Books › The One That Got Away
The One That Got Away
First published 1987 · 187 pages
A sun-drenched, high-stakes battle of wills on the open ocean where professional pride clashes with undeniable attraction.
What it feels like
Reading this vintage romance feels like stepping onto a sun-baked deck surrounded by the sparkling waters of the Great Barrier Reef. The atmosphere is thick with the salty breeze and the immediate, crackling tension of forced proximity. It moves at a brisk, engaging clip, driven by the classic push-and-pull of a highly competent heroine trying to maintain her professional boundaries against a charismatic, overwhelming presence. The emotional texture is deeply rooted in 1980s romance sensibilities, offering an earnest, slightly melodramatic focus on the internal battle between self-preservation and yielding to desire. It will delight readers who crave old-school category romances where the stakes are personal, the setting is vivid and isolated, and the journey to trust is as turbulent as the open sea.
- Mood
- sun-drenched
- breezy
- romantic
- tense
- Tone
- earnest
- dramatic
- passionate
- defensive
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- workplace competence · vulnerability and trust · the thrill of the chase · overcoming prejudice
- The writing
- Direct, emotionally heightened, and characteristic of 1980s category romance, with a focus on internal anxieties and physical tension.
- The arc
- Moves from defensive professional pride and mutual suspicion to a passionate, albeit turbulent, surrender to trust.
- Who it's for
- Fans of vintage category romance who love forced proximity on the open water and the classic dynamic of a capable heroine taming a wealthy playboy.
Content notes
- dated gender dynamics
- parental illness
About the book
For Jillan love was not a game
Her father's illness forced Jillian Howard to skipper his fishing charter for Taylor Marshall, a popular American sportsman. To overcome Taylor's doubts about the charter, Jillian used her feminine charms. But his response took her far out of her depth.
Jillian proved her expertise by maneuvering the Dreamcatcher around the Great Barrier Reef as Taylor angled for giant marlin. If only she could handle Taylor as easily!
Jillian was just beginning to trust him, when doubts resurfaced. To Taylor, was she just another trophy?
Description from Open Library.
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