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The inward storm
Their marriage had gone up in flamesJake Harvey was every woman's secret type. During their brief and volatile union, Kate had been wildly jealous, dangerously insecure, and he'd never reassured her with words of love--only of desire.Kate went up like dry tinder every time Jake touched her, and she resented that power over her almost as much as she abhorred his career. Finally he threw her out, saying, "Come back when you've grown up. "But Jake had come to her instead. And Kate's fuse was as short as ever when it came to him, his work and the latest woman clinging to his arm.
188 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
About the author
Penny Jordan
1,119 books627 followersPenelope Jones Halsall
aka Caroline Courtney, Annie Groves, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".
She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialized bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her younger sister Prue, who was always the heroine. At eleven, she fell in love with Mills & Boon, and with their heroes. In those days the books could only be obtained via private lending libraries, and she quickly became a devoted fan; she was thrilled to bits when the books went on full sale in shops and she could have them for keeps.
Penny left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography. She first discovered Mills & Boon books, via a girl she worked with. She married Steve Halsall, an accountant and a "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, and suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity. Her husband bought her the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first novels, at a time when he could ill afford it. He died at the beginning of 21st century.
She earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, Penny found an agent who was looking for a new Georgette Heyer. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her nom de plume to Melinda Wright for three air-hostess romps and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her more historical romance novels, she adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70 of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
Penny Halsall lived in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, with her Alsatian Sheba and cat Posh. She worked from home, in her kitchen, surrounded by her pets, and welcomed interruptions from her friends and family.
aka Caroline Courtney, Annie Groves, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".
She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialized bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her younger sister Prue, who was always the heroine. At eleven, she fell in love with Mills & Boon, and with their heroes. In those days the books could only be obtained via private lending libraries, and she quickly became a devoted fan; she was thrilled to bits when the books went on full sale in shops and she could have them for keeps.
Penny left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography. She first discovered Mills & Boon books, via a girl she worked with. She married Steve Halsall, an accountant and a "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, and suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity. Her husband bought her the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first novels, at a time when he could ill afford it. He died at the beginning of 21st century.
She earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, Penny found an agent who was looking for a new Georgette Heyer. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her nom de plume to Melinda Wright for three air-hostess romps and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her more historical romance novels, she adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70 of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
Penny Halsall lived in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, with her Alsatian Sheba and cat Posh. She worked from home, in her kitchen, surrounded by her pets, and welcomed interruptions from her friends and family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
January 10, 2019
Note to self - this is the nuclear one. As in the hero's occupation as a nuclear scientist (first for armaments and then for the nuclear power plant) is the bone of contention between him and his sweater designer heroine wife.
Heroine was young when they married. They had a great sex life, but neither one ever said I love you. Heroine is convinced hero regrets their marriage because she goes to the dinner parties of his work colleagues and argues about the morality of such destructive technology. LOL - such a fun guest.
Heroine refuses to bring children into such a precarious world and they eventually break up with the heroine settling into a Yorkshire village in the shadow of *gasp* a nuclear power plant.
PJ really hammers home her theme of construction (energy, a good marriage) vs destruction (weapons, bickering and lack of trust in marriage) and it gets a little tedious. Heroine rides that hobbyhorse way too long - even after the hero has given the wanna be OW several set downs and has hinted at a reconciliation.
The black moment with the hero beating up a would-be rapist forces the heroine to the conclusion that some weapons are necessary in an evil world. LOL - okay.
There is another side plot about safety standards at the plant and salacious newspaper articles, but it's all a minor distraction.
H/h were both celibate during their separation. Heroine had a wannabe OM. Hero was drooled over by all the women.
Heroine was young when they married. They had a great sex life, but neither one ever said I love you. Heroine is convinced hero regrets their marriage because she goes to the dinner parties of his work colleagues and argues about the morality of such destructive technology. LOL - such a fun guest.
Heroine refuses to bring children into such a precarious world and they eventually break up with the heroine settling into a Yorkshire village in the shadow of *gasp* a nuclear power plant.
PJ really hammers home her theme of construction (energy, a good marriage) vs destruction (weapons, bickering and lack of trust in marriage) and it gets a little tedious. Heroine rides that hobbyhorse way too long - even after the hero has given the wanna be OW several set downs and has hinted at a reconciliation.
The black moment with the hero beating up a would-be rapist forces the heroine to the conclusion that some weapons are necessary in an evil world. LOL - okay.
There is another side plot about safety standards at the plant and salacious newspaper articles, but it's all a minor distraction.
H/h were both celibate during their separation. Heroine had a wannabe OM. Hero was drooled over by all the women.
August 16, 2017
Penny Jordan's Inward Storm is like an eighties time capsule. The heroine dons a modern, elegant evening gown made by that fresh, new, New York designer Calvin Klein and drenches herself in that new tantalizing perfume, Opium, that she got as a Christmas present. Her flat is bathed in shades of apricot and she makes her living at selling handmade jumpers created by the village knitting circle :)
Oh and the Big Issue that lies between her and her estranged husband is that of nuclear disarmament.
I think PJ really tried to deal with the topic in a serious manner but I didn't buy it, especially when her heroine eventually came round to the point of view that nukes are necessary only after she almost got raped and finally understood the necessity of brute force to deal with bullies! LoL
I guess it's like the old joke that a conservative is a former liberal who came round after becoming a crime victim herself, while a liberal is a former conservative who came round after he was unjustly arrested and prosecuted for a crime he didn't commit.
I just didn't like the characters or the repetitive arguments and antagonism followed by punishing kisses. The story left me bored. I am not a big fan of PJ in general so please take my opinion with a grain of salt.
Oh and the Big Issue that lies between her and her estranged husband is that of nuclear disarmament.
I think PJ really tried to deal with the topic in a serious manner but I didn't buy it, especially when her heroine eventually came round to the point of view that nukes are necessary only after she almost got raped and finally understood the necessity of brute force to deal with bullies! LoL
I guess it's like the old joke that a conservative is a former liberal who came round after becoming a crime victim herself, while a liberal is a former conservative who came round after he was unjustly arrested and prosecuted for a crime he didn't commit.
I just didn't like the characters or the repetitive arguments and antagonism followed by punishing kisses. The story left me bored. I am not a big fan of PJ in general so please take my opinion with a grain of salt.
January 10, 2019
3.5 stars
Better than expected! I wasn't sure if I would like Kate all that much. Based on the synopsis she's described as insecure and jealous, but it soon became apparent how much Kate had matured during her separation and how much she still loved Jake in spite of their marriage having been an emotional battleground.
I thought the author did a good job in providing evidence which both supported and refuted Jake's love for Kate. He definitely lusted after her, but his motivations weren't completely clear as he did act hot and cold: at times not being able to keep his hands off of her, yet also apparently dating the other woman at the same time. Jake's reasons for never seeking a divorce and moving to Kate's town might have been obvious, but both aren't confirmed until near the end. And unlike modern HPs, the reader isn't given access to Jake's point of view so Kate's POV is the only one we can turn to for clues.
Pride and misunderstandings kept them apart, but the power of their love brought back them together again. I felt the book closed on a satisfying note overall. However, I would have liked more soul-wrenching angst, and I wouldn't have minded if these events had been included in an epilogue.
Better than expected! I wasn't sure if I would like Kate all that much. Based on the synopsis she's described as insecure and jealous, but it soon became apparent how much Kate had matured during her separation and how much she still loved Jake in spite of their marriage having been an emotional battleground.
I thought the author did a good job in providing evidence which both supported and refuted Jake's love for Kate. He definitely lusted after her, but his motivations weren't completely clear as he did act hot and cold: at times not being able to keep his hands off of her, yet also apparently dating the other woman at the same time. Jake's reasons for never seeking a divorce and moving to Kate's town might have been obvious, but both aren't confirmed until near the end. And unlike modern HPs, the reader isn't given access to Jake's point of view so Kate's POV is the only one we can turn to for clues.
Pride and misunderstandings kept them apart, but the power of their love brought back them together again. I felt the book closed on a satisfying note overall. However, I would have liked more soul-wrenching angst, and I wouldn't have minded if these events had been included in an epilogue.
July 25, 2015
Lovely reunion story. I liked how heroine realized that she was sabotaging her own marriage thanks to her immaturity. She really changed and matured throughout the novel.
March 21, 2017
Okay, so I like it. I'm not ashamed.
Kate was the classic, passionate, immature heroine who married an older hero and struggles with just about everything. Kate wanted to be a feisty heroine and to achieve this she felt the necessity of doing something important and independent, resisting the domination of her alpha male husband and not settling down to be a wife and mother. She was aided in this by marrying a scientist who worked on a defence project including nuclear missiles. Naturally she decided that her protest against his domination included becoming a well known anti nuclear activist, refusing to attend work parties and not bringing children into a nuclear holocaust. Jake eventually got tired of the angst and her being jealous of the women at the parties Kate refused to go to and turfed her out. He did tell her to come back when she was grown up which in code means "To prove I love you, I set you free so you can come back to me."
Kate of course takes it to mean he never loved her and goes off to make a life for herself. She does grow up but Jake is now in the US doing military defence stuff and being incredibly important and she has something so much more important to cling to. Yes, gentle reader, she has her PRIDE. It keeps her warm in her cold and lonely bed at night (not really but we are great at self delusion).
Finally we get to the start of the book. Kate is a much loved member of a small community that incidentally has a nuclear power plant. What's the chance of that in Romancelandia? There is a new director taking over and the local anti nuclear committee is hopping. Kate, naturally, is secretary and her new beau is also on the committee. Can we guess who the new director is?
Surprise, surprise. The former military nuclear missile making genius is now working in the power side of the industry. Why would he do this? we wonder, considering he was heading straight to the top of the Pentagon over in the US and bringing home the big bucks. You can percolate on that while we admire Kate's reaction.
Well we don't really need to ponder on that. She is of course horrified to find her own nuclear free zone is now the home of her nuclear fissionable hot ex. Not ex actually. Cos they were never divorced. Not that it stops him hanging with the local trollop...er...I mean stunningly attractive Other Woman.
You can tell I enjoyed this read, can't you. I don't mind these young heroines because they are YOUNG and immature and I like watching them grow up. Kate grows up quite a lot during her separation from Jake but we also see her learning to look at things more objectively rather than swamping them with emotion. Ending was satisfying.
Kate was the classic, passionate, immature heroine who married an older hero and struggles with just about everything. Kate wanted to be a feisty heroine and to achieve this she felt the necessity of doing something important and independent, resisting the domination of her alpha male husband and not settling down to be a wife and mother. She was aided in this by marrying a scientist who worked on a defence project including nuclear missiles. Naturally she decided that her protest against his domination included becoming a well known anti nuclear activist, refusing to attend work parties and not bringing children into a nuclear holocaust. Jake eventually got tired of the angst and her being jealous of the women at the parties Kate refused to go to and turfed her out. He did tell her to come back when she was grown up which in code means "To prove I love you, I set you free so you can come back to me."
Kate of course takes it to mean he never loved her and goes off to make a life for herself. She does grow up but Jake is now in the US doing military defence stuff and being incredibly important and she has something so much more important to cling to. Yes, gentle reader, she has her PRIDE. It keeps her warm in her cold and lonely bed at night (not really but we are great at self delusion).
Finally we get to the start of the book. Kate is a much loved member of a small community that incidentally has a nuclear power plant. What's the chance of that in Romancelandia? There is a new director taking over and the local anti nuclear committee is hopping. Kate, naturally, is secretary and her new beau is also on the committee. Can we guess who the new director is?
Surprise, surprise. The former military nuclear missile making genius is now working in the power side of the industry. Why would he do this? we wonder, considering he was heading straight to the top of the Pentagon over in the US and bringing home the big bucks. You can percolate on that while we admire Kate's reaction.
Well we don't really need to ponder on that. She is of course horrified to find her own nuclear free zone is now the home of her nuclear fissionable hot ex. Not ex actually. Cos they were never divorced. Not that it stops him hanging with the local trollop...er...I mean stunningly attractive Other Woman.
You can tell I enjoyed this read, can't you. I don't mind these young heroines because they are YOUNG and immature and I like watching them grow up. Kate grows up quite a lot during her separation from Jake but we also see her learning to look at things more objectively rather than swamping them with emotion. Ending was satisfying.
October 1, 2021
Ecologist teenager marries much older war lord… what??? Really??? Are you serious??
A recipe for disaster, of course.
She’s still a girl who wants to save the world and for whom everything is either black or white, an orphan who lives with a nymphomaniac relative and who only craves love and attention, he’s a businessman with less scruples than ambition, they only have sex in common.
Only 6 months later he, the older and more mature of the couple, leaves her.
Two years later she asks for divorce ( I wonder why wait so long) but he’s now the manager of the local nuclear plant, and he’s back for her.
- we have some ow/om drama
- much useless talk, useless because they don’t try to solve their problems but only taunt each other with their faults
- final really ridiculous where the heroine, who was pro disarmament, changes her mind when a 15 year old boy assaults her and tries to rape. Then she realizes that weapons are necessary.
You cannot be serious.
This is a shallow and trivial approach to a very serious matter that is juvenile criminality.
So as shallow and too simple is the dealing with weapons, nuclear and environment.
It’s a little better when she realizes that it was not her principle who mattered but it was him the issue.
“It wasn’t my job you rejected Kate, it was me.”
Both characters are very unpleasant, much more the heroine because she was closed up and refused to understand his POV.
It would be two stars but for the title.
For once I appreciated that is not something with “virgin” “pregnant” “billionaire” “mistress” in it.
A recipe for disaster, of course.
She’s still a girl who wants to save the world and for whom everything is either black or white, an orphan who lives with a nymphomaniac relative and who only craves love and attention, he’s a businessman with less scruples than ambition, they only have sex in common.
Only 6 months later he, the older and more mature of the couple, leaves her.
Two years later she asks for divorce ( I wonder why wait so long) but he’s now the manager of the local nuclear plant, and he’s back for her.
- we have some ow/om drama
- much useless talk, useless because they don’t try to solve their problems but only taunt each other with their faults
- final really ridiculous where the heroine, who was pro disarmament, changes her mind when a 15 year old boy assaults her and tries to rape. Then she realizes that weapons are necessary.
You cannot be serious.
This is a shallow and trivial approach to a very serious matter that is juvenile criminality.
So as shallow and too simple is the dealing with weapons, nuclear and environment.
It’s a little better when she realizes that it was not her principle who mattered but it was him the issue.
“It wasn’t my job you rejected Kate, it was me.”
Both characters are very unpleasant, much more the heroine because she was closed up and refused to understand his POV.
It would be two stars but for the title.
For once I appreciated that is not something with “virgin” “pregnant” “billionaire” “mistress” in it.
December 14, 2021
"The Inward Storm" is the story of Kate and Jake.
A second chance romance between a volatile couple. Two years ago, the Jake and Kate had joined in a passionate marriage, that was destroyed by their opposing views and fragile love. She runs away, making a name and career for herself. They meet again, trying to ignore the threads of the past and pretending to be strangers. But jealousy, an insane OW, gossiping town and their inability to keep their hands away from each other leads of loads of angst, lovemaking, drama and HEA.
I enjoyed parts of it.
Safe
3/5
A second chance romance between a volatile couple. Two years ago, the Jake and Kate had joined in a passionate marriage, that was destroyed by their opposing views and fragile love. She runs away, making a name and career for herself. They meet again, trying to ignore the threads of the past and pretending to be strangers. But jealousy, an insane OW, gossiping town and their inability to keep their hands away from each other leads of loads of angst, lovemaking, drama and HEA.
I enjoyed parts of it.
Safe
3/5
June 18, 2012
Fairly typical older Penny Jordan reunion story, and I have a soft spot for these. Wasn't as gut-wrenching as some of her others -- basically I wish there had been more subtle evidence of the hero's feelings -- but still a decent read.
July 17, 2015
I wasnt sure if I wanted to continue reading the book because the heroine had such dark, negative and dour thoughts on the hero. The heroines inner thoughts made him out to be such a bastard. I had to remind myself duh, they're separated /broken up so of course there would be such harsh feelings. The story was entertaining /kept me reading to the end but there was just something about the whole book that I didn't like /felt lacking . I wasnt really too interested in the problem /disagreement they had about nuclear weapons/plants (yeah I know it's a serious topic lol but I'm here for some light heated romance and not a serious debate :P) I thought it was really sweet though that both parties remained true to each other during their separation. I felt a little bad about the other man though. What a nice guy and I almost wished the heroine would end up with him because he was a stand up fellow. Actually I shouldn't put down the hero. I forgot that he actually loved the heroine so much that he came after her and sacrificed his own career etc just to be with her again. Ok I take it back lol. I guess I didn't really see that devotion from the hero on the beginning and even middle of the story. He did act a little bastardly. Actually the heroine wasn't a prize herself. She was a bit of a pain in the ass about her convictions. Ehhhh I guess I'm ehhhh on the both hence the 3 stars. I do wish there was an epilogue or the ending was longer where I can read the reactions of the townspeople when they find out hero and heroine were actually husband and wife.
May 10, 2012
The problem with the reunion trope is that it can be used as a poor excuse to have the hero and heroine go back and forth, hot and cold, for half the novel, and come to no discerning reconciliation or understanding. Tiresome.
August 16, 2019
Apart from the justification of nuclear power, it was just what I needed now!
R. I. P. The queen of angst.
R. I. P. The queen of angst.
April 27, 2016
Young woman marries much older man. They fight. Breakup. He finds her two years later. She blames herself for every single thing that went wrong. She begs him to take her back. He does. The end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2019
OMG!!!
What was Penny Jordan thinking trying to dump a nuclear power plant in my beloved home of Yorkshire?
LIES LIES LIES! Don't get me wrong we have 2 dirty great big power stations about 20miles away - Drax and Ferrybridge they were both coal fired but one burns bio-fuel and the other is in the process of being converted to a multi fuel centre with a carbon capture experiment running.
