No Love in Return-Chapter Two: Jackson Sinclair is Dastardly Infuriating

Eve wakes up early to go for her morning jog. You see, it's not all glamorous living and parties when you're a model-you actually have to work to keep yourself looking good. Who knew? While she's out jogging, Eve literally runs into Jack. By the way, on her jog we get hints that she's an architecture nut. I mention this because I assume later Jack will buy her an old house or something and it will be the most romantic thing ever. Or something.

Both Jack and Eve are surprised at each other for being awake so early. He implies that she's got lots of indiscretions and she denies it. Blah blah blah, they're totes falling for each other, although Jack does not believe in a thing called love. Then the conversation turns to how Eve is only there to plead for Jack and Lucie as a couple. Jack tells Eve to meet in his office at ten to discuss it.

Breakfast is boring because Jack isn't there. Lucie talks about how she sees Jack, and Eve disagrees, although not out loud. After the meal, Eve gets herself dolled up, although Jack saw her all sweaty and in running clothes this morning so maybe it doesn't matter.

Eve walks down the hall to Jack's study/office and they open the conversation with more architecture. I'm not sure I follow the conversational logic, but they get onto the subject of Jack not having kids and then to Lucie inheriting everything if she and Ted make babies. Bam! Jack changes and gets all pissy about not trusting anyone with his money. Eve is surprised that Lucie is right about Jack when he's in this mood. There was a girl who left him practically at the altar when Lucie was young. I'm assuming she left because she only wanted Jack's money and he fell in love with her. Or something.

They argue about money. Eve says that she and Ted totes aren't concerned with money and Jack pulls out a folder that has a credit check on them and says that Eve and Ted should be concerned about it. Apparently, Eve has two outstanding loans. Maybe those are the student loans I was looking for. The conversation escalates and Eve accuses Jack of not understanding love. She finishes by saying that Ted and Lucie will get married with or without Jack's blessing, or a mention in his will, and that if he doesn't let them get married they will anyway and he'll be all alone.

Then Eve walks for an hour. She doesn't think, “That man is so infuriating!” but I know she means it. I mean, she was walking for an hour to calm down. Clearly, because he annoys her so much, they will fall deeply in love. No, really. That