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Hidden Heart
The real truth could never be told!
Mornay would never allow anything to harm her beloved sister and her family. That was why she shouldered the blame when wealthy industrialist Brad Kendrick wrongly accused her of being the hit-and-run driver who had landed him in the hospital.
Restrained by family loyalty, Mornay was forced to submit to the punishment Brad inflicted on her.
She wondered how long she could endure the added torment of falling in love with a man who made it clear that he despised her.. .
Mornay would never allow anything to harm her beloved sister and her family. That was why she shouldered the blame when wealthy industrialist Brad Kendrick wrongly accused her of being the hit-and-run driver who had landed him in the hospital.
Restrained by family loyalty, Mornay was forced to submit to the punishment Brad inflicted on her.
She wondered how long she could endure the added torment of falling in love with a man who made it clear that he despised her.. .
189 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
About the author
Jessica Steele
341 books113 followersJessica Steele was born on May 9, 1933 in the elegant Warwickshire town of Royal Leamington Spa. She has two super brothers, Colin and George, and a lovely sister, Elizabeth. She was a delicate child and missed a lot of school. In fact, she left school at aged 14, when she was diagnosed as having tuberculosis. At 16, she started work as a junior clerk. In 1967, Jessica married with her husband, Peter and within a very short space of time they had moved from her hometown to the lovely area where they now live. Their house is built into the side of a hill, and has beautiful views over more hills and valleys. Her brothers and her sister are very close and she has plenty of nephews and nieces to make up for the fact that she and her husband have no children of their own. Both she and her husband are more than a little dog-oriented, and their current dog is a Staffordshire bull terrier named Florence. Florence is gorgeous. She loves everybody but, since she is 40 pounds of dynamite and would hurl her boisterous self at everyone she meets - given half a chance - she has to be restrained (as much as possible). She is fun.
Her husband spurred Jessica on to her writing career, giving her every support while she did what she considers her five-year apprenticeship (the rejection years) while learning how to write. She published her first books in 1979. Jessica has tried using a typewriter, but it just doesn't work for her. She is much happier writing in longhand, and in actual fact has a dozen or so fountain pens filled and ready to go at the start of any one session. A friend has a secretarial agency and, after deciphering Jessica's writing, returns an immaculately typed manuscript. To gain authentic background for her books, she has travelled and researched in Greece, Russia, Egypt, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Hong Kong, China and Japan.
Her husband spurred Jessica on to her writing career, giving her every support while she did what she considers her five-year apprenticeship (the rejection years) while learning how to write. She published her first books in 1979. Jessica has tried using a typewriter, but it just doesn't work for her. She is much happier writing in longhand, and in actual fact has a dozen or so fountain pens filled and ready to go at the start of any one session. A friend has a secretarial agency and, after deciphering Jessica's writing, returns an immaculately typed manuscript. To gain authentic background for her books, she has travelled and researched in Greece, Russia, Egypt, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Hong Kong, China and Japan.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 26, 2017
Hero lost his “guide to blackmailing 101” in the mail.
2.5 stars
2.5 stars
Read
July 30, 2011A light, easy read story.
Mornay Haynes had just become an aunt for the fifth time over when her brother-in-law knocked a man down with her car. Afraid to stop, Gerry pleads with Mornay to just forget about it, he cannot risk leaving his young family without the financial support he provides if he ends up jailed for the accident.
Mornay, feeling ever increasing guilt after hearing on the news about the hit-and-run leaving the man without a memory, goes to the hospital and ends up in his room. Brad Kendrick might not remember the accident, but he remembers her face, and can tell when she lies to him about how she came to be at the hospital. He presses her in to service as a nurse to help him recover.
Brad feels intense jealousy when she finds out she has talked to Gerry, and is happy to find out about his relationship with Mornay's sister. He is willing to forget all about the accident, if Mornay will be his forever.
Mornay Haynes had just become an aunt for the fifth time over when her brother-in-law knocked a man down with her car. Afraid to stop, Gerry pleads with Mornay to just forget about it, he cannot risk leaving his young family without the financial support he provides if he ends up jailed for the accident.
Mornay, feeling ever increasing guilt after hearing on the news about the hit-and-run leaving the man without a memory, goes to the hospital and ends up in his room. Brad Kendrick might not remember the accident, but he remembers her face, and can tell when she lies to him about how she came to be at the hospital. He presses her in to service as a nurse to help him recover.
Brad feels intense jealousy when she finds out she has talked to Gerry, and is happy to find out about his relationship with Mornay's sister. He is willing to forget all about the accident, if Mornay will be his forever.
April 3, 2025
Very cute story set within the space of a month with lovely hero and heroine.
Hero (36) gets knocked down by heroines BIL whilst she is a passenger in her own car and he drives away.
The heroine (22) is so distraught that she cannot sleep nor work well and goes to visit him in hospital. He realises it was her car (because she lies) and thinks she beautiful and cannot stop thinking about her, so he blackmails her to help him with recuperation. They end up in a bungalow in Scotland with lots of cute scenes and hot/cold behaviour. He’s actually a really worthy guy, a hard worker and gets very jealous over the heroine because he’s beyond smitten. She’s torn because she has led him to think she hit him and is worried about her sister’s family - but she’s blown away as well.
I’m giving it 4 1/2 stars because the heroine is lovely and sparky, and the hero reminds me of John Thornton from North And South (the ultimate in heroes). Lovely HEA.
Hero (36) gets knocked down by heroines BIL whilst she is a passenger in her own car and he drives away.
The heroine (22) is so distraught that she cannot sleep nor work well and goes to visit him in hospital. He realises it was her car (because she lies) and thinks she beautiful and cannot stop thinking about her, so he blackmails her to help him with recuperation. They end up in a bungalow in Scotland with lots of cute scenes and hot/cold behaviour. He’s actually a really worthy guy, a hard worker and gets very jealous over the heroine because he’s beyond smitten. She’s torn because she has led him to think she hit him and is worried about her sister’s family - but she’s blown away as well.
I’m giving it 4 1/2 stars because the heroine is lovely and sparky, and the hero reminds me of John Thornton from North And South (the ultimate in heroes). Lovely HEA.
abrierto-to-read-hr-other
January 17, 2021The real truth could never be told!
Mornay would never allow anything to harm her beloved sister and her family. That was why she shouldered the blame when wealthy industrialist Brad Kendrick wrongly accused her of being the hit-and-run driver who had landed him in the hospital.
Restrained by family loyalty, Mornay was forced to submit to the punishment Brad inflicted on her.
She wondered how long she could endure the added torment of falling in love with a man who made it clear that he despised her.. .
Mornay would never allow anything to harm her beloved sister and her family. That was why she shouldered the blame when wealthy industrialist Brad Kendrick wrongly accused her of being the hit-and-run driver who had landed him in the hospital.
Restrained by family loyalty, Mornay was forced to submit to the punishment Brad inflicted on her.
She wondered how long she could endure the added torment of falling in love with a man who made it clear that he despised her.. .
November 27, 2018
It's a Steele old skool, so I expected: A somewhat preposterous set up for the leads to maintain proximity built around a misunderstanding. A hero who hides being afraid of suddenly loving someone so much--and someone he's at odds with himself for liking, and then falling for, because he's all at cross-purposes about who she really is--and deals with flashes of anger and remoteness. but is sensitive and thoughtful enough for her to pick up on that ~other side of him. A heroine who isn't quite headstrong and has too many strict loyalties she holds to that keep her making some bad choices and missteps, but isn't a wimp, manages to figure out what she wants. A bit of the Guiding Hand, a bit flare-ups and sudden kisses and running hot and cold, a rush of omigoshlove at the end.
Check, check, check. Check. And check.
This doesn't always work for me. This one did okay. Not my fave Steele, but not one that curdled despite being in reading-old-skool mode, which can happen.
There's a whole section of forced dailyness intimacy trope, which is catnip for me. Steele relies on this trope often, which I believe is part of her appeal for me, along with her overall command of tension and dialogue and interesting characters. There's too much antagonism & push/pull dynamic between them for it to be full-on trope bliss, but still hit some marks.
Quick to read. Plenty of pages given to making up the HEA (always a treat in a Harlequin).
Check, check, check. Check. And check.
This doesn't always work for me. This one did okay. Not my fave Steele, but not one that curdled despite being in reading-old-skool mode, which can happen.
There's a whole section of forced dailyness intimacy trope, which is catnip for me. Steele relies on this trope often, which I believe is part of her appeal for me, along with her overall command of tension and dialogue and interesting characters. There's too much antagonism & push/pull dynamic between them for it to be full-on trope bliss, but still hit some marks.
Quick to read. Plenty of pages given to making up the HEA (always a treat in a Harlequin).
August 5, 2025
Some very interesting set ups and dialogues, as per usual with this author.
However, considering the actual seriousness of the situation, I felt that the heroine “snapped” too much and the hero ended up being very forgiving.
Not to mention poor, invisible Robert.
It seems that, at the end, he was completely forgotten by everyone, including the author.
However, considering the actual seriousness of the situation, I felt that the heroine “snapped” too much and the hero ended up being very forgiving.
Not to mention poor, invisible Robert.
It seems that, at the end, he was completely forgotten by everyone, including the author.
March 2, 2021
Yikes. Just was nuts. Skip.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews