Customer Reviews

The Secret Passion of Simon Blackwell

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The handsome Simon Blackwell has lived for years with the emotional and physical scars of losing his wife and son in a horrific fire. He broods for years surviving in unhappiness and pain, working to push those close to him away so that he can forget, while at other times overcome with memories and how he was unable to save them. When the beautiful and vivacious Lady Annabel McBride attempts to save the son of her friend Caro from running out in the street and being run over by a horse, she meets the enraged Simon who believes Annabel to be the reckless mother of the young boy. The grateful Caro invites the handsome hero over for dinner and it there that Simon and Annabel meet once again. As the weeks go by they keep meeting at society events and sparks of what is thought to be mutual dislike and mistrust turn into flames of desire. One evening in a moonlit garden they are caught in a passionate embrace. The compromised Annabel soon finds herself walking down the aisle, beginning a marriage with Simon of desire, longing and pain. The last thing Simon wants to do is hurt Annabel, but what can there be but hurt when he announces on their wedding night that he wants a marriage of convenience with no children and will arrange for a divorce within a year? Annabel attempts to resign herself to a marriage of convenience, but it is Simon that finds it most difficult, as his true secret is the intense passion that he has for Annabel. No matter how much he tries to avoid Annabel and his desire, he cannot, and they come together for several nights of intense passion. Will Simon be able to overcome his emotional scars so that he can forget the past and give into his intense desire and love for Annabel? Will Annabel's growing love be strong enough for both of them in order to have a true, lasting marriage? The Secret Passion of Simon Blackwell is an intense sexually charged story that delights while pulling at the heartstrings. Samantha James once again has written a well-developed story with characters that struggle with life's disappointments and find true love and happiness.

Samantha James does not disappoint with this one. I loved the book from start to finish and I didn't feel that it took too long to reveal the "secret tragedy" in Simon's life as did some other reviewers. It was midway thru the book and there were plenty of hints and clues about what happened throughout the beginning of the story, so that it was mostly obvious and all that was missing was the exact details. I enjoyed both Simon and Annie so much and loved the development of their relationship during the course of the book. It wasn't frustrating or boring to read at all and kept me flipping pages quickly. Plus the epilogue at the end was a wonderful addition and finished it off well, with a great happy ever after, b/c honestly, isn't that why we read romance novels in the first place?

Okay, I don't know what the other reviewers are "faffing" about with their detrimental reviews for this book. I really loved it. Please follow the advice of all of us who have read it, loved it and enjoyed it and pretend that the other reviews and are not even posted! The story's plot is a little tried and true, yes, but all in all the manner in which it is told really absorbs you and pulls you in. Yup, the book was really great - in the Grand style of Samantha James and it doesn't disappoint AT ALL.

Simon's past entails a horrific tragedy. It is no small wonder that a man who has endured such depth of grief and despair shies away from the world and refutes all notions of ever loving or "living" again.

The depth of emotion that is carried through the book is fabulous and poignant and the way in which Annie brings Simon out of his dark despair is beautifully told. It might be a little annoying not having Simon "spill his guts" to Annie, but it is not hard not to simpathize with him and realize that he can't bring himself to discuss his past easily, specially with kind of "guilt" he is carrying. As the story develops, Annie realizes why he is so frustrating and elusive and she comes to relize how much Simon has fallen in love with her and she with him.

I was a little put off prior to reading it, due to the negative reviews I had read. However, the reader shouldn't put too much confidence in an author's previous writings - they should just enjoy the story and its developments and not be swayed by such high standards. It really spoils it for the rest of us who have an open mind.

This book is heartwarming and special--oh, so special. I loved Annabelle's fire, her relationship with her cousin Caro, and her mother and brothers too. But that makes it all the more difficult when she finds herself wed to Simon Blackwell (trust me, it's not trite). Simon is a man who's gone into self-imposed exile after the death of his wife and family. Anne is just the lady to pull him out of his funk and make him start dealing with life again. I found it fascinating watching this hero's journey from a man who barely existed, to a man who won my heart (and Anne's!)a hundred times over. Ms. James' writing is masterful as we watch the layers around Simon peel back little by little until Anne finds the man she always knew she could love. And when they do get together . . . wow. I loved this book, absolutely adored it. It's a keeper, no question. I gather it's the beginning of a series. Can't wait for the next installment!

Buy it. Read it. Enjoy it or you'll regret it.

4 1/2 stars, actually. I really liked this book, but didn't love it.

I actually think Simon had two passions. An old passion [his love for books] is replaced by a new passion [passion for his new wife]. Although Simon never comes out and says he blames his old passion for the tragedy occurred, I think it's why he's so afraid to give into his new passion for his wife and fights so hard from succumbing to his feelings for her.

Most of the story takes place on the Yorkshire moors where storms are deadly. It adds a dark and menacing feel to the story as the danger of history repeating itself is a present danger whenever the bad weather rears its ugly head. The weather is part of what haunts Simon, as well.

I enjoyed reading all of Simon's journal entries as it showed what was going through his mind. While it's a very dark and brooding story, it never gets as dark and brooding as Wuthering Heights and it has a happier ending than Wuthering Heights did. Annabel is the force that brings light into the dark and lonely world Simon has been living in, unlike Heathcliffe and Catherine who seemed to bring out a mutual darkness in each other.

Ultimately it's a novel of finding a way to forgive ourself for the mistakes that we all make as human beings and allowing ourself to find happiness again, despite the fact our guilt makes us feel we don't deserve to ever know happiness again.

Simon Blackwell is a great hero.

I had not read Samantha James before this novel--and now I will be reading all of her books!

Simon Blackwell has a dark past...so dark and so painful that he cannot believe in love. He cannot let himself ever love again. Our heroine Annabel finds herself in a compromising position with him and suddenly she is married to this handsome, dark and secretive man. Simon, an honorable man, can allow himself to marry but not to love.

I found myself turning the pages--no there is not much physical action between the two main characters--but what there is, is sizzle. And you so many sparks that you cannot help but continue on with this book. The writing is very poetic and sensual. If you want a good story I recommend this book!

I really liked the heroine in this book, not at the beginning of the book, but after she enters a relationship with the hero. She's gutsy and moves the relationship along. I felt that she's the leader of the relationship, and I like the development of her character.
I'm not as crazy about the hero, he seems a bit weak, too much the suffering silently type for my liking. He also relies on alcohol to help him at night...AA?? It's a nice romance, I would recommend it.

The Secret Passion of Simon Blackwell by Samantha James was very good I finished it in a day! This is the first novel of the McBride Family Trilogy - Annie and Simon's story. In the beginning you don't know why Simon is so reserved and lonely. Annie is very outspoken for the times and knocks heads with Simon from their first meeting. A outspoken Scot is just want Simon needs... It is a great story about two real people learning to love. Can't wait for Aidan's book (Annie brother) this fall and Alec (the head of the McBridge family and a Scottish duke).

Ok, but not worth buying. This was a typical regency-style romance novel. A couple meets, they kiss once. Her family forces them to marry due to the kiss. They grow to love each other, have a fight and separate and then get back together at the end. This is an ok formula. Sometimes it works well. Sometimes the conversations and characters make it interesting and entertaining. But this story wasn't one of those. There were no major problems, but it just didn't please or delight me enough. However, I did love his words to her when they got back together in the end, page 353 (see Spoiler below).

Story brief: Simon had a wife and two young boys who were killed in a fire. He feels guilty that he didn't protect them well enough. Five years later, he continues to live with grief and as a hermit. He meets Anne, and in a rash moment kisses her. They are forced to marry. He tells her they won't be having any sex, and he plans to divorce her in a year. After she learns about his former wife, Anne understands him better and realizes she loves him. She decides to try to seduce him.

CAUTION SPOILER:
The touching words on page 353 are: "Anne," he whispered. "My Annie...I'll give you everything I have, Anne. My heart. My home." He kissed the corner of her mouth. "My baby..."

Story length: 358 pages. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 5. Length of sex scenes: 2 short scenes (1 page or less) and 3 long scenes (3, 5 and 12 pages). Setting: 1848 London. Copyright: 2007. Genre: historical romance.

I am a very busy mother of 2 and for me to read a book in one day says it all! I could not put this one down. I read it while making meals and even while waiting to pick up the boys from school!

The reason I enjoyed this one so much is that it was all about the 2 main characters. There wasn't a bunch of mystery or debauching that needed to be sifted through. It was your get to know each other and fall in love romance novel. I actually liked both main characters and cared whether or not they would stay together. The hero while withdrawn was never cruel in words or actions like so many romance novels that try to depict a brooding hero. He was just plain lonely and afraid of letting love in just to lose it all again. The heroine was innocent but had spunk and didn't back down. The beginning was as it should be when two strangers marry, awkward. I loved how we got to see them go from this awkward state to understanding each other to finally the physical aspects of their love. In addition to all that I mentioned above there was definitely a delicious amount of sexual tension throughout the whole book.

All around I was very pleased with this book and would definitely recommend it! In fact I could read it again myself!