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Teachers must learn.
Stephen Barrington and his sister, Anthea, were descendants if Portuguese overlords and pirates. So Laurel wasn't really surprised when Stephen stole her heart. Or when Anthea maneuvered Laurel and Stephen into an engagement.
Stephen, Laurel believed was aware that Anthea want to deter Roberta Fransom from making a play for him.
But Laurel knew that to Roberta she was no deterrent at all.
Stephen, Laurel believed was aware that Anthea want to deter Roberta Fransom from making a play for him.
But Laurel knew that to Roberta she was no deterrent at all.
190 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1968
About the author
Nerina Hilliard
20 books13 followersNorma Kathleen Hemming was born on September 1928 in Ilford, Essex, England, UK., she migrated to Australia in 1948.
She wrote for local pulp magazine Thrills Incorporated and enthusiastically participated in the Australian fan scene. She was a founding member of the femme fan group Vertical Horizons, and wrote and acted for the SF theatrical group The Arcturian Players. She returned to international publishing in the late 1950s with stories in Nebula SF and New Worlds. She also wrote eight romance novels for Mills & Boon under the pseudonym of Nerina Hilliard, only one was published before her death, through these she had a long posthumous career, because her romances were published from 1958 to 1976, returning royalties to her estate for three decades. She passed away at the age of 31 of breast canceron 4 July 1960 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
She wrote for local pulp magazine Thrills Incorporated and enthusiastically participated in the Australian fan scene. She was a founding member of the femme fan group Vertical Horizons, and wrote and acted for the SF theatrical group The Arcturian Players. She returned to international publishing in the late 1950s with stories in Nebula SF and New Worlds. She also wrote eight romance novels for Mills & Boon under the pseudonym of Nerina Hilliard, only one was published before her death, through these she had a long posthumous career, because her romances were published from 1958 to 1976, returning royalties to her estate for three decades. She passed away at the age of 31 of breast canceron 4 July 1960 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 9, 2017
I'll remember this one for having a bunch of English expats putting on a recital of classical Greek dancing on a Portuguese island off the coast of Africa, all of it with no prior dance training and in less than a month. LMAO Forget Hamilton, I want tickets to THAT performance for my Christmas stocking!
August 26, 2025
Unbelievably (as she comes across as quite dim) this heroine (22) is a teacher - and has great skill at classical Greek dancing (?!?!?!). Huh?
Anyway, pretty heroine travels to an island off Africa to visit her elder brother who she has not seen in 7 years. On the way over, some random woman warns her against the affect of the island’s rich important person - the hero (no age specified, but certainly in his 30s). So, when she meets him soon after arriving, she’s immediately rude and confrontational - and continues to be so for a number of days. The hero is rather patronising and cynical - and two sources let the heroine know the poor hero lost his joyous nature when his fiancé married someone else 7 years ago. I am not a fan of heroes sulking for years with disillusionment. So naturally the ex-fiancé shows up and then the hero’s sister (who wants him to marry her new bestie - the heroine) announces that the hero and heroine are engaged. This is in case the poor sad sack hero gives into the charm and beauty of the OW (which he never looks likely to do).
This goes on for the time it takes the heroine to train quite a number of local ladies in classical
Greek dance (one must point one’s toe towards the lampshade in tight clothing), after which the heroine is going to depart the island as her heart is breaking (and everyone knows it apart from the hero).
On the big night, after the show closes to wild applause, the OW has a private word with the heroine - leave the hero alone because she wants him back. The heroine whispers her love for the hero, who overhears, and comes to her defence and shunts the mean ex on her way.
I’m giving this 2 1/2 stars as we don’t get to find out what happens to Barbie and Manoel (who the hero was jealous of) - and they were a more interesting couple. Furthermore, the hero’s sister doesn’t find happiness with the heroine’s brother - just a comment from the hero that she’ll probably make do with him after sowing a few wild oats. On the whole, it is much better than Dark Star, as it is nicer, but it’s still a tad superficial.
Anyway, pretty heroine travels to an island off Africa to visit her elder brother who she has not seen in 7 years. On the way over, some random woman warns her against the affect of the island’s rich important person - the hero (no age specified, but certainly in his 30s). So, when she meets him soon after arriving, she’s immediately rude and confrontational - and continues to be so for a number of days. The hero is rather patronising and cynical - and two sources let the heroine know the poor hero lost his joyous nature when his fiancé married someone else 7 years ago. I am not a fan of heroes sulking for years with disillusionment. So naturally the ex-fiancé shows up and then the hero’s sister (who wants him to marry her new bestie - the heroine) announces that the hero and heroine are engaged. This is in case the poor sad sack hero gives into the charm and beauty of the OW (which he never looks likely to do).
This goes on for the time it takes the heroine to train quite a number of local ladies in classical
Greek dance (one must point one’s toe towards the lampshade in tight clothing), after which the heroine is going to depart the island as her heart is breaking (and everyone knows it apart from the hero).
On the big night, after the show closes to wild applause, the OW has a private word with the heroine - leave the hero alone because she wants him back. The heroine whispers her love for the hero, who overhears, and comes to her defence and shunts the mean ex on her way.
I’m giving this 2 1/2 stars as we don’t get to find out what happens to Barbie and Manoel (who the hero was jealous of) - and they were a more interesting couple. Furthermore, the hero’s sister doesn’t find happiness with the heroine’s brother - just a comment from the hero that she’ll probably make do with him after sowing a few wild oats. On the whole, it is much better than Dark Star, as it is nicer, but it’s still a tad superficial.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2013
Set on a small island near Portuguese Madeira of the coast of Africa, this is a sweet story about a school teacher to learns about love when she meets the local lord of the manor, Stephen Barrington.
Laurel has come to stay with her brother who is in love with Stephen's flirty sister so there are plenty of complications going around. Stephen himself was engaged years ago and his fiancee dumped him for a rich man when she though Stephen had lost his fortune. He is embittered about women and no longer the fun loving young man his sister remembers.
The two are immediately antagonistic but it isn't long until Laurel's heart changes. But of course that is about the time his ex, the evil Roberta, turns up on the island.
A lovely and enjoyable read by a favourite author who only wrote a handful of books.
Laurel has come to stay with her brother who is in love with Stephen's flirty sister so there are plenty of complications going around. Stephen himself was engaged years ago and his fiancee dumped him for a rich man when she though Stephen had lost his fortune. He is embittered about women and no longer the fun loving young man his sister remembers.
The two are immediately antagonistic but it isn't long until Laurel's heart changes. But of course that is about the time his ex, the evil Roberta, turns up on the island.
A lovely and enjoyable read by a favourite author who only wrote a handful of books.
October 1, 2018
Published after the authors death this is very much of its time the 1960s but enjoyable romantic tale
November 18, 2021
Laural travelled to Ladrana Island to stay a while with her brother, Ned, whom she hadn't seen for seven long years after resigning from her teaching position in a private school. She was so looking forward to having an exciting time in the island, but did not much anticipate meeting the ironic Stephen Barrington - underline text: whom she disliked before seeing because of a line that her brother wrote in his letter! - nor did she look forward to meeting his flirtatious sister, Anthea. When she met Stephen, all her thoughts about him were confirmed. He's rude, overbearing and quite insufferable! He twisted everything she says, so she was honest with his sister when she tried matchmaking; that she would never accept him as a husband. It was not until Anthea announced their engagement that Laural had to face the full force of Stephen though!
The story is a typical harlequin vintage story. It has the Tyical plot of a girl who meets a man she instantly dislikes and later starts falling in love with him after a villain woman appears and she is forced to fake an engagment with him. It's not bad nor that marvellous. A good read, though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2024
Old times storyline..1969
Published much before I started reading romance stories, specially by M&B ..
Story of times, when spirit and independent thinking in women were allowed and accepted , but families always wanted their women to marry and settle down..
But for me as always, though the rich H Stephen Barrington & h Laurel are acceptable , I didn't like the h presuming that the H is involved with another poised , glamorous sophisticate... Laurel is immature / childish , proud, unacceptably rude and impertinent
Stephen's action is more justified , except when he says-" remind me to beat you when we reach home"..This dialogue was totally sic..sic ..
Rather than the h , I appreciated another character- Anthea , Stephen's sister and young girl Barbie... more likeable and sensible
Published much before I started reading romance stories, specially by M&B ..
Story of times, when spirit and independent thinking in women were allowed and accepted , but families always wanted their women to marry and settle down..
But for me as always, though the rich H Stephen Barrington & h Laurel are acceptable , I didn't like the h presuming that the H is involved with another poised , glamorous sophisticate... Laurel is immature / childish , proud, unacceptably rude and impertinent
Stephen's action is more justified , except when he says-" remind me to beat you when we reach home"..This dialogue was totally sic..sic ..
Rather than the h , I appreciated another character- Anthea , Stephen's sister and young girl Barbie... more likeable and sensible
August 27, 2022
Disappointing, especially compared to Sister to Meryl and a couple others by this author. Predictable and the H got away without having to apologize or even a mini grovel.
More 2.5 stars, rounding up.
More 2.5 stars, rounding up.
September 17, 2016
I like that the H (Stephen) never gave OW wanna be the time of day. I thought at the beginning that the h (Laurel) showed a great deal of immaturity when she relied on a stranger's opinion of Stephen and decided that she didn't like him even before they met. Overall though a sweet read.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews