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Give Me This Night
The first time Rebecca set eyes on Cal Ryder, she took a dislike to him. And her dislike flared into anger at their next meeting.
But on a tiny Greek island you cannot avoid people, and gradually she realised her anger had hidden a passion of a different kind...
She could almost taste the danger!
Now, here's trouble, Rebecca thought the day mystery author Cal Ryder invaded Paxos and took a villa on the most inaccessible part of the Greek island.
Then passion flared between them in a blaze of excitement that threatened to consume them both. But Rebecca noticed something secretive and watchful in his eyes, anger even, that made her feel shed blundered into his life at the worst possible moment.
Whatever Cal was involved in was unfolding at a breakneck pace, and Rebecca's reactions were confused--partly emotional, partly sensual....
But on a tiny Greek island you cannot avoid people, and gradually she realised her anger had hidden a passion of a different kind...
She could almost taste the danger!
Now, here's trouble, Rebecca thought the day mystery author Cal Ryder invaded Paxos and took a villa on the most inaccessible part of the Greek island.
Then passion flared between them in a blaze of excitement that threatened to consume them both. But Rebecca noticed something secretive and watchful in his eyes, anger even, that made her feel shed blundered into his life at the worst possible moment.
Whatever Cal was involved in was unfolding at a breakneck pace, and Rebecca's reactions were confused--partly emotional, partly sensual....
187 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
About the author
Vanessa James
24 books41 followersaka Sally Beauman
Sally Kinsey-Miles graduated from Girton College, Cambridge (MA in English Literature) She married Christopher Beauman an economist. After graduating, she moved with her husband to the USA, where she lived for three years, first in Washington DC, then New York, and travelled extensively. She began her career as a journalist in America, joining the staff of the newly launched New York magazine, of which she became associate editor, and continued to write for it after her return to England. Interviewed Alan Howard for the Telegraph Magazine in 1970 in an article called 'A Fellow of Most Excellent Fancy'. (Daily Telegraph Supplement, May 29th.) Apparently a very long interview. The following year they met again, and the rest is history. After a long partnership Sally and Alan married in 2004. She has one son, James, and one grandchild.
Sally had a distinguished career as a journalist and critic, winning the Catherine Pakenham Award for her writing, and becoming the youngest-ever editor of Queen magazine (now Harper’s & Queen). She has contributed to many leading newspapers and magazines in both the UK and the USA, including the Daily Telegraph ( from 1970-73 and 1976-8 she was Arts Editor of the Sunday Telegraph Magazine), the Sunday Times, Observer, Vogue, the New York Times and the New Yorker. She also wrote nine Mills & Boon romances under the pseudonym Vanessa James, before publishing her block-buster novel Destiny in 1987 under her real name. It was her article about Daphne du Maurier, commissioned by Tina Brown, and published in The New Yorker in November 1993, which first gave her the idea for writing Rebecca de Winter’s version of events at Manderley – an idea that subsequently became the novel, Rebecca’s Tale. In 2000 she was one of the Whitbread Prize judges for the best novel category.
Sally Kinsey-Miles graduated from Girton College, Cambridge (MA in English Literature) She married Christopher Beauman an economist. After graduating, she moved with her husband to the USA, where she lived for three years, first in Washington DC, then New York, and travelled extensively. She began her career as a journalist in America, joining the staff of the newly launched New York magazine, of which she became associate editor, and continued to write for it after her return to England. Interviewed Alan Howard for the Telegraph Magazine in 1970 in an article called 'A Fellow of Most Excellent Fancy'. (Daily Telegraph Supplement, May 29th.) Apparently a very long interview. The following year they met again, and the rest is history. After a long partnership Sally and Alan married in 2004. She has one son, James, and one grandchild.
Sally had a distinguished career as a journalist and critic, winning the Catherine Pakenham Award for her writing, and becoming the youngest-ever editor of Queen magazine (now Harper’s & Queen). She has contributed to many leading newspapers and magazines in both the UK and the USA, including the Daily Telegraph ( from 1970-73 and 1976-8 she was Arts Editor of the Sunday Telegraph Magazine), the Sunday Times, Observer, Vogue, the New York Times and the New Yorker. She also wrote nine Mills & Boon romances under the pseudonym Vanessa James, before publishing her block-buster novel Destiny in 1987 under her real name. It was her article about Daphne du Maurier, commissioned by Tina Brown, and published in The New Yorker in November 1993, which first gave her the idea for writing Rebecca de Winter’s version of events at Manderley – an idea that subsequently became the novel, Rebecca’s Tale. In 2000 she was one of the Whitbread Prize judges for the best novel category.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 26, 2024
It stopped being a romance when the hero let his acolytes hit her on the head and tie her hands and feet, all for A Great Cause :(
April 11, 2021
Fun, enemies to lovers story set on a small Greek island off the coast of Albania. Heroine is a chef from London who left her job because of sexual harassment. She's working for tourist rental agency on the island when bestselling author hero shows up for his annual stay.
Heroine is attracted to him, but annoyed by his secrecy and brusque manner. Hero is part of Once heroine knows this, she ends up helping. Hero had also suffered a crisis of faith after his last family member died, and heroine helped with that as well.
It was nice to read about an H/h who worked together for the common good. Boogenhagen has all the details in her spoiler review.
Heroine is attracted to him, but annoyed by his secrecy and brusque manner. Hero is part of Once heroine knows this, she ends up helping. Hero had also suffered a crisis of faith after his last family member died, and heroine helped with that as well.
It was nice to read about an H/h who worked together for the common good. Boogenhagen has all the details in her spoiler review.
February 6, 2016
RE Give Me This Night - Once again Vanessa James brings us something out of the ordinary for HPlandia. She manages to write the equivalent of an international game of politics involving the smuggling of political dissenters into a fairly satisfying romance that actually works for HPlandia.
The story starts with the 22 year old h, a professional chef who is leaving London and her career after being hired by a an advertising executive who is desperately in love with her. She is pretty much indifferent to his advances and in fact doesn't realize she is being pursued until his wife comes along and kicks her out of the agency, accusing her of man-stealing. The h is flabbergasted and furious, she tries to defend herself but the wife is having none of it.
The h leaves and runs into an old school friend who offers a job as her assistant. The h will be helping tourists who rent holiday villa's on the Greek Island of Paxos. Since the would be lover is making a cake of himself, and exasperating the h in the process, the h decides getting out of town would be grand idear and accepts the offer.
She arrives on Paxos and is immediately taken with the place. She meets the locals who provide services like boat rentals to the holiday company and she also meets the very mysterious H, he is a writer of espionage and murder mysteries and has been coming to Paxos for years. He is supposed to be renting one of the company's villas but the roof needs repairing so it isn't available yet.
The h can't help but be curious about him, just looking at him gives her a strange sensation, but he is very reclusive and seems to want to avoid anyone but the native islanders. The h follows him after dropping off a party of renters, and they have a bit of a run-in as she is looking around the area where he is borrowing a house while he waits for the villa to be ready for occupation.
The h winds up avoiding him later that day, when he attempts to approach her while she is dining with her co-worker. Since part of her job is to check on the renters, the holiday boats the company provides for them and the progress of the villa repairs, she winds up meeting the H again while he is in conversation with the man who handles the boats.
The h senses something is amiss but she just wants to get out of there without another H confrontation. Those hopes are dashed when the H drives her back to town after her moped wouldn't start. The h and H share a bit about themselves and the h once again thinks he is hiding something but is reluctantly attracted.
The h goes around the island and we learn a bit about daily life on Paxos, when she meets the H again while babysitting for one of the renter's. The H is very charming this time around and the h is impressed, so when he asks her out on his inflatable boat on her day off and brings along a gourmet picnic, the h is pleased to accept.
He cooks a picnic to impress a Cordon Blue chef and the attraction grows. He also takes her to a somewhat inaccessible cove that harbors the supposed birthplace cave of Aphrodite. There is a thrilling description of shooting the inflatable through a rough and narrow opening which leads to the cove and the H has the h time it for some reason. He tells her it is for his next book, but the h has an undercurrent of doubt.
The H is so congenial and his company so wonderful, that the h puts her doubts aside. They have some nice kissing and then the H returns her home, promising to meet up with her the next evening. The following morning the h is dragooned into providing a dinner for all of the renters and islanders during the next day's Easter Procession by the owner of the holiday company. He takes her to Corfu where she is expected to order enough supplies to feed Greek and European delicacies to over 80 people in under 24hours.
The h wanders about getting her supplies and worrying about her later rendezvous with the H. Her boss had told her about some suggested smuggling business the previous summer that involved the villa the H rents, and the h can't help but wonder if the H is a smuggler of things into communist Albania in addition to novel writing.
The h is dragged by her boss into having drinks with an unusual couple whose male half is a British Cultural Attache, they are full of questions about the H and his activities and the h manages to wander off to the gardens to avoid their questions. The garden sojourn is interrupted by another enigmatic man who warns her to get her boss away from the couple. He is very drunk and loquaciously pontificating on about the H and his activities.
The man turns out to be the owner of the house the H is borrowing and he acts just like a covert operative from a spy novel. The h is concerned, but gathers up her intoxicated boss and takes him back to Paxos. As she is leaving, she finds out the couple and a Greek government official are planning to go to Paxos. She manages to get the boss settled and is setting out to meet with the H, when she gets a note from the H telling her not come.
She goes to the H's house anyway and runs into a group of men. She sees the H frowning as she is knocked unconscious. She wakes up tied up on the beach and then the H shows up. She tries to fight him off, but he starts kissing her and the passion is too strong. She gives in to his persuasive kissing and then he explains that he is smuggling Greek families out of Albania.
Since it is a communist country, the officials there won't allow anyone to leave - even people who aren't Albanian and got stuck when the border's closed. This is supposed to be the last operation, but it involves smuggling out Greek dissidents, who are in danger of being political prisoners, and one of the dissidents is the nephew of the man who looks after the boats for the h's company. The H plans to help the men escape and then leave Paxos forever as the Greek government is getting to close and no one wants an international incident involving English citizens.
The H explains that he got involved with the operation some years ago, his step sister died after a long illness with Multiple Sclerosis and he took wild risks with his life in reaction to the unfairness of her death. He abandoned his Catholic faith and began having one night stands with women in an effort to rid himself of the guilt and anger he felt.
The h had already been warned of the H's casual attitude towards the ladies by her school friend. The friend warned the H had a one night stand with a girl who had briefly worked for the holiday company and even though he told the girl it was a one shot deal, she still got hurt when he never contacted her again and refused any further advances.
The h doesn't care though, she is in love and determined to take only one night if that is all she can have, and also to help the H and his refugees escape the Greek official who is now on the island. They wind up consummating the relationship and the H asks her to publicly act as his latest lover during the party the next night. She will distract the Greek police by being openly seen with the H and then later, he will substitute another guy for himself in the dark and the police will be fooled into thinking they are having a romantic encounter.
She agrees and then she and the H have a passionate night. The next day the Greek official encounters the h at work and she does her best to give the impression of a white hot affair with the H. She meets up with the H for a passionate goodbye, for he tells her they will never meet again after the party charade, as he can't risk returning to Paxos and getting involved again, and both seem very sad. (Why she couldn't meet up with him somewhere else is never explained or even thought of, and as I was caught up in the drama - I just went with it.)
Everything goes as planned, the H flaunts the h at the party and they wander off into the foliage. The H does his substitution and the h pretends she is with the h. The H safely escapes and the holiday company owner and her friend feel bad for the h, as the H has abandoned her.
The friend tells the h that she lectured the H pretty severely and the h is angered. It seems her friend has a habit of meddling "for someone's own good" and usually makes a hash of it. The owner of the company wants the h to stay on Paxos permanently and continue to run things while he develops other islands. The h is torn, she loves the H and likes the islands, but can't help thinking maybe she would be better off somewhere else without all the memories.
The h is very depressed about losing her love, but accepts an invitation for a party in the home of the islander who does the boats. He sends her into his house alone and there she is surprised by the H. He loves her madly and can't live without her, he wasn't going to come back because the friend had told him that the h was in recovery from an unhappy love affair with a married man, but he just couldn't face life missing her.
In true HP style the h becomes a miracle worker by virtue of her innocence and chastity, she healed the H's pain from his step-sister's death, helped him recover his faith in God and makes him a better man. All in a day's work for a h in HPlandia.
The h is irked by her friend, explains that she has never been in love with anyone but the H and is ecstatic about being with the H forever. They decide to live on Paxos as the human smuggling operation is well and truly over and it an HEA forever in HPlandia once again.
This is a very involved but pretty good story with a nice romance. The plot of the international intrigue works really well when reduced to the immediate small locality of a tiny island and the romance is very satisfying with that nice touch of drama. VJ manages to pack a big story into a little book and this is a good way to spend some time if you are in the mood for a different sorta HPlandia visit.
The story starts with the 22 year old h, a professional chef who is leaving London and her career after being hired by a an advertising executive who is desperately in love with her. She is pretty much indifferent to his advances and in fact doesn't realize she is being pursued until his wife comes along and kicks her out of the agency, accusing her of man-stealing. The h is flabbergasted and furious, she tries to defend herself but the wife is having none of it.
The h leaves and runs into an old school friend who offers a job as her assistant. The h will be helping tourists who rent holiday villa's on the Greek Island of Paxos. Since the would be lover is making a cake of himself, and exasperating the h in the process, the h decides getting out of town would be grand idear and accepts the offer.
She arrives on Paxos and is immediately taken with the place. She meets the locals who provide services like boat rentals to the holiday company and she also meets the very mysterious H, he is a writer of espionage and murder mysteries and has been coming to Paxos for years. He is supposed to be renting one of the company's villas but the roof needs repairing so it isn't available yet.
The h can't help but be curious about him, just looking at him gives her a strange sensation, but he is very reclusive and seems to want to avoid anyone but the native islanders. The h follows him after dropping off a party of renters, and they have a bit of a run-in as she is looking around the area where he is borrowing a house while he waits for the villa to be ready for occupation.
The h winds up avoiding him later that day, when he attempts to approach her while she is dining with her co-worker. Since part of her job is to check on the renters, the holiday boats the company provides for them and the progress of the villa repairs, she winds up meeting the H again while he is in conversation with the man who handles the boats.
The h senses something is amiss but she just wants to get out of there without another H confrontation. Those hopes are dashed when the H drives her back to town after her moped wouldn't start. The h and H share a bit about themselves and the h once again thinks he is hiding something but is reluctantly attracted.
The h goes around the island and we learn a bit about daily life on Paxos, when she meets the H again while babysitting for one of the renter's. The H is very charming this time around and the h is impressed, so when he asks her out on his inflatable boat on her day off and brings along a gourmet picnic, the h is pleased to accept.
He cooks a picnic to impress a Cordon Blue chef and the attraction grows. He also takes her to a somewhat inaccessible cove that harbors the supposed birthplace cave of Aphrodite. There is a thrilling description of shooting the inflatable through a rough and narrow opening which leads to the cove and the H has the h time it for some reason. He tells her it is for his next book, but the h has an undercurrent of doubt.
The H is so congenial and his company so wonderful, that the h puts her doubts aside. They have some nice kissing and then the H returns her home, promising to meet up with her the next evening. The following morning the h is dragooned into providing a dinner for all of the renters and islanders during the next day's Easter Procession by the owner of the holiday company. He takes her to Corfu where she is expected to order enough supplies to feed Greek and European delicacies to over 80 people in under 24hours.
The h wanders about getting her supplies and worrying about her later rendezvous with the H. Her boss had told her about some suggested smuggling business the previous summer that involved the villa the H rents, and the h can't help but wonder if the H is a smuggler of things into communist Albania in addition to novel writing.
The h is dragged by her boss into having drinks with an unusual couple whose male half is a British Cultural Attache, they are full of questions about the H and his activities and the h manages to wander off to the gardens to avoid their questions. The garden sojourn is interrupted by another enigmatic man who warns her to get her boss away from the couple. He is very drunk and loquaciously pontificating on about the H and his activities.
The man turns out to be the owner of the house the H is borrowing and he acts just like a covert operative from a spy novel. The h is concerned, but gathers up her intoxicated boss and takes him back to Paxos. As she is leaving, she finds out the couple and a Greek government official are planning to go to Paxos. She manages to get the boss settled and is setting out to meet with the H, when she gets a note from the H telling her not come.
She goes to the H's house anyway and runs into a group of men. She sees the H frowning as she is knocked unconscious. She wakes up tied up on the beach and then the H shows up. She tries to fight him off, but he starts kissing her and the passion is too strong. She gives in to his persuasive kissing and then he explains that he is smuggling Greek families out of Albania.
Since it is a communist country, the officials there won't allow anyone to leave - even people who aren't Albanian and got stuck when the border's closed. This is supposed to be the last operation, but it involves smuggling out Greek dissidents, who are in danger of being political prisoners, and one of the dissidents is the nephew of the man who looks after the boats for the h's company. The H plans to help the men escape and then leave Paxos forever as the Greek government is getting to close and no one wants an international incident involving English citizens.
The H explains that he got involved with the operation some years ago, his step sister died after a long illness with Multiple Sclerosis and he took wild risks with his life in reaction to the unfairness of her death. He abandoned his Catholic faith and began having one night stands with women in an effort to rid himself of the guilt and anger he felt.
The h had already been warned of the H's casual attitude towards the ladies by her school friend. The friend warned the H had a one night stand with a girl who had briefly worked for the holiday company and even though he told the girl it was a one shot deal, she still got hurt when he never contacted her again and refused any further advances.
The h doesn't care though, she is in love and determined to take only one night if that is all she can have, and also to help the H and his refugees escape the Greek official who is now on the island. They wind up consummating the relationship and the H asks her to publicly act as his latest lover during the party the next night. She will distract the Greek police by being openly seen with the H and then later, he will substitute another guy for himself in the dark and the police will be fooled into thinking they are having a romantic encounter.
She agrees and then she and the H have a passionate night. The next day the Greek official encounters the h at work and she does her best to give the impression of a white hot affair with the H. She meets up with the H for a passionate goodbye, for he tells her they will never meet again after the party charade, as he can't risk returning to Paxos and getting involved again, and both seem very sad. (Why she couldn't meet up with him somewhere else is never explained or even thought of, and as I was caught up in the drama - I just went with it.)
Everything goes as planned, the H flaunts the h at the party and they wander off into the foliage. The H does his substitution and the h pretends she is with the h. The H safely escapes and the holiday company owner and her friend feel bad for the h, as the H has abandoned her.
The friend tells the h that she lectured the H pretty severely and the h is angered. It seems her friend has a habit of meddling "for someone's own good" and usually makes a hash of it. The owner of the company wants the h to stay on Paxos permanently and continue to run things while he develops other islands. The h is torn, she loves the H and likes the islands, but can't help thinking maybe she would be better off somewhere else without all the memories.
The h is very depressed about losing her love, but accepts an invitation for a party in the home of the islander who does the boats. He sends her into his house alone and there she is surprised by the H. He loves her madly and can't live without her, he wasn't going to come back because the friend had told him that the h was in recovery from an unhappy love affair with a married man, but he just couldn't face life missing her.
In true HP style the h becomes a miracle worker by virtue of her innocence and chastity, she healed the H's pain from his step-sister's death, helped him recover his faith in God and makes him a better man. All in a day's work for a h in HPlandia.
The h is irked by her friend, explains that she has never been in love with anyone but the H and is ecstatic about being with the H forever. They decide to live on Paxos as the human smuggling operation is well and truly over and it an HEA forever in HPlandia once again.
This is a very involved but pretty good story with a nice romance. The plot of the international intrigue works really well when reduced to the immediate small locality of a tiny island and the romance is very satisfying with that nice touch of drama. VJ manages to pack a big story into a little book and this is a good way to spend some time if you are in the mood for a different sorta HPlandia visit.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2020
The first time Rebecca set eyes on Cal Ryder, she took a dislike to him. And her dislike flared into anger at their next meeting.
But on a tiny Greek island you cannot avoid people, and gradually she realised her anger had hidden a passion of a different kind...
She could almost taste the danger!
Now, here's trouble, Rebecca thought the day mystery author Cal Ryder invaded Paxos and took a villa on the most inaccessible part of the Greek island.
Then passion flared between them in a blaze of excitement that threatened to consume them both. But Rebecca noticed something secretive and watchful in his eyes, anger even, that made her feel shed blundered into his life at the worst possible moment.
Whatever Cal was involved in was unfolding at a breakneck pace, and Rebecca's reactions were confused--partly emotional, partly sensual....
But on a tiny Greek island you cannot avoid people, and gradually she realised her anger had hidden a passion of a different kind...
She could almost taste the danger!
Now, here's trouble, Rebecca thought the day mystery author Cal Ryder invaded Paxos and took a villa on the most inaccessible part of the Greek island.
Then passion flared between them in a blaze of excitement that threatened to consume them both. But Rebecca noticed something secretive and watchful in his eyes, anger even, that made her feel shed blundered into his life at the worst possible moment.
Whatever Cal was involved in was unfolding at a breakneck pace, and Rebecca's reactions were confused--partly emotional, partly sensual....
March 16, 2011
I just finished this book and found it wonderful. Vanessa James is the pseudonym of Sally Beauman, who wrote my favorite-ever book, Destiny. I'm gobbling up her backlist right now, and began with this ancient Harlequin Presents. Lovely.
May 27, 2023
Bare 3. This had a powerful whiff of Mary Stewart to it, and with deepest respect to her, those kind of plots are not what I'm looking for in a HP. It's set on pre-tourism Paxos and the h, Rebecca, is acting as a kind of holiday rep for a holiday property company. It's a gig she got alongside her old school friend, as a means of leaving London after her old married boss got obsessed with her. The H, Cal Ryder, is a thriller writer and there's a smuggling operation going on. I was deeply uncomfortable with one of their sexual encounters which bordered on rape (she's imprisoned, bound, in a dark place and frightened, when he sets his gropey wetsuited love mojo on her 😬). Anyhow, I ended up skimming a lot of local colour and heavy thriller plot. Not one of her best.
April 20, 2025
An old favorite! Lots of action, I liked the way the romance developed, only I didn't quite understand the hero's reasons for leaving.
October 26, 2023
"Nopeasti luettu" lienee näteintä mitä tästä voi sanoa. Suuria tunteita olevinaan oli, mutta ne eivät tuntuneet yhtään missään, mikä aiheutti lähinnä tuskastunutta silmien pyörittelyä.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews