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Designed to Annoy
Destination: Germany
Attractions: the Rhine, the Black Forest -- and Diether von Lossingen
When Sophie politely forced her way into powerful industrialist Diether von Lossingen's office and insisted he assume his rightful role as father of the baby boy in her arms, their head-on collision left emotions raw, tempers flaring and bodies aching with white-hot desire...
Attractions: the Rhine, the Black Forest -- and Diether von Lossingen
When Sophie politely forced her way into powerful industrialist Diether von Lossingen's office and insisted he assume his rightful role as father of the baby boy in her arms, their head-on collision left emotions raw, tempers flaring and bodies aching with white-hot desire...
Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 2, 2018
Re Designed to Annoy - Elizabeth Oldfield brings us the first of her two contributions to the Post Cards from Europe series that gives us some old skool vintage travelogue along with our romance.
This one is a case of mistaken daddy identity. The h opens the story with an infiltration of the H's Bonn, Germany business headquarters, cute little tyke in tow. It seems her renter had an affair at a German business conference, got preggers and then got dumped. The h's renter recently ran off to join a religious commune in another country, leaving her baby behind.
The poor tyke has now been abandoned twice now. However the h has a name and an address and she is determined to find the baby's father and make him raise his son. So it is off the Rhine Valley we go and we get lots of details about Cologne and Bonn and the Rhine Valley area - the baby needs lots of fresh air walks.
(The little guide book at the end, which is in every book of the series, is a font of interesting things as well.)
So the h manages to get in to see the very Mr. Crankypants H - he is in the middle of a big huge business deal with some Italians and he has no time for a con-woman h. The h is all about making the man face up to his daddy responsibilities and stern lectures are being verbalized, then the H tells the h his name and she realizes she has the wrong man.
In fact the H's half-brother is the baby's daddy and he unfortunately died the year before. Which explains the h's renter's abandonment, but the h still thinks the H should take care of his step-nephew and does some guilting. The H is not interested tho, and after telling the h she is not going to pull the wool over his eyes with a fake baby story, he kicks her and the baby out his office.
The baby was doing baby things during the entire conversation, so it was a hugely funny moment when the h barges back in the H's office full of potential clients and has to grub around on the floor for the baby's kicked off shoe. The H was not amused, but I was.
Then the h takes the baby to see his grandma, the H's stepmother. The lady is very happy to see the baby and of course she wants to take him in right away and she invites the h to stay with her as well. The h agrees, even tho she was supposed to stay with friends, and soon the h and grandma are bonding and the English h is showing her skillz with her fluid German.
Then the H walks in, cause he lives there too and he has a Mr. Crankypants fit telling the h that she is 'designed to annoy'. However the h has brought pictures and birth certificates and explains that the baby's dad promised to marry the mother, sent £ 5000 and seemed completely ready to settle down and be a family before he died.
The H is curious as to how the young man came by such a large sum of money as the guy was pretty much a party-boy and it was a struggle to even get him to come into his token job in the family firm. Grandma claims her son was settling down before he died, so with grandma's backing, the baby gets to stay and the h is dragooned into staying on until a proper nanny can be found.
Grandma is older and child raising is difficult, so a good nanny is a must. The h herself used to be a nanny, until one of her employers sexually harassed her and his wife fired her and now she wants to be an interpreter for German. She cares about the baby tho, so she agrees to stay on until a nice Mary Poppins can be found.
The H and h start to develop the Lurve Force Mojo attraction as the days go on, it is pretty clear that the H is refusing to hire a competent nanny cause he want's to keep the h around. The h is attracted back, but she thinks it is one sided as the H's other brother assures the h that since the H's pregnant wife died from pregnancy induced complications, the brother has avoided anything that looks like a serious love relationship.
There is a lot of banter about the nanny rejections and a lot of sightseeing and some German reunification remarks. We find out that the baby's father was into gambling and won big, that win allowed him to send money to his fiancee baby mum and so the little mystery is solved and the H admits the h isn't trying to run a scam. Finally a nanny is picked and the h is ready to go home. The H hunts her down to explain that his first wife was not the love of his life and confess how much he loves the h.
The H's relationship with his first wife was really only a fling. It was fizzling out when the lady got pregnant and the H felt honor bound to marry her, even tho the two of them were not really getting along. The H also suspects that his first wife got preggers to entrap him and the whole situation has made him suspicious of manipulative women - which is why he was so suspicious of the h at first.
The H then started working a lot to avoid his first wife, but she was really ill with morning sickness and her pregnancy complicated an underlying disorder she already had. She eventually died from dehydration and system failure and the H felt guilty because he thought if had been around more, he might have been able to get her treatment in time.
The h tells him it probably wouldn't have happened, cause even the lady's doctor did not suspect anything unusual and the H explains that he is over that now, cause the h has completely changed his life and he loves her and his nephew too. The h has been head over heels for pages and pages now, so she happily avows her love back.
We get a bit of extended HEAness when the H and h go to England to tidy up that side of her life and the two have the big awaited lurve club moment with extra pink sparkles and rainbows. We find out that the h's renter has relinquished all custodial rights to her child and the H and h will adopt the baby to start off their family and we leave them to continue lurving it up for the big HEA.
This one was cute, pretty funny and both the H and h were nice people. The H was hilarious in his maneuverings to keep the h around and the h was hilarious in not being able to see it. They both went the extra mile to help the baby and the whole book was a really nice outing in HPlandia with a sweet and funny HEA.
This one is a case of mistaken daddy identity. The h opens the story with an infiltration of the H's Bonn, Germany business headquarters, cute little tyke in tow. It seems her renter had an affair at a German business conference, got preggers and then got dumped. The h's renter recently ran off to join a religious commune in another country, leaving her baby behind.
The poor tyke has now been abandoned twice now. However the h has a name and an address and she is determined to find the baby's father and make him raise his son. So it is off the Rhine Valley we go and we get lots of details about Cologne and Bonn and the Rhine Valley area - the baby needs lots of fresh air walks.
(The little guide book at the end, which is in every book of the series, is a font of interesting things as well.)
So the h manages to get in to see the very Mr. Crankypants H - he is in the middle of a big huge business deal with some Italians and he has no time for a con-woman h. The h is all about making the man face up to his daddy responsibilities and stern lectures are being verbalized, then the H tells the h his name and she realizes she has the wrong man.
In fact the H's half-brother is the baby's daddy and he unfortunately died the year before. Which explains the h's renter's abandonment, but the h still thinks the H should take care of his step-nephew and does some guilting. The H is not interested tho, and after telling the h she is not going to pull the wool over his eyes with a fake baby story, he kicks her and the baby out his office.
The baby was doing baby things during the entire conversation, so it was a hugely funny moment when the h barges back in the H's office full of potential clients and has to grub around on the floor for the baby's kicked off shoe. The H was not amused, but I was.
Then the h takes the baby to see his grandma, the H's stepmother. The lady is very happy to see the baby and of course she wants to take him in right away and she invites the h to stay with her as well. The h agrees, even tho she was supposed to stay with friends, and soon the h and grandma are bonding and the English h is showing her skillz with her fluid German.
Then the H walks in, cause he lives there too and he has a Mr. Crankypants fit telling the h that she is 'designed to annoy'. However the h has brought pictures and birth certificates and explains that the baby's dad promised to marry the mother, sent £ 5000 and seemed completely ready to settle down and be a family before he died.
The H is curious as to how the young man came by such a large sum of money as the guy was pretty much a party-boy and it was a struggle to even get him to come into his token job in the family firm. Grandma claims her son was settling down before he died, so with grandma's backing, the baby gets to stay and the h is dragooned into staying on until a proper nanny can be found.
Grandma is older and child raising is difficult, so a good nanny is a must. The h herself used to be a nanny, until one of her employers sexually harassed her and his wife fired her and now she wants to be an interpreter for German. She cares about the baby tho, so she agrees to stay on until a nice Mary Poppins can be found.
The H and h start to develop the Lurve Force Mojo attraction as the days go on, it is pretty clear that the H is refusing to hire a competent nanny cause he want's to keep the h around. The h is attracted back, but she thinks it is one sided as the H's other brother assures the h that since the H's pregnant wife died from pregnancy induced complications, the brother has avoided anything that looks like a serious love relationship.
There is a lot of banter about the nanny rejections and a lot of sightseeing and some German reunification remarks. We find out that the baby's father was into gambling and won big, that win allowed him to send money to his fiancee baby mum and so the little mystery is solved and the H admits the h isn't trying to run a scam. Finally a nanny is picked and the h is ready to go home. The H hunts her down to explain that his first wife was not the love of his life and confess how much he loves the h.
The H's relationship with his first wife was really only a fling. It was fizzling out when the lady got pregnant and the H felt honor bound to marry her, even tho the two of them were not really getting along. The H also suspects that his first wife got preggers to entrap him and the whole situation has made him suspicious of manipulative women - which is why he was so suspicious of the h at first.
The H then started working a lot to avoid his first wife, but she was really ill with morning sickness and her pregnancy complicated an underlying disorder she already had. She eventually died from dehydration and system failure and the H felt guilty because he thought if had been around more, he might have been able to get her treatment in time.
The h tells him it probably wouldn't have happened, cause even the lady's doctor did not suspect anything unusual and the H explains that he is over that now, cause the h has completely changed his life and he loves her and his nephew too. The h has been head over heels for pages and pages now, so she happily avows her love back.
We get a bit of extended HEAness when the H and h go to England to tidy up that side of her life and the two have the big awaited lurve club moment with extra pink sparkles and rainbows. We find out that the h's renter has relinquished all custodial rights to her child and the H and h will adopt the baby to start off their family and we leave them to continue lurving it up for the big HEA.
This one was cute, pretty funny and both the H and h were nice people. The H was hilarious in his maneuverings to keep the h around and the h was hilarious in not being able to see it. They both went the extra mile to help the baby and the whole book was a really nice outing in HPlandia with a sweet and funny HEA.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2018
Sweet, low level angst romance between Sophie and Diether.
She’s come to Germany to find the father of the baby that was left behind by the flighty, hippie chick mother.
Some nice tension and banter ensues as Sophie tries to convince Diether that the baby belongs with his family. The hero stonewalls for a while, but ends up throwing obstacles to keep Sophie from leaving.
Nice travelogue with the legend of Roland and Hildegarde a bittersweet bonus. Definitely worth a google.
Now let’s look at pretty pictures.
Diether
Rudy
Sophie
The villa
Drachenfels Castle
Rhine river
Bonn
Cologne
Sadly, none of these. Yeah, I'm scary.
I have to end with this, of course! The real Diether.
She’s come to Germany to find the father of the baby that was left behind by the flighty, hippie chick mother.
Some nice tension and banter ensues as Sophie tries to convince Diether that the baby belongs with his family. The hero stonewalls for a while, but ends up throwing obstacles to keep Sophie from leaving.
Nice travelogue with the legend of Roland and Hildegarde a bittersweet bonus. Definitely worth a google.
Now let’s look at pretty pictures.
Diether
Rudy
Sophie
The villa
Drachenfels Castle
Rhine river
Bonn
Cologne
Sadly, none of these. Yeah, I'm scary.
I have to end with this, of course! The real Diether.
August 25, 2012
Rating 3.5 stars
h mistakes the H as the father of the baby her renter abandoned and finds out that he is the uncle. The hero doesn't believe his dead half brother fathered the baby but the heroine is determined, she came to Germany all the way from London so that Rudy could have a family so she goes to Rudy's grandmother. The hero is quite a dynamic man who runs his family and has since the age of 27 when he rebuilt the family business, he is quite suspicious of the heroine and her motives at first but comes to see that she is not a liar. I think it was fairly obvious that the hero had feelings for her because he kept on rejecting her chosen nannies, the hero also had baggage from his previous marriage(he had to marry because his wife got pregnant & then that killed her). I liked the heroine, her willingness to put everything away for Rudy, how she stuck to her guns in front of the hero, all endeared her to me. Decent book with decent characters. The book was different because it had a German setting and hero & a heroine who was fluent in the language.
h mistakes the H as the father of the baby her renter abandoned and finds out that he is the uncle. The hero doesn't believe his dead half brother fathered the baby but the heroine is determined, she came to Germany all the way from London so that Rudy could have a family so she goes to Rudy's grandmother. The hero is quite a dynamic man who runs his family and has since the age of 27 when he rebuilt the family business, he is quite suspicious of the heroine and her motives at first but comes to see that she is not a liar. I think it was fairly obvious that the hero had feelings for her because he kept on rejecting her chosen nannies, the hero also had baggage from his previous marriage(he had to marry because his wife got pregnant & then that killed her). I liked the heroine, her willingness to put everything away for Rudy, how she stuck to her guns in front of the hero, all endeared her to me. Decent book with decent characters. The book was different because it had a German setting and hero & a heroine who was fluent in the language.
March 24, 2012
Reasons why I liked this book
1- VERY cliched subject but dealt with nicely
2- Alpha hero who was actually beta
3- An adorable baby
4- A h who was fluent in a foreign language and conversed with the locals in it. Loved this fact cuz I am sick of reading about English girls in usual HPs totally clueless about what the H or his family is talking about
5- German hero. A first for me. Usually they're Italian or Spanish or whatever. I loved it!
6- EUROPE!!!!! After spending 2 and a half year there, it was lovely to read about it!
7- H didn't treat h like shit even though he suspected her motives.
1- VERY cliched subject but dealt with nicely
2- Alpha hero who was actually beta
3- An adorable baby
4- A h who was fluent in a foreign language and conversed with the locals in it. Loved this fact cuz I am sick of reading about English girls in usual HPs totally clueless about what the H or his family is talking about
5- German hero. A first for me. Usually they're Italian or Spanish or whatever. I loved it!
6- EUROPE!!!!! After spending 2 and a half year there, it was lovely to read about it!
7- H didn't treat h like shit even though he suspected her motives.
June 12, 2013
Cute read. Slightly different from most of the HPs I have read, in that the heroine and hero were extremely balanced even if they did get off to a rocky start.
I'm a bit hesitant to give it four stars, because I wasn't totally gripped by the story. It was fun and fast, but didn't have the gritting element that I love in my HPs.
I'm a bit hesitant to give it four stars, because I wasn't totally gripped by the story. It was fun and fast, but didn't have the gritting element that I love in my HPs.
March 19, 2017
A fun, uncomplicated read.
Left with a baby when the mother went off to America, Sophie took the baby to Germany to give him to his father. Learning that Deither, the man she thought was the dad was actually the uncle, and that he did not believe her story. She then went to the baby's grandmother's house where she was believed and welcomed. Sophie and Diether now had ample opportunity to share their mutual dislike of each other.
This was a enjoyable read. I loved the characters. They were both mature and not given to drama. There is no OW or OM. The baby is well taken care of and the grandma may be a little flighty, but she loves the baby and wants the best for him.
It was an easy read and quite enjoyable.
Left with a baby when the mother went off to America, Sophie took the baby to Germany to give him to his father. Learning that Deither, the man she thought was the dad was actually the uncle, and that he did not believe her story. She then went to the baby's grandmother's house where she was believed and welcomed. Sophie and Diether now had ample opportunity to share their mutual dislike of each other.
This was a enjoyable read. I loved the characters. They were both mature and not given to drama. There is no OW or OM. The baby is well taken care of and the grandma may be a little flighty, but she loves the baby and wants the best for him.
It was an easy read and quite enjoyable.
October 18, 2013
3 Stars ~ Sophie had no idea that when she rented a spare room in her home to free-spirited Lisette, that she'd be left holding the baby; Lisette's baby. Having discovered that she'd been abandoned by the baby's father, Lisette realized she couldn't be a mother and so she left England with some friends for America, promising never to return. Sophie's only recourse was to find baby Rudy's father, even if that meant travelling all the way to Germany. Marching into his office, pushing Rudy's baby stroller, Diether can't deny the woman is a stunner. When she accuses him of being the baby's father, he insists she's delusional. Then is dawns, she thinks he's Johannes, his now deceased half-brother, so he proceeds to enlighten her and to chase her out of his office. Being rejected by Diether, Sophie decides to appeal to Johannes' mother, and this is where Diether finds her hours later. Forced to accept Sophie and Rudy into his home, he warns her that he plans to prove she's a fraud. But as the days pass, and inquiries can neither prove or disprove her claims, Diether comes to see that Sophie truly believes that Rudy is his nephew. Sophie's promised to stay with Rudy until a nanny can be hired, and much to her distress, every woman she approves, Diether rejects. When Diether admits he'd been wrong about her and how he now truly believes Rudy is in fact his nephew, Sophie's heart soars, for now they have a chance to explore their electric chemistry and fall in love. That is until Diether's youngest brother tells her that Diether doesn't want more than a casual affair with any woman; that his heart will always belong to his dead wife.
This is an enjoyable love story, though it seemed to lack a bit of oomph. Sophie's a strong heroine, and not at all afraid to speak her mind, though she knows when to hold her tongue too. Diether describes her as "designed to annoy" which adds a bit of fun to their first encounter. He has some baggage from his marriage that is only alluded to, but expected to give him a brooding nature. This really isn't carried well, and for much of the book I didn't feel he had much of a past at all. Mid book their chemistry heats up with a delicious love scene that of course, is interrupted, and is later repeated and interrupted yet again! Ms. Oldfield isn't shy on showing us how much Diether wants Sophie. Their love declarations were very romantic which make up for the lack of a strong conflict.
This is an enjoyable love story, though it seemed to lack a bit of oomph. Sophie's a strong heroine, and not at all afraid to speak her mind, though she knows when to hold her tongue too. Diether describes her as "designed to annoy" which adds a bit of fun to their first encounter. He has some baggage from his marriage that is only alluded to, but expected to give him a brooding nature. This really isn't carried well, and for much of the book I didn't feel he had much of a past at all. Mid book their chemistry heats up with a delicious love scene that of course, is interrupted, and is later repeated and interrupted yet again! Ms. Oldfield isn't shy on showing us how much Diether wants Sophie. Their love declarations were very romantic which make up for the lack of a strong conflict.
January 18, 2022
It’s all about the baby.
And they talk and talk and talk about other people. Endless talking.
I don’t like the story line. I don’t think it’s cute that a grown woman suddenly shows up in a man’s office with a baby without having done proper research first if he really is the baby’s daddy.
I skimmed to see where the romance between them would start, but it never started. One night he sees her naked breasts because her dress falls off and that’s it.
He is a nice man, she is a nice woman, his stepmother is nice, the baby is nice. It’s all very nice.
And very boring.
And they talk and talk and talk about other people. Endless talking.
I don’t like the story line. I don’t think it’s cute that a grown woman suddenly shows up in a man’s office with a baby without having done proper research first if he really is the baby’s daddy.
I skimmed to see where the romance between them would start, but it never started. One night he sees her naked breasts because her dress falls off and that’s it.
He is a nice man, she is a nice woman, his stepmother is nice, the baby is nice. It’s all very nice.
And very boring.
October 22, 2023
Giving it a 4 so I can find it again and almost entirely for the German H, Diether, for reasons I shall not go into 😂
The h, nanny Sophie, is trying to reunite the abandoned by its hippy mother baby with its father/father's family. Set around Bonn, Bad Godesberg, Karneval Cologne and the Rhein where I had a very lovely time when I was 20.
The h, nanny Sophie, is trying to reunite the abandoned by its hippy mother baby with its father/father's family. Set around Bonn, Bad Godesberg, Karneval Cologne and the Rhein where I had a very lovely time when I was 20.
April 25, 2020
Sophie's renter took off and abandoned her baby boy, Rudy, to Sophie's care. Now, Sophie is in Bonn, Germany trying to track down Rudy's absent father so he can take over his son's care. After a pretty amusing case of mistaken identity, Sophie learns that Rudy's father passed away and that Diether von Lossingen, Rudy's uncle, doesn't really want anything to do with him...or her. Undeterred, Sophie goes to Rudy's grandmother who accepts them without question and invites them to stay. So, Sophie is pretty surprised when it turns out Diether lives with them as well...and he still doesn't believe that Sophie is telling the truth (for which he actually does have his reasons). Sophie is asked to stay on as a nanny and, while staying in the house, discovers an attraction and even liking for Diether. As the two begin to explore a romance, Sophie knows she has to get away - because Diether is going to break her heart and she'll only become more attached to Rudy. But Diether seems to be engineering reasons for her to stay...
This was a very enjoyable story. I can always count on this author to present some relatively mature, likeable characters who are not prone to hysterics or OTT drama-like behaviors. This story delivered. Sophie is in an impossible situation and makes just enough of a nuisance of herself to be funny, never irritating. And Diether is skeptical and distrustful, and not always nice to Sophie, but never cruel or a douchebag. And Rudy was a delightful plot moppet who was actually integral to the story, rather than just baby filler. There's just enough chemistry and romantic tension (borderline angst) to keep you interested without going into crazy Harlequin dramatics.
This was a very enjoyable story. I can always count on this author to present some relatively mature, likeable characters who are not prone to hysterics or OTT drama-like behaviors. This story delivered. Sophie is in an impossible situation and makes just enough of a nuisance of herself to be funny, never irritating. And Diether is skeptical and distrustful, and not always nice to Sophie, but never cruel or a douchebag. And Rudy was a delightful plot moppet who was actually integral to the story, rather than just baby filler. There's just enough chemistry and romantic tension (borderline angst) to keep you interested without going into crazy Harlequin dramatics.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2025
Sophie adored children, but when she was left with baby Rudy she thought it her moral responsibility to take him to his daddy in Germany. Unfortunately, due to the fact she had never set her eyes on his father, she complicated things by mistaking him with the uncle! From that point on, her life changed and not only was she delayed in Germany, she had to deal with the angry uncle, Deither, as well. He tried his best to prove the baby was not related to his family whereas she did the exact opposite.
It started strong and interesting but gradually flipped. It is certainly doubtful the hero and the heroine ever fell in love with the slight romantic interaction they had with each other!
It started strong and interesting but gradually flipped. It is certainly doubtful the hero and the heroine ever fell in love with the slight romantic interaction they had with each other!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 18, 2021
When Sophie politely forced her way into powerful industrialist Diether von Lossingen's office and insisted he assume his rightful role as father of the baby boy in her arms, their head-on collision left emotions raw, tempers flaring and bodies aching with white-hot desire...
July 25, 2022
“You saw her, so you know she was a pleasant, friendly person," Sophie said, speaking to Rudy, "but [Diether] rejected her on the grounds that she looked as though she might be moody!”
“She had everything going for her and, frankly, your claim that she could be a manic depressive was a load of—"
"Drivel?" [Diether] supplied helpfully when [Sophie] paused.
"Yes."
"I disagree.”
Diether's blatant sabotage of the attempts to find a replacement nanny were hilarious!
“She had everything going for her and, frankly, your claim that she could be a manic depressive was a load of—"
"Drivel?" [Diether] supplied helpfully when [Sophie] paused.
"Yes."
"I disagree.”
Diether's blatant sabotage of the attempts to find a replacement nanny were hilarious!
January 31, 2021
This was a sweet story. Low on the angst meter but had some great moments of sexual awareness and tension!
Checkout Boogenhagen’s and Vintage’s post for more information and insight!
Checkout Boogenhagen’s and Vintage’s post for more information and insight!
September 27, 2011
this book is 20 years old, and set in germany--i love "exotic" locales--right after reunification! this book held up to time better than many hp's. one of the things that dated it was lack of dna identification.
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