Don't be trying to dump that nuclear shiz on my doorstep PJ!
Don't get me wrong we unfortunately have it here but the nearest ones are Sellafield located in the beautiful Lake District. As of this year it is in the stage of being decommissioned!
The subject of nuclear power is always going to be contentious I reckon. I was at school in the 80's when Chernobyl exploded and we were kept in the classrooms at playtimes for a few weeks because of the fallout in the cloud that passed over us and the threat of acid rain. I also used to work with a charity that brought Eastern European children to the UK for holidays to give them respite from the toxins that affected their homes and gave them life altering/shortening terrible diseases.
That's why i'm loathe to review this book because I do have strong views on the subject and it makes my opinions extremely prejudiced.
The subject matter also dates the book as this is something (most) of the world powers are moving away from in favour of more environmentally friendly options.
I kind of felt sorry for the H he works in a crappy industry that generated a lot of hate but he seemed to be in it for the greater good and it was a dirty job and someone needed to do it. Might as well be someone principled with best interests at heart.
The h was rather immature and shrewish and he really didn't deserve to be stuck with her. Its not like he hid dis job from her and she chose to date and marry him knowing what industry he ws trained in.
This was old skool PJ angst!
What was Penny Jordan thinking trying to dump a nuclear power plant in my beloved home of Yorkshire?
LIES LIES LIES! Don't get me wrong we have 2 dirty great big power stations about 20miles away - Drax and Ferrybridge they were both coal fired but one burns bio-fuel and the other is in the process of being converted to a multi fuel centre with a carbon capture experiment running.
Don't be trying to dump that nuclear shiz on my doorstep PJ!
Don't get me wrong we unfortunately have it here but the nearest ones are Sellafield located in the beautiful Lake District. As of this year it is in the stage of being decommissioned!
The subject of nuclear power is always going to be contentious I reckon. I was at school in the 80's when Chernobyl exploded and we were kept in the classrooms at playtimes for a few weeks because of the fallout in the cloud that passed over us and the threat of acid rain. I also used to work with a charity that brought Eastern European children to the UK for holidays to give them respite from the toxins that affected their homes and gave them life altering/shortening terrible diseases.
That's why i'm loathe to review this book because I do have strong views on the subject and it makes my opinions extremely prejudiced.
The subject matter also dates the book as this is something (most) of the world powers are moving away from in favour of more environmentally friendly options.
I kind of felt sorry for the H he works in a crappy industry that generated a lot of hate but he seemed to be in it for the greater good and it was a dirty job and someone needed to do it. Might as well be someone principled with best interests at heart.
The h was rather immature and shrewish and he really didn't deserve to be stuck with her. Its not like he hid dis job from her and she chose to date and marry him knowing what industry he ws trained in.
This was old skool PJ angst!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 29, 2021
I like that he is still so in love with her and that he doesn’t hide his feelings for her. Lots of chemistry between them.
May 2, 2020
Very dated, but i quite enjoyed this. Nasty OW should have had more comeuppance though.
August 27, 2019
It’s 1984 and this is an extremely prescient offering from Penny Jordan and such a fantastic example of her work. I loved, loved, LOVED this book and there was just so much going on within it, that any student of literature (particularly one wanting a book to apply a bit of psychoanalytical theory to) wouldn’t go far wrong by reading this book.
So, as mentioned, it’s 1984, and Kate (the owner of a knitting and jumper design shop in the aptly named Woolerton, Yorkshire Dales) is getting her knickers in a twist about a nuclear power station that she unfortunately seems to live next door to and which is undergoing an expansion programme. Kate, it transpires, in between knitting and designing luxury sweaters (mainly featuring mauve skyscapes with sheep on them – I know, sounds hideous, but apparently there’s a big market for them in Kate’s neck of the woods) is an avid anti-nuclear campaigner. This history seems to have stemmed from the time when she was married, in her early youth, to Jake, who designed nuclear missiles whilst she spent her days campaigning on Greenham Common. The inevitable difference of opinion emerged, and Kate and Jake split up.
However, there’s a new Director at the Nuclear Power Station – who could it be? Yes, it’s Jake, returned from his career designing nukes in America to take up the reins of power in Woolerton. Inevitably, before long, their paths cross, their passion is reignited and before you can say “peace through superior fire power” Kate has abandoned her anti-nuclear stance, admitted her inner feelings of love for her husband and they get back together for the inevitable happy ending. All’s wool that ends wool there (sorry, I couldn’t resist it).
It might sound like an unlikely setting and story for a traditional Mills & Boon romance, and certainly not anything special for a student of literature to get their teeth into. However, there’s so much going on in this novel, it’s untrue.
