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Northern Sunset
She couldn't deny him this one chance
Catriona found life on the remote Shetland island hard enough without Brett Simon's maddening demands. If only her borhter, Magnus, hadn't agreed to all Brett's oil company to research a new terminal here--and to use their home as a hotel!
But Catriona didn't dare oppose Magnus. A terrible accident had shatter his spirit, and this project seem to mean the world to him.
The longer Brett stayed, though, the more Catriona felt her own sanity was at stake. Brett wanted more, much more, than she could give him...
Catriona found life on the remote Shetland island hard enough without Brett Simon's maddening demands. If only her borhter, Magnus, hadn't agreed to all Brett's oil company to research a new terminal here--and to use their home as a hotel!
But Catriona didn't dare oppose Magnus. A terrible accident had shatter his spirit, and this project seem to mean the world to him.
The longer Brett stayed, though, the more Catriona felt her own sanity was at stake. Brett wanted more, much more, than she could give him...
192 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1982
About the author
Penny Jordan
1,133 books672 followersPenelope Jones Halsall
aka Caroline Courtney, Annie Groves, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".
She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialized bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her younger sister Prue, who was always the heroine. At eleven, she fell in love with Mills & Boon, and with their heroes. In those days the books could only be obtained via private lending libraries, and she quickly became a devoted fan; she was thrilled to bits when the books went on full sale in shops and she could have them for keeps.
Penny left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography. She first discovered Mills & Boon books, via a girl she worked with. She married Steve Halsall, an accountant and a "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, and suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity. Her husband bought her the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first novels, at a time when he could ill afford it. He died at the beginning of 21st century.
She earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, Penny found an agent who was looking for a new Georgette Heyer. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her nom de plume to Melinda Wright for three air-hostess romps and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her more historical romance novels, she adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70 of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
Penny Halsall lived in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, with her Alsatian Sheba and cat Posh. She worked from home, in her kitchen, surrounded by her pets, and welcomed interruptions from her friends and family.
aka Caroline Courtney, Annie Groves, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".
She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialized bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her younger sister Prue, who was always the heroine. At eleven, she fell in love with Mills & Boon, and with their heroes. In those days the books could only be obtained via private lending libraries, and she quickly became a devoted fan; she was thrilled to bits when the books went on full sale in shops and she could have them for keeps.
Penny left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography. She first discovered Mills & Boon books, via a girl she worked with. She married Steve Halsall, an accountant and a "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, and suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity. Her husband bought her the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first novels, at a time when he could ill afford it. He died at the beginning of 21st century.
She earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, Penny found an agent who was looking for a new Georgette Heyer. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her nom de plume to Melinda Wright for three air-hostess romps and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her more historical romance novels, she adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70 of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
Penny Halsall lived in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, with her Alsatian Sheba and cat Posh. She worked from home, in her kitchen, surrounded by her pets, and welcomed interruptions from her friends and family.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 27, 2016
Nothing more romantic than having your brother divulge your unrequited love to the guy who has spent months belittling, insulting, manhandling and humiliating you!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2018
As a child, I would often visit my grandmother in the school holidays and one of our pleasures was to walk to the next village and swap library books. I’m sure a sweet shop was involved too. Grannie would take out 4 large print romances a week and one particular Holiday I had finished my book early and cast around for something else to read... my options were the daily paper, the bible or one of the romances and I picked this up.
At that time, most Big and Small Screen heroes were the James Bonds, Dallas JRs; the types that (with hindsight) would slap a woman, throw them on the bed (and usually what looked like angry sex became something less angry). This book didn’t shock me or seem an out of the ordinary portrayal of romance at that time.
I’ve just spent an uncomfortable couple of hours rereading it. Our so-called hero belittles our heroine at all turns, makes her cry, flirts with a guest of heroine(‘s brothers ex girlfriend who still loves him), sexually assaults her (though stops before rape - not that this makes his actions acceptable). Then at the end the brother confides to hero that his sister is in love with him. It was not a great romance, rather an uncomfortable trip down memory lane revisiting some of the more unsavoury elements of 80s portrayal of romance.
At that time, most Big and Small Screen heroes were the James Bonds, Dallas JRs; the types that (with hindsight) would slap a woman, throw them on the bed (and usually what looked like angry sex became something less angry). This book didn’t shock me or seem an out of the ordinary portrayal of romance at that time.
I’ve just spent an uncomfortable couple of hours rereading it. Our so-called hero belittles our heroine at all turns, makes her cry, flirts with a guest of heroine(‘s brothers ex girlfriend who still loves him), sexually assaults her (though stops before rape - not that this makes his actions acceptable). Then at the end the brother confides to hero that his sister is in love with him. It was not a great romance, rather an uncomfortable trip down memory lane revisiting some of the more unsavoury elements of 80s portrayal of romance.
November 26, 2021
"Northern Sunset" is the story of Catriona and Brett.
A sweet Penny Jordan romance, in which the heroine's hatred towards the hero's company has embittered her because of her depressed brother's plight. They meet again and again, where his heated kisses match her denial. There is other person jealousy, misunderstandings, dramatics- but all of it ends in a HEA. He is smitten though!
Enjoyed it!
Safe
3.5/5
A sweet Penny Jordan romance, in which the heroine's hatred towards the hero's company has embittered her because of her depressed brother's plight. They meet again and again, where his heated kisses match her denial. There is other person jealousy, misunderstandings, dramatics- but all of it ends in a HEA. He is smitten though!
Enjoyed it!
Safe
3.5/5
May 3, 2017
Ha - bad one from Penny Jordan, one of the most annoying couples ever. The H was a total jerk constantly judging, condemning, sneering at the h. He and his men use her home as a guest house, almost eating her and her brother out of house and home since they are cash strapped. No appreciation at all, she cleans their rooms and put firewood in their hearths and he still insults her and sexually harasses her. It's not like he is just really a bear since he was able to treat the other woman normally and pleasantly.
And in the end her brother reveals to the jerk H that she is in love with him, aaargh! This was the only reason he went back for her! Of course supposedly he was in love with her from the start! Really!!! Even I was fooled.
Do not recommend this book.
And in the end her brother reveals to the jerk H that she is in love with him, aaargh! This was the only reason he went back for her! Of course supposedly he was in love with her from the start! Really!!! Even I was fooled.
Do not recommend this book.
June 8, 2021
Catriona found life on the remote Shetland island hard enough without Brett Simon's maddening demands. If only her brother, Magnus, hadn't agreed to all Brett's oil company to research a new terminal here--and to use their home as a hotel!
But Catriona didn't dare oppose Magnus. A terrible accident had shatter his spirit, and this project seem to mean the world to him.
The longer Brett stayed, though, the more Catriona felt her own sanity was at stake. Brett wanted more, much more, than she could give him...
But Catriona didn't dare oppose Magnus. A terrible accident had shatter his spirit, and this project seem to mean the world to him.
The longer Brett stayed, though, the more Catriona felt her own sanity was at stake. Brett wanted more, much more, than she could give him...
August 24, 2019
This is a bit of a disappointment from Penny Jordan from 1982 (although it was her sixth book during that year (out of nine, she would ultimately go onto publish during 1982) so it’s kind of understandable given the pressure and deadlines she must have been working to.
I thought that the “Northern Sunset” of the title would place us back in Jordan’s native Cheshire and we would be seeing delightful rosy glows over the Cheshire plains. Sadly, this novel is somewhat incomprehensibly situated on a remote Scottish island and largely features the somewhat unromantic setting of the oil industry and North Sea oil rigs.
The heroine, Catriona, like many of Jordan’s heroines, has been rendered alone and unprotected by having both of her parents killed in a freak yachting accident off the island. This has left her alone with her older brother, Magnus, as owners of the island. Magnus, however (also an oil man), is involved in a terrorist incident abroad featuring Arab insurrectionists and is suffering from PTSD, forcing Catriona to abandon her librarianship course and return home to care for him and their crumbling eighteenth-century manor house. This is all very familiar as a plot for many romantic novels (i.e. dating from the novels of Charlotte Smith in the 1780s, where the heroine would be rendered alone in a crumbling manor and at the mercy of whatever “hero” turns up).
The hero who does turn up to save Catriona is as bad as some of Smith’s heroes and is somewhat of a disappointment too. He’s something of a hero by the numbers for Jordan, in that he stereotypically is brooding, dark, tries to force himself on the heroine many times (because nothing advances a romance more than the threat of rape apparently…) before the heroine (probably worn down by years of drudgery and near-starvation on the island) seems to lose her mind and convince herself that she’s in love with him.
The plot culminates in what seems to be to be a classic Jordan research trait in that she’s read about something in a magazine and then used it for her novels (this was something she openly admitted to). In this instance, it’s the “Up-Helly-Aa” celebration at new year in the Shetlands which is described as thus:
“Up-Helly-Aa reinforces the belief in ‘new life’. The men dress up in costumes – guisers, we call them – and the Bill is stuck up in the market square – that would have been done first thing this morning. Basically it’s a written recap of all the previous year’s gossip, but in reality the longer and funnier the story the better. Then the guisers spend the day visiting the local communities, schools, etc. It’s considered quite a feat to exchange badinage with a guiser and come off best.”
This event is then acted upon by the hero and the heroine as she tries to convince him not to rape her:
““It’s no use, Catriona,” Brett warned her,… “I won’t be swayed. I mean to have you whether you enjoy it or not…”
[…]
“Words were her only defence now; somehow she must kill his desire with the sharpness of her tongue.
Like many of Jordan’s works show, this kind of research doesn’t really work as it reads as if she’s never actually experienced it herself. She is so much stronger writing about her native Cheshire and making these kinds of comparisons in her novels really does show that, Jordan really is a novelist of place, at her strongest writing on locations she knows.
Within this particular novel, we have the world’s worst romantic setting: a desolate island, surrounded by oil rigs and dismal weather; a would-be rapist hero who insists not only on attempting to rape the heroine, but also criticises her cooking frequently and calls her a “drudge”, all supervised by a brother who keeps having flashbacks to Arab insurrectionists and is suffering from PTSD. The heroine spends most of her days exhausted, weeping and wearing primarily soaking wet woolly jumpers. The only happy character in the book is a springer spaniel called Russet, who’s just that glad to be bounding around in the island, but he doesn’t get much of a look in during the story. So as you can see, the main problem with this romantic novel is that it’s just not that romantic.
There are a couple of good moments. There’s the point in the text when Cat takes control and sets out to seduce the hero herself (clearly sick of living on thin air and drizzle in the Shetland islands), deliberately wearing a silk dressing gown with “a slick of lip gloss” (presumably on her lips, not the dressing gown) and arranging herself against the rosy glow of the fire to make sure that the hero sticks around (by this stage he’s already bought her a deep freeze and a new generator, so he’s clearly worth hanging on to, even if he does keep threatening to rape her).
There’s also the metaphor of an island that’s walled off from itself and lost in time and dangerous waters. The hero refers to this when he eventually wins the heroine over:
“In my arrogance I thought it would all be plain sailing, but in waters like these I ought to have known better.”
In fact, a title such as “Dangerous Waters” might have been better than “Northern Sunset”, which only happens once in the text, whereas the perilous sea metaphor is consistent throughout.
The reference to the ecological damage of the oil industry and its perceived greed and willingless to sacrifice anything, including land, nature and human life in order to get oil and make a profit, is also referred to (probably placing Jordan much ahead of her time here). The novel also criticises the whaling industry, so there’s no doubt that Jordan is showing her green interests in this novel. However, these incidents in the novel are few and far between and ultimately the heroine (who is a silly drudge) and the hero (would-be rapist) are just lacking. Definitely a poor offering from this year (which included some cracking offerings from Jordan), but you can’t be on form all the time.
I thought that the “Northern Sunset” of the title would place us back in Jordan’s native Cheshire and we would be seeing delightful rosy glows over the Cheshire plains. Sadly, this novel is somewhat incomprehensibly situated on a remote Scottish island and largely features the somewhat unromantic setting of the oil industry and North Sea oil rigs.
The heroine, Catriona, like many of Jordan’s heroines, has been rendered alone and unprotected by having both of her parents killed in a freak yachting accident off the island. This has left her alone with her older brother, Magnus, as owners of the island. Magnus, however (also an oil man), is involved in a terrorist incident abroad featuring Arab insurrectionists and is suffering from PTSD, forcing Catriona to abandon her librarianship course and return home to care for him and their crumbling eighteenth-century manor house. This is all very familiar as a plot for many romantic novels (i.e. dating from the novels of Charlotte Smith in the 1780s, where the heroine would be rendered alone in a crumbling manor and at the mercy of whatever “hero” turns up).
The hero who does turn up to save Catriona is as bad as some of Smith’s heroes and is somewhat of a disappointment too. He’s something of a hero by the numbers for Jordan, in that he stereotypically is brooding, dark, tries to force himself on the heroine many times (because nothing advances a romance more than the threat of rape apparently…) before the heroine (probably worn down by years of drudgery and near-starvation on the island) seems to lose her mind and convince herself that she’s in love with him.
The plot culminates in what seems to be to be a classic Jordan research trait in that she’s read about something in a magazine and then used it for her novels (this was something she openly admitted to). In this instance, it’s the “Up-Helly-Aa” celebration at new year in the Shetlands which is described as thus:
“Up-Helly-Aa reinforces the belief in ‘new life’. The men dress up in costumes – guisers, we call them – and the Bill is stuck up in the market square – that would have been done first thing this morning. Basically it’s a written recap of all the previous year’s gossip, but in reality the longer and funnier the story the better. Then the guisers spend the day visiting the local communities, schools, etc. It’s considered quite a feat to exchange badinage with a guiser and come off best.”
This event is then acted upon by the hero and the heroine as she tries to convince him not to rape her:
““It’s no use, Catriona,” Brett warned her,… “I won’t be swayed. I mean to have you whether you enjoy it or not…”
[…]
“Words were her only defence now; somehow she must kill his desire with the sharpness of her tongue.
Like many of Jordan’s works show, this kind of research doesn’t really work as it reads as if she’s never actually experienced it herself. She is so much stronger writing about her native Cheshire and making these kinds of comparisons in her novels really does show that, Jordan really is a novelist of place, at her strongest writing on locations she knows.
Within this particular novel, we have the world’s worst romantic setting: a desolate island, surrounded by oil rigs and dismal weather; a would-be rapist hero who insists not only on attempting to rape the heroine, but also criticises her cooking frequently and calls her a “drudge”, all supervised by a brother who keeps having flashbacks to Arab insurrectionists and is suffering from PTSD. The heroine spends most of her days exhausted, weeping and wearing primarily soaking wet woolly jumpers. The only happy character in the book is a springer spaniel called Russet, who’s just that glad to be bounding around in the island, but he doesn’t get much of a look in during the story. So as you can see, the main problem with this romantic novel is that it’s just not that romantic.
There are a couple of good moments. There’s the point in the text when Cat takes control and sets out to seduce the hero herself (clearly sick of living on thin air and drizzle in the Shetland islands), deliberately wearing a silk dressing gown with “a slick of lip gloss” (presumably on her lips, not the dressing gown) and arranging herself against the rosy glow of the fire to make sure that the hero sticks around (by this stage he’s already bought her a deep freeze and a new generator, so he’s clearly worth hanging on to, even if he does keep threatening to rape her).
There’s also the metaphor of an island that’s walled off from itself and lost in time and dangerous waters. The hero refers to this when he eventually wins the heroine over:
“In my arrogance I thought it would all be plain sailing, but in waters like these I ought to have known better.”
In fact, a title such as “Dangerous Waters” might have been better than “Northern Sunset”, which only happens once in the text, whereas the perilous sea metaphor is consistent throughout.
The reference to the ecological damage of the oil industry and its perceived greed and willingless to sacrifice anything, including land, nature and human life in order to get oil and make a profit, is also referred to (probably placing Jordan much ahead of her time here). The novel also criticises the whaling industry, so there’s no doubt that Jordan is showing her green interests in this novel. However, these incidents in the novel are few and far between and ultimately the heroine (who is a silly drudge) and the hero (would-be rapist) are just lacking. Definitely a poor offering from this year (which included some cracking offerings from Jordan), but you can’t be on form all the time.
October 7, 2024
Antagonistic eye f*cking across a crowded lounge👍
One bed/crowded Inn trope 👍
Enemies to lovers 👍
H who tries to take care of h and h's family 👍
h who has massive chip on her shoulder, is childishly stupid and is actually quite hateful to ppl not in her immediate circle 👎
Started out super cute (for fiction, obviously that would be beyond scary in real life 😂) and I couldn't wait for them to meet again. There was some misunderstandings along the way but by the end I seriously doubted the intelligence of the H and how he could actually be in love with the h. She's def one of the most unpleasant h's I've read in a long time. If she hadn't been so arrogant, prideful and hateful right up until about 85% of the book I might have upgraded to 3 stars.
One bed/crowded Inn trope 👍
Enemies to lovers 👍
H who tries to take care of h and h's family 👍
h who has massive chip on her shoulder, is childishly stupid and is actually quite hateful to ppl not in her immediate circle 👎
Started out super cute (for fiction, obviously that would be beyond scary in real life 😂) and I couldn't wait for them to meet again. There was some misunderstandings along the way but by the end I seriously doubted the intelligence of the H and how he could actually be in love with the h. She's def one of the most unpleasant h's I've read in a long time. If she hadn't been so arrogant, prideful and hateful right up until about 85% of the book I might have upgraded to 3 stars.
July 21, 2019
Northern Sunset
After a devastating accident Catriona is back in the Shetland islands taking care of her brother. Here is where the story start at. There is a company who wants to drill, ?, For oil on the island. But she to many misunderstanding she and Brett don't get along. Will they be able to move forward or will those misunderstanding keep them apart?
After a devastating accident Catriona is back in the Shetland islands taking care of her brother. Here is where the story start at. There is a company who wants to drill, ?, For oil on the island. But she to many misunderstanding she and Brett don't get along. Will they be able to move forward or will those misunderstanding keep them apart?
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews