| Title | : | A Lost Love |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0263112624 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780263112627 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 288 |
| Publication | : | First published August 1, 1984 |
Brooke Adamson knew the whole bitter story. Because she was Rafe Charlwood's wife, or rather she had been, before the terrible car accident Rafe believed had claimed her life.
Now, three years later, she had a new face and a new identity, and only a mother's love for the son Rafe had so cruelly taken from her could have brought her back to Charlwood.
She couldn't tell Rafe the truth when he still so obviously hated the memory of the woman he had married...
A Lost Love Reviews
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Re A Lost Love - I have to be honest here, epic whacked plot or not I ADORE this book. Srsly, it is on my top ten list of all of HPlandia and that hasn't changed in 31 years -- it is only superseded by The Spanish Groom, Whirlwind Marriage and Married to a Mistress.
The story is so outlandish it can only be done properly in HPlandia - h literally comes back from the dead with a new look and a serious grudge against the H, all to have whatever part she can in her son's life. The best part of this book is that in the midst of the HP misogynistic 80's this H has to do what almost no other HP H has ever done.
He has to GROVEL, and he has to do it for the last 85 pages of the book. There is just no other book like it in terms of the H has to be NICE to the h. He has to WOO her, he has to buy her silly little presents, he isn't allowed to yell at her or rape her or be mean to her in any way shape or form, cause he loves her desperately, has been a wreck since her death and she has no obligation to stay with him AT ALL.
In fact this h makes it very clear that once their resumed fling is done, she will be staying on ignoring him and he can just get over it.
So the quick story here, h and H married when she was 19 and he was in his early 30's. He really had no idear of what to do with such a young wife and he never told her he loved her (he did, he was obsessive about it) but he felt that gave her too much power. So he treats her like an object and he is horrible to her, up to and including repeated rape and strangulation. Then he really loses it cause she goes out on her own and he accuses her of adultery and sets up the divorce.
He also denies her any access to her son and she can't fight his money or his power so she goes to America, gets into a bad car accident and he thinks she dies. He sends his aunt to do the body duties, he doesn't even care about the fortune she had, the aunt finds out the h isn't dead but very close to it and agrees to help her change her looks and see her son.
The aunt dies, leaving the h her cottage on the estate where her son lives, the h moves in and the H is attracted but doesn't figure out anything until after they have become lovers. Her style of love reminds him of his dead wife, so he sends his brother over to the US to find out what happened, cause he thought he was really losing his mind.
The brother figures out she isn't dead and the H is now really scared. He knows that if he doesn't make her fall in love again he is going to lose her, and a big key for that is access to her son whom she nurses through mumps and she also sorts out his brother's failing marriage as well.
He does everything he can to make her love him again, and then when the brother and sorta witchy brother's wife decide to adopt an orphan as the wife is infertile, he asks her who she wants to be her old name or her new name. The h freaks out, thinking he is going to do horrible things to her but he chases after her, swears eternal love and devotion and big explanations (which have been occurring regularly throughout the book) about why he acted like Mr. Horriblepants the first time around are then given.
The h loves him too and she is much more confident of herself this time around and so we get an epic HEA.
So basically he does know who she is for the latter part of the book, but it only makes him work harder to win her over - he is lovestruck and shows it - and so I did not feel it was a manipulation on his part. Actually she probably manipulated more than him, but he deserved it IMO, so I don't hold it against her - I liked her more for it.
For me this one is a fabulous read and I reread it pretty regularly, it is a leap of imagination to actually buy into the plot, but if you can - this one is totally worth reading. -
I couldn't decide between four or five stars, but I went with five because when I closed the book I had that "wheeeee!" feeling that you get after riding a roller coaster. Then you giggle and get in line to go again . . .
This is one crazy story and while the ghost-of-Christmas-past heroine didn't berate the hero enough at the end (he groveled - but I wanted her to pull out the powerpoint and list his sins against her and their son just so I could feel her righteous indignation one more time), there was a great satisfaction in hearing all of her former tormentors show remorse and explain their motivations for being so awful to the heroine.
*Happy sigh* I loved the mother love that motivated the heroine to be near her son. I loved how tortured the hero was. I loved how the new improved Mrs. Hero used her hard-won wisdom to help others in the family. No wonder this is an HP classic. -
This book absolutely packed a punch. I have read many themes in my romance novels, amnesia, revenge, second chances, etc, but never a book about hidden identity.
Four years ago, Jacqui married Rafe after a two week tempestuous love affair...that probably should have stayed just a love affair. They marry and have a few months of happiness until everything starts to go wrong. Rafe becomes a control freak, not allowing her any independence not even the ability to care for their son. She becomes more and more frightened of him and the person she has become. She loses her self-esteem and confidence. In a fit of jealousy, she goes to visit friends in London and starts flirting with a friend when all of a sudden, Rafe shows up at the party. Unfortunately, her one moment of independence costs her dearly. Rafe, in a fit of jealous rage, has her tossed out of their home on the grounds of adultery. She tries desperately to get custody of their son, but Rafe is so powerful she loses it all and moves to America to start over again. Her independence is short lived when she is in a car accident that almost kills her.
She decides to reinvent herself and come back into her sons life as Brooke Adamson. Four years later, she is a much stronger woman ready to take Rafe on.
I have to say that I did not care for Rafe one bit. Even the big reveal at the end where he tried to justify his actions, left me cold. This is one story where I would have much preferred for her to decide to fight for her rights, and the rights of her son, rather than one of reconciliation. I didn't feel that Rafe deserved her or the HEA.. But even though I would have written the ending a little differently, I still can't take away from the intensity and entertainment of this read, thus the 5 star rating. I highly recommend! -
Well, talk about the ultimate makeover. H reinvents herself after a car crash results in plastic surgery so she can come back to England and see her child that was denied her.
Carole Mortimer does a good job redeeming what is obviously a cruel, cruel hero. He doesn't so much grovel as fall apart over this new version of his wife.
One thing you have to say about the old school Harlequins and M&B while they may be more un-PC, the have better plots (usually) and much better titles.
Re-read Review
After having read a plethora of really weak characters, doormats, spineless idjits aka HP heroines, sadly mostly contemporary, I had to give this a re-read. As a result of the heroine and the hero's grovel, I bumped from 3 to 4 stars.
It's not so much a revenge plot, but a second chance for one of the loves of the heroine's life: her son. Makeover madness squared, the heroine stands pretty darn tall as a HP heroine. She doesn't fall into bed with the hero the first or even second time he propositions; she maintains a cool emotional distance because it's the smart thing to do, and, wait for it, when he apologizes (yes, he admits he is WRONG) she doesn't let him off the hook right away.
The H is a bossy jerk, but he is a bossy jerk in love with the heroine. I anticipate lots of fireworks between these two on a longterm basis.
Another HP that reminds me at the awesome Australian soap opera, Return to Eden. One of the all-time great revenge/makeover plots EVER. It just does not get any better than this camp fest. Turns out that
Return to Eden was a novel before the show. Hmmm.
Before:
After:
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"I love every part of you, the old you and the new one. You were beautiful then and you are now. But it wouldn't matter to me what you look like, I love you, the inside you. Doesn't the fact that I recognised your soul, despite your changed appearance, tell you that?" -Rafe
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THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING!!!!!
This story has an awesome,unique and dramatic plot about hidden identity.The heroine Brooke Adamson (her real name Jascui Charlwood) coming back after three years to see her son that had been forced away from her. In middle of this we can see that she also meets her husband again,a husband that has no idea that she is his `dead` wife Jascui.
Rafe Charlwood are one of Carole Mortiers coldblooded and cruel Alpha-heroes that in this story is given a second chance of winning his wife back.I knew that he was drawn to her soul,cuz her soul was the only thing he ever wanted.His love for her felt very extreme and the tension..the SEXUAL chemistry between them from the beginning was too much for my heart to bear,lol. This author did this so well. Rafe is also one of the more self-destructive males in a byronic kind of way,he loved to much to handle his intense emotions for his wife-hence their unhappiness during their marriage.He was being to much jealous and possessive, being to blind of her love for him.
Rafe Charlwood is a very passionate hero and i really came to love him and the way his soul recognized his wife`s. I love this book so much, one of my top favourites by this author! -
He was a classic bully. He was ONLY nice to her when she was no longer the young and weak vulnerable thing she used to be. This time around he couldn't go on raping her because she not only had a stronger personality to put him in his right place but also she could physically retaliate him. She no longer had her hero-worshipping love acting as blinders on her eyes and she no longer cared about trying to please him or any of his family members for that matter. So this time the hero had nothing. Not only that, heroine, when he figured out who she was, also figured out, that only reason fell into his bed was to see the child. That makes HIM into NOTHING. Of no value whatsoever. His just a piece to be used or satisfy in this scenario for her bigger motive, motives not being in negative sense here. She never cared about whether he had OW or not, she just didn't care and very much made it an emotionless physical affair. That leaves a egocentric bully like the hero with nothing. Imagine how he would feel if he was just a worthless body in her eyes to have sex with.
Like typical bullies he caved the moment he had to face someone stronger than themselves. She was too strong for him to fight and win and like a true bully he decided to play nice instead.
He wanted to beat his wife into submission, and he only gave up that thought NOT after she was dead BUT after the new woman appeared to be too strong to be handled that way. He was ONLY nice to her when he ran out of options. She could go out to the world now with her story and demand the custody of her child, so he clearly decided it would be easier to grovel than bully her which won't even work and he didn't have much choice since his libido clearly took a vacation without her. -
4.5 stars
How far would you go to be able to see your child? In this case, very far!
After being involved in a deathly car crash that resulted in the immediate death of 3 members of her dance troops in Los Angeles, Jacqui made a life changing decision. She was believed to have perished in the accident and required comprehensive facial plastic surgery, Jacqui instead decided to alter her features and change her name. She was suffering from depression and a nervous breakdown and her messy divorce back in England has just concluded. Jacqui was accused of infidelity with a TV producer who made the weekly show for their troop. She was denied visitation of her then 6 months old baby boy. Her Ex-husband Rafe was very rich and 14 years older (33 to 19 when they first met) and he gave her a generous divorce proceeding which was helpful after her TV show was canceled. Jacqui also had Rafe's sympathetic aunt at her corner and was able to reinvent herself and re-enter the life of her child.
I found young Jacqui very naive and easy to manipulate. She had no idea how to be a wife to a powerful, workaholic, successful husband. She didn't express her feelings or her thoughts and she became bitter after giving birth and her child was given to a nanny to be raised. She had nothing to occupy her time and she allowed the resentment fester until her love turned in to hate. Newly Married Rafe was a jackass. He was controlling and jealous. He married and assumed his life will go on just as before except there would be a young wife in his bed every night. He limited Jacqui's friendships and interactions with others. He made her so nervous that she lied when she was seeing the girls in her dance troop. The one time he caught her flirting in an after show party, he threw her out of the house and filed for divorce.
The Rafe Brook met was 180 degree different than the old one. I have never seen so much growth in characters as I saw in Brook and Rafe in 3 years since their divorce. -
4.5 🌟
I really liked this book, I don't know why I didn't post a review thenp. I think I provide a lot information in the tags. Maybe I will reread it soon.
This book is very angsty and has a plot twist. I love some of the vintage books by this author. -
Don't know why I haven't reviewed this before. This was a reread for me. Lovely angsty hidden identity story. The plot, once you have your willing suspension of disbelief in place, is beautifully done. The heroine has been divorced and had her child taken from her. After convenient accident and plastic surgery she returns to get to know her son as a stranger. Consequently of course, she also gets to know her husband again and they fall in love again. Of course it is an HP after all. Loved both the hero and the heroine. You could really see that he had loved her all along.
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An angsty, OTT trainwreck with a redeemed vicious H, that's definitely my cuppa. 😎
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I only read these books due to a love of all things retro. I am pretty sure I read this book as a 15 year old high school girl. It probably really messed up my ideas of what love is all about.
Of course no one expects a literary masterpiece in these cheap novels, so my expectations are not that high. But reading as a grown woman, there were so many things in this book that bothered me. Little things -- like portraying the main character as a woman who had "the height and the ability" to be a ballet dancer.... said woman is 5'8" tall. (If you didn't know, ballet dancers must be very tiny.) Since she had the skills but not the "star" quality, she transferred her love of dance to a dance group called -- appallingly -- "Sensuous Romance" (cue eyeroll -- even for the early 1980's, that is too much).
And the bigger things -- For the sake of moving along the plot, the book is full of these glaringly obvious problems. No spoiler if you've read the jacket copy: the main character was in a car accident and presumed dead. She had plastic surgery, changed her name, and this is why her "husband" does not recognize her years later. Typical plot device.
The author explains away why the man did not go to identify the body, and one can give that reason a pass. But she was still legally married to him, the mother of his child, had a large bank account and other assets. This man who is the head of a huge conglomerate, and raising their son, never had any interest in or awareness of what happened to his "wife's" money? Or what happened to her body? Did someone just tell him she was cremated or buried in the US, and he bought it?
While I'm willing to tolerate a lot considering the genre and what I am reading here, when the author writes that the man raped his wife in anger and physically assaulted her so brutally she was covered in bruises and diamonds still give her flashbacks years later, yet she still loves him, never stopped loving him, there my tolerance is at an end. -
I have to admit openly that I've never read a book like this. I've read the amnesia books that I guess are similar but never a plastic surgery book. I have to admit I loved this book, I was spectacular, not to mention well written. The characters were amazing, had emotional depth and it felt like being with them in the story. I connected on a level I haven't with a lot of books.
Jacqui married Rafe when she was a young adult but things didn't work out all that well. They both loved each other but their communication was completely flawed. When Jacqui became pregnant Rafe removed himself emotionally from her, so Jacqui felt pushed out, even more so when she gave birth to their son and Rafe handed him off to Nanny's and other people. Jacqui felt alone so she started sneaking out to see her old friends. When Rafe found out he was furious and thought she was having an affair with Greg, only she wasn't. Rafe eventually took her son away in a big custody hearing, so Jacqui brokenhearted and sonless left to live in America. Where she was in a car crash and people thought she had died. When Rafe's aunt came out, she helped Jacqui cover up the truth and get plastic surgery. Jacqui had now become Brooke.
Brooke was a different person after three years, she was coming home and she wanted to meet and see her son. She missed him terribly, what she didn't figure is Rafe would fall head over heels in love with her. She didn't know that eventually the truth would come out about everything. She couldn't accept the fact she was going to lose her son Robert and her husband Rafe again. -
This book is everything .. how much I loved it . And I dont mind reading it straight away again .
This is different from the usual romance books-mills & boons-HP I have have read , Hidden identity . I was reluctant to pick it , then found it difficult to hook to the book for the first few chapters . Once the actual plot began , This turned out to be more than perfect .
There were so many emotions , Whenever Brooke meets her son , the pleasure she has but she can't admit to anyone that she is his mother , helpless yet very much satisfied with what she has . All the Mother-Son scenes were so beautiful , giving importance to the tiniest details like how she felt just holding hands with her son . Bliss to read .
Then comes Rafe , I hated him with all my heart , but he is not what he portrays himself as , and Brooke commits mistake in realizing it . Once they give into each other , the book went so good , page turnover , I couldn't stop reading .
I would like to appreciate the fact that both characters have been tagged with equal share of blame , because it was . And Brooke was portrayed as a very strong character which she is . Coming together as equals was so different and beautiful , they ought to fall in love AGAIN .
And the final shock came in when he reveals that he knows her real identity ALREADY .( Oops , Did I spoil it ?) Undoubtedly 5 stars . -
5 Stars! ~ After a short 18 months, Jacqui Charlwood found herself in a loveless marriage with a husband who seemed to hate her. Her sister-in-law told her Rafe only married her for the child she gave him, so in rebellion she defied her husband and went to London to attend a party with her friends from before the marriage. When Rafe turned up at the party she flirted with her old boss, not thinking that Rafe would assume the worst. Returning to their home she discovered herself locked out at the main gate and refused entry. When she called Rafe refused to speak to her claiming all discussions would take place through the lawyers. And so young Jacqui lost not only her marriage (though she was given a very generous settlement) she also lost custody of her six month old son. She’d fought hard for her son, but Rafe had all the tricks and power behind him to see she was declared an unfit mother. And though the courts awarded her visitation, Rafe refused to allow it. Left with no life, she decided to travel to America with her friends to hopefully begin again. Only once there she’d been in a horrible car crash. Rafe had sent his Aunt Jocelyn to America to identify her body, but once there she found Jacqui barely alive with a body badly broken and a face unrecognizable. Jacqui pleaded with Jocelyn to allow her to remain “dead” and then had the surgeons create a new woman. And so Brooke Adamson was created and once her body and spirit was healed she returned to England as Jocelyn’s dear friend, often visiting with her at her cottage and playing with Jocelyn’s great nephew, Robert. Upon Jocelyn’s death, Brooke inherits her cottage on the Charlwood estate, ensuring that Brooke will always be close to her son. When Rafe tries to get close to her, Brooke continually pushes him away for fear that he’ll discover her secret.
Oh wow! What a powerful story! Brooke has always felt like the one who had been wronged, but as she spends time with Rafe she slowly sees that there was more going on in her marriage than she had seen. She’d been very young, and hadn’t known how to stand up for herself when Rafe had taken complete control of her life. As in most early Presents, we are not given the heroes POV, but Ms. Mortimer shows us deftly how very much Rafe has suffered. This story allows both Brooke and Rafe to come to terms with all that had happened to make their marriage fail. I loved the ending when Brooke’s identity is revealed. Such a powerful love story! This one earns five stars all the way! -
I was looking for an epic train wreck and I found one on Boogenhagens review list (sorry I'm a bit of a stalker of your reviews) if Boogenhagen AND St Margarets give a story 5* you know it's going to the top of my tbr pile. Even Vintage gave it a solid upgrade to 4. Totally worth it!
The H in this book is one of the all time lowest of the low H's. Taking the son away from the h and treating her like he did was just pretty darn unforgivable and while his grovel is not awesome he is remarkably understanding about all the lies she told to sneak back in to her sons life. 99% of H's would have used it as an excuse to cause the h more misery instead he used his knowledge to woo the h again and just casually slipped it into conversation asking how she would like to move forward.
The h is pretty darn awesome. H treated her appallingly and she still came back and gave him what for. Granted he thinks shes dead and shes had loads of plastic surgery to disguise herself but this time shes no doormat and has the H wrapped around her finger. In fact she blatantly dislikes him at first. Its awesome to see her in action winding him up!
Give this one a go I'm sure you won't regret it. -
Διαβασμένο σίγουρα αρκετές φορές σε πιο μικρή ηλικία ....Είχα χρόνια να το πιάσω στα χέρια μου.Το ξαναδιάβασα πρόσφατα.Τα συναισθήματα που μου άφησε μοναδικά μετά απο τόσα χρόνια που έχω διαβάσει και εγώ δε ξέρω πόσες ιστορίες αγάπης Τι να πρωτογράψω? για την ευρηματική πλοκή του που μετράει 31 χρόνια? για την ένταση? το πάθος?...Για μένα σίγουρα είναι μία από τις καλύτερες ιστορίες αγάπης που έχουν κυκλοφορήσει.Κρίμα που τέτοια βιβλία δεν έχουν τη δυνατότητα να διαβαστούν από τους λάτρεις του είδους.
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The heroine left me cold. I thought she was extremely self-centered and immature and the alpha but caring and tender hero was too good for her. Still it was a fun enjoyable ride. It was worth the read!
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First Read : 4.25 ⭐
Reread : 4.5 ⭐
🥺🥺💞💖 -
"A Lost Love" is the story of Jacqui/Brooke and Rafe.
When Brooke Adamson's closest friend Jocelyn gets sick, she expects antagonism from her nephew Rafe, especially as Jocelyn leaves the Charlwood cottage in the will to Brooke after she passes away!
But Brooke knows all about Rafe's ruthlessness. Three years ago, at 19, she was Jacqui and part of a dance trope, when Rafe had swept her off her feet, only for the fairytale to be shattered when she was impregnated, abandoned, and her child ruthlessly taken from her as Rafe publicly humiliated her.
An accident leaves her scarred, and plastic surgery gives her the much needed new identity. And now as she resides in the cottage neighboring Charlwood estate, she takes the chance be close to her son Robert again!
What a beautiful story. I am usually wary of such second chance romances, but this was very well done.
Their first marriage was troubled, especially with Rafe's OTT possessiveness, Jacqui's naivity and other family/social factors- mixed with lack of communications.
However, the second chance was much better. I really admired how strong Brooke was. Her scenes with Robert were heartwarming, and so was her subtle confrontations with Rafe. Filled with passionate lovemaking, I admired both for being celibate and especially that we finally got to see the real Rafe- in contrast to the presumed the worst of him (because of how he was portrayed in the flashbacks).
I also liked the character growth in Patrick, Rosemary and the nannys' because at one point everyone seemed evil, until they were'nt!
Woot woot for a good groveling hero and angst. If you like a crazy jealous hero making an ass of himself, and actually having geuine regrets, this one is for you.
Safe
4.5/5 -
"A Love Lost" is a book about second chances and a mother's love.
Jacqi was 19 when she married successful businessman Rafe Charlwood. She married for love and thought her husband did too. Sadly she soon learned that wasn't the case. Before she knew it, she was accused of infidelity and locked out of her home and separated from her baby. Falling apart, she travelled with her friends and former dance troupe to America where a horrible car crash killed her and three other dancers.
Three years later, Brooke Adamson had been introduced as a friend to the elderly Josefine Charlwood, aunt to Rafe. Aunt Josephine is ill and upon her passing bequeathed her cottage on the Charlwood estate to Brooke.
Rafe resents Brooke's closeness to his aunt and that she has been left the cottage. As they interact with each other Brooke learns more about Rafe's relationship with his wife, Jacqi. It's a eye opening experience for her. Soon she and Rafe become closer than she expected and her secrets are revealed.
I loved the Jacqui/Brooke character. Her strength to endure all she did and fight her way back to her son - anyway she could- was beautiful.
A lot of reviewers didn't like Rafe. I found myself feeling compassion for him as I read. He was a man who was in such deep pain. He hid it well, but even before the climax of the story I saw his vulnerability. His love for Jacqui became obvious when he could/wouldn't talk about her.
If you read one book this year, you should seriously consider this as a contender. It is so worth the read. -
An oldie that is a goldie ... worth the re-read and this book definitely belongs on the HP must read list ... the plot is so over the top it actually makes sense ... it works ..
and can I just say, the prolonged grovel by the H is totally delicious! -
Oh, where can I start? I’m truly in a minority here based on all these 5-star reviews. I know, I know its older HP which I normally try to avoid and I shouldn’t expect much but come on… There were so many suspend believe moments and situations that, at some point, I stopped counting them.
The whole premise is ridiculous. The ex-wife survived a deadly crash just 3 years ago right after divorce, ended up in a hospital, elected to undergo numerous cosmetic surgeries to the point of being unrecognizable, and went back to be near her son. And her ex-husband is not aware she survived even though she ended up living right on his property. I kept thinking what the heck? How could this happen? It's only been few years. She doesn't have any scars, no other physical injury that could be attributed to the serious crash that left her almost dead. How did the hospital not know who she was when her husband’s aunt got to visit her? Where did she get money to do all of this? Well, at least the money part was explained as a divorced settlement. Are we to believe that the husband is not aware that somebody is withdrawing money from the dead ex-wife's divorce settlement? Don’t worry, it was explained that the husband has too much money to care about such a trivial thing. Right…
And this ladies and gentlemen, is just exhibit A in a catalog of unbelievable moments.
There is, of cause, a typical overbearing-irrational-ultra-possessive alpha male of the hero and the heroine who was first so seduced by his power that she allowed him to impugn her character, separate her from her son, and define court orders. AGHHH... I know I should've dnf the story as soon as I realized it was a re-print of an older HP and not a new release...My bad :( -
This one was a lot of fun with many exciting moments. Some of the other reviews summarize it pretty well.
I thought the plot was interesting and original, though creative license is definitely at work.
The heroine, although insecure during the flashbacks, is strong and enpowered, particularly after she reinvents herself. The hero is HORRIBLE and flawed. He is never really redeemed completely IMO, but I feel that his actions were the result of his own insecurities and I feel that he's sincerely remorseful at the end.
I didn't like some of her minor choices at the end and since his excuses weren't totally believable, I knocked off a star, but don't let that stop you. It's definitely a great read. -
He was nice to her when he HAD to be.
She was no longer naive and young, she knows how to strike back.
She probably is strong enough to fight for the kid's custody.
So he basically is a textbook bully, who can't do anything when people strike back.
And he has history of rape, abuse and domestic violence.
I can't really bring myself to read this.
This really isn't my idea of romance. -
2 'It was okay' Stars
I feel a little bad for rating this one 2 Stars. I rarely give a book that rating unless it irritated me. This book didn't irritate me. However, the truth is, it was just okay, and according to Goodreads' rating system, that's 2 Stars.
After reading a few reviews I thought the plot was more than intriguing. It was different, or at least I had never read a romance with the following plot points: the heroine comes back from the dead (not literally LOL, it was a fake death), some plastic surgery, a change of identity, and the hero falling in love with the same woman twice, unbeknownst to him, of course. I was excited and looking forward to reading this! I had high expectations but sadly, it didn't work out. I really thought I was going to get an awesome revenge story with the heroine kicking ass. But she only ended up at the hero's feet, almost completely at his mercy again. I also think the way the hero treated her during their earlier relationship didn't add up with his explanations or justifications later on. One thing that did annoy me was the overuse of exclamation points—even for a Harlequin—but I kept reading because of the story. Sigh, it had so much potential. Oh, well. -
Sometimes I regret reading spoilers; this was one of those times. Not that I'll ever stop opening every spoiler I see. But yeah I would have enjoyed this book even more if I'd gone in blind. Learn from my mistake! This was a good story, go read it unspoiled! If you're undisciplined like me, read on...
Mostly I appreciated how Brooke had matured. As Jacqui, she had genuinely come to fear her husband. She couldn't fit into his life and didn't have the confidence to even take charge of the household, or put her foot down about things like taking care of her child herself. As Brooke, she not only has more confidence in herself but also gained understanding into what makes Rafe tick, and how he operates. She can now see beyond his cold and angry manner, and see that it's his reflex mechanism for masking his uncertainties.
Of course, it was super-delicious seeing Rafe all tortured with his mixed-up feelings. He's never felt any passion or interest since Jacqui died, until he meets Brooke, and the chest-twisting heartache is all there when he gets all wretched over calling Jacqui's name by accident when he's getting hot and heavy with Brooke, crying out about how he's going to be haunted for the rest of his life. Mmm angsty goodness, give me your bloody tears~!
Since I got spoiler-fied (and now you will be too unless you stop reading right now!
Anyways this was a very enthralling read and had heaps of gut-twisting angst. I thoroughly enjoyed it and if I were a smart person I'd learn my lesson about spoilers but I won't. -
THis is a reunion with a lot of angst. Rafe and Jaqui's marriage broke up in a blaze of hatred and suspicion caused by her immaturity and his unwillingness to yield. The custody battle over their child only solidified the barrier between them. Her death shortly afterwards should have been a relief. For Jaqui, re-emerging from her brush with death it was a relief. It enabled her to rebuild her life as a different person under the name Brooke. With the help of Rafe's sympathetic aunt, the deception enabled her to see her young son occasionally.
So when the aunt died and left her cottage, adjacent to the Charlwood home, it was her chance to remain close to her young son. The only problem seemed to be that Rafe seemed to find Brooke just as attractive as he had his young wife.
As they get to know each other and struggle with the attraction, we learn more and more about what happened, and what went wrong with the marriage. What happens when Rafe realises the truth about her deception will be the big test.
This is a very moving story of a strong man who is unable to open up to his young bride and a young woman who is too young to adjust to the dramatic changes in her life and the way of life of her husband. Their second chance is fraught with emotion and charged with sizzle.
This had all the elements that leave me feeling emotionally satisfied. A repentant and faithful husband and a heroine who has learned and matured from the mistakes of the past and values the lesson. -
An amazing read.
This book was a totally different lost love type of read and really brings a lot of emotion in. All the tears, the anguish, the anger, and the love just roll right of the pages and YOU feel with Brooke and Rafe. A real rollercoaster of emotion that packs a punch!
I loved how both Brooke/Jacqui and Rafe realized it takes two to make a marriage and that they both made mistakes in the past. They both learned from the past mistakes and are trying to be better because of it.
A nicely well written read. The characters just come alive. And little Robert will endear himself to readers. The author's talent really shines with this book..her use feelings and emotions is excellent without over powering the story with sappiness and a lot of meaningless dribble. -
I’ve just had a really nice vacation in the heart of HPlandia, where people are beautiful and superbly dressed at all times, and common sense is neither a prerequisite nor a necessity. It’s been lovely.
