4 Stars! ~~~ This is a very early book by Ms. Mather but it wonderfully showcases her remarkable talent!
A Distant Sound of Thunder by Anne Mather
Harlequin Presents #20 ~ September 1973
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Rebecca Lindsay left England when she became uncomfortably attracted to her best friend’s boyfriend. Taking a position in Fiji as a private nurse to a woman stricken an invalid by a very weak heart, seemed just the distance Rebecca needed. Adele is not an easy woman to care for; she’s bitter and often jealous of Rebecca’s good health. So when Piers St. Clair visits Adele, Adele purposely lets Rebecca believe Piers is a widower, when in fact his wife, Adele’s sister, is very much alive. Piers is enchanted, but Rebecca thinks his attentions are of a wealthy man just having some fun, so she fights her attraction. Piers realizes that Rebecca is an innocent and he stops himself from seducing her. Only Adele is having some fun at their expense, and she tells Rebecca that Piers’ wife is not dead and that she will have great fun informing her of their affair. Rebecca is humiliated and when she confronts Piers he cannot discount that he is married, and she flees before he can explain about his marriage. Returning to England, Rebecca takes a job at a busy hospital. As a few years pass, she fights off the attentions of young men but when it comes to Paul Victor, she finds he won’t take no for an answer. So she agrees to a friendship only relationship with the younger man, one Paul seems content with. Paul informs her that Rebecca’s former best friend is his aunt’s personal nurse and that she very much would like to reunite. Much to Rebecca’s shock, Paul’s aunt turns out to be Adele and Paul’s father is Piers!
Okay, remember this was written in 1973. Piers had been 19 when he became a father and was forced to marry a woman much older. Theirs was a bitter loveless marriage made in a catholic church that forbade divorce, even though the wife flaunted her affairs. As an early Presents this book is written solely from Rebecca’s POV. Constantly thrown into very difficult situations, and alone in the world, Rebecca bravely faces them. This is a very early book by Ms. Mather but it wonderfully showcases her remarkable talent. She is truly a Queen of Romance! This was a delightful treat!
Excellence: Very Good ~ Steaminess: Romantic
My Totals = 86 ~ Harlequin Imprint =74 ~ Other Publisher = 12
~~ KatherineT ~~ I'm a Harlequin Addict, and I'm proud of it!
~~ Quiet Canadians ~ 2008 Book Challenge Blog
