Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Return Engagement

Rate this book
LIGHTNING THAT LINGERS

Cyn was certain the Harcourt wedding would finally launch her bridal consulting and catering business. But anticipation turned to shock when she met the groom--Wolf Thornton, the man she'd once intended to marry.

Clearly, the upcoming union was not a match made in heaven. And if Wolf could still kiss her with such passion, then he had no right to marry Rebecca Harcourt at all! But how far could Cyn go to assuage her own burning needs?

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

11 people are currently reading
99 people want to read

About the author

Carole Mortimer

1,296 books907 followers
I have written almost 250 romance novels in contemporary and Regency.

I am a USA Today Bestselling Author and recipient of the 2015 RWA Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2014 I received a Pioneer of Romance Award from Romantic Times in the US and in 2012 I was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II for my 'outstanding service to literature'.

I am very happily married to Peter with six sons, and live on the Isle of Man

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
19 (17%)
4 stars
21 (19%)
3 stars
43 (39%)
2 stars
22 (20%)
1 star
4 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Profile Image for boogenhagen.
1,993 reviews884 followers
May 7, 2018
Re Return Engagement - Carole Mortimer continues the bonus HP Plus tradition with this one.

We get a reconciliation story that relies on the other staple of HPlandia, when it's denizens aren't plotting grand plans o' revenge for a unicorn grooming h stealing their dog's second favorite chew toy ten years earlier.

That would be The Big Misunderstanding.

It takes a certain amount of skill to pull this off and sometimes in the HP's that we all love and adore, our storytellers get a wee bit too enthused with the bitter fury and hurt feeling retaliations that build up to the big Reveal of How It Was All A Big Mistake and We Should Have Never Been Apart All These Years and frankly, mess things up royally.

It takes subtlety and a wicked OW usually to pull this trope off. Unfortunately in CM's eagerness to present extra fiery repressed passion and page counts, she only succeeds in one of those requirements.

Yes, the OW is extremely wicked, so you can probably guess where the fail is.

The book starts with the 27 yr old h, she is a wedding planner. She grew up in foster homes and over the years of having to support herself, took several different jobs in the service industries. After she got fired for misprinting several posters for a big dance, the h decided it is better to be your own boss. So after years of making contacts in all aspects of catering and party services, the h opens her own little wedding planning boutique.

Just before the book starts, the h meets a very nice, wealthy man at one of her other shindigs. That man has a twenty year old daughter who recently got engaged and he suggested the h help the motherless girl to make her wedding arrangements.

The h is thrilled to get the referral. The nice, wealthy man is very up in the social scale and this could take her business to whole new level. Until the h actually meets the young bride to be and figures out that the girl has a thing going on with the Greek Adonis gardener and that the bride to be's fiance is actually the man the h herself was engaged to briefly seven years earlier.

(CM breaks the backstory down bit by bit as the H and h are going to do a lot of verbal baiting towards each other in this one, mostly to show us that they are both full of fiery repressed longing and passion for each other. I am just going to lay it all out tho, so we can all know where we are at.)

Seven years earlier, the h was a hotel receptionist in the H's family upscale hotel. She meets the H when he comes in a bit mangled in the evening dress department. As she is fixing the H's bow tie, she figures out that he is one of hotel owners and is currently running really late for his mother's big society bash birthday party being held in the ballroom.

We find out that the H is an artist and his brother runs the hotel conglomerate. We also meet the H's sister in law and we right away recognize that the woman is a Black Haired witch in Prada and will be putting more than a few pitchforks in the works.

The H and h start dating and get engaged right away. The H, a stereotypical absentminded artist, uses the h for inspiration for his greatest painting ever. The H is trying to build up enough pieces for a show, but the h soon moves in with him into the flat that his sister in law decorated and the h herself has almost forsaken her long time gay BFF male friend to lurve up the H in shacked up engaged bliss.

Then the H's brother dies in plane crash. The h tries to help the H, or at least be there for him, but he is brusque and blows her off. So the h goes over to his flat later that night and finds the H's sister in law there. She is in a negligee and full seduction kit and makes it very clear to the h that the H was only using her to cover up the affair between himself and his sister in law -- the Black Haired Jezebel of Chelsea.

The h was still petting unicorns up until the time she fell for the H and she is HORRIFIED by this pronouncement, WHO shags his brother's widow on the day of his death? So she dumps the H's ring with the sister in law and takes off for her gay BFF's flat.

He gives her lots and lots of imported Häagen-Dazs and together they cry over Hugh Grant in The Lady and the Highwayman TV Movie,( and gush over the screenplay by Barbara Cartland based on Cupid Rides Pillion.)

When the H seeks the h out the next day to ask why his sister in law has her ring and why she wasn't at his flat the night before waiting for him, the h claims she can't marry the H after what he has done and the H says he knows what he did is bad, but the h needs to be there supporting him, not turning against him in his time of need.

The h, driven to the point of tears, tells the H that she and he were a big mistake, and oh yeah, she spent the night at her male BFF's flat - letting the H assume that she cheated on him. (The H has no clue that her BFF is gay and into Hugh.)

So now that the past history is aired out, we can get on with the raging dramatics. The H and h have several tense interactions as the h tries to get wedding details nailed down and the young bride to be, who is kinda an arrogant snot as well, demands that the h do all she can to delay the wedding.

The H, for his part in things, gets very possessive of the h, even tho he is marrying the young woman. The young woman's father is also interested in the h and he keeps trying to make a move on her. Finally the young woman runs off with her Adonis gardener and calls the h to sort everything out with her father and the H.

The H shows up at the h's house and more fireworks and angry words ensue, cause the young bride to be dumped the H and he thinks it is the h's fault. Then the H falls over and sprains his ankle and bullies the h into keeping him for the night. The h's gay BFF shows up to take the h golfing the next morning, and the H does his playboy possessive lover act. The h is NOT amused, the H's personality has totally changed and he isn't fun and flirty anymore.

In fact, the H is a grim tyrant bully of a businessman now and he STILL seems to be having it on with his widowed sister in law. The h doesn't understand why he just doesn't marry the woman, instead of dragging innocent and used to be innocent young ladies into his web of deceit and hidden passion, but this is HPlandia and these things do not have to make sense.

Finally, after bitter words and angry roofie kisses, the big purple passion moment arrives. Then the H's now-not-going-to-be-father in law, (and the wanna be OM of the h,) arrives at the h's cottage. He explains that his daughter is marrying the gardener and he wants the H to fix it. But the H doesn't want to fix it, he wants to continue lurving up the h.

The h wants them both to GO AWAY, so she kicks everybody out and then she gets on with her life, even tho she knows she will always insanely love the H. A month later, the H's ex bride to be shows up and wants the h to do her wedding plans again, this time to the gardener.

The h is fully booked and rather resentful of the way everybody seems to want to demand things from her, and she tells the young woman NO. (Tho we do find out that maybe the reason the H has never married his sister in law Harlot of Chelsea lover is that she can't have kids and he needs an heir - which is why he was marrying the young woman.)

Then the H shows up at the h's cottage again, claiming that the h did not give him his painting things back when she packed up his stuff for him after kicking him out last time. The h demands to know why he isn't painting anymore and they FINALLY talk about what really happened seven years earlier.

The H isn't painting and he hates running his family's company, but does it anyway because of guilt. (And because he is really a Beta H.) The H is actually the eldest son and he was supposed to be running things all along, but he wanted to paint instead, so he abdicated and his brother stepped in.

The brother liked running things, but the H believes that if he had been doing what he was supposed to according to his mother, he would have been killed on the business trip that his brother went on instead.

The h explains that she thought he was having an affair with his sister in law and that was why he felt guilty The H is stunned, cause the only reason the sister in law was even at his flat the night his brother's plane crashed was because she claimed she did not want to be alone and he was in hospital with his mother, who had a serious stroke. The H doesn't even like his sister in law, let alone want to get naked with her.

The h and H both realize that they have been huge idiots for not yelling at each other louder and hashing things out for seven years, but they are going right into marriage and the H is going to delegate his company command and start painting again straight away.

Then the h drops her own little bombshell that she is preggers and that is why she couldn't do the young woman's wedding, cause she would be showing by then and the H and h avow true purple passion Lurve Force Mojo love forever for the HEA.

Honestly, the dramarama factor was high throughout this story, but really I think the h would have at least yelled "You're a Cheatin' Slime Slurping Nematode Parasite" at least once during the course of it.

Which is why I say it takes subtlety to pull this trope off, get too much into the fiery verbosity and a reader starts wondering why the cheating sewer blobule accusations haven't been thrown around and it makes for an incredibly frustrating book. Especially when you figured the whole thing out by chapter 3 - even without the dribs and drabs of the backstory reveal.

Also, the OW Black Haired Harlot of Chelsea never gets a real comeuppance and that is a huge lack in this one. So read this for the drama if you like that, but don't expect an HP Plus Positive Plus day at the office here.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for *CJ*.
5,096 reviews622 followers
June 27, 2019
"Return Engagement" is the story of Cyn and Wolf.

Our h is a new and emerging wedding planner, who gets a prestigious contract to plan a wedding..only to realize that the groom is her ex! The h and H had been passionately in love, until the evil OW caused misunderstandings after a tragedy and they separated in a slew of hurt feelings and lies.
They reunite, realizing their feelings never changed, and finally (at the very end) realized the truth about the past.

Honestly, I enjoyed parts of this book very much. The couple was obviously in love- the hero was a beta man, burdened by guilt and responsibilities, the heroine was a strong, misguided woman, bought down by her own insecurities- their lack of communication caused the separation but I was very happy they reunited. The fiance/dad/best friend added much needed drama to the plot, but I was wishing the shitty OW/SIL got her comeuppance.

Ending was rushed.

Safe/SWE
3/5
Profile Image for Leona.
1,771 reviews18 followers
November 25, 2012
I usually enjoy Carole Mortimer's work. She is one of my most read authors. However, this one just didn't work for me. Mostly because the constant misunderstandings could have been easily cleared up with some very simple, basic communication. For the most part, I can suspend reality when I read these HP's, but this story was fraught with so many mistakes and illusions that it was just too far fetched for my tastes. I also didn't feel a connection with the either the hero or heroine so staying engaged in the story was tough.
Profile Image for iamGamz.
1,549 reviews51 followers
August 30, 2018
This was a surprise for me. I didn’t read any reviews before reading and just dived right in. I found the story enjoyable and interesting enough that I didn’t want to put it down.

Cyn and Wolf met while she was working his mother’s bday party at his family hotel. Their attraction was instant and mutual. Wolf was an artist with lots of promising talent. After meeting Cyn he went home and painted her.

Their relationship grew and they soon got engaged. Then tragedy struck and Cyn learned that there was another woman in Wolf’s life and he was using her as cover to the affair. She ended the engagement and walked away.

Seven years later Cyn is a successful wedding planner. She’s asked to plan the wedding of a wealthy man’s daughter. A serious coup if all goes well. Until she learns that the bride is having a fling with the gardener and the groom is her ex-fiancé, Wolf.

After seeing Wolf again, things take a swift turn for worse. Cyn finds herself embroiled in the bride’s drama and Wolf is literally at her heels.

The story was told at a nice pace. It didn’t drag. The MC’s were like-able, even when Wolf was being a beast. The reader knew he loved Cyn and was like a sore bear cause he was still in love with her.

Cyn so wanted to not love him, but it was not to be. She thought he betrayed her and now he was marrying someone else. But the attraction both had them back in each other’s arms, even when Cyn didn’t want it to happen.

I’ve read a few duds recently so this one was a pleasure. It was a quick, amusing read that I just may read again.
Profile Image for Tia.
Author 11 books142 followers
November 27, 2012
This book annoyed the crap out of me. It just bothered me because in any good relationship, communication is a must. In this novel most of the fights, doubts, etc. could have easily been cleared up. So maybe they just weren't meant to be together if they didn't have that open communication. Eventually they grow up and mature obviously but if this was out in the real world, I'd have to wonder if their relationship was doomed to fail anyways from past mistakes.
Profile Image for Lindsay.
540 reviews19 followers
September 10, 2024
Not my favorite by CM. You expect so much miscommunication (and drama) but this lasted until the last 8 pages of the book and then everything was wrapped up super quick. No repercussions for bitch OW and not much of a HEA. Also flashbacks of their past was very brief...I'm not sure if that's good or bad. I felt a little cheated that we didn't get to experience that first initial insight into their love affair so I think that's why it was hard to get emotionally involved in their current predicament.
Profile Image for Melody.
1,334 reviews32 followers
January 9, 2018
Well, what I learned from stories with this type of plot is.... talk to your partner (even if you think that he's having an affair - and even if it's true or not). Don't walk away from a relationship with lots of questions, it sometimes mess around one's mind for years.

At least I don't think there was cheating involved here with the heroine and the Hero (H was engaged, jilted, and the day after he went to the heroine blah blah you know the gist).
Profile Image for Nikki.
2,203 reviews9 followers
January 28, 2022
Very bland, considering everyone is pretty nuts. What happened to the sister-in-law? Seems like she needs a huge shove off a cliff. But doesn’t get one. The story had the build up but when the fiancé ran off the story lost all momentum. And the couple had to keep randomly meet up which didn’t make sense. Eh too boring overall, skip.
Profile Image for سارة محمد سيف.
Author 6 books973 followers
August 8, 2022
بردو نفس اللف والدوران!
هو لو الناس صريحة مع بعض مش هتبقى علاقة رومانسية يعني؟!

من سنين فهمت سين إن وولف اعترف بخيانته وهو كان قصده على حاجه تانيه خالص.
افترقوا ٧ سنين ولما رجعوا اتقابلوا بسوء الفهم القديم مع صدمة الواقع الجديد.. حصل الاصطدام الأكيد.

٧ سنين ضيعوها بس عشان كل واحد فكر نفسه فاهم قصد التاني!
وولا واحد أصلا كان فاهم التاني 🤷🏻‍♀️
154 reviews3 followers
March 15, 2019
It wasn't a bad book per se but the romance fell flat for me.
Profile Image for Pamela Fernandes.
Author 36 books107 followers
March 7, 2017
Cyn has turned into a wedding planner and she's in for a big surprise when the bridegroom for a particular society wedding is her ex-fiance. It's a roller coaster ride on this one. Wolf is under the impression that Cyn ran away when the going got tough and she believes he's having an affair with his sister-in-law. They both have some really heated moments but the story is paced well and Cyn seems to be courted by Wolf's father-in-law, which throws in more confusion for good measure. Good for a noon read.
Profile Image for RomLibrary.
5,789 reviews
hq-to-read
February 11, 2019
LIGHTNING THAT LINGERS

Cyn was certain the Harcourt wedding would finally launch her bridal consulting and catering business. But anticipation turned to shock when she met the groom--Wolf Thornton, the man she'd once intended to marry.

Clearly, the upcoming union was not a match made in heaven. And if Wolf could still kiss her with such passion, then he had no right to marry Rebecca Harcourt at all! But how far could Cyn go to assuage her own burning needs?
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.