Books › Duel of Desire
Duel of Desire
First published 1979 · 320 pages
A high-angst, sun-drenched battle of wills where professional boundaries melt under the heat of long-denied desire.
What it feels like
Reading this vintage romance is like stepping into a time capsule of high-stakes emotional melodrama and crackling push-and-pull tension. The narrative moves at a brisk, breathless pace, driven by the heroine's frantic internal monologue as she tries to maintain her icy professional facade against a ruthlessly charming boss. Set against the sun-drenched, sensory backdrop of Provence, the atmosphere is thick with unsaid desires and defensive pride. The prose is classic late-seventies category romance, intense, slightly theatrical, and deeply focused on the agonizing gap between what the characters feel and what they are willing to admit. It is a perfect, indulgent escape for readers who love the fierce, angsty battles of will found in old-school Harlequin Presents, where passion always ultimately conquers pride.
- Mood
- sun-drenched
- tense
- romantic
- emotionally charged
- Tone
- melodramatic
- intense
- angsty
- passionate
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- unrequited longing · workplace power dynamics · fear of vulnerability · safety versus passion
- The writing
- Classic vintage romance prose that is breathless, emotionally heightened, and heavily reliant on intense internal monologues and sharp dialogue.
- The arc
- Moves from tightly coiled professional restraint to an explosive, sun-drenched surrender to long-denied passion.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave the high-angst, push-and-pull dynamics of vintage category romance with a brooding alpha hero and a fiercely defensive heroine.
Content notes
- vintage gender dynamics
- workplace power imbalance
- emotional manipulation
About the book
For four years Deborah had been personal assistant to Alex St. James, and most of that time she had been fighting her feelings for him. He was undeniably sensationally attractive, but she could not come to terms with his ruthless playboy attitude to women; still less could she contemplate becoming just another scalp on his belt. Which was why she was not happily planning a nice conventional marriage to nice steady Robin. But a business trip to Provence with Alex brought her feelings to a head; at last she admitted that she loved him – and Alex asked her to marry him. But how could she, knowing that love played no part in his scheme of things?
Description from Open Library.
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