Customer Reviews

A Question of Pride (Favourites)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Clea had been young and naive when Max Latham chose her from the typing pool to be his secretary and, later, his mistress. To Clea, it seems Max only wants her for sex due to her exotic looks. He took her and molded her into an outwardly sophisticated woman. Then Clea becomes pregnant and discovers Max is looking around for a replacement lover. Clea quits her job and tries to release Max from responsibility, but he insists on being part of the baby's life. He even proposes marriage, telling Clea he is "fond" of her. Clea refuses, unable to accept anything but love.

Intense study of the consequences from a love affair. Clea's venom is understandable, but she also must take responsibility for her pregnancy.

The heroine in this book is in a relationship where she's used by the hero. She's okay with it because she loves him so much. When she finds out she's pregnant she's devastated because the hero never wanted to be tied down and he'd ask her to marry him now because of it.

But here's what annoyed me.

At the beginning of the book, the hero leaves the heroine's bed, goes to work, and then later that night goes on a date with another woman. When that doesn't pan out because "They didn't seem to know what they wanted" as he explains to her about his failed 'business dinner', he attempts to get back into the heroine's bed. She uses the excuse of it being that time of the month and so he cancels their date for the next night. He takes the tickets that she bought and takes his new girlfriend. Enter two days later and our heroine finds out about this because the girlfriend calls the office to cancel the date they were supposed to go on that night, since she's going to be out of the country, and lets drop about the theatre too. Now knowing what her wonderful love has been doing...some hours later she winds up having sex with him again. Goodbye sex of course, but would you really want to sleep with a guy after you found out he was seeing someone else? And it wasn't goodbye sex because he had someone else, it was goodbye sex because she'd already decided to break it off so she didn't tie him down.

At the end of the book he claims that he just used the other girl because he was afraid of his emotions with the heroine and that he didn't actually have sex with her and found that he couldn't..but when I flipped back to the beginning of the book and saw all the excuses, the neat way he was keeping the two girls separate by telling the new girl absolutely not to call his office and convincing the old one it was business dinners that he was attending I couldn't quite believe it. When I also thought of the fact that he had not one but two dates with the new girl..and a third one lined up, then it really made me question. When I thought of the fact that the new girl was the one that canceled the date because she was going to be out of the country it went even further. And when I really thought of the fact that the last date he was having with the new girl was also the last day he was going to be around for a week because he was going to visit his mother I realized that the author however unintentionally made me completely hate and disbelieve the hero.

He used the heroine, he was seeing someone else, which in my book is cheating, he almost hits the heroine, stopped because she fainted before we could find out if he'd really do it. He's scum, but the heroine was no better because she just took it all because of her great love for him. How about some self respect to not be willing to lay down while you're treated like garbage. Even while the heroine was standing up, she was still doing it only because she loved him so much therefore...I'm sorry but..three dates and you're out.

Of course Michelle Reid has a really good writing style, but this book was a definite fail. For a better sleeping with the boss, winding up pregnant and refusing to marry him, try Kathryn Ross's In the Tycoon's Bed.

From the back cover: She was much more than his secretary. Theirs seemed the perfect boss-secretary relationship. He was all hard-nosed business; she was efficient and anticipated his every need. But the roles Max and Clea played so well in the office underwent a radical change after hours. Then they were passionate lovers--a situation Clea found both fulfilling and agonizing. For while Max was capable of turning his passion on and off at will, Clea, with her youth and idealism, had fallen inescapably in love. She either had to hide her feelings--or get out. Suddenly, unexpected circumstances gave her no choice.

My thoughts: I liked this book. After the heroine discovers she is pregnant she breaks with the hero. But of course he discovers that she is pregnant and at first is angry because he thinks she deceived him. But our heroine has a backbone and says in no uncertain terms screw you, I'm not pregnant because I wanted to trap you and besides you're not husband material! etc. etc. High five heroine! Say it like it is!!! So most of the book is about that and the hero trying to show her that he does care about her, is a changed man, etc. I felt the book felt a little too "real" to me. I still enjoyed it though. I was a little annoyed with the hero when he had gone out with another woman (I hate that!!!) I guess at the time he was "scared" of the feelings he had for the heroine and was trying to deflect it or something, that he didnt have deep feelings for the heroine (Damn him!!!) I felt so bad for the heroine. But supposedly, that didn't work and thankfully, he didn't touch other women when he met the heroine (yay!) But still: BAD HERO!!! Anyway, I'm glad the heroine didn't super fall and just gave in to the hero. She made him suffer a bit cause he totally deserved it. But the hero does redeem himself. He really showed how much he cared after the heroine refused to marry him. He was very protective and caring with her throughout her pregnancy. Anyway, this book definitely is a keeper.

It's one of the best books I've read in terms of the chemistry between the two characters. They love each other but are too proud to admit it, each for their own reasons but when they do get together, it's wonderful reading. Very tender romance.