First of all, the way Kate acts from the very outset is very interesting. Whilst deluding herself that she can’t stand her husband and that all she wants is a divorce, it is completely apparent that she is acting in a way that clearly demonstrates her ongoing love for him. She manoeuvres herself into every situation to be near him and manages to manipulate him neatly every time. What becomes clear is that even though Jake is older than her, and Kate is much younger and more innocent in terms of worldly experience, this trait of manipulating him has been going on throughout their married life, right from the very beginning. The reader can clearly see that she is lying to herself about her own feelings and reasoning.
Kate’s experiences and her constant harping on about nuclear power/missiles (which are – and Kate doesn’t seem to understand this – very different things) are all based on her need to control Jake and force him into changing his job/paying her more attention/falling in line with her way of thinking. Indeed, unlike in traditional Mills & Boons where the hero usually has to change his ways to deserve the heroine, this is an opposite view and it is Kate who has to grow up and realise that the way she has been behaving is unacceptable in a relationship and that she will have to mature and be less needy and controlling in order to deserve Jake. It’s a fantastic twist in the usually rigid formula and just another example of how Jordan was so good at what she did and manages to keep things fresh every time.
Secondly, this novel really is uncannily prescient – amazingly so. It predicts what happened at Chernobyl (two years before it happened). Concerns about nuclear safety must have been in the minds of Jordan’s reading public (or possibly featured in a magazine she came across, which was her usual research methodology) for her to write such a strangely predictive tale. Fortunately in the case of Woolerton, there is no leak at the reactor and Kate and Jake are left free to resume their life together: “If I live to be a hundred and we’re apart, it would simply be a dreary wasteland of time with no meaning;...” (yes, Jordan really labours the nuclear imagery throughout).
Even if you aren’t a student of literature or at all interested in popular culture or psychoanalysing unlikely romantic novels, this is still a great offering from Jordan, simply because it’s hilarious. The community consists of knitting women who live on cottage pie (or shepherd’s pie – during the first chapter, Kate is making one but then it changes into the other, probably due to an editorial error) and has a local newspaper that runs headlines like “Owner of Knitting Shop in affair with Director of Power Station”. Literally nothing is happening in Woolerton. Jordan captures that small village mentality, where everybody is into everybody else’s business perfectly. Living in Cheshire (as I know, having grown up there), she will have known the claustrophobia of that atmosphere well. It’s an insanely unlikely story – but it’s strangely brilliant at the same time.
So, as mentioned, it’s 1984, and Kate (the owner of a knitting and jumper design shop in the aptly named Woolerton, Yorkshire Dales) is getting her knickers in a twist about a nuclear power station that she unfortunately seems to live next door to and which is undergoing an expansion programme. Kate, it transpires, in between knitting and designing luxury sweaters (mainly featuring mauve skyscapes with sheep on them – I know, sounds hideous, but apparently there’s a big market for them in Kate’s neck of the woods) is an avid anti-nuclear campaigner. This history seems to have stemmed from the time when she was married, in her early youth, to Jake, who designed nuclear missiles whilst she spent her days campaigning on Greenham Common. The inevitable difference of opinion emerged, and Kate and Jake split up.
However, there’s a new Director at the Nuclear Power Station – who could it be? Yes, it’s Jake, returned from his career designing nukes in America to take up the reins of power in Woolerton. Inevitably, before long, their paths cross, their passion is reignited and before you can say “peace through superior fire power” Kate has abandoned her anti-nuclear stance, admitted her inner feelings of love for her husband and they get back together for the inevitable happy ending. All’s wool that ends wool there (sorry, I couldn’t resist it).
It might sound like an unlikely setting and story for a traditional Mills & Boon romance, and certainly not anything special for a student of literature to get their teeth into. However, there’s so much going on in this novel, it’s untrue.
First of all, the way Kate acts from the very outset is very interesting. Whilst deluding herself that she can’t stand her husband and that all she wants is a divorce, it is completely apparent that she is acting in a way that clearly demonstrates her ongoing love for him. She manoeuvres herself into every situation to be near him and manages to manipulate him neatly every time. What becomes clear is that even though Jake is older than her, and Kate is much younger and more innocent in terms of worldly experience, this trait of manipulating him has been going on throughout their married life, right from the very beginning. The reader can clearly see that she is lying to herself about her own feelings and reasoning.
Kate’s experiences and her constant harping on about nuclear power/missiles (which are – and Kate doesn’t seem to understand this – very different things) are all based on her need to control Jake and force him into changing his job/paying her more attention/falling in line with her way of thinking. Indeed, unlike in traditional Mills & Boons where the hero usually has to change his ways to deserve the heroine, this is an opposite view and it is Kate who has to grow up and realise that the way she has been behaving is unacceptable in a relationship and that she will have to mature and be less needy and controlling in order to deserve Jake. It’s a fantastic twist in the usually rigid formula and just another example of how Jordan was so good at what she did and manages to keep things fresh every time.
Secondly, this novel really is uncannily prescient – amazingly so. It predicts what happened at Chernobyl (two years before it happened). Concerns about nuclear safety must have been in the minds of Jordan’s reading public (or possibly featured in a magazine she came across, which was her usual research methodology) for her to write such a strangely predictive tale. Fortunately in the case of Woolerton, there is no leak at the reactor and Kate and Jake are left free to resume their life together: “If I live to be a hundred and we’re apart, it would simply be a dreary wasteland of time with no meaning;...” (yes, Jordan really labours the nuclear imagery throughout).
Even if you aren’t a student of literature or at all interested in popular culture or psychoanalysing unlikely romantic novels, this is still a great offering from Jordan, simply because it’s hilarious. The community consists of knitting women who live on cottage pie (or shepherd’s pie – during the first chapter, Kate is making one but then it changes into the other, probably due to an editorial error) and has a local newspaper that runs headlines like “Owner of Knitting Shop in affair with Director of Power Station”. Literally nothing is happening in Woolerton. Jordan captures that small village mentality, where everybody is into everybody else’s business perfectly. Living in Cheshire (as I know, having grown up there), she will have known the claustrophobia of that atmosphere well. It’s an insanely unlikely story – but it’s strangely brilliant at the same time.
June 19, 2019
I miss authors like PJ. The emotional rollercoaster rides were certainly something to be reminiscent about. Jake and Kate got married after having whirlwind courtship. Kate was extremely immature and resented his job and instead she took a stand against all those representing the job field he worked in. She cried world peace but it was quite an deluded and unachievable goal and stand to take. With much of her resentment bowling over their marriage and instead of leaving his job, Jake told kate to literally ' grow up'. After two years, Kate didn't mature until she had near rape incident to help her empathise with the needs of nuclear weapons. However with an OW-wanna be and their marriage a secret the stakes against Kate was high and by the time she recognised how immature and unreasonable she almost lost him. Intense read. Many have it a low rating because it seemed ludicrous to fight over something so trivial but in modern times people divorce over more stupid things than this. I like the censorship in the 90s. It isn't always about between the sheets but the healing, maturity,love and trust.
June 19, 2023
So I thought I have read some bad PJ’s but this one definitely takes the cake. It was so tedious! The whole nuclear bomb stuff & the two dullest MCs ever (who surely do not have any love/chemistry at all whatsoever) was awful for the plot! Gosh, the hero was boring as hell & the heroine was as immature/stubborn as she was years ago. I don’t think the lost years polished her at all, as one would like us to believe. Too many times the heroine chimed the OW’s name in jealousy. Like seriously? the other lady is barely in existence nor in the picture, why don’t ya just shut up about her already?! Too many times they got extremely intimate for no reason, for nothing to happen. His sense doesn’t even make sense. I know he was playing hard to get but can a a hero be less inconsistent with his words & actions. So, at this repetition, we ended up getting a story going nowhere, doing nothing for ya.
March 21, 2018
I’m not sure what happened here. I love Penny Jordan and Jake and Kate’s story could have been interesting except I was bored the entire time. I forced myself to finish it. Too many side characters I didn’t care about and by the end I truly didn’t care about their hea. Blah blah blah...
July 23, 2018
It depicted the challenges of marriage--how two people can have opposing views and how there are people are still not prepared to enter marriage. It also showed how it takes a great will to make a relationship work. But, the story's mostly the same with other pocketbooks hence the two stars.
April 10, 2021
Set in 1980s the book is about H who was the Director of a Nuclear Plant and h who was married and estranged from him. A few weird dynamics and a plot twists that were nothing more than simple miscommunications.
October 26, 2023
Non mi ha entusiasmato molto, lei una bambina capricciosa e lui che la insegue, però crede subito a delle voci infondate su di lei, hanno sprecato molto tempo a tenersi lontani senza motivo, molte cose poi restano senza risposta come se la scrittrice volesse finire subito il libro
January 25, 2018
Not a good story. The H's treatment and taunting of the h was a major turn off. I wish he would have chased her more. The h melting every time the H touched her was pretty stupid.
February 5, 2023
cw: misogyny, discussions of war and military stuff, attempted sexual assault
Not very politically correct, but it gives a lens as to the political climate of the year this book was published. There’s a lot of talk about nuclear weapons and what would be better for everyone. The hero and heroine fall on the two different sides of the spectrum and that’s the crux of the book. The heroine, like usual, has to be the one to have a change of heart. Glad we don’t *usually* see that in romance books anymore.
Not very politically correct, but it gives a lens as to the political climate of the year this book was published. There’s a lot of talk about nuclear weapons and what would be better for everyone. The hero and heroine fall on the two different sides of the spectrum and that’s the crux of the book. The heroine, like usual, has to be the one to have a change of heart. Glad we don’t *usually* see that in romance books anymore.
April 16, 2024
This was a pretty good story, if a pit too much on the political side, with all the debating about nuclear power, disarmament, missiles, etc. But that was the basis for the troubles between the H and h. Kate was 20 and inexperienced (despite being raised by her wealthy, free-spirited guardian, Lyla, who made a career out of marrying and divorcing) when she met sophisticated Jake and was swept off her feet. Claiming he wanted to rescue her from Lyla's influence (there was a connection between Jake and Lyla both would rather forget), Jake and Kate got married, but her insecurities, combined with her dislike of his job involving nuclear missiles, caused trouble early on. Soon, she becomes an anti-nuclear activist, which causes him problems at work, as well in their relationship, as she refuses to back down or consider the other side, and he refuses to consider another line of work. He's also angry at her refusal to have children, and she resents his thinking he can control her through her passionate response to his lovemaking.
In a switch from the usual, it's Jake who walks out, telling her to let him know when she decides to grow up.
Two years later, she's moved to Yorkshire, started a successful business designing jumpers (with the help of local women, one of whom becomes her partner), and continues her anti-nuclear activism, which includes protesting the local power station. Guess who's now in charge of it?
The story has a lot more to it than just the relationship between Kate and Jake. While some of the usual stuff is there, like the OM (nice guy doctor Kevin, who puts Kate's happiness first), the OW (spoiled socialite Rita, with a vindictive nature), jealousy, misunderstandings, and repressed desire ready to burst into flames, there's also the whole nuclear power issue, and how activism has to be tempered with realism. There's a glimpse into how destructive the "power of the press" can be, and a rather chilling side story of elder abuse and extortion, as well as violence and attempted rape, and how ridiculous the laws can sometimes be.
The book also shows Kate's emotional growth, as she comes to understand that her active stance had motivations she hadn't considered before, and that it takes two to make a marriage, and two to break it apart.
Worth reading!
In a switch from the usual, it's Jake who walks out, telling her to let him know when she decides to grow up.
Two years later, she's moved to Yorkshire, started a successful business designing jumpers (with the help of local women, one of whom becomes her partner), and continues her anti-nuclear activism, which includes protesting the local power station. Guess who's now in charge of it?
The story has a lot more to it than just the relationship between Kate and Jake. While some of the usual stuff is there, like the OM (nice guy doctor Kevin, who puts Kate's happiness first), the OW (spoiled socialite Rita, with a vindictive nature), jealousy, misunderstandings, and repressed desire ready to burst into flames, there's also the whole nuclear power issue, and how activism has to be tempered with realism. There's a glimpse into how destructive the "power of the press" can be, and a rather chilling side story of elder abuse and extortion, as well as violence and attempted rape, and how ridiculous the laws can sometimes be.
The book also shows Kate's emotional growth, as she comes to understand that her active stance had motivations she hadn't considered before, and that it takes two to make a marriage, and two to break it apart.
Worth reading!
June 8, 2021
It had been partly her own naivety, and partly her dislike of his cut-throat job, that had broken up Kate's marriage to gorgeous yet ruthless tycoon Jake Harvey two years ago. But ever since their whirlwind wedding ended in heartache and separation, Kate had grown up and moved on.
Or so she thinks, until Jake sweeps into her life again, and the heat between them instantly reignites! Jake knows exactly what he wants—his wife, back in his bed!—and Kate is certain of the passion they will find in each other's arms again. But once she's back in her husband's bed, will she ever want to leave?
Or so she thinks, until Jake sweeps into her life again, and the heat between them instantly reignites! Jake knows exactly what he wants—his wife, back in his bed!—and Kate is certain of the passion they will find in each other's arms again. But once she's back in her husband's bed, will she ever want to leave?
September 22, 2012
Not one of my Favorite books but enjoy all the same
November 8, 2012
Good read--- my second book for November.
A reunion between strange wife and husband.
A reunion between strange wife and husband.
December 28, 2012
Una delle miei peggiori letture.
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