Flora Kidd Archives

The Book

Lately, I’ve been trying to write as many reviews as I can, before I forget what I read. Even though I read this romance in the early Noughties, Flora Kidd’s Beloved Deceiver still sticks out in my mind for one big reason. It’s the only Harlequin/Mills-and-Boon I’ve read to feature a hero from the Dominican Republic, which is my parents’ birth country.

There have been plenty of Hispanic, Latino, and Latin-American-born heroes in the HP line, but up until this one I’d never encountered a Dominican and a blond one, to boot! That, for me, was like hitting the romance lottery jackpot.

The Plot

Our heroine, Glenda, is an independent divorcee whose first marriage ended when her husband decided fidelity was too taxing on him. Glenda’s a magazine writer from Canada visiting the Dominican Republic on holiday. Her former college classmate, Cesar Estrada, is now a bestselling author and Glenda seeks him out for an interview.

Upon meeting Cesar again, Glenda notices some changes, mainly her attraction to him. Back in Montreal, they’d just been friends, however, this tanned, tropical hunk makes her motor run at super high RPMs!

Glenda and Cesar get it on, but all is not what it seems as Cesar appears to be hiding something about himself. What is it about his past that he’s keeping a secret? Is Cesar really the man she used to know? Who is this Rafael character she keeps hearing about? And worst, could there be another woman with whom Cesar is involved?

So many questions for Glenda, but she’s a slave to her passions.

The zig-zaggy trail of breadcrumbs that Flora Kidd gives us leads to new revelations and some slight HP angst.

Final Analysis of Beloved Deceiver

To be completely honest, for me this was a good Harlequin Presents that made the time pass quickly and leisurely even though it wasn’t a super-wrecky, extra-memorable experience. I’ve read a handful of Flora Kidd romances and have found them to be just fine to above average, with the exception being Stay Through the Night, which was excellent.

Here, it was the hero’s unique background that ticked the right boxes for me.

Plus, I pictured him looking like Carlos de la Mota, a Dominican-born telenovela actor who’s an absolute dream!

beloved deceiver flora kidd — *Dominican-born actor Carlos de la Mota. Yummy!*

3.45 Stars

Synopsis:

She was a magazine writer, he was a famous novelist

Yet eight years ago Glenda Thompson and Cesar Estrada had known each other as students at university in Montreal.

Now, trying to interview him in his own country, the Dominican Republic, Glenda is puzzled by the mystery surrounding him. Why is he referred to as ”Rafael” and why doesn’t he want to be interviewed. Is he trying to hide something?

When they do meet again, in spite of unsuccessful marriages and the intervening years, they cannot conceal their feelings for each other.

BELOVED DECEIVER by FLORA KIDD

Synopsis:

“I warned you from the start,”
Burt Sharaton said. “You had no right to come between Nancy and me.”
But putting an end to her sister Nancy’s affair with him was a responsibility Charlotte had just had to take on. She’d told him her sister refused to cruise with him on his yacht, the White Cockatoo.
Unfortunately, her plan hadn’t worked and Charlotte was caught in a trap of her own making. For Burt was determined that if he couldn’t have Nancy, he would take Charlotte instead!
STAY THROUGH THE NIGHT by FLORA KIDD

“I’ve been looking for someone like you for a long time, a long, long time…“
Stay Through the Night

The Book

Feeling lazy, (as always), so here’s a quick review of Stay Through the Night by Flora Kidd hacked together from my reading updates:

The Plot

In Stay Through the Night, Charlotte is a single, fiercely independent, and career-minded woman, who never had her sights set on marriage, although she at least respects the institution. When she sees how her very married sister, Nancy, drapes herself all over multi-millionaire Burt Sharaton, she quite naturally believes they’re having an affair. Charlotte is disappointed in her sister. Moreover, she’s angry on behalf of her as she cares for her brother-in-law, who’s a decent man.

Determined to put a stop to this madness, Charlotte confronts Burt. There’s no way she’s going to let Nancy sail across the world with Burt in his flashy white yacht.

However, Burt surprises Charlotte when he decides to settle for Nancy’s younger and unmarried sister instead. Charlotte’s plan backfires on her, as Burt all but takes her captive.

*Stay Through the Night*, Flora Kidd, Mills & Boon, 1980, cover artist unknown

My Opinion

This sweet, little romance seems to have low ratings on book sites around the internet and I don’t share the opinion. But then, my tastes do run contrarian to what’s popular.

It has everything that makes a classic HP so much fun:

#1 – A wealthy, arrogant hero, whose brutish ways are just a defense mechanism for his troubled past.

#2 – A virginal heroine who’s intelligent, a working woman, moral & strong-willed.

#3 – A married older sister trying to get her hooks in the hero.

#4 – Blackmail, kidnapping, and a quickie marriage to avoid scandal.

So what’s not to like?

Final Analysis of Stay Through the Night

Stay Through The Night was a fun little read from start to finish. What I enjoyed best of all, was this drunken confession of love from the stoic, brutish hero. It really got to me…

“‘You’re warm and soft and rounded,’ he murmured. Again his speech was a little slurred and she wondered if he were lightheaded. ‘I’ve been looking for someone like you for a long time, a long, long time…’ He broke off and stiffened.
“‘Who was that talking?’ He demanded suddenly, very clearly and coldly.
“‘You,’ [Charlotte informed him.]“
STAY THROUGH THE NIGHT

(SIGH!)

I’m a sucker for dramatic revelations of love. With Burt, there’s more to him than meets the eye. He’s not the flashy playboy Charlotte thought he was. He’s a true gem of a hero.

3 1/2 Stars