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Sweet Pretence
"Are you on guard against all men, or just me?"
Joe's question unsettled Frederica, but she had her reasons for keeping cool and distant with Joseph Corey.
Years ago they'd been lovers, but these days Freddy needed both feet on the ground. A single parent and a serious career woman had no room in her life for short flings with old flames.
And though Freddy readily admitted Joe had his sensual charms, she made it clear that getting burned twice was not on her list of things to do with her life--Joe just didn't seem to be listening.
Joe's question unsettled Frederica, but she had her reasons for keeping cool and distant with Joseph Corey.
Years ago they'd been lovers, but these days Freddy needed both feet on the ground. A single parent and a serious career woman had no room in her life for short flings with old flames.
And though Freddy readily admitted Joe had his sensual charms, she made it clear that getting burned twice was not on her list of things to do with her life--Joe just didn't seem to be listening.
187 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 9, 2016
Re Sweet Pretence - this is another Non-HP HP. The h is a 31 yr old divorce mother of a five yr old little girl and the H is 37 and had an affair with the h ten years earlier. The h works as a producer for a BBC-like company and does a variety of programs and tv movies. The H is an award winning author who has been nominated for a Booker prize and also has experience with play and movie direction and script writing.
The h and H met when she took a script writing class and was one of the few women in the group. She thought the H did not even like her, cause misogyny in the British TV industry was rampant back in the day, but at the end of the course he asked her out and they spent a very blissful two years together before he got called to Hollywood and the h got offered a really good job in the British entertainment establishment. The H wanted the h to drop her ambitions and just be his lady but the h really wanted to continue in what she had worked so hard for, so they parted with a certain amount of bitterness on the h's side.
Then she married another guy a few years later and that did not work out either, they both wanted something that the other eventually couldn't give and so they divorced, but the h got a lovely daughter.
The h has a little house and a boarder who also helps out with the kid care but is leaving to be married to an American soon. The h has also had a few other transient relations since her divorce, she hasn't been on ice by any means, but mainly these days she is happy with her job - her married boss who owns the production company has a lot of respect for her talent and maybe a little crush on her, but he also gives her a wide variety of challenging movies and documentaries to work on and career wise, the h has found her niche. She loves her daughter too, and she spends considerable time balancing her work to be there for her child.
Lately the h hasn't been much for the relationship drama. It seems when she was younger she had too high expectations of her partners, but now after her relationship disappointments and failures, she just has no expectations at all. She has a casual partner who is a widower with two young girls and he is a good friend that she can socialize with but neither of them are real serious about each other.
Then the H returns from his wanderings to direct Shakespeare in the h's hometown. He is doing some script work and direction for the h's company too. They meet again at the production company's anniversary party. The h gets a bit perturbed when she sees the H again, the parting wasn't good on her side and she is a bit alarmed to feel a rush of attraction for the H that should have long since faded away with time and distance. The h finds out they will be working together for a few days, the company owner wants the h to familiarize the H with how they work and their procedures. The h is wary but professional even tho she locks the keys and the dog in car accidentally twice. The H hints that he might be back in the market for another go at some physical communing, but the h isn't really all that eager to get involved with the H again. She keeps it to business and then finds herself relieved but a bit perturbed when a sweet young thang actress looks like she is well on her way to becoming the flavor of the area for the H.
The H makes some subtle attempts at extraoffice hours with the h when he finds out she is divorced, but he gets a little shock when he finds out the h has a child. The h figures the child will put him off, but she is okay with that cause the H's new theatre job includes an introduction to the theatre director and his wife (who are also the H and h of another JG book Dear Villain, they become secondary in this one.) The h is happy to meet them both, she wants to do a documentary on play production and she wants to make friends with the wife of theater director - who has worked quite a bit in stage management herself.
The h gets her wish in both cases, but the new documentary means that she also has a bit too much exposure to the H and his little actress, still the h has her own things going on, so she puts the H and thoughts of him to the back of her mind and gets on with her life. Then the H starts showing up at odd occasions and he turns out to be big hit with the h's daughter. The h finds out a little bit more about the H and his character in general and she is reluctantly impressed by how well rounded he is.
Then he kinda destroys that reversal of opinion when he starts making nasty comments about the h's boss wanting an affair and speculating if the h is going to get involved with a married man. The h gets irked, she doesn't go around wrecking homes and if the H believes that she does, he isn't so well rounded after all. There is an awkward bit when the boss does try it on with the h, but she gracefully refuses cause she truly isn't interested and the boss takes his congé with a certain amount of style - he isn't ugly about it or pushy, he was just interested and wanted to give it a shot. The h feels sorry for the guy who has such obvious problems with his rather cold appearing wife, but she also makes sure that the boss believes she is turning him down because she is already involved. Which is kinda true, the h is still feeling things for the H, she just doesn't want to give into them.
Eventually the H and h wind up going on location together, the h is producing a Wuthering Heights remake and the H is the last minute substitute director. Since it is winter and the location is remote, there is a certain danger of being snowed in. The h is anxious because it is almost Christmas and she has to get to her parent's house for her Christmas with her daughter. The filming gets done but the h's car is wrecked and so the H winds up driving her to parent's house.
Along the way, they are stopped in a remote lane by an anxious young husband whose wife is in eminent labor. The h and H go to help the wife, while the husband leaves to go find the midwife and emergency medical care. The h delivers the baby and the H is all that is supportive to the laboring mum. Help finally arrives and the H and h decide to stay overnight as it is still snowing. They wind up having a night of love, tho the h looks upon it as more an exorcism of the past and the next day they are back to friends and they make to the h's parents house for Christmas. The H is an even bigger hit with the h's family and her kid and both parents try to tactfully convince the h to give a relationship with the H a chance. The h doesn't want to tho and the H departs for his own Christmas.
When they return home, the H arranges to take the daughter and the h to a sold out production of Peter Pan, he also starts courting the h via gifts and treats for her daughter. The h doesn't like that and finally warns him off in a major way after the H's little actress calls the h's house when they return after Peter Pan and the H goes off after speaking to the woman. The h isn't pleased to be an answering service for the H's new lover and even less pleased when he comes back a bit later with the OW in his car to deliver the play program to the h's daughter.
The H gets the message to disappear and he and the h don't see each other for a while. The h does miss him but she just doesn't want to deal with the baggage. The h hears via the grapevine that the H is building a house in her area. Then there is a bit of an upset with the OW when her vitriolic temper tantrum is caught on camera while the h's director is filming the play rehearsal and the OW demands that the H make the h cut it from her documentary. The h refuses and then feels sorry for the H but gets over that pretty quickly.
Finally they all go to France to film the full production of the play, which is Othello, for a festival. The h is also going to take a few days and spend some time in her theater director friend's French vacation cottage, they cheerfully offered to lend it to her because of her suggestion to do the documentary and its attendant publicity for the theatre company. The H is there too, as is the h's boss and his wife and the h remarks to the H that she hates Othello cause she finds jealousy to be a bad and vile thing - especially those who go around trying to incite it.
The play gets filmed, the h escapes any more affair offers from her boss and the boss's wife is fairly cordial to her as she realizes the h doesn't want her husband. The theatre director's wife is there as well and learns that the h still loves the H. She promises not say anything but does tell the h to consider talking to the H about things, the friend sees the way the H looks at the h and she thinks he is in love with her back. The friend also confides that the OW is not a threat, she is just very manipulative and a prima donna and she going to Spain to do a movie and she thinks the H will be happy to see her go.
The h considers this and while mulling it over, decides to go to the loaner cottage and maybe talk to the H when she gets back home. She thinks she will be okay with another affair, cause she still doubts the H is the marrying kind. She visits a local manor house whose grounds are open and while in the stables, winds up knocking the H on the head with a broomstick when she thinks he is an intruder.
The now bleeding H confesses that he was tracking her down to tell her he loved her and wants to marry her. He really messed up when he went off all those years ago, but it took him a while to figure that out. He actually got the theatre director to give him a job so he could be near the h and try to win her back. He loves her daughter and she and the family really like him, so he figures he has lots of inside support in his campaign to win the h. He very much wants to stay in the area with the h and marry her and be a family. He was using the OW to try and make the h jealous but he never had anything physical with her. The h avows true love back and they decide that love in the hay is rather uncomfortable and go off together to find a more comfortable bed to continue the HEA and start their new life together.
This one was nice, the romance was a bit slow, but the H and h were real adults with real issues from prior life experiences. Still this one ultimately goes on the just visiting HPlandia side, cause while there was some OW drama and a bit of angst, the H and h were too nice and to adult too really make a big space in the wild climes of HPness.
The h and H met when she took a script writing class and was one of the few women in the group. She thought the H did not even like her, cause misogyny in the British TV industry was rampant back in the day, but at the end of the course he asked her out and they spent a very blissful two years together before he got called to Hollywood and the h got offered a really good job in the British entertainment establishment. The H wanted the h to drop her ambitions and just be his lady but the h really wanted to continue in what she had worked so hard for, so they parted with a certain amount of bitterness on the h's side.
Then she married another guy a few years later and that did not work out either, they both wanted something that the other eventually couldn't give and so they divorced, but the h got a lovely daughter.
The h has a little house and a boarder who also helps out with the kid care but is leaving to be married to an American soon. The h has also had a few other transient relations since her divorce, she hasn't been on ice by any means, but mainly these days she is happy with her job - her married boss who owns the production company has a lot of respect for her talent and maybe a little crush on her, but he also gives her a wide variety of challenging movies and documentaries to work on and career wise, the h has found her niche. She loves her daughter too, and she spends considerable time balancing her work to be there for her child.
Lately the h hasn't been much for the relationship drama. It seems when she was younger she had too high expectations of her partners, but now after her relationship disappointments and failures, she just has no expectations at all. She has a casual partner who is a widower with two young girls and he is a good friend that she can socialize with but neither of them are real serious about each other.
Then the H returns from his wanderings to direct Shakespeare in the h's hometown. He is doing some script work and direction for the h's company too. They meet again at the production company's anniversary party. The h gets a bit perturbed when she sees the H again, the parting wasn't good on her side and she is a bit alarmed to feel a rush of attraction for the H that should have long since faded away with time and distance. The h finds out they will be working together for a few days, the company owner wants the h to familiarize the H with how they work and their procedures. The h is wary but professional even tho she locks the keys and the dog in car accidentally twice. The H hints that he might be back in the market for another go at some physical communing, but the h isn't really all that eager to get involved with the H again. She keeps it to business and then finds herself relieved but a bit perturbed when a sweet young thang actress looks like she is well on her way to becoming the flavor of the area for the H.
The H makes some subtle attempts at extraoffice hours with the h when he finds out she is divorced, but he gets a little shock when he finds out the h has a child. The h figures the child will put him off, but she is okay with that cause the H's new theatre job includes an introduction to the theatre director and his wife (who are also the H and h of another JG book Dear Villain, they become secondary in this one.) The h is happy to meet them both, she wants to do a documentary on play production and she wants to make friends with the wife of theater director - who has worked quite a bit in stage management herself.
The h gets her wish in both cases, but the new documentary means that she also has a bit too much exposure to the H and his little actress, still the h has her own things going on, so she puts the H and thoughts of him to the back of her mind and gets on with her life. Then the H starts showing up at odd occasions and he turns out to be big hit with the h's daughter. The h finds out a little bit more about the H and his character in general and she is reluctantly impressed by how well rounded he is.
Then he kinda destroys that reversal of opinion when he starts making nasty comments about the h's boss wanting an affair and speculating if the h is going to get involved with a married man. The h gets irked, she doesn't go around wrecking homes and if the H believes that she does, he isn't so well rounded after all. There is an awkward bit when the boss does try it on with the h, but she gracefully refuses cause she truly isn't interested and the boss takes his congé with a certain amount of style - he isn't ugly about it or pushy, he was just interested and wanted to give it a shot. The h feels sorry for the guy who has such obvious problems with his rather cold appearing wife, but she also makes sure that the boss believes she is turning him down because she is already involved. Which is kinda true, the h is still feeling things for the H, she just doesn't want to give into them.
Eventually the H and h wind up going on location together, the h is producing a Wuthering Heights remake and the H is the last minute substitute director. Since it is winter and the location is remote, there is a certain danger of being snowed in. The h is anxious because it is almost Christmas and she has to get to her parent's house for her Christmas with her daughter. The filming gets done but the h's car is wrecked and so the H winds up driving her to parent's house.
Along the way, they are stopped in a remote lane by an anxious young husband whose wife is in eminent labor. The h and H go to help the wife, while the husband leaves to go find the midwife and emergency medical care. The h delivers the baby and the H is all that is supportive to the laboring mum. Help finally arrives and the H and h decide to stay overnight as it is still snowing. They wind up having a night of love, tho the h looks upon it as more an exorcism of the past and the next day they are back to friends and they make to the h's parents house for Christmas. The H is an even bigger hit with the h's family and her kid and both parents try to tactfully convince the h to give a relationship with the H a chance. The h doesn't want to tho and the H departs for his own Christmas.
When they return home, the H arranges to take the daughter and the h to a sold out production of Peter Pan, he also starts courting the h via gifts and treats for her daughter. The h doesn't like that and finally warns him off in a major way after the H's little actress calls the h's house when they return after Peter Pan and the H goes off after speaking to the woman. The h isn't pleased to be an answering service for the H's new lover and even less pleased when he comes back a bit later with the OW in his car to deliver the play program to the h's daughter.
The H gets the message to disappear and he and the h don't see each other for a while. The h does miss him but she just doesn't want to deal with the baggage. The h hears via the grapevine that the H is building a house in her area. Then there is a bit of an upset with the OW when her vitriolic temper tantrum is caught on camera while the h's director is filming the play rehearsal and the OW demands that the H make the h cut it from her documentary. The h refuses and then feels sorry for the H but gets over that pretty quickly.
Finally they all go to France to film the full production of the play, which is Othello, for a festival. The h is also going to take a few days and spend some time in her theater director friend's French vacation cottage, they cheerfully offered to lend it to her because of her suggestion to do the documentary and its attendant publicity for the theatre company. The H is there too, as is the h's boss and his wife and the h remarks to the H that she hates Othello cause she finds jealousy to be a bad and vile thing - especially those who go around trying to incite it.
The play gets filmed, the h escapes any more affair offers from her boss and the boss's wife is fairly cordial to her as she realizes the h doesn't want her husband. The theatre director's wife is there as well and learns that the h still loves the H. She promises not say anything but does tell the h to consider talking to the H about things, the friend sees the way the H looks at the h and she thinks he is in love with her back. The friend also confides that the OW is not a threat, she is just very manipulative and a prima donna and she going to Spain to do a movie and she thinks the H will be happy to see her go.
The h considers this and while mulling it over, decides to go to the loaner cottage and maybe talk to the H when she gets back home. She thinks she will be okay with another affair, cause she still doubts the H is the marrying kind. She visits a local manor house whose grounds are open and while in the stables, winds up knocking the H on the head with a broomstick when she thinks he is an intruder.
The now bleeding H confesses that he was tracking her down to tell her he loved her and wants to marry her. He really messed up when he went off all those years ago, but it took him a while to figure that out. He actually got the theatre director to give him a job so he could be near the h and try to win her back. He loves her daughter and she and the family really like him, so he figures he has lots of inside support in his campaign to win the h. He very much wants to stay in the area with the h and marry her and be a family. He was using the OW to try and make the h jealous but he never had anything physical with her. The h avows true love back and they decide that love in the hay is rather uncomfortable and go off together to find a more comfortable bed to continue the HEA and start their new life together.
This one was nice, the romance was a bit slow, but the H and h were real adults with real issues from prior life experiences. Still this one ultimately goes on the just visiting HPlandia side, cause while there was some OW drama and a bit of angst, the H and h were too nice and to adult too really make a big space in the wild climes of HPness.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2016
ok, but not one of my favorites. Heroine was a bit too annoying.
July 10, 2011
The h is a 31 year old divorced mother of five year old daughter. The H is an ex-lover who she hasn't seen in 8 years. The h is a director/producer of t.v. documentories and the H is an author, screenwriter, stage director and sometime lecturer/professor.
This is an interesting book because it was written in 1988 and seems to deal realistically with sexuality at that time. The h lived with the H before she got married, and it intimates that she may have had intimate relations since her divorce and she indicates she has no interest in ever marrying again, altho that thinking changes after re-involvement with the H.
This is an interesting book because it was written in 1988 and seems to deal realistically with sexuality at that time. The h lived with the H before she got married, and it intimates that she may have had intimate relations since her divorce and she indicates she has no interest in ever marrying again, altho that thinking changes after re-involvement with the H.
July 23, 2023
This wasn't angsty enough. I wish there had been more of a past hurt. They both just wouldn't bend or compromise. There wasn't enough info as to why her first marriage didn't work. It almost felt like this was leaning toward a Rom-com.
August 28, 2022
Another set in the theatre/TV production sphere. This is a second chance romance story which isn't my favourite trope. It's very much overtly pushing the Women's Lib angle (I've zero gripes with this), with career woman and divorced single mother Frederica wary of re-engaging with ex-lover Joe after an 8 year gap. It's a good read but less "romantic " than others of hers. They seem a well-matched couple and he is lovely with her 5 year old daughter Meghan and her dog and her parents. The Carlyon family encountered (along with the Raynors) in Every Wise Man also featured which was rather nice.
April 8, 2020
The plot is simple. The H and h coming together without too much recriminations and past angst is refreshing. There isn't too much blame game and pseudo revenge for past woes. The h is a producer and a lot stronger than is typical of harlequin genre. She isn't a virginal doormat but knows how to deflect sexual passes to having relationships and moving forward in life and having intentional relationships. The H is a writer with a booker nomination for a book he wrote as a 22 year old and has since then written others and comes across as a charming and a strong match for h. So glad there wasn't some secret baby plots that could have terribly messed up this book into a cliche. Here the daughter is from h's short marriage and is a wonderful secondary character.
July 12, 2019
The first few chapters were good but then it started to drag and there really wasn't much drama or angst.
March 9, 2018
What I liked about this book is that it was different from other HPs in that;
The H and h were together when they were younger but it didn’t work out and they broke off. The H wanted the h to give up her job and follow him to the US, which the h found completely unreasonable since she had a new job she was quite excited about, so she refused, they had a big row and split up.
Each went their separate ways and the h married someone else and had a child with him. She is now divorced when she meets up with the H again.
This is not an OM scenario, nor is it the case where the h marries on the rebound but has only ever loved the Hero. It did seem that she fell in love again and married quite normally but now she is free.
I liked that the heroine was a strong successful character. And I appreciated that the author didn’t try to turn it into a story of regret for having given up her first love for a career she was quite successful at. Also that the ex was just an incidental character, only a sentence or two mentioning him as a neglectful dad to her child but not a villain.
All the characters were normal and level headed. The ending was amusing and cute. The Hero admitted that he regretted giving up the girl he loved, for a career move and when he found out she was free again, he set out to look for her and get a second chance.
I really liked this story.
The H and h were together when they were younger but it didn’t work out and they broke off. The H wanted the h to give up her job and follow him to the US, which the h found completely unreasonable since she had a new job she was quite excited about, so she refused, they had a big row and split up.
Each went their separate ways and the h married someone else and had a child with him. She is now divorced when she meets up with the H again.
This is not an OM scenario, nor is it the case where the h marries on the rebound but has only ever loved the Hero. It did seem that she fell in love again and married quite normally but now she is free.
I liked that the heroine was a strong successful character. And I appreciated that the author didn’t try to turn it into a story of regret for having given up her first love for a career she was quite successful at. Also that the ex was just an incidental character, only a sentence or two mentioning him as a neglectful dad to her child but not a villain.
All the characters were normal and level headed. The ending was amusing and cute. The Hero admitted that he regretted giving up the girl he loved, for a career move and when he found out she was free again, he set out to look for her and get a second chance.
I really liked this story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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