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The Shelton Sisters #1
Mistaken Wedding
Wary of men since her tumultuous love affair with Luis, Carina did not relish the idea of returning to Portugal, in need of her estranged husband's help to find her younger sister.
They had parted in anger, and with no word from Luis in nearly five years, Carina no longer blamed their separation on parental disapproval and interference. What they had called love must surely have been youthful infatuation. Or, at most, a purely pleasurable sexual relationship.
So, cool and aloof was the way to approach Luis again, for heaven forbid that those longings return!
They had parted in anger, and with no word from Luis in nearly five years, Carina no longer blamed their separation on parental disapproval and interference. What they had called love must surely have been youthful infatuation. Or, at most, a purely pleasurable sexual relationship.
So, cool and aloof was the way to approach Luis again, for heaven forbid that those longings return!
187 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1988
About the author
Sally Wentworth
108 books95 followersDoreen was born on 1936 or 1937 in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, UK. She married Donald Alfred Hornsblow, with whom she has a son Keith, in 1968. The family lived in Braughing, England.
Doreen began her publishing career at a Fleet Street newspaper in London, where she thrived in the hectic atmosphere. She started writing after attending an evening class and sold her first novel to Mills & Boon in 1977, she published her novels under the pseudonym Sally Wentworth. Her novels were principally set in Great Britain or in exotic places like Canary Islands or Greece. Her first works are stand-alone novels, but in 1990s, she decided to create her first series. In 1991, she wrote a book in two parts about the Barclay twins and their great love, and in 1995, she wrote the Ties of Passion Trilogy about the Brodey family, that have money, looks, style, everything... except love.
Doreen was an accounts clerk at Associated Newspapers Ltd. in London, England, and accounts clerk at Consumers' Association in Hertford, England. In 1985, she was the founding chair of the Hertford Association of National Trust Members, and named its life president. She also collected knife rests and she was member of The Knife Rest Collectors Club.
Doreen Hornsblow died from cancer on 30 August 2001, at 64 years of age.
Doreen began her publishing career at a Fleet Street newspaper in London, where she thrived in the hectic atmosphere. She started writing after attending an evening class and sold her first novel to Mills & Boon in 1977, she published her novels under the pseudonym Sally Wentworth. Her novels were principally set in Great Britain or in exotic places like Canary Islands or Greece. Her first works are stand-alone novels, but in 1990s, she decided to create her first series. In 1991, she wrote a book in two parts about the Barclay twins and their great love, and in 1995, she wrote the Ties of Passion Trilogy about the Brodey family, that have money, looks, style, everything... except love.
Doreen was an accounts clerk at Associated Newspapers Ltd. in London, England, and accounts clerk at Consumers' Association in Hertford, England. In 1985, she was the founding chair of the Hertford Association of National Trust Members, and named its life president. She also collected knife rests and she was member of The Knife Rest Collectors Club.
Doreen Hornsblow died from cancer on 30 August 2001, at 64 years of age.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 3, 2016
I HATED the heroine in this one. The hero was a great guy - a Portuguese lawyer who was swamped with work and didn't realize his new wife hated living with his mother and felt neglected. Even the heroine admits she never told him what was wrong - she just up and left. She sent him divorce papers from England, but he didn't sign. She never answered any of his letters.
The story begins four years later when the heroine's mother convinces her she must go back to Portugal to break up a romance between her sister and someone she has met during her gap year. Okay - that's a little controlling, but hopefully the heroine won't be a jerk to her sister. On the flight the heroine strikes up a friendship with a professional golfer and gold course developer OM. She doesn't wear a wedding ring and is coy about how she feels about the hero, but she agrees to stay in contact with the OM.
The heroine's inner thoughts weren't much better - she "trusted" the hero to make her happy and he let her down. !!! Okay - it's takes two and after the heroine's current behavior vs. the hero's past behavior, the scales of justice just weren't balanced to make this realistic reunion story.
The poor hero. I don't blame him for being insecure and jealous. I wouldn't trust her as far as I could throw her.
The story begins four years later when the heroine's mother convinces her she must go back to Portugal to break up a romance between her sister and someone she has met during her gap year. Okay - that's a little controlling, but hopefully the heroine won't be a jerk to her sister. On the flight the heroine strikes up a friendship with a professional golfer and gold course developer OM. She doesn't wear a wedding ring and is coy about how she feels about the hero, but she agrees to stay in contact with the OM.
The heroine's inner thoughts weren't much better - she "trusted" the hero to make her happy and he let her down. !!! Okay - it's takes two and after the heroine's current behavior vs. the hero's past behavior, the scales of justice just weren't balanced to make this realistic reunion story.
The poor hero. I don't blame him for being insecure and jealous. I wouldn't trust her as far as I could throw her.
February 22, 2019
I've always thought of myself as still married to you, and I've kept the vows I made you. You're the only woman in my life, Carina. The only one I will ever want.'
Ah to have such a devoted hero.
"Mistaken Wedding" is the story of Carina and Luis.
This book is about a very much in love couple, who were separated by their families but are reunited by one too. The cause of break-up is their mothers, the glue which sneakily combines them again is the h's sister. What I really, really loved about this book was the hero- who remained utterly devoted and obsessed with the hero. He looked for a chance, any sign that the heroine might love him again, grasps at straws, and unleashes his fury when he realizes he might have been cheated at a chance of happiness.
Now the heroine, hmm. Honestly, she was the weakest link in this book. Easily manipulated by both set of mothers, choosing to run rather than communicate, thwarting the hero's attempts easily believing the slightly conniving OM and choosing to flee again instead of going behind the hero- this was one spineless and confused heroine. If it wasn't for the MIL redemption track in the end, I do believe she would have run away and whine to her controlling mother. I did not like her at all, but did root for the hero.
The safety concern for this book all comes from the h.
SWE
3/5
Ah to have such a devoted hero.
"Mistaken Wedding" is the story of Carina and Luis.
This book is about a very much in love couple, who were separated by their families but are reunited by one too. The cause of break-up is their mothers, the glue which sneakily combines them again is the h's sister. What I really, really loved about this book was the hero- who remained utterly devoted and obsessed with the hero. He looked for a chance, any sign that the heroine might love him again, grasps at straws, and unleashes his fury when he realizes he might have been cheated at a chance of happiness.
Now the heroine, hmm. Honestly, she was the weakest link in this book. Easily manipulated by both set of mothers, choosing to run rather than communicate, thwarting the hero's attempts easily believing the slightly conniving OM and choosing to flee again instead of going behind the hero- this was one spineless and confused heroine. If it wasn't for the MIL redemption track in the end, I do believe she would have run away and whine to her controlling mother. I did not like her at all, but did root for the hero.
The safety concern for this book all comes from the h.
SWE
3/5
February 25, 2016
heroine was a cheater even if she didn't go all the way with the OM.
November 24, 2016
Re Mistaken Wedding - SW is back with a second bite of the apple reconciliation story. This one involves an English h who married her Portuguese H while on holiday and between the machinations and outright prejudices of BOTH the couple's mothers, managed to separate within a year. The H returned to Portugal after trying to force the h to return with him when they were in England and the h remained in England and eventually built up her own secretarial/translating service after getting away from the malevolent influence of her mother.
When the book opens the h's mother is adamant the h go look up her estranged husband, who is a lawyer and has a lot of contacts, because the h's younger sister is in Portugal and has been sending sporadic postcards that hint that she too is making an unsuitable match with a foreigner instead of coming back to England and going to uni to be a career woman who eventually marries a mother-approved boring guy and has 2.5 kids all under the mother's eagle and interfering and guilt tripping eye. (Yep, count em', this story has not one, but TWO mothers from the lower regions and as we all know from copious amounts of Anne Mather and Roberta Leigh - nothing good is coming out of that.)
The h is not really feeling the need to go check on the hubby, in fact she never wants to see him again, but even tho she finally sees dear old mum for what she is - a narcissistic, guilt tripping, control freak who pleads martyrdom at every turn, she can't help but worry that her lil' sis might make the same bad choices she did and suffer just as she has suffered for the last five years. So it is off to Portugal we go. The h meets a golf pro on the plane and it is clear that he is very interested in her, but she isn't really interested back. Until she winds up almost puncturing his hand when she squeezes it during the landing. Golf Pro Guy gets her to agree to call him later after she finds a place to stay and the h promises she will.
She then goes to look up the H in his law offices. There is some hostile catching up with family news, the H's dad died, and the h relates that she is looking for her sister and needs his help. She is pretty icy in her request and she makes it clear that if he won't help, she won't be offended or stick around. There is some more arguing about who left who and why. It turns out that the H's mother did everything but take the h to an airport and hog tie her to a plane to get rid of her, but the h sullenly refuses to share any of his mother's treatment of her with the H. Finally the H relents and tells the h that he has been in contact via letter with the h's sister for the last five years, since they separated. The sister is actually staying in the H's family beach side villa and the H will call the sister and see if she wants to talk to the h. The H also warns the h that interfering in peoples lives is never a good idear, since look at what her mother did to them.
So they part, both nursing years of resentment over the way the other's parents treated them when they were together. Essentially what is revealed over the course of the story is that the H and h marry, they live with the H's parents and the H has to work all the time on a major case the H's father made him take. This leaves almost no time for he and the h and the H's mother continually berates, bullies and flaunts the women she wanted the H to marry in the h's face.
The h has poor language skills in Portuguese at that point and so she really feels isolated by the language barrier and the H's refusal to move out of his parent's house or do anything to help the h acclimate to a much more conservative way of life than what she had been used to. The h also doesn't want to complain too much to the H, she knows he has a very heavy workload and is having to meet his parent's expectations, so she doesn't tell him a lot of what is going on.
Now I am actually not sure if she did not say much because she did not want to burden him or if she had the probably right notion that the H would just tell her to get over it and do what his mother said - which apparently had been said at one point. (This leads to my major complaint with this book, so much is told in introspective memory recollection and not in an actual scene, it makes it hard to really understand the situation and it tends to devalue the drama of it all or really make the reader understand why things go so bad for the amount of pain the h and H keep espousing. )
Anyhows, eventually the h can't take anymore and goes back to England. Where HER mother starts in on "nasty" citizens of other countries and how the h needs to MAKE the H stay in England under the mother's iron rule and criticism. The H doesn't of course, he tells the h to write when she comes to her senses and he will take her back - if he isn't too much otherwise occupied. The H leaves, the h moves out after she realizes the truth about her mother and takes an immersion language course in Portuguese and starts a translation service. She writes the H once to offer a divorce and she does date a few guys as far removed from the H as she can get, but they never amount to one or two evenings out. The H did write according to the h, but she sent all his missives back.
So here we are five years on and the H lets the h know that her sister will see her. The h goes, but she refuses to stay at the H's villa, she has fond honeymoon memories of the place and it would be too traumatizing to her to relive them or something.
It soon becomes obvious that the whole thing is a set up by the H and her younger sister to reunite the couple. The sister does have a Dutch boyfriend, but he is very nice and the h feels manipulated, especially after she and the H argue, she storms out and almost wrecks the car. The H and sister won't let her leave the villa in the aftermath and when the h tries, the H disables the car. The h is stuck there for a day or so. However there is lots of passionate glances and longing moments and aching yearny feelings for the lurve club on the h's part. Over the course of a day or two spent with the H and near lurvin it up moments and wild kisses, the H and h decide to try again. Until they get to the h's hotel to check her out and find the Golf Pro waiting in the h's room. The H loses his mind in jealous rage and accuses the h of infidelity and storms off.
Since the big reunion is off, the Golf Pro explains that he only showed up to check on the h and couldn't find a hotel room, so he told the hotel management he was the h's husband and used her room instead. Then he offers the h a job as his translator.
The H and Golf Pro had met earlier at a party which the h attended with OM on the first night she was in Portugal. The Golf Pro is helping to design a big golf resort and the H is the lawyer for one of the GP's investment partners. The H has reason to believe the h is messing around, cause when they met up at the party (one of the H's clients recognized the h as his wife and called him,) the GP was hanging all over the h and told the H that he and the h had known each other for months. Which was a lie, but the h made the GP say it because she did not want the H to think she was tarty.
(However that was supposed to work, I have NO idear, but it was on the page, so I went with it. ) The GP needs a translator because he speaks no Portuguese and all his business partners and contractors for the golf resort do. He also has a HUGE thing for the h - which to my mind she encourages cause the GP is cute and it builds her ego even tho SW tells us the h isn't really that into the GP.
So the h spends the next week or so working as a translator for the GP during the day and being wined and dined by him at night. The H is at a few of the resort meetings and he warns the h not to flaunt her new relationship by showing up at the meetings or she will be sorry. (The H is coming from the stance that the h is publicly humiliating him, the GP's business partners all know that the h is the H's wife. I was not quite as buying of this as I should have been, mainly because the h really does translate and the partners accept that her work is moving things along much faster than they were in getting the resort built and on budget. There is no funny business at the meetings, and the h appeared professional, so I wasn't sure that the H was on right side here.)
Then the H stops by the h's hotel room and drops off divorce papers, he also wants the h to sign a statement saying she will not contest the charges of her adultery with the GP. The h is outraged and they fight again. The h has had enough, the GP is still trying to hit on her and the H has pictures from a private detective that make it look like she is lurvin it up with the OM.
The h is done and books her flight home, but before she can leave, the H's mother sends her chauffeur to ask the h to visit her. The h is curious, because the note the H's mother sent was really, really humble and nice. So she goes and visits the H's mum, who is very ill and very apologetic because she tells the h that her interference and driving the h off has ruined her son's life. He fell in a HUGE depression since the h left and won't even consider divorce or another woman. The h is gobsmacked that the mum actually wants her and the H back together and the mum explains that the H came back to life as soon as the h arrived back in Portugal. She begs the h to give the H another go and tells the h where the H's secret lair that he goes to sulk is at.
The h gets the mum's driver to take her to the H's superseekrit hideaway and when he answers the door to her hesitant knock, (she affectingly wasn't sure she should ruin yet another location for the H to find peace in with the memory of her presence,) the h gives the H the signed divorce papers and the statement admitting to adultery.
The H questions the adultery admission and the h says it isn't true, she hasn't been with anyone other than the H in a lurve club kinda way, but she is tired and divorce is traumatic and she wants things over with. Cue the big acceptance speech by the H regarding his now belief in her innocence and the happy reunion boudoir bouncing can FINALLY begin. The only problem left to speculate on, now that they have avowed they were both faithful during the whole separation, love each other and are resolved to lurve it up again, is the h's mother. The H doesn't even want to think about her and they are in another country anyways, so they lurve it up some more for the big HEA.
This one is okay. I did think the trope twist of the h being repeatedly seen with the OM was interesting - but honestly I don't like it when the H does it and I wasn't feeling much happy when the h does.
Plus too much of this story is told in internal recollection and not enough H and h time is spent talking about things. They were way too busy having the lust wanting and physical attraction deal going on - granted the h has a portable career and can continue that, but other than physical compatibility - I just did not see a love relationship thing happening here. What they will do in two years and maybe a kid or two is anyone's guess, but I don't think they will be real joyous together- there wasn't anything there to show they had anything other than lust to build on.
Also, all this continual verbal reassurance by both of them about how miserably unhappy they were was a bit much when we never actually SEE any of it - both of them really came off as busy career people who had put lust on the back burner while they went about doing career things. They honestly did not seem that bad off apart and actually a lot happier just living alone than when they were together - both in the past and over the course of the present.
SW is a very competent writer tho, so the story isn't a complete waste of time and the premise of the trope twist is mildly interesting. So if you do read it, you probably won't be banging walls in utter frustration. Mostly tho this one is just sorta there and a not very exciting HP outing that can easily be skipped for more entertaining HP ventures.
When the book opens the h's mother is adamant the h go look up her estranged husband, who is a lawyer and has a lot of contacts, because the h's younger sister is in Portugal and has been sending sporadic postcards that hint that she too is making an unsuitable match with a foreigner instead of coming back to England and going to uni to be a career woman who eventually marries a mother-approved boring guy and has 2.5 kids all under the mother's eagle and interfering and guilt tripping eye. (Yep, count em', this story has not one, but TWO mothers from the lower regions and as we all know from copious amounts of Anne Mather and Roberta Leigh - nothing good is coming out of that.)
The h is not really feeling the need to go check on the hubby, in fact she never wants to see him again, but even tho she finally sees dear old mum for what she is - a narcissistic, guilt tripping, control freak who pleads martyrdom at every turn, she can't help but worry that her lil' sis might make the same bad choices she did and suffer just as she has suffered for the last five years. So it is off to Portugal we go. The h meets a golf pro on the plane and it is clear that he is very interested in her, but she isn't really interested back. Until she winds up almost puncturing his hand when she squeezes it during the landing. Golf Pro Guy gets her to agree to call him later after she finds a place to stay and the h promises she will.
She then goes to look up the H in his law offices. There is some hostile catching up with family news, the H's dad died, and the h relates that she is looking for her sister and needs his help. She is pretty icy in her request and she makes it clear that if he won't help, she won't be offended or stick around. There is some more arguing about who left who and why. It turns out that the H's mother did everything but take the h to an airport and hog tie her to a plane to get rid of her, but the h sullenly refuses to share any of his mother's treatment of her with the H. Finally the H relents and tells the h that he has been in contact via letter with the h's sister for the last five years, since they separated. The sister is actually staying in the H's family beach side villa and the H will call the sister and see if she wants to talk to the h. The H also warns the h that interfering in peoples lives is never a good idear, since look at what her mother did to them.
So they part, both nursing years of resentment over the way the other's parents treated them when they were together. Essentially what is revealed over the course of the story is that the H and h marry, they live with the H's parents and the H has to work all the time on a major case the H's father made him take. This leaves almost no time for he and the h and the H's mother continually berates, bullies and flaunts the women she wanted the H to marry in the h's face.
The h has poor language skills in Portuguese at that point and so she really feels isolated by the language barrier and the H's refusal to move out of his parent's house or do anything to help the h acclimate to a much more conservative way of life than what she had been used to. The h also doesn't want to complain too much to the H, she knows he has a very heavy workload and is having to meet his parent's expectations, so she doesn't tell him a lot of what is going on.
Now I am actually not sure if she did not say much because she did not want to burden him or if she had the probably right notion that the H would just tell her to get over it and do what his mother said - which apparently had been said at one point. (This leads to my major complaint with this book, so much is told in introspective memory recollection and not in an actual scene, it makes it hard to really understand the situation and it tends to devalue the drama of it all or really make the reader understand why things go so bad for the amount of pain the h and H keep espousing. )
Anyhows, eventually the h can't take anymore and goes back to England. Where HER mother starts in on "nasty" citizens of other countries and how the h needs to MAKE the H stay in England under the mother's iron rule and criticism. The H doesn't of course, he tells the h to write when she comes to her senses and he will take her back - if he isn't too much otherwise occupied. The H leaves, the h moves out after she realizes the truth about her mother and takes an immersion language course in Portuguese and starts a translation service. She writes the H once to offer a divorce and she does date a few guys as far removed from the H as she can get, but they never amount to one or two evenings out. The H did write according to the h, but she sent all his missives back.
So here we are five years on and the H lets the h know that her sister will see her. The h goes, but she refuses to stay at the H's villa, she has fond honeymoon memories of the place and it would be too traumatizing to her to relive them or something.
It soon becomes obvious that the whole thing is a set up by the H and her younger sister to reunite the couple. The sister does have a Dutch boyfriend, but he is very nice and the h feels manipulated, especially after she and the H argue, she storms out and almost wrecks the car. The H and sister won't let her leave the villa in the aftermath and when the h tries, the H disables the car. The h is stuck there for a day or so. However there is lots of passionate glances and longing moments and aching yearny feelings for the lurve club on the h's part. Over the course of a day or two spent with the H and near lurvin it up moments and wild kisses, the H and h decide to try again. Until they get to the h's hotel to check her out and find the Golf Pro waiting in the h's room. The H loses his mind in jealous rage and accuses the h of infidelity and storms off.
Since the big reunion is off, the Golf Pro explains that he only showed up to check on the h and couldn't find a hotel room, so he told the hotel management he was the h's husband and used her room instead. Then he offers the h a job as his translator.
The H and Golf Pro had met earlier at a party which the h attended with OM on the first night she was in Portugal. The Golf Pro is helping to design a big golf resort and the H is the lawyer for one of the GP's investment partners. The H has reason to believe the h is messing around, cause when they met up at the party (one of the H's clients recognized the h as his wife and called him,) the GP was hanging all over the h and told the H that he and the h had known each other for months. Which was a lie, but the h made the GP say it because she did not want the H to think she was tarty.
(However that was supposed to work, I have NO idear, but it was on the page, so I went with it. ) The GP needs a translator because he speaks no Portuguese and all his business partners and contractors for the golf resort do. He also has a HUGE thing for the h - which to my mind she encourages cause the GP is cute and it builds her ego even tho SW tells us the h isn't really that into the GP.
So the h spends the next week or so working as a translator for the GP during the day and being wined and dined by him at night. The H is at a few of the resort meetings and he warns the h not to flaunt her new relationship by showing up at the meetings or she will be sorry. (The H is coming from the stance that the h is publicly humiliating him, the GP's business partners all know that the h is the H's wife. I was not quite as buying of this as I should have been, mainly because the h really does translate and the partners accept that her work is moving things along much faster than they were in getting the resort built and on budget. There is no funny business at the meetings, and the h appeared professional, so I wasn't sure that the H was on right side here.)
Then the H stops by the h's hotel room and drops off divorce papers, he also wants the h to sign a statement saying she will not contest the charges of her adultery with the GP. The h is outraged and they fight again. The h has had enough, the GP is still trying to hit on her and the H has pictures from a private detective that make it look like she is lurvin it up with the OM.
The h is done and books her flight home, but before she can leave, the H's mother sends her chauffeur to ask the h to visit her. The h is curious, because the note the H's mother sent was really, really humble and nice. So she goes and visits the H's mum, who is very ill and very apologetic because she tells the h that her interference and driving the h off has ruined her son's life. He fell in a HUGE depression since the h left and won't even consider divorce or another woman. The h is gobsmacked that the mum actually wants her and the H back together and the mum explains that the H came back to life as soon as the h arrived back in Portugal. She begs the h to give the H another go and tells the h where the H's secret lair that he goes to sulk is at.
The h gets the mum's driver to take her to the H's superseekrit hideaway and when he answers the door to her hesitant knock, (she affectingly wasn't sure she should ruin yet another location for the H to find peace in with the memory of her presence,) the h gives the H the signed divorce papers and the statement admitting to adultery.
The H questions the adultery admission and the h says it isn't true, she hasn't been with anyone other than the H in a lurve club kinda way, but she is tired and divorce is traumatic and she wants things over with. Cue the big acceptance speech by the H regarding his now belief in her innocence and the happy reunion boudoir bouncing can FINALLY begin. The only problem left to speculate on, now that they have avowed they were both faithful during the whole separation, love each other and are resolved to lurve it up again, is the h's mother. The H doesn't even want to think about her and they are in another country anyways, so they lurve it up some more for the big HEA.
This one is okay. I did think the trope twist of the h being repeatedly seen with the OM was interesting - but honestly I don't like it when the H does it and I wasn't feeling much happy when the h does.
Plus too much of this story is told in internal recollection and not enough H and h time is spent talking about things. They were way too busy having the lust wanting and physical attraction deal going on - granted the h has a portable career and can continue that, but other than physical compatibility - I just did not see a love relationship thing happening here. What they will do in two years and maybe a kid or two is anyone's guess, but I don't think they will be real joyous together- there wasn't anything there to show they had anything other than lust to build on.
Also, all this continual verbal reassurance by both of them about how miserably unhappy they were was a bit much when we never actually SEE any of it - both of them really came off as busy career people who had put lust on the back burner while they went about doing career things. They honestly did not seem that bad off apart and actually a lot happier just living alone than when they were together - both in the past and over the course of the present.
SW is a very competent writer tho, so the story isn't a complete waste of time and the premise of the trope twist is mildly interesting. So if you do read it, you probably won't be banging walls in utter frustration. Mostly tho this one is just sorta there and a not very exciting HP outing that can easily be skipped for more entertaining HP ventures.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 24, 2016
Great story about reunited lover and married couple. It was sweet and I loved that they are both faithful even after4 years apart. Great read.
July 12, 2023
I am not sure how I never came across this one before. I think it's one of my favourites.
A second chance who were first torn apart by bitter prejudiced family. Given a second chance by their very own fairy godmother.
There is so much lack of communication from their first time around. So much anger a arguments - hot and cold switches in the blink of an eye.
In the end they decided to be together and maybe it was realistic but still a disappointment that it ended and I'm paraphrasing 'can't please everyone" THAT IS NOT AN HEA! I kept checking to see if I missed a page.
Otherwise I really did like the book.
A second chance who were first torn apart by bitter prejudiced family. Given a second chance by their very own fairy godmother.
There is so much lack of communication from their first time around. So much anger a arguments - hot and cold switches in the blink of an eye.
In the end they decided to be together and maybe it was realistic but still a disappointment that it ended and I'm paraphrasing 'can't please everyone" THAT IS NOT AN HEA! I kept checking to see if I missed a page.
Otherwise I really did like the book.
April 26, 2023
This might be the last Sally Wentworth book I read, because I don't really like any of the people in her books, at least any in the ones I've read so far. They're either self-centered or boring. In the case of this one, the h is self-centered, and the H is a yawn.
I also suspect that, afraid of being termed a sexist, Ms. Wentworth deviates from the usual h as a likeable person while the H is flawed to this novel, where it's the H who's likeable (though dull) and the h who is flawed. Women can't always be angels while men are always demons, after all.
Carina starts off as a user. She's been separated from her husband, Luis for more than four years (neither of them is in a hurry to get divorced, though Carina did inform him it was okay with her) and is content to live her life without him, until her younger sister, Stella, who's been traveling abroad, has apparently gotten mixed up with a Portuguese man and Carina doesn't want her making the same mistake she did. Her controlling, domineering mother is also up in arms, so Carina decides to show up in Portugal and ask her estranged husband if he could use his money and connections to help her locate Stella and find out who the mystery man is. Talk about nerve!
(She reminds me of those sponging relatives, who won't give you the time of day, unless they need a ($$$) favor, then they suddenly remember you. Most separated or divorced h's wouldn't think of contacting the H for any reason, unless it was literally a matter of life or death. But not this one.)
She also has a lot of contradictory personality traits. She claims she got involved with Luis too fast, won't make that mistake again, yet she wastes no time getting to know a guy she met on the plane (Greg, a pro golfer/businessman) and making dates with him. She's come to realize her mother was too controlling and interfering (took her long enough), yet she has no qualms about interfering in her sister's life, hoping to break up her romance. She complained that her mother-in-law didn't like her and caused trouble between her and Luis but wouldn't admit that her mother did the same thing. She didn't like living in Portugal and being away from her family and friends, then expected Luis to live in England, away from his family and friends (not to mention his career and responsibilities). She says that her failed marriage has left her cold and distant but has no problem taking her top off and showing off her boobs every chance she gets. She tells Luis how unhappy she was living with her in-laws but says she didn't tell him because she didn't want him to feel bad. WTF!!!!! She didn't seem to bother about his feelings when she walked out, then demanded he either live in England with her or they were through! Selfish, Selfish, SELFISH!!!
The list goes on!! Luis, meanwhile, was a bland, boring H, who was still in love with Carina (why, I'll never know) and was actually content to live like a monk, pining for her, while she dated up a storm, and assures him she never had sex, but "came close". (Was that supposed to be a play on words???) How close was "close"? Are we talking some hot kissing? Getting naked in bed, but chickening out at the last minute? Oral sex? Did the guy toy with her "bud of desire" while she stroked his "manhood"? And how many guys did she come close with? I'm surprised Luis didn't ask, but since his balls were in cold storage, maybe I shouldn't be.
I don't mind when the H and h have "close calls" with others, as long as it works both ways, and they're in other relationships that mean something, but Carina was dating casually and fooling around with guys she didn't care about, which I think is crummy. She admits she went out with them because they were different from Luis and she was "lonely", so she's a user as well as a c--k teaser.
I couldn't stand Greg, either. I HATE when the H and h are still married and the OW or OM keeps pressuring them, forcing themselves in the picture. I don't mind the competition if they're single or officially divorced, but when they're engaged or married, it just bugs me!!
And Greg REALLY BUGGED ME when he took it into his head (probably the one below his belt) to crash Carina's hotel room and make himself at home, leading Luis to believe he and Carina were lovers! (At least Luis showed some personality at last and got really pissed, determined to get a divorce, just when things were working out for them. He should have counted his blessings and celebrated!)
If I were Carina, I'd have kicked Greg's butt so hard he wouldn't have sat down for a month! Instead, she takes a job with him, since she knows the Portuguese language so well! Makes perfect (non)sense! (The only thing I liked about her was the way she studied the language and used it to work as an interpreter and start a small business back home.)
Then, she once again shows her dubious character by stating to Greg that she loves Luis, and she only cares Greg as a friend, yet she slow dances with him at night, letting him hold her close, sunbathes topless, letting him put his arm around her, goes for a midnight swim, letting him dry her off with a towel. (I'll bet we know where that towel spent most of its time). Knowing how Greg feels about her, and knowing she's not going to sleep with him, she STILL leads the guy on. DEFINITELY A C--K TEASER!!
The last thing I wanted was a HEA for any of these losers, so I stopped reading before it got to that point. I suggest you never start at all.
I also suspect that, afraid of being termed a sexist, Ms. Wentworth deviates from the usual h as a likeable person while the H is flawed to this novel, where it's the H who's likeable (though dull) and the h who is flawed. Women can't always be angels while men are always demons, after all.
Carina starts off as a user. She's been separated from her husband, Luis for more than four years (neither of them is in a hurry to get divorced, though Carina did inform him it was okay with her) and is content to live her life without him, until her younger sister, Stella, who's been traveling abroad, has apparently gotten mixed up with a Portuguese man and Carina doesn't want her making the same mistake she did. Her controlling, domineering mother is also up in arms, so Carina decides to show up in Portugal and ask her estranged husband if he could use his money and connections to help her locate Stella and find out who the mystery man is. Talk about nerve!
(She reminds me of those sponging relatives, who won't give you the time of day, unless they need a ($$$) favor, then they suddenly remember you. Most separated or divorced h's wouldn't think of contacting the H for any reason, unless it was literally a matter of life or death. But not this one.)
She also has a lot of contradictory personality traits. She claims she got involved with Luis too fast, won't make that mistake again, yet she wastes no time getting to know a guy she met on the plane (Greg, a pro golfer/businessman) and making dates with him. She's come to realize her mother was too controlling and interfering (took her long enough), yet she has no qualms about interfering in her sister's life, hoping to break up her romance. She complained that her mother-in-law didn't like her and caused trouble between her and Luis but wouldn't admit that her mother did the same thing. She didn't like living in Portugal and being away from her family and friends, then expected Luis to live in England, away from his family and friends (not to mention his career and responsibilities). She says that her failed marriage has left her cold and distant but has no problem taking her top off and showing off her boobs every chance she gets. She tells Luis how unhappy she was living with her in-laws but says she didn't tell him because she didn't want him to feel bad. WTF!!!!! She didn't seem to bother about his feelings when she walked out, then demanded he either live in England with her or they were through! Selfish, Selfish, SELFISH!!!
The list goes on!! Luis, meanwhile, was a bland, boring H, who was still in love with Carina (why, I'll never know) and was actually content to live like a monk, pining for her, while she dated up a storm, and assures him she never had sex, but "came close". (Was that supposed to be a play on words???) How close was "close"? Are we talking some hot kissing? Getting naked in bed, but chickening out at the last minute? Oral sex? Did the guy toy with her "bud of desire" while she stroked his "manhood"? And how many guys did she come close with? I'm surprised Luis didn't ask, but since his balls were in cold storage, maybe I shouldn't be.
I don't mind when the H and h have "close calls" with others, as long as it works both ways, and they're in other relationships that mean something, but Carina was dating casually and fooling around with guys she didn't care about, which I think is crummy. She admits she went out with them because they were different from Luis and she was "lonely", so she's a user as well as a c--k teaser.
I couldn't stand Greg, either. I HATE when the H and h are still married and the OW or OM keeps pressuring them, forcing themselves in the picture. I don't mind the competition if they're single or officially divorced, but when they're engaged or married, it just bugs me!!
And Greg REALLY BUGGED ME when he took it into his head (probably the one below his belt) to crash Carina's hotel room and make himself at home, leading Luis to believe he and Carina were lovers! (At least Luis showed some personality at last and got really pissed, determined to get a divorce, just when things were working out for them. He should have counted his blessings and celebrated!)
If I were Carina, I'd have kicked Greg's butt so hard he wouldn't have sat down for a month! Instead, she takes a job with him, since she knows the Portuguese language so well! Makes perfect (non)sense! (The only thing I liked about her was the way she studied the language and used it to work as an interpreter and start a small business back home.)
Then, she once again shows her dubious character by stating to Greg that she loves Luis, and she only cares Greg as a friend, yet she slow dances with him at night, letting him hold her close, sunbathes topless, letting him put his arm around her, goes for a midnight swim, letting him dry her off with a towel. (I'll bet we know where that towel spent most of its time). Knowing how Greg feels about her, and knowing she's not going to sleep with him, she STILL leads the guy on. DEFINITELY A C--K TEASER!!
The last thing I wanted was a HEA for any of these losers, so I stopped reading before it got to that point. I suggest you never start at all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 15, 2021
Poor H. I only give this book 4 stars because he is an amazing man who is very clear about his feelings for her. He tells her he loves her, he tells her how beautiful she is, he tells her he is jealous of the other men. He has been faithful to her in the years that they lived apart. He tells her he was longing for her, laying alone in his bed.
His wife (the h) on the other hand is the worst. She is a liar and a cheater. They have been separated for 4 years. She has been going out with other men and although she says to him she didn’t go all the way with them, it was still cheating. Even in his home country Portugal she was still busy with another man.
His mother was against their marriage and for once, the mother-in-law is right. He should have listened to his mother.
Even after the h and H get back together, he finds the OM in her hotel room, so he understandably gets furious and he storms off. And what does this awful h then do? She has a happy holiday with the OM.
In that holiday there are photos made of her sunbathing topless on the beach with the OM leaning over her. And photos of the OM drying her body with his towel and photos of them kissing each other and dancing very close to each other.
There should have been a sequel novel from Sally Wentworth where this poor H dumps the h and finds a good woman. I’m just depressed now, because I feel so sorry for him. 😭
His wife (the h) on the other hand is the worst. She is a liar and a cheater. They have been separated for 4 years. She has been going out with other men and although she says to him she didn’t go all the way with them, it was still cheating. Even in his home country Portugal she was still busy with another man.
His mother was against their marriage and for once, the mother-in-law is right. He should have listened to his mother.
Even after the h and H get back together, he finds the OM in her hotel room, so he understandably gets furious and he storms off. And what does this awful h then do? She has a happy holiday with the OM.
In that holiday there are photos made of her sunbathing topless on the beach with the OM leaning over her. And photos of the OM drying her body with his towel and photos of them kissing each other and dancing very close to each other.
There should have been a sequel novel from Sally Wentworth where this poor H dumps the h and finds a good woman. I’m just depressed now, because I feel so sorry for him. 😭
March 7, 2021
Good but predictable. She has very unrealistic expectations of the "if you love me you'd know the problem/your mom/I'm lonely" type and is too willing to give in to her mom. He's pretty fast to get riled up and suspicious without any trust.
June 7, 2018
Wary of men since her tumultuous love affair with Luis, Carina did not relish the idea of returning to Portugal, in need of her estranged husband's help to find her younger sister.
They had parted in anger, and with no word from Luis in nearly five years, Carina no longer blamed their separation on parental disapproval and interference. What they had called love must surely have been youthful infatuation. Or, at most, a purely pleasurable sexual relationship.
So, cool and aloof was the way to approach Luis again, for heaven forbid that those longings return!
They had parted in anger, and with no word from Luis in nearly five years, Carina no longer blamed their separation on parental disapproval and interference. What they had called love must surely have been youthful infatuation. Or, at most, a purely pleasurable sexual relationship.
So, cool and aloof was the way to approach Luis again, for heaven forbid that those longings return!
April 21, 2019
It's a Harlequin from 1988. It met my expectations. It didn't seem particularly romantic, honestly, just kind of angry and sad. I didn't relate to anyone. I enjoyed reading it because I like to read old Harlequins and think about, like, evolving gender politics and the poetic nature of these really ephemeral books, on the shelf of a bookstore so briefly, but somehow it found its way to me 30 years later.
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