Books › Meant To Marry
Meant To Marry
First published 1996 · 288 pages
A tempestuous battle of wills where buried secrets and undeniable attraction collide in a lush, atmospheric setting.
What it feels like
Reading this vintage romance feels like stepping into a delightfully stormy, emotionally charged time capsule of the 1990s. The atmosphere is thick with simmering tension and unspoken desires, set against a lush, vividly drawn New Zealand backdrop that mirrors the turbulent internal lives of the characters. It moves at a brisk clip, driven entirely by the push-and-pull of two fiercely guarded people who cannot stay away from each other despite their deep-seated distrust. The prose is unapologetically melodramatic, leaning into intense stares, dramatic misunderstandings, and heightened emotional stakes. It is a perfect, indulgent escape for readers who love the classic category romance formula, where pride and buried secrets must be painstakingly dismantled before love can finally take root.
- Mood
- emotionally charged
- tense
- atmospheric
- soapy
- Tone
- intense
- melodramatic
- earnest
- passionate
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- buried secrets · irresistible attraction · overcoming distrust · vulnerability and pride
- The writing
- Emotionally heightened and descriptive, leaning into the dramatic internal monologues characteristic of vintage category romance.
- The arc
- Moves from guarded suspicion and simmering tension to a dramatic, hard-won surrender of trust.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave the intense, high-stakes emotional melodrama and brooding heroes of classic 90s Harlequin Presents.
Content notes
- family scandal
- emotional manipulation
- mild gaslighting
About the book
Meant to marry -- divided by scandal. Anet Carruthers had always kept her past firmly where it belonged, until she met Lucas Tremaine! Lucas Tremaine, a writer of considerable prowess, was in pursuit of Anet's past--for therein lay an unresolved scandal! He encountered a woman of Amazonian proportions to match his own, a woman he'd forgo anything to have. Anet wanted Lucas but believed she was being seduced for her story. He wanted her but couldn't get close. Even when two people are quite clearly meant for each other, distrust is a great divider. It will take more than magic to unite this pair!
THE MARRIAGE MAKER -- Can a picture from the past bring love to the present?
Description from Open Library.
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