Books › A High Price to Pay
A High Price to Pay
244 pages
A deliciously angsty vintage romance where a desperate bargain of convenience ignites a fiery, reluctant passion.
What it feels like
Reading this vintage category romance feels like stepping into a time capsule of unapologetic 1980s melodrama, where the stakes are sky-high and the emotions run at a fever pitch. The narrative moves at a brisk, compulsive clip, pulling you through a tense, claustrophobic atmosphere defined by sharp power imbalances and desperate bargains. It is a story steeped in the delicious angst of a marriage of convenience, where every interaction crackles with unsaid resentment and simmering attraction. The prose is heightened and dialogue-heavy, perfectly suited to the dramatic emotional arc of a heroine trapped by duty and a hero wielding financial control. It will thoroughly delight fans of old-school romance who love their love stories laced with coercion, pride, and eventual, passionate surrender.
- Mood
- tense
- emotionally charged
- claustrophobic
- vintage-romantic
- Tone
- melodramatic
- intense
- earnest
- angsty
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- marriage of convenience · power dynamics · duty and sacrifice · enemies to lovers · financial coercion
- The writing
- Heightened and dialogue-heavy, leaning into the dramatic emotional register characteristic of 1980s category romance.
- The arc
- Begins in a state of trapped resentment and grief, slowly melting into reluctant attraction before culminating in passionate surrender.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave the unapologetic angst and high-stakes power imbalances of vintage Mills and Boon romances.
Content notes
- death of a parent
- financial coercion
- dubious consent
- grief
About the book
What choice did she really have?
Alison Mortimer had felt there was something going on over and above the appalling reality of her father's sudden death. And Nicholas Bristow's presence confirmed her suspicions.
Her father, she discovered, had lost everything in an attempt to save his business. Even Ladymead, the family home, had gone as security for loans. But 32 year old Nicholas Bristow, her father's lender, had not come to evict them.
The terms of settlement Nicholas offered took into account Ally's concern for her sister's future and her mother's peace of mind. At the price of their happiness, Ally could hardly refuse to marry him!
Description from Open Library.
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