him, so why the f*** do you want to know what happened to her???? This. Is. Karma.
So, when she arrives to Greece she meets the hero and basically she forces him to accept that she won’t go if she won’t know what happened to that cow of her BFF.
The hero is a bully and a moron.
There’s no mystery as I hoped it would be, the cow ow only had an accident and drowned, that was only a way to have the hero and the heroine meet again.
The ow lied and deceived both of them, she told the hero that the heroine was in love with om and she couldn’t stand the hero, so the hero got drunk and fell in bed with her. We- and him too- don’t know if he really had sex with her, but he felt that he couldn’t go back to the heroine after that, so he accepted to be blackmailed by the lil bitch that lied to him and told him she was also pregnant ( she wasn’t).
So he had a marriage from hell, a fact that we all enjoy because how idiot is a man of 30 who let a lil w***e trick him and accepts lie after lie without even thinking and checking if it’s true or not. He deserved to suffer!
And the ow was also a cheater and a junkie, shagging every male over 13 in a radius of 10 feet. Oh, yeah.
He was so idiot and coward that he wasn’t even angry that an evil lil bitch ruined his life and the heroine’s.
Oh, I didn’t mention that he’s maybe the lousiest lover in hpland, which is very very bad, since mean and cruel and stupid they may be but hp heroes are always superbly skilled lovers.
This one during their first time together, comes in a few seconds and leaves the amused heroine unsatisfied. We only hope - and the heroine more than us- that their second time will be better.
Was it because he has been celibate for 8 years?
Whatever.
The heroine was ballsy. She was strong and determined, clever and level- headed and, yes, she moved on, she had lovers before him!!!
Cheers!!!
Hallelujah!!!
My impression is that her sex life has been more satisfactory than his…
Yes, she never got over him emotionally but she did a good job anyway.
Unfortunately ow wasn’t slut shamed enough, and we must only settle for the fact that she was unhappy for all her marriage and ended very badly.
Ah, little things in life!
My impression is that CL, clever woman that she was, hated this hero with a passion and refused to make him a better person, adding the scorn of a lousy lover to all his- many- faults.
Stop.
This book starts quite well with a detective heroine, a strong and clever woman who kicks a**es and saves whining men.
She does it throughout all the story.
The second star is for her, since I did not like it al all.
She finds out that her ex BFF died in strange circumstances in Greece, where she lived with her husband.
He and the heroine had a flirt eight years before when she was 19 and he was thirty, but he left her without a word and married her BFF.
When she finds out she’s dead, the heroine has a big party and she gets drunk and happy and has sex with a hot guy to celebrate the happy piece of news. Because karma it is.
No! No! She doesn’t!
She decides to go to Greece and see what happened to her.
And that’s my first question.
Why?
I mean, they were BFF, ow knew the heroine loved the hero, but she didn’t have any problem to steal him and marry him, so why the f*** do you want to know what happened to her???? This. Is. Karma.
So, when she arrives to Greece she meets the hero and basically she forces him to accept that she won’t go if she won’t know what happened to that cow of her BFF.
The hero is a bully and a moron.
There’s no mystery as I hoped it would be, the cow ow only had an accident and drowned, that was only a way to have the hero and the heroine meet again.
The ow lied and deceived both of them, she told the hero that the heroine was in love with om and she couldn’t stand the hero, so the hero got drunk and fell in bed with her. We- and him too- don’t know if he really had sex with her, but he felt that he couldn’t go back to the heroine after that, so he accepted to be blackmailed by the lil bitch that lied to him and told him she was also pregnant ( she wasn’t).
So he had a marriage from hell, a fact that we all enjoy because how idiot is a man of 30 who let a lil w***e trick him and accepts lie after lie without even thinking and checking if it’s true or not. He deserved to suffer!
And the ow was also a cheater and a junkie, shagging every male over 13 in a radius of 10 feet. Oh, yeah.
He was so idiot and coward that he wasn’t even angry that an evil lil bitch ruined his life and the heroine’s.
Oh, I didn’t mention that he’s maybe the lousiest lover in hpland, which is very very bad, since mean and cruel and stupid they may be but hp heroes are always superbly skilled lovers.
This one during their first time together, comes in a few seconds and leaves the amused heroine unsatisfied. We only hope - and the heroine more than us- that their second time will be better.
Was it because he has been celibate for 8 years?
Whatever.
The heroine was ballsy. She was strong and determined, clever and level- headed and, yes, she moved on, she had lovers before him!!!
Cheers!!!
Hallelujah!!!
My impression is that her sex life has been more satisfactory than his…
Yes, she never got over him emotionally but she did a good job anyway.
Unfortunately ow wasn’t slut shamed enough, and we must only settle for the fact that she was unhappy for all her marriage and ended very badly.
Ah, little things in life!
My impression is that CL, clever woman that she was, hated this hero with a passion and refused to make him a better person, adding the scorn of a lousy lover to all his- many- faults.
October 18, 2022
"Darkness Of The Heart" is the story of Nicole and Frazer.
Meet Nicole Lawton: our kickass heroine. Private detective. Sexually liberated. Independent. Fearless. Kicks goons as well as the hero's hiney.
When Nicole finds out that her childhood friend Melanie died two years ago under mysterious circumstances, she takes it upon herself to investigate. After all, Melanie had ended up with the man she herself was in love with, Frazer Holt, then author and now a multimillionaire who writes movie's scripts.
Since Melanie's death, he has isolated himself on a Greek Island, and upon arriving there, Nicole finds herself facing a private community- who are initially friendly, but soon her inquiries make them close up. Nicole then realizes that things might be more convoluted than they seem, but her judgement muddled when Frazer finally decides to make a play for her..again.
Honestly, this started out as such a good mystery read. We have the fearless heroine travelling to a remote island, saving OM from thieves and kicking the hero's ass when he tries to get physical, not waiting around for the hero for 8 years just because he was her first love, and ultimately finding the truth about Melanie's death.
The hero was weak. Kinda meh, and I did not warm up to him. I just liked that he was still obsessed with the h, but marrying the OW and being with her (I know she was cuckoo and all)..GROSS.
In the end, it was all about the manipulative evil OW, who was successful in separating the couple in the past, and whose death becomes reason for their ultimate reunion.
Good one time read.
Unsafe
3/5
Meet Nicole Lawton: our kickass heroine. Private detective. Sexually liberated. Independent. Fearless. Kicks goons as well as the hero's hiney.
When Nicole finds out that her childhood friend Melanie died two years ago under mysterious circumstances, she takes it upon herself to investigate. After all, Melanie had ended up with the man she herself was in love with, Frazer Holt, then author and now a multimillionaire who writes movie's scripts.
Since Melanie's death, he has isolated himself on a Greek Island, and upon arriving there, Nicole finds herself facing a private community- who are initially friendly, but soon her inquiries make them close up. Nicole then realizes that things might be more convoluted than they seem, but her judgement muddled when Frazer finally decides to make a play for her..again.
Honestly, this started out as such a good mystery read. We have the fearless heroine travelling to a remote island, saving OM from thieves and kicking the hero's ass when he tries to get physical, not waiting around for the hero for 8 years just because he was her first love, and ultimately finding the truth about Melanie's death.
The hero was weak. Kinda meh, and I did not warm up to him. I just liked that he was still obsessed with the h, but marrying the OW and being with her (I know she was cuckoo and all)..GROSS.
In the end, it was all about the manipulative evil OW, who was successful in separating the couple in the past, and whose death becomes reason for their ultimate reunion.
Good one time read.
Unsafe
3/5
August 18, 2012
Well, this one was a winner! I can't give anything away, though, or it would ruin it. I doubt it would have been five stars if I saw what was going to happen, but I loved guessing. I can say that there's lots of angst, an OW, and huge mystery with a lot of shady comings and goings. Of course some things don't quite mesh but it's forgivable just because it's so good otherwise. Highly recommend this one.
May 21, 2019
Docked it a star because the heroine kept on getting tstl as the book progressed. Also the latent sympathy for her friend who stole her boyfriend and made her miserable was too annoying for words.
May 28, 2024
Private investigator Nicole sails solo from Athens to Mykonos to confront the man her former BFF Melanie stole from her 6 years ago, having found out about said Melanie's death in a drowning 'accident' from Ms brother Bevis. The H, Frazer is an older successful ex journo novelist and throat grabber who was apparently in love with 19 year old Nicole but was hoodwinked by also 19 year old Melanie into believing Nicole was using him and then woke up next to Melanie. Yup. Weak conflict. Still, Mykonos is lovely and there's a bit of good chemistry and a sort of investigative mystery. Readable.
doubtful-because-not-v
April 11, 2021Did she really want to know the truth?
Nicole Lawton was one of London's most successful private detectives. But she had more than a professional interest in the mystery surrounding her friend Melanie's death.
Had she drowned, as the facts suggested—an expert swimmer in a calm Grecian sea? Or was she murdered by her husband, the powerful and enigmatic Frazer Holt?
Nicole was haunted by the questions...and by her old love for Frazer. Neither time nor his almost certain guilt had changed it at all.
Nicole Lawton was one of London's most successful private detectives. But she had more than a professional interest in the mystery surrounding her friend Melanie's death.
Had she drowned, as the facts suggested—an expert swimmer in a calm Grecian sea? Or was she murdered by her husband, the powerful and enigmatic Frazer Holt?
Nicole was haunted by the questions...and by her old love for Frazer. Neither time nor his almost certain guilt had changed it at all.
May 14, 2021
O.....k. Ends so abruptly it's actually jarring. Didn't like anyone really, mostly because the leads were like angry cats hissing and taking swipes at each other the entire time. The mystery was a huge let down. Wish the evil other woman had just been an evil sociopath, lean into that! Not 'oh she was spoiled and was a drug addicts on top of being a selfish bitch.' Takes away from how awful she was. Though I will say the hero knowing they were done because he fake slept(he most likely didn't) with the best friend, he knew he couldn't be redeemed. Just not great. I think with a few more additions to this plot it would have been good, but as is, not worth reading. Skip.
July 26, 2021
The book was good with excellent writing, really captivating. I liked how the heroine was portrayed . It was refreshing that she was slender, tough with her black belt in Judo vs petite and curvy OW (who was really evil). I was a bit frustrated though when I read once again about heroine’s “silvery hair”.
As the story was progressing I found some inconsistencies. For instance: the heroine was listening to the H speaking to Irena-a Greek woman. Why did he speak English with her when he spoke fluently Greek ? But of course then the heroine wouldn’t be listening and jumping into conclusions.
The heroine seemed rather naive and stupid to defend and excuse her best friend . She even accused the H. When the H stood her up she never tried to confront him about his change of heart . The same can be said about the H who let himself be duped. Initially he didn’t want the heroine on the island. I didn’t understand why he didn’t divorce his wife when she was so unhappy on the island. Why he felt responsible for her to such high degree.
Sorry but I didn’t buy all the psychological excuses to Melanie’s behavior. It didn’t change the severe consequences of her actions. She was immature and spoiled but some people grow up with time and try to make amends. She wasn’t mentally ill or low gifted but shallow and selfish. Her family was partly to blame but it didn’t entirely absolve her in my opinion. William O. on the other hand was in need of antidepressants.
The mystery about Melanie’s death remained unsolved to me because there was no prove. You either believe the man or you don’t.
But I enjoyed reading the book.
As the story was progressing I found some inconsistencies. For instance: the heroine was listening to the H speaking to Irena-a Greek woman. Why did he speak English with her when he spoke fluently Greek ? But of course then the heroine wouldn’t be listening and jumping into conclusions.
The heroine seemed rather naive and stupid to defend and excuse her best friend . She even accused the H. When the H stood her up she never tried to confront him about his change of heart . The same can be said about the H who let himself be duped. Initially he didn’t want the heroine on the island. I didn’t understand why he didn’t divorce his wife when she was so unhappy on the island. Why he felt responsible for her to such high degree.
Sorry but I didn’t buy all the psychological excuses to Melanie’s behavior. It didn’t change the severe consequences of her actions. She was immature and spoiled but some people grow up with time and try to make amends. She wasn’t mentally ill or low gifted but shallow and selfish. Her family was partly to blame but it didn’t entirely absolve her in my opinion. William O. on the other hand was in need of antidepressants.
The mystery about Melanie’s death remained unsolved to me because there was no prove. You either believe the man or you don’t.
But I enjoyed reading the book.
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