A Very Special Man

by Marjorie Lewty

Chloe had given up on ordinary men!

Experience had taught Chloe that ordinary men were a sadly selfish bunch. So she conjured up an ideal. He would have to be rich and generous; tall, dark and handsome; kind to children and animals. And he would possess a sense of humor.

She and her sister had a good laugh over the requirements. They both knew full well that such a man could never really exist!

At least that's what Chloe thought--until she met Benedict Dane....

Genres: Romance, Harlequin, Marriage Of Convenience, Harlequin Romance, Spain, Contemporary Romance

187 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1979

About the author

Marjorie Lewty, née Lobb, was a British writer of short stories and over 45 romance novels from 1958 to 1999 to Mills & Boon.
She studied at Queen Mary High School in Liverpool, but her plans to study sciences at university were thwarted, when her father died. She was forced to take a hated job at secretary of the District Bank Ltd. from 1923 to 1933, when she married with Richard Arthur Lewty, a dental surgeon of Liverpool. They had one son and one daughter. After her marriage she began to write short stories which were published in magazines. In 1958, she sold her first romance novel to Mills & Boon, and her last novel in 1999.

Reviews

[Naksed · Rating 2 out of 5]

The zero hero of this tale proposes a business arrangement/marriage of convenience to a woman he’s practically just met. The love of his life married his friend. Hero never got over her. His very traditional Spanish grandmother is having vapors at the Escandalo so he decides to use heroine as his beard. Heroine has just been dumped by the Biggest Pompous Ass Vile Monster and she’s sworn off love and men. She agrees to the hero’s proposal because it’s just a job. Unfortunately for her, it takes her about a nanosecond to “fall in lust love” with her husband. Let the angst begin...

Contrary to the title of this book, the so-called hero wasn’t a ‘very special man” at all. Heroine was rather nice and she did not deserve to be saddled with a hero who married her on the rebound and will remain obsessed with the OW who jilted him for his best friend for the rest of his life. As soon as OW was widowed, he couldn’t wait to send his wife out of the country and then to add insult to injury, he instructed his wife to get their house ready to welcome the convalescent OW. I think the OW couldn’t get out of dodge fast enough so she summoned her sister to come from Argentina and take her back with her and finally get the hero out of her hair. Only then did the hero return to his wife alone and dumped by OW again. I simply didn’t believe in his love declaration or his claim that from Day One, his motive was love. His behavior with the OW contradicted that and the author did not manage to pull off the trope that it was all just a Great Big Terrible Misunderstanding. Sorry, didn’t buy it.

There was a horrid OW #2, the teenage ward of hero’s grandmother, who insulted the heroine continuously and brazenly right in front of hero and did not get any comeuppance and got the last word too. There, again, the hero epically failed in standing up for his wife against a rude, petulant teenager who thinks she is Spain’s answer to Mae West. I know he would not have stood for it for a second if OW#2 had dared to direct her ire to his true love OW#1. He would have crushed anyone to a pulp if they dared to harm a single hair on OW#1’s head. I simply did not see the same level of protectiveness towards his own wife. She was left to fend for herself all the time and he pretty much left her alone to her own devices while he was busy sneaking around with OW#1.

The OM was sufficiently punished, at least. I really could not believe my eyes when the book started with OM taking the heroine to a pornographic movie at the theater, and they all treat this oh so casually like it is a perfectly normal date night. I remember Emmanuelle being a big thing in the 80s, almost mainstream, but still, I can’t wrap my mind around it. Anyways the pompous ass got his just desserts when he dumped the heroine then came crawling back not just once but twice to a very uninterested heroine. Loved it.

The other main character was heroine’s sister, whose husband left her to sow his wild oats. Her supposed happy ending occurred when he eventually returned home probably because he ran out of money. I am sure he was taken brutally for all his worth by a golddigging hall of famer and that is why he came back to his “boring” wife and kids for a bit of domestic serenity. The heroine’s sister took him back no questions asked grrrr. I am sure he will walk out on her at least half a dozen time before he finally dumps her permanently.

The only stars for this book are for poor martyr doormat heroine and her sister, with half a point for the marmalade cat Orlando. Everyone else can go jump off a bridge as far as I’m concerned,

[StMargarets · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet marriage of convenience story that takes awhile to develop, but ends very satisfactorily. The story opens with the heroine being jilted by her fiance for rushing to her married sister's side and for being "frigid." Heroine decides she's off men, especially after seeing the mess of her sister's marriage. She quits her job to help her sister with her children. Restless,she explores the abandoned manor house where she grew up as the housekeeper's daughter, and on impulse she follows a cat through the pantry window so she can see the inside again.

Here the new owner of the manor catches her trespassing. It's a meet cute and it's obvious they're both smitten. The next day the H proposes a marriage of convenience so that he can assure his grandmother in Spain he's not romancing the married lady from the neighboring winery. Heroine thinks his morals are suspect and wants no part of it until her ex-fiance shows up to woo her back. Heroine decides to take the "job"of pretend wife to put off her ex and to give herself a fighting chance to win the hero over. So, after a registry wedding, it's off to Spain.

Here the h meets the nice grandma, the evil cousin who wanted to marry the H, and the gorgeous married woman the H supposedly had an affair with. They are put in the same bedroom and start to "make love", but the hero pulls back, stating that he doesn't want to take advantage of her because this is temporary.

On a lonely morning in Seville h seems H with the OW. She actually tells him about seeing them together and he asks her to be patient, he'll explain it all eventually. On their way to do some sightseeing they come across a car crash. It's the OW and her husband. Husband dies. Now OW is free to marry H.

H sends her back to England to fix up the manor house. After all the funeral arrangements, he'll bring OW along so she can recover in peace. Heroine is resigned to losing her "job" in the near future, and sets about remodeling the manor house.

Meanwhile, the sister's husband returns and all is forgiven. Hero returns early without OW (who is going back to South America). He fell in love with h at first sight, but didn't want to rush her because she had been hurt by her fiance. He had stopped OW's suicide attempt and spent the night at her house and the evil cousin had spread rumors about them. There was never an affair. HEA



Poor heroine was so convinced her love was unrequited, but it was obvious to the seasoned reader that the hero was crazy about her and all of that angst was for naught. Heroine had a backbone and was intelligent (she spoke fluent Spanish). Hero was a sweetie, if a little too commanding at times.

[Margo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute but no surprises.

[Prac Agrl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wanted more romance and better explanation and ending.

[Tonya Warner]

A very enjoyable book. Finding the man who fulfills your dreams. Benedict and Chloe were very sweet.