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Bachelor At Heart
Bachelor At Heart by Roberta Leigh released on May 25, 1993 is available now for purchase.
220 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1992
2 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
Roberta Leigh
113 books66 followersaka Rachel Lindsay, Janey Scott, Rozella Lake
Roberta Leigh was the most frequently used pen name of an author who also published novels as Rachel Lindsay, Rozella Lake, and Janey Scott. Her birth name was Rita Shulman.
Leigh was one of the first romance writers to introduce strong, career-minded heroines who wouldn't be bossed around by the hero.
Leigh had her own film company and wrote and produced 7 TV series for children. She would also "write" the music for her series, although this usually involved her humming or singing the tune into a tape recorder, after which someone else would arrange and write a score.
She studied oil and watercolor painting with Diana Raphael and Michael Chaitow, who her interest in abstract art. Her work has been exhibited at the Podbury Gallery and Finnegan's Gallery in London.
In 1948, she married Michael Lewin and they had a son, Jeremy. Her husband passed away in 1981.
Roberta Leigh was the most frequently used pen name of an author who also published novels as Rachel Lindsay, Rozella Lake, and Janey Scott. Her birth name was Rita Shulman.
Leigh was one of the first romance writers to introduce strong, career-minded heroines who wouldn't be bossed around by the hero.
Leigh had her own film company and wrote and produced 7 TV series for children. She would also "write" the music for her series, although this usually involved her humming or singing the tune into a tape recorder, after which someone else would arrange and write a score.
She studied oil and watercolor painting with Diana Raphael and Michael Chaitow, who her interest in abstract art. Her work has been exhibited at the Podbury Gallery and Finnegan's Gallery in London.
In 1948, she married Michael Lewin and they had a son, Jeremy. Her husband passed away in 1981.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 17, 2018
Re Bachelor at Heart - Roberta Leigh does the evil OW sister trope in this one, with extra pages added for HP Plus angst.
The h is a classical pianist, and very famous, even tho she doesn't give public performances because she gets stage fright and actually collapsed in the middle of a performance once. Then her beloved elderly mentor/agent dies and sells his agency, including the h's contract, to one of his rivals. A man who used to be engaged to the h's stepsister years earlier and is a noted impressario who does "Classical Music as Pop Classical Thunder" albums and is known for his outré lounge suits and for making classical artists out to be Gods of Rock - with no acknowledgement of Metallica . That is not the h's style at all, but more importantly, she hates the new owner of the agency.
Mainly cause she was seekritly in love with him, even tho he was engaged to her stepsister. Then her stepsister claimed the H was cheating on her and eloped to Australia with another man. The step sis did not write or call for 10 years, not even for her own mother's funeral. The h had to go explain the situation to the H at the elopement time, the H understandably yelled at her and hurt her feelings and the h was so horrified she has hated him for years because of it.
Now the H is saying that if she doesn't follow through on the short time remaining on her contract and do a big European tour, the widow of her agent will suffer great financial hardship. The h wants nothing to do with the sold agency or the H, but she dearly loved her old agent as a father figure, he gave her a big break and so she agrees to do it.
Then her prodigal step sister shows up and she is a hot mess. She insists that she made a terrible mistake dumping the H for her husband and that she wants a divorce. We get pages and pages of the stepsister's jealousy and envy of the h, the woman is taking multiple drugs and the h has to get her physician to take over the stepsister's care, cause the woman is whacked.
The H in the meantime, is having a great time playing the two women off each other and pursuing the h. Who also has a casual boyfriend. (RL calls this casual relationship an affair, but the h wasn't sleeping with the guy, she only dated him when she needed an escort and she turned down multiple marriage proposals of his, so I was kinda wondering about the wording.)
The H vamps the h's image up to a classical tart look for her new album and then they get set to go on the h's tour. But the stepsister's husband shows up before the h sets off and we find out that there was an accident and the step-sis lost her baby and then went to pieces or got bored or something. Whatever, the husband wants his wife back, but she gets hysterical when his name is mentioned and the h's doctor warns against forcing any meetings.
So the h gets to put with the OW Step-sis and the H making goo-goo eyes, the extremely inappropriate innuendos the OW SS makes about the H and herself, as well as try to deal with the paralyzing stage fright panic attacks and her overwhelming attraction to the H.
When we finally get on tour, the H uses the Roofie Kiss Mojo of Mindlessness to get the h onto the stage and they eventually have a major lurve club moment. The h is also still meeting with the OW SS's husband, they are trying to figure out a way to get him and OW SS in the same room. The h is suspecting that the OW SS mainly likes riding around as if she were the famous one, plus she seems to really like spending the h's money and has no intention of going back to a middle class life without all the perks. The H and the OW SS are still acting like they have something going on as well -the OW SS makes sure to tell the h all about how much excitement they generate together.
The H, who was very intent on the h's pursuit until he got her into bed, suddenly drops the h, tells her that he finds seduction great for getting his female acts over stage fright and gets her another manager for the rest of the tour. The he starts being seen with multiple OW including the OW SS, a new rising classical music star and an other woman too. The h figures that her OW SS was right when she claimed the H was a womanizer, but there are pages and pages of h mopey moments.
Eventually the OW SS husband shows up and the two reconcile and the OW SS claims that she and the H were not really that intimate and then she admits that he never cheated on her ten years earlier, she was the one that cheated on him with her current husband. The h feels guilty that she misjudged the H so badly for all this time, completely overlooking the fact that the H is actually seeing OW and going home with them and has been ever since the start of the book, if you include the OW SS - what they actually did is very debatable.
The h's final tour stop is a concert for the British Royal Family. It is also the end of her contract and she doesn't plan to renew or see any of these people again. The concert is a big success and after it, the H shows up at the h's house, ostensibly to return a bracelet ,but really to seduce her into marriage and another contract.
The H claims he loves her, but he saw her with her OW SS husband and thought she was cheating. Which was odd, because the h also dated her original guy all through this and the H never said a word.
Anyhows, the H met the OW SS hubby earlier and the man explained the h was helping him reclaim his wife. So the H magnanimously forgives the h, is willing to tie her up in another professional contract and get half her assets in marriage too. He also claims that he was unable to perform to his triple lurve club standards with the multiple OW.
So in true RL doormat h style, the h caves to the H's Lurve Mojo Force, apologizes for breathing and lets the H drag her off for more boudoir bouncing and a wedding for the big purple passion RL HP HEA.
This one was odd, mostly because it came across as RL trying to dress up a tacky story with a lot of pretentious trappings and poseur people. The OW SS had way too much time spent on her drama, but I guess RL had to fill the extra page count somehow. I also did not see any actual romance going on here, it was more like avaricious wanna be artiste's trying to use people for their own ends.
Both the H and the OW SS seemed to be opportunists. While the h was no prize in the intelligence department, she probably would have been better off with her original guy. She should have left the OW SS and H to their own devices, then we could have a better HPlandia outing than this.
The h is a classical pianist, and very famous, even tho she doesn't give public performances because she gets stage fright and actually collapsed in the middle of a performance once. Then her beloved elderly mentor/agent dies and sells his agency, including the h's contract, to one of his rivals. A man who used to be engaged to the h's stepsister years earlier and is a noted impressario who does "Classical Music as Pop Classical Thunder" albums and is known for his outré lounge suits and for making classical artists out to be Gods of Rock - with no acknowledgement of Metallica . That is not the h's style at all, but more importantly, she hates the new owner of the agency.
Mainly cause she was seekritly in love with him, even tho he was engaged to her stepsister. Then her stepsister claimed the H was cheating on her and eloped to Australia with another man. The step sis did not write or call for 10 years, not even for her own mother's funeral. The h had to go explain the situation to the H at the elopement time, the H understandably yelled at her and hurt her feelings and the h was so horrified she has hated him for years because of it.
Now the H is saying that if she doesn't follow through on the short time remaining on her contract and do a big European tour, the widow of her agent will suffer great financial hardship. The h wants nothing to do with the sold agency or the H, but she dearly loved her old agent as a father figure, he gave her a big break and so she agrees to do it.
Then her prodigal step sister shows up and she is a hot mess. She insists that she made a terrible mistake dumping the H for her husband and that she wants a divorce. We get pages and pages of the stepsister's jealousy and envy of the h, the woman is taking multiple drugs and the h has to get her physician to take over the stepsister's care, cause the woman is whacked.
The H in the meantime, is having a great time playing the two women off each other and pursuing the h. Who also has a casual boyfriend. (RL calls this casual relationship an affair, but the h wasn't sleeping with the guy, she only dated him when she needed an escort and she turned down multiple marriage proposals of his, so I was kinda wondering about the wording.)
The H vamps the h's image up to a classical tart look for her new album and then they get set to go on the h's tour. But the stepsister's husband shows up before the h sets off and we find out that there was an accident and the step-sis lost her baby and then went to pieces or got bored or something. Whatever, the husband wants his wife back, but she gets hysterical when his name is mentioned and the h's doctor warns against forcing any meetings.
So the h gets to put with the OW Step-sis and the H making goo-goo eyes, the extremely inappropriate innuendos the OW SS makes about the H and herself, as well as try to deal with the paralyzing stage fright panic attacks and her overwhelming attraction to the H.
When we finally get on tour, the H uses the Roofie Kiss Mojo of Mindlessness to get the h onto the stage and they eventually have a major lurve club moment. The h is also still meeting with the OW SS's husband, they are trying to figure out a way to get him and OW SS in the same room. The h is suspecting that the OW SS mainly likes riding around as if she were the famous one, plus she seems to really like spending the h's money and has no intention of going back to a middle class life without all the perks. The H and the OW SS are still acting like they have something going on as well -the OW SS makes sure to tell the h all about how much excitement they generate together.
The H, who was very intent on the h's pursuit until he got her into bed, suddenly drops the h, tells her that he finds seduction great for getting his female acts over stage fright and gets her another manager for the rest of the tour. The he starts being seen with multiple OW including the OW SS, a new rising classical music star and an other woman too. The h figures that her OW SS was right when she claimed the H was a womanizer, but there are pages and pages of h mopey moments.
Eventually the OW SS husband shows up and the two reconcile and the OW SS claims that she and the H were not really that intimate and then she admits that he never cheated on her ten years earlier, she was the one that cheated on him with her current husband. The h feels guilty that she misjudged the H so badly for all this time, completely overlooking the fact that the H is actually seeing OW and going home with them and has been ever since the start of the book, if you include the OW SS - what they actually did is very debatable.
The h's final tour stop is a concert for the British Royal Family. It is also the end of her contract and she doesn't plan to renew or see any of these people again. The concert is a big success and after it, the H shows up at the h's house, ostensibly to return a bracelet ,but really to seduce her into marriage and another contract.
The H claims he loves her, but he saw her with her OW SS husband and thought she was cheating. Which was odd, because the h also dated her original guy all through this and the H never said a word.
Anyhows, the H met the OW SS hubby earlier and the man explained the h was helping him reclaim his wife. So the H magnanimously forgives the h, is willing to tie her up in another professional contract and get half her assets in marriage too. He also claims that he was unable to perform to his triple lurve club standards with the multiple OW.
So in true RL doormat h style, the h caves to the H's Lurve Mojo Force, apologizes for breathing and lets the H drag her off for more boudoir bouncing and a wedding for the big purple passion RL HP HEA.
This one was odd, mostly because it came across as RL trying to dress up a tacky story with a lot of pretentious trappings and poseur people. The OW SS had way too much time spent on her drama, but I guess RL had to fill the extra page count somehow. I also did not see any actual romance going on here, it was more like avaricious wanna be artiste's trying to use people for their own ends.
Both the H and the OW SS seemed to be opportunists. While the h was no prize in the intelligence department, she probably would have been better off with her original guy. She should have left the OW SS and H to their own devices, then we could have a better HPlandia outing than this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 26, 2024
It's not love when you lead her sister on.
It's not love when you flirt with everyone in a skirt.
It's not love when you don't trust in her.
It's not love when you treat her like your meal ticket.
It's not love when you deliberately hurt her in the worst way you know how.
It's not love when you immediately date someone else.
It's not love when you lie about your own cheating.
It's not love when you treat her like an idiot.
Here is a bachelor who should have stayed one, and a heroine who is spineless and weak in all aspects of her life.
Enjoy this story, if those are the elements you are looking for in a romance!
It's not love when you flirt with everyone in a skirt.
It's not love when you don't trust in her.
It's not love when you treat her like your meal ticket.
It's not love when you deliberately hurt her in the worst way you know how.
It's not love when you immediately date someone else.
It's not love when you lie about your own cheating.
It's not love when you treat her like an idiot.
Here is a bachelor who should have stayed one, and a heroine who is spineless and weak in all aspects of her life.
Enjoy this story, if those are the elements you are looking for in a romance!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 5, 2022
2.5 stars
Pleeeaaaase stop writing sex scenes that mention Please. I beg of you.
The music stuff is interesting, the moneyed lifestyle is done pretty convincingly, the new clothes and hairstyle are fun. But the memory that has caused her to freeze up at live performances seems like a bit of a reach, it seems like the author couldn’t decide whether to make the sister a complete villain or just a woman reacting to pain (honestly, she’s mostly hysterical and irritating most of the time, though you get some more serious things just tossed in without any real attempt to explore them), there are pointless other objects of jealousy that go nowhere, and the guy is spends most of the time being ridiculously accommodating to her sister, his former girlfriend, for specious reasons. The romance just isn’t that romantic and the obstacles seem annoying and dumb, especially with a tacked on extra misunderstanding just when you think things have finally resolved. Surprise! Another quarter of the book to go! Though I gotta give him props for having champagne, warm toast, and caviar sent to her room after she’s turned him down for dinner after a performance.
But again. Please stop writing about
Pleeeaaaase stop writing sex scenes that mention Please. I beg of you.
The music stuff is interesting, the moneyed lifestyle is done pretty convincingly, the new clothes and hairstyle are fun. But the memory that has caused her to freeze up at live performances seems like a bit of a reach, it seems like the author couldn’t decide whether to make the sister a complete villain or just a woman reacting to pain (honestly, she’s mostly hysterical and irritating most of the time, though you get some more serious things just tossed in without any real attempt to explore them), there are pointless other objects of jealousy that go nowhere, and the guy is spends most of the time being ridiculously accommodating to her sister, his former girlfriend, for specious reasons. The romance just isn’t that romantic and the obstacles seem annoying and dumb, especially with a tacked on extra misunderstanding just when you think things have finally resolved. Surprise! Another quarter of the book to go! Though I gotta give him props for having champagne, warm toast, and caviar sent to her room after she’s turned him down for dinner after a performance.
But again. Please stop writing about
August 9, 2018
A world far removed from our own mundane simple lives - Celebrity musicians , Casanova agents, casual infidelities and neurotic step sisters !! A little OTT but nevertheless a fun read.
Sweet Annie, a 13 year old budding musical genius finds a soulmate in her step-sister's fiance - 24 year old Luke. He encourages her interest in music, feeds her pastas. He is her hero !!
Sister elopes with an OM, relationship sours between the hero and the girl. Time flies. A decade later she is a super star pianist, he is the hottest agent in town. Obviously he lands her contract, but she is apprehensive because of the abrupt end to their past relationship, thanks to nut-case step sis.
Just on the day sweet Annie - who is now sophisticated Andrea - meets Luke once again, her neurotic step sis runs away again. This time from her husband, back to London, hoping to pitch in with celebrity sis.
God knows what sort of mental illness the author is alluding to that makes the neurotic step sis denounce her marriage, abandon her husband and flirt like mad with one time fiance , the hero Luke.
Keeping up with his casanova image, Luke of course flirts back, harmless though his attentions are towards the elder neurotic sis. That's because this time he is truly hooked into Andrea, the little one. Andrea always found him hot, doubly so now, after a decade. Are 13 year olds even allowed to have such adult thoughts !?!?
He flirts, she rebuffs. But a couple of kisses and she promptly falls into bed with him. But for some weirdo reason, decides to play it cool, and laughs off the affair as a one night stand. The poor guy is not getting younger you know, he is piqued that she is not serious !
The neuro sis plays a bit more mischief, the brother-in-law turns up to collect his crazy wife, and the heroine is busy playing guardian / nanny / cupid for elder sis. Luke, the dumb head hero, mistakes bro-in-law to be an OM. And is royally pissed off that the heroine is 2 timing him.
In the meantime, after a truck load of fawning over Luke, the neurotic step sis takes one look at her poor husband and realizes she wants to get back to him!! What a world of affairs and transferrable affections, beyond my comprehension !! @?@#>#>@
The best part of the story is that the heroine , in the midst of all these ansgty love affairs sticks to her profession and performs very well, with due support from the hero Luke. She even gets to perform in front of the Queen !!!
Anyway, by the time the last few pages arrive, the hero quickly recovers his IQ, figures out the OM is the hapless husband of neurotic step-sis and his girl is as pure as snow !! Enough reason to come rushing and gushing. He confesses, she obliges, all is well.
Slightly mad cap affair, but never a dull moment. Good read, 3 stars.
Sweet Annie, a 13 year old budding musical genius finds a soulmate in her step-sister's fiance - 24 year old Luke. He encourages her interest in music, feeds her pastas. He is her hero !!
Sister elopes with an OM, relationship sours between the hero and the girl. Time flies. A decade later she is a super star pianist, he is the hottest agent in town. Obviously he lands her contract, but she is apprehensive because of the abrupt end to their past relationship, thanks to nut-case step sis.
Just on the day sweet Annie - who is now sophisticated Andrea - meets Luke once again, her neurotic step sis runs away again. This time from her husband, back to London, hoping to pitch in with celebrity sis.
God knows what sort of mental illness the author is alluding to that makes the neurotic step sis denounce her marriage, abandon her husband and flirt like mad with one time fiance , the hero Luke.
Keeping up with his casanova image, Luke of course flirts back, harmless though his attentions are towards the elder neurotic sis. That's because this time he is truly hooked into Andrea, the little one. Andrea always found him hot, doubly so now, after a decade. Are 13 year olds even allowed to have such adult thoughts !?!?
He flirts, she rebuffs. But a couple of kisses and she promptly falls into bed with him. But for some weirdo reason, decides to play it cool, and laughs off the affair as a one night stand. The poor guy is not getting younger you know, he is piqued that she is not serious !
The neuro sis plays a bit more mischief, the brother-in-law turns up to collect his crazy wife, and the heroine is busy playing guardian / nanny / cupid for elder sis. Luke, the dumb head hero, mistakes bro-in-law to be an OM. And is royally pissed off that the heroine is 2 timing him.
In the meantime, after a truck load of fawning over Luke, the neurotic step sis takes one look at her poor husband and realizes she wants to get back to him!! What a world of affairs and transferrable affections, beyond my comprehension !! @?@#>#>@
The best part of the story is that the heroine , in the midst of all these ansgty love affairs sticks to her profession and performs very well, with due support from the hero Luke. She even gets to perform in front of the Queen !!!
Anyway, by the time the last few pages arrive, the hero quickly recovers his IQ, figures out the OM is the hapless husband of neurotic step-sis and his girl is as pure as snow !! Enough reason to come rushing and gushing. He confesses, she obliges, all is well.
Slightly mad cap affair, but never a dull moment. Good read, 3 stars.
February 8, 2022
This one was okay. But the sister needs help. Like alot of help, poor thing is cracked up. But the last convoluted mix up that turns the hero mean was very forced and made no sense. The heroine was a bit too stand offish then randomly throws herself at the hero. So her character didn't make much sense over all. I'd say read it though.
June 3, 2021
Roberta Leigh writes well which kept me reading this rather boring novel with predictable plot. We never do see why they fall in love.
She left him a horrible, nasty note in lipstick (yeesh, how tacky) on his mirror after sleeping with him. None of the characters was any prize.
She left him a horrible, nasty note in lipstick (yeesh, how tacky) on his mirror after sleeping with him. None of the characters was any prize.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews