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Man of Contrasts
They were compatible, except in love .. .
Guy Harris seemed like a godsend to Elaine Farraday, who was shattered after the tragic death of her parents.
The widowed American writer bought her family home in the English moors. He helped her sell her father's real-estate business and encouraged her choice of a solitary life as a jewelry designer.
And they were such soul mates that he offered her marriage and instant motherhood, looking after his young son Jamie. But marriage changed everything...
Guy Harris seemed like a godsend to Elaine Farraday, who was shattered after the tragic death of her parents.
The widowed American writer bought her family home in the English moors. He helped her sell her father's real-estate business and encouraged her choice of a solitary life as a jewelry designer.
And they were such soul mates that he offered her marriage and instant motherhood, looking after his young son Jamie. But marriage changed everything...
187 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 13, 2020
Heroine has lost her parents and her entire extended family in a plane crash six months before. When the story opens she is dazedly trying to run her father’s real estate business until she can sell it and she has just put the family home on the market. All she wants is to go back to her isolated cottage where she can make jewelry and paint plates and lick her wounds.
Enter hero, a best-selling writer, who wants to buy the heroine’s family home so he’ll have a base while he researches and writes his next novel. He is impatient and rude to the faltering heroine until she breaks down in tears showing him the house. Then he’s kind and compassionate and paves the way for a smooth sale of the house.
They begin to date with the hero not giving much away about his past – until he introduces her to his five year-old son and proposes a marriage of convenience. He thinks they have a great sexual chemistry. He needs someone to take care of his son while he does writer things. And she’s got to make her decision fast since he has a bunch of houses and he wants to settle in the right one so his son can go to school in the Fall.
Heroine loves the son (and the father) and agrees to his terms for marriage. They have a great honeymoon. It’s only when they move to Cornwall and heroine has to put up with first wife’s parents and hero’s mental absences that she starts to doubt the marriage.
Hero also starts showing signs of jealousy and unreasonableness – finally a kindly neighbor lets her in on the story. Hero’s first wife was cheating on him with a married man and hero never found out until after her death. (She fell down a flight of stairs after feeling faint from a bad virus). So now hero doesn’t trust.
The H/h finally reconcile after the hero’s son runs away and they spend the night looking for him. Hero is sorry for being so selfish. Heroine is sorry for ???? She has nothing to feel sorry for – hero was an ass.
Man of Contrasts is a good title, since hero’s moods could turn on a dime. I wasn’t feeling the love for him. Heroine is great.
Enter hero, a best-selling writer, who wants to buy the heroine’s family home so he’ll have a base while he researches and writes his next novel. He is impatient and rude to the faltering heroine until she breaks down in tears showing him the house. Then he’s kind and compassionate and paves the way for a smooth sale of the house.
They begin to date with the hero not giving much away about his past – until he introduces her to his five year-old son and proposes a marriage of convenience. He thinks they have a great sexual chemistry. He needs someone to take care of his son while he does writer things. And she’s got to make her decision fast since he has a bunch of houses and he wants to settle in the right one so his son can go to school in the Fall.
Heroine loves the son (and the father) and agrees to his terms for marriage. They have a great honeymoon. It’s only when they move to Cornwall and heroine has to put up with first wife’s parents and hero’s mental absences that she starts to doubt the marriage.
Hero also starts showing signs of jealousy and unreasonableness – finally a kindly neighbor lets her in on the story. Hero’s first wife was cheating on him with a married man and hero never found out until after her death. (She fell down a flight of stairs after feeling faint from a bad virus). So now hero doesn’t trust.
The H/h finally reconcile after the hero’s son runs away and they spend the night looking for him. Hero is sorry for being so selfish. Heroine is sorry for ???? She has nothing to feel sorry for – hero was an ass.
Man of Contrasts is a good title, since hero’s moods could turn on a dime. I wasn’t feeling the love for him. Heroine is great.
November 15, 2019
Two traumatized people decide to give it a go in a marriage of sexvenience since the young woman won't put out without a ring and the widower guy needs a housekeeper and surrogate mother for his son. I'm not kidding, that's exactly how the turd couched his proposal: Do you wanna be a) my housekeeper or b) my wife.
It is perhaps not surprising that the heroine grasped at the chance of belonging to a ready-made family, even a turd family, since she has recently lost HER entire family (not just her parents but extended members too) in a plane crash.
Add to that the mother of the dead first wife spilling her venom in guise of thanks for the heroine's genuine, selfless efforts to heap love on the little plot moppet and no wonder she thought she was a poor substitute.
I didn't care for hero's eventual explanation that far from being ideal, his dearly departed wifey was a cheater and a liar and it is heroine who he admires. I still got the feeling that wife number one was his one and only DESPITE her faults and behavior. If she hadn't died, I don't believe for a moment that he could have quit her.
My verdict is that unfortunately, heroine is a second best and she deserved so much better :(
Again, the stars are for author's compelling story telling and a grear heroine that I connected to. Seems to be her m.o.
It is perhaps not surprising that the heroine grasped at the chance of belonging to a ready-made family, even a turd family, since she has recently lost HER entire family (not just her parents but extended members too) in a plane crash.
Add to that the mother of the dead first wife spilling her venom in guise of thanks for the heroine's genuine, selfless efforts to heap love on the little plot moppet and no wonder she thought she was a poor substitute.
I didn't care for hero's eventual explanation that far from being ideal, his dearly departed wifey was a cheater and a liar and it is heroine who he admires. I still got the feeling that wife number one was his one and only DESPITE her faults and behavior. If she hadn't died, I don't believe for a moment that he could have quit her.
My verdict is that unfortunately, heroine is a second best and she deserved so much better :(
Again, the stars are for author's compelling story telling and a grear heroine that I connected to. Seems to be her m.o.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 24, 2021
A different plot ....the couple really like each other, kindred spirits so without avowing any love, they marry....then problems begin. They know longer get along, are on edge and even Guy's young son is upset with the tension in the home.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews