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Hostile Engagement
The beautiful antique ring was all Lucy had to remind her of her beloved mother, and she was horrified when she discovered that it had come - albeit legitimately - into the possession of the imperious Jud Hemming. She was even more horrified when Jud told her the price he wanted for returning it to her ...
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1979
About the author
Jessica Steele
346 books113 followersJessica Steele was born on May 9, 1933 in the elegant Warwickshire town of Royal Leamington Spa. She has two super brothers, Colin and George, and a lovely sister, Elizabeth. She was a delicate child and missed a lot of school. In fact, she left school at aged 14, when she was diagnosed as having tuberculosis. At 16, she started work as a junior clerk. In 1967, Jessica married with her husband, Peter and within a very short space of time they had moved from her hometown to the lovely area where they now live. Their house is built into the side of a hill, and has beautiful views over more hills and valleys. Her brothers and her sister are very close and she has plenty of nephews and nieces to make up for the fact that she and her husband have no children of their own. Both she and her husband are more than a little dog-oriented, and their current dog is a Staffordshire bull terrier named Florence. Florence is gorgeous. She loves everybody but, since she is 40 pounds of dynamite and would hurl her boisterous self at everyone she meets - given half a chance - she has to be restrained (as much as possible). She is fun.
Her husband spurred Jessica on to her writing career, giving her every support while she did what she considers her five-year apprenticeship (the rejection years) while learning how to write. She published her first books in 1979. Jessica has tried using a typewriter, but it just doesn't work for her. She is much happier writing in longhand, and in actual fact has a dozen or so fountain pens filled and ready to go at the start of any one session. A friend has a secretarial agency and, after deciphering Jessica's writing, returns an immaculately typed manuscript. To gain authentic background for her books, she has travelled and researched in Greece, Russia, Egypt, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Hong Kong, China and Japan.
Her husband spurred Jessica on to her writing career, giving her every support while she did what she considers her five-year apprenticeship (the rejection years) while learning how to write. She published her first books in 1979. Jessica has tried using a typewriter, but it just doesn't work for her. She is much happier writing in longhand, and in actual fact has a dozen or so fountain pens filled and ready to go at the start of any one session. A friend has a secretarial agency and, after deciphering Jessica's writing, returns an immaculately typed manuscript. To gain authentic background for her books, she has travelled and researched in Greece, Russia, Egypt, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Hong Kong, China and Japan.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 27, 2020
"Hostile Engagement" is the story of Lucy and Jud.
Aww!
The heroine is at her parents' funeral, when she spots her late mother's favorite ring on another woman's hand. She chases the lady, and meets the hero, whom she assumes is the lady's fiance. She then requests her ring back, coming to know that it had been sold to the hero, and he agrees to give it only if she would be engaged to him for three months!
The plot of the book is a fake engagement. The culprit is VERY obvious from the first page? Could it be the heroine's gambling and shady brother, who is coming home drunk every night? Anyways, the book definitely should have been named hostile hero, because that is what he was. The heroine was an absolute sweetheart- honest, kind and oh so innocent. The hero was totally smitten by her and definitely in love with her. He did come off as very rude and threatening though!
I enjoyed it!
Safe
3.5/5
Aww!
The heroine is at her parents' funeral, when she spots her late mother's favorite ring on another woman's hand. She chases the lady, and meets the hero, whom she assumes is the lady's fiance. She then requests her ring back, coming to know that it had been sold to the hero, and he agrees to give it only if she would be engaged to him for three months!
The plot of the book is a fake engagement. The culprit is VERY obvious from the first page? Could it be the heroine's gambling and shady brother, who is coming home drunk every night? Anyways, the book definitely should have been named hostile hero, because that is what he was. The heroine was an absolute sweetheart- honest, kind and oh so innocent. The hero was totally smitten by her and definitely in love with her. He did come off as very rude and threatening though!
I enjoyed it!
Safe
3.5/5
April 12, 2022
What was I thinking. This guy is JS' worst hero ever. Downgrading from 4 to 1 star.
____________________________________
I thought this was one of JS's better books!
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I thought this was one of JS's better books!
January 13, 2021
Why should she agree to this crazy scheme?
Lucy thought it would be a simple matter. Somehow, Jud Hemming was in possession of her mother's antique ring that her brother had lost. Lucy would explain--and Jud would give it back.
Only it didn't work out like that. Jud Hemming had bought the ring, paid a good price for it. He refused to simply hand it over.
Instead, he wanted Lucy to agree to a three-month engagement by which time, he said, the ring would be hers free and clear. But could she trust him?
Lucy thought it would be a simple matter. Somehow, Jud Hemming was in possession of her mother's antique ring that her brother had lost. Lucy would explain--and Jud would give it back.
Only it didn't work out like that. Jud Hemming had bought the ring, paid a good price for it. He refused to simply hand it over.
Instead, he wanted Lucy to agree to a three-month engagement by which time, he said, the ring would be hers free and clear. But could she trust him?
March 23, 2025
I can’t believe that Jessica Steele wrote this.
The hero was horrific. Cold, smug, dull, conceited…. He has no good qualities.
The heroine is dreary, vapid and useless and will no doubt be a depressed alcoholic coping with a passive aggressive husband who’ll be cheating on her within 2 years.
I only liked the hero’s mother and housekeeper, literally everyone else in this novel is toxic.
0 stars.
The hero was horrific. Cold, smug, dull, conceited…. He has no good qualities.
The heroine is dreary, vapid and useless and will no doubt be a depressed alcoholic coping with a passive aggressive husband who’ll be cheating on her within 2 years.
I only liked the hero’s mother and housekeeper, literally everyone else in this novel is toxic.
0 stars.
February 24, 2018
This one lost me when he matter-of-factly promised to rape her if she kept making him angry.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 17, 2015
i was bored. i felt no connection between hero and heroine. they had a cold and stale relationship and what sort of man proposed a woman to pretend to be his fiancee on their first acquaintance!? this was a ruse to get her and carol was in no way involved wid him! it felt awkward. lud shud have courted lucy like a normal man wud have done.
December 7, 2017
I don't know whether i am in a romantic mode, but i like this book, the flow of the story and the chemistry between them.
June 4, 2020
2.5 stars for a bickery bickerfest where the hero keeps his emotions and motivations really close to his vest.
December 27, 2020
Misunderstandings à gogo in this cute old school HP. Our heroine is the typical vulnerable innocent girl that keeps on making wrong assumptions with a remarkable stubbornness.
Actually our hero does not help her at all: there is some cruelty in that, Mrs Steele!
Enjoyable.
Actually our hero does not help her at all: there is some cruelty in that, Mrs Steele!
Enjoyable.
September 6, 2020
TW/CW:
grief, death.
This one didn't really work for me as a romance. I was never invested in the relationship between the hero and heroine, and think the hero should've been less "stiff".
grief, death.
This one didn't really work for me as a romance. I was never invested in the relationship between the hero and heroine, and think the hero should've been less "stiff".
November 20, 2014
Things would've been so much easier if the hero had gone about getting the heroine in a more traditional way.
I don't know, maybe ask her out on a date?
This plot was fueled by unnecessary miscommunication.
At times entertaining. At times annoying.
I don't know, maybe ask her out on a date?
This plot was fueled by unnecessary miscommunication.
At times entertaining. At times annoying.
September 26, 2025
For some reason I felt like going on a vintage harlequin-esque romance binge after almost nonstop historical romance for the previous several years.
Anyhow, this is one of the dozen or so I've read over the past few days.
Either I had forgotten or completely not noticed how many Hs threaten to or almost DO rape their alleged love interests! Like, I remember unreasonably antagonistic, angry, a bit controlling, etc. but wow the absolute insane level of physical, verbal, and sexual abuse and/or assault is nuts.
Anyway, while this hero is fairly middle of the road in the sexual and physical assaults, with the exception of threatening to rape her at one point and almost always being seconds away from literally hitting her for being sarcastic at him, my main reason for only 2 stars is that there simply was no chemistry between this couple. While I get why the H fell for (?) the h- she is pretty, innocent, hardworking, sincere, uncalculating, softhearted, but also sarcastic AF if you get on her bad side - I don't get why she fell for him. He was at every point hateful to her, constantly insulting her while manipulating her into a fake engagement at her will, and all because he was in love with her? At almost no point did he actually do or say anything charming or really show any affection for her.
Like, I wanted to like this one because it had potential, if the author had given the hero even an ounce of the slightest bit of charm, likeability, maybe vulnerability? He's a boorish, ungentle, borderline rapey rich jerk who seems to think that if he wants a woman his best bet is to manipulate her into being around him and force her to pretend to like him while he treats her like crap and says mean things to her all the time.
At least in some of these the dude has moments of forgetting he's supposed to hate the h (for whatever contrived reason he's been given) and acts warmly toward her lol.
Anyway it was a no go for me. His explanation was actually WORSE than if he'd actually been trying to punish her brother or actually trying to keep a pushy woman at bay.
Anyhow, this is one of the dozen or so I've read over the past few days.
Either I had forgotten or completely not noticed how many Hs threaten to or almost DO rape their alleged love interests! Like, I remember unreasonably antagonistic, angry, a bit controlling, etc. but wow the absolute insane level of physical, verbal, and sexual abuse and/or assault is nuts.
Anyway, while this hero is fairly middle of the road in the sexual and physical assaults, with the exception of threatening to rape her at one point and almost always being seconds away from literally hitting her for being sarcastic at him, my main reason for only 2 stars is that there simply was no chemistry between this couple. While I get why the H fell for (?) the h- she is pretty, innocent, hardworking, sincere, uncalculating, softhearted, but also sarcastic AF if you get on her bad side - I don't get why she fell for him. He was at every point hateful to her, constantly insulting her while manipulating her into a fake engagement at her will, and all because he was in love with her? At almost no point did he actually do or say anything charming or really show any affection for her.
Like, I wanted to like this one because it had potential, if the author had given the hero even an ounce of the slightest bit of charm, likeability, maybe vulnerability? He's a boorish, ungentle, borderline rapey rich jerk who seems to think that if he wants a woman his best bet is to manipulate her into being around him and force her to pretend to like him while he treats her like crap and says mean things to her all the time.
At least in some of these the dude has moments of forgetting he's supposed to hate the h (for whatever contrived reason he's been given) and acts warmly toward her lol.
Anyway it was a no go for me. His explanation was actually WORSE than if he'd actually been trying to punish her brother or actually trying to keep a pushy woman at bay.
November 18, 2020
Wow! what the angst, a damn rollercoaster I tell ya. I wanted him to be less cold though, he was smitten but he was a bit too aloof for me. On the other hand, heroine was great. She was one tough cookie, I like her! No om/ow, just a useless brother.
Always expect a long sappy, mostly cringey, conclusion at the end when reading one of Steele’s work. I usually skim through because sappy & cringey aren’t my style. He claimed that he only realized his love for her after this one scene, I was rather disappointed in that. I wanted to believe that he already realized his feelings before that scene. For me, it was when they were at his mom’s. He was softening to her so it makes perfect sense & would have sounder much sweeter if he really fell for her then compared to what Steele gave us. Way to ruin the moment author! Btw, surprisingly the sentences/grammar in here were good. Steele is known to write weird structures so I was glad that this one was an improvement on that count.
Always expect a long sappy, mostly cringey, conclusion at the end when reading one of Steele’s work. I usually skim through because sappy & cringey aren’t my style. He claimed that he only realized his love for her after this one scene, I was rather disappointed in that. I wanted to believe that he already realized his feelings before that scene. For me, it was when they were at his mom’s. He was softening to her so it makes perfect sense & would have sounder much sweeter if he really fell for her then compared to what Steele gave us. Way to ruin the moment author! Btw, surprisingly the sentences/grammar in here were good. Steele is known to write weird structures so I was glad that this one was an improvement on that count.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2021
My how tastes change with age! Years ago I read Harlequins from our library for a few years before I got tired of the same old. Most of those books faded from my memory but I had fond memories of this one with Lucy pretending to be engaged to earn back the ring her brother had sold.
I realized this was the same novel as soon as I came across the title, but now, years after reading it when it was published, it doesn't make the same impression today. Yes, the characters are engaging and the plot has tension and a few minor characters add enjoyment, but this just isn't all that good.
The low rating reflects Jessica Steele's verbose, round-the-mulberry-bush style and endless explanations. The romance is reasonably good but the tension between him and her is not compelling.
I realized this was the same novel as soon as I came across the title, but now, years after reading it when it was published, it doesn't make the same impression today. Yes, the characters are engaging and the plot has tension and a few minor characters add enjoyment, but this just isn't all that good.
The low rating reflects Jessica Steele's verbose, round-the-mulberry-bush style and endless explanations. The romance is reasonably good but the tension between him and her is not compelling.
June 9, 2020
*exasperated sign
I continued reading until the end although there were several moments I had to roll my eyes. The premise was interesting enough. I was definitely into this book in the beginning but the heroine was angry at every look the Hero made or angry by everything he said. No problem with the Hero or secondary characters.
I finished it.
I continued reading until the end although there were several moments I had to roll my eyes. The premise was interesting enough. I was definitely into this book in the beginning but the heroine was angry at every look the Hero made or angry by everything he said. No problem with the Hero or secondary characters.
I finished it.
June 20, 2026
There are very few Jessica Steele books that I dislike. This is one of them. Jud is so cruel to Lucy, including threatening rape, that I couldn't stand him, right up until the end. It is true that he had been more than kind regarding her ring and her brother, but that didn't translate into kindness to Lucy. This book isn't worth your time.
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November 29, 2019Like it
November 21, 2016
Jessica Steele has a typical humorous style of writing and it showed in this book also. The plot felt a bit drawn out at places. Otherwise an enjoyable read.
January 3, 2011
I love all Jessica Steele's novels.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews