What do you think?
Rate this book
The Waiting Man
SHE NEEDED PROTECTION --- BUT COULD SHE TRUST HIM?
Eden Nairn, a widow, had been hiding from her tyrannical grandfather ever since the birth of her son --- the only male heir to his estate in the Northumbrian Hills. So when his handsome henchman, Brett Allard, finally tracked her down, she knew he'd be under strict orders to return there with her child.
To her surprise, however, Brett had his own ax to grind with her grandfather. "Marry me, Eden," he suggested, "and I'll see the old man doesn't ride roughshod over you."
Eden needed some form of protection. But she could never risk marrying again! Especially someone like Brett Allard --- just the kind of man she could love ...
Eden Nairn, a widow, had been hiding from her tyrannical grandfather ever since the birth of her son --- the only male heir to his estate in the Northumbrian Hills. So when his handsome henchman, Brett Allard, finally tracked her down, she knew he'd be under strict orders to return there with her child.
To her surprise, however, Brett had his own ax to grind with her grandfather. "Marry me, Eden," he suggested, "and I'll see the old man doesn't ride roughshod over you."
Eden needed some form of protection. But she could never risk marrying again! Especially someone like Brett Allard --- just the kind of man she could love ...
189 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 19, 2021
Boy, did category romance novelists love to reference the Dowson poem, Cynara. It's the "sick and desolate of an old passion" and "faithful to thee in my fashion" bits they focus on, but as another reviewer notes, they kind of gloss over the part that he's remembering his lost love while in the arms of "bought" women. Anyway, JM trots out a reference in this tale featuring another of her yummy alpha heroes who had loved the heroine when she was very young but had been put off by her autocratic grandfather (who took in the hero after the death of his own parents).
The titular waiting man is Brett Allard, a barrister who had lived with the heroine and her larger-than-life Borderlands grandfather and knew the heroine since she was a little girl. 15 years older than she, he'd been a remote if familiar figure while she was growing up, and while he had fallen in love with her when she grew to be a young woman, she never really gave him a thought as a romantic interest. Headstrong and arrogant like her grandfather, she married a neighboring young man with tragic results when she was 18. Her young husband died on their wedding night, crashing his car with her in it in the middle of the night, .
Three years later, as the book begins, the heroine is living quietly with her 3-year old son, running an antiques business and hiding from her grandfather, who has long wanted a male heir and who, she fears, would bully her into returning and handing over the boy. She's tracked down by the hero, who ruthlessly pressures her into an MoC, offering his protection from her grandfather and promising it will be a marriage in name only--until she decides that she wants him and only him. He's aware of her fear and dislike of physical contact but thinks she's still in love with her dead spouse.
Over the course of the novel, the hero is patient with the heroine and calmly and coolly deals with her bellowing, intimidating grandfather, helping her to establish boundaries but also get over her anger and resentment at her grandfather's past treatment of her. JM likes autocratic heroes, and Brett fits the mold to some extent, but his patience and his calm practicality in dealing with all the drama makes him a really likable hero. Heroine Eden was a harder proposition to really like--I get that JM was going for PTSD here but the Big Secret dragged on too long, and I would have liked her better if she was a little better at standing up for herself, with her grandfather and with the psycho OW .
As usual, JM wrote a pretty good and funny plot moppet and distinctive secondary characters, which are a pleasure to read. She's an engaging writer, too--there are moments of humor even in her most fraught tales. It was nice, too, that for once it was the hero, and not the heroine, that had been long besotted--the fact that the heroine never even thought of her older foster "brother" as a romantic interest made it all the more realistic and moving when she comes to realize, as an adult, that she's attracted and then in love. His acknowledgment, too, that it would have been a disaster if they'd gotten together when she was 18 (and he was early 30s), was refreshing. In a way, this is a second chance at love story but manages to avoid a few cliches (Dowson quotes aside!).
Not an out and out JM fave for me, but pretty good, particularly because of the hero.
The titular waiting man is Brett Allard, a barrister who had lived with the heroine and her larger-than-life Borderlands grandfather and knew the heroine since she was a little girl. 15 years older than she, he'd been a remote if familiar figure while she was growing up, and while he had fallen in love with her when she grew to be a young woman, she never really gave him a thought as a romantic interest. Headstrong and arrogant like her grandfather, she married a neighboring young man with tragic results when she was 18. Her young husband died on their wedding night, crashing his car with her in it in the middle of the night, .
Three years later, as the book begins, the heroine is living quietly with her 3-year old son, running an antiques business and hiding from her grandfather, who has long wanted a male heir and who, she fears, would bully her into returning and handing over the boy. She's tracked down by the hero, who ruthlessly pressures her into an MoC, offering his protection from her grandfather and promising it will be a marriage in name only--until she decides that she wants him and only him. He's aware of her fear and dislike of physical contact but thinks she's still in love with her dead spouse.
Over the course of the novel, the hero is patient with the heroine and calmly and coolly deals with her bellowing, intimidating grandfather, helping her to establish boundaries but also get over her anger and resentment at her grandfather's past treatment of her. JM likes autocratic heroes, and Brett fits the mold to some extent, but his patience and his calm practicality in dealing with all the drama makes him a really likable hero. Heroine Eden was a harder proposition to really like--I get that JM was going for PTSD here but the Big Secret dragged on too long, and I would have liked her better if she was a little better at standing up for herself, with her grandfather and with the psycho OW .
As usual, JM wrote a pretty good and funny plot moppet and distinctive secondary characters, which are a pleasure to read. She's an engaging writer, too--there are moments of humor even in her most fraught tales. It was nice, too, that for once it was the hero, and not the heroine, that had been long besotted--the fact that the heroine never even thought of her older foster "brother" as a romantic interest made it all the more realistic and moving when she comes to realize, as an adult, that she's attracted and then in love. His acknowledgment, too, that it would have been a disaster if they'd gotten together when she was 18 (and he was early 30s), was refreshing. In a way, this is a second chance at love story but manages to avoid a few cliches (Dowson quotes aside!).
Not an out and out JM fave for me, but pretty good, particularly because of the hero.
October 25, 2020
The OW STABS heroine in the hand in the middle of a coffee shop. The martyr heroine NATURALLY hides the fact and there is never any comeuppance for the OW. The hero mentions he heard the truth from someone else but doesn't explain if he confronted the OW or fired her or what????
I am sorry but I just HATE that kind of detail and it takes away all the romance for me. A hero stands up for his woman or a heroine must stand up for herself. One or the other, preferably both. Not only did the heroine cover up for the criminal OW, she also covered up for her dead first husband who abused her, raped her, and drove maniacally until the car crashed and he died. The heroine took the blame on herself, that she was driving the car. WHY???? I understand that as a victim of abuse, she felt shame and self-loathing as victims often do, but after 3 years, she couldn't bring herself to say that he was driving and not her? At the very least, she owed the truth for her son who would otherwise grow up with a cloud hanging over hum.
This was an epic fail :~{
I am sorry but I just HATE that kind of detail and it takes away all the romance for me. A hero stands up for his woman or a heroine must stand up for herself. One or the other, preferably both. Not only did the heroine cover up for the criminal OW, she also covered up for her dead first husband who abused her, raped her, and drove maniacally until the car crashed and he died. The heroine took the blame on herself, that she was driving the car. WHY???? I understand that as a victim of abuse, she felt shame and self-loathing as victims often do, but after 3 years, she couldn't bring herself to say that he was driving and not her? At the very least, she owed the truth for her son who would otherwise grow up with a cloud hanging over hum.
This was an epic fail :~{
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 28, 2018
The H terrorized an already-traumatized h with the threat of her losing her child to her autocratic and ruthless grandfather. That in itself is a borderline deal-breaker.
July 13, 2016
This book was quiet a surprise! The h is a young widow with a 2 year old son, her marriage lasted less than 24 hours before her husband was killed in a car accident. She owned an antique shop and lived in the heavily mortgaged building with her son trying to make a living. Her maternal grandfather, the person who raised her since she was 5 years old turned her away after she was blamed by the coroner for her late husband's death. The grandfather had learned about her son, his only male heir, bought the mortgage on her house and business and sent his trusted solicitor, the man he also raised after his parents passed away, to bring his granddaughter and his great grandson back. The H offered her a marriage of convenience to protect her against his grandfather.
She was emotionally scarred and afraid to be touched, he was ruthless from the outside and tender from inside. He was 15 years his senior and has loved her for many years. There is also an ex, a vicious OW.
I loved how Eden was able to re-examine her relationship with her grandfather by watching him around his son.
She was emotionally scarred and afraid to be touched, he was ruthless from the outside and tender from inside. He was 15 years his senior and has loved her for many years. There is also an ex, a vicious OW.
I loved how Eden was able to re-examine her relationship with her grandfather by watching him around his son.
April 5, 2014
This is a marriage of convenience story about a young woman who has been hiding from her Grandfather for years. Eden has a young son and knows her Grandfather will want to take possession of his only male heir.
Brett Allard is the one who finds her and offers a marriage of convenience to help her keep control of her son. Eden has known Brett since she first went to live with her Grandfather as a child but he was much older.
Eden doesn't want to be married again. There are secrets she doesn't want to reveal about her short lived marriage and her Grandfather and her in-laws considered her to blame for her husbands death.
Brett has his own reasons for marrying Eden, but one significant detail is that he once asked her grandfather if he could court Eden and was refused.
This was an enjoyable read without any real surprises.
Brett Allard is the one who finds her and offers a marriage of convenience to help her keep control of her son. Eden has known Brett since she first went to live with her Grandfather as a child but he was much older.
Eden doesn't want to be married again. There are secrets she doesn't want to reveal about her short lived marriage and her Grandfather and her in-laws considered her to blame for her husbands death.
Brett has his own reasons for marrying Eden, but one significant detail is that he once asked her grandfather if he could court Eden and was refused.
This was an enjoyable read without any real surprises.
March 16, 2017
Ok, this one was difficult to fall in love with. The book, I mean, not Brett. He was dishy. I didn't like the fact that he poors his heart out twice (maybe 3 times?), and then it's practically ignored, and they're off onto another conversation. Like...uh...hello? He just said he's always wanted you and always wanted to marry you. Should'nt we discuss this in further detail??
I did, however, really enjoy their teasing conversations. He was a light-hearted hero with occasional bouts of punishing kiss tempers, but still tender. Still alpha. Definitely an original hero.
One extra star because the ratings on this book are way too harsh. This was an enjoyable read.
I did, however, really enjoy their teasing conversations. He was a light-hearted hero with occasional bouts of punishing kiss tempers, but still tender. Still alpha. Definitely an original hero.
One extra star because the ratings on this book are way too harsh. This was an enjoyable read.
May 19, 2024
Dreary tale of a widow and her toddler son who is blackmailed by the hero to marry. Heroine is an orphan. Hero is an orphan. Both were raised by her tyrannical grandfather (15 years apart) and both are trying to keep heroine's son out of clutches of her grandfather.
Heroine is traumatized by her brief marriage. On her wedding night she was raped and beaten and then was in a car accident that killed her sadistic husband. She hasn't told anyone this and has lived with the trauma ever since.
Hero tries to figure out what went wrong. Heroine clams up. Rinse, repeat.
It's was tedious and depressing by the time hormones save the day and heroine is all cured by the magic member of the hero. The most excitement was when the wanna be OW stabs the heroine's hand with a cake fork.
Heroine didn't report that, either.
Sigh. I'd skip this one.
Heroine is traumatized by her brief marriage. On her wedding night she was raped and beaten and then was in a car accident that killed her sadistic husband. She hasn't told anyone this and has lived with the trauma ever since.
Hero tries to figure out what went wrong. Heroine clams up. Rinse, repeat.
It's was tedious and depressing by the time hormones save the day and heroine is all cured by the magic member of the hero. The most excitement was when the wanna be OW stabs the heroine's hand with a cake fork.
Heroine didn't report that, either.
Sigh. I'd skip this one.
October 6, 2021
Another winner from this author. This is a quiet story where the tension and emotional conflicts are real but muted, letting us focus on the characters. The little boy and the grandfather are minor characters who act like real people while the would-be OW is flat
October 26, 2022
Other reviews of this author did not like the writing style but I did. It was fairly realistic and believable. 3 stars rather than 4 due to the 28 year old lusting for the 16 year old, always an ick factor in these vintage romances.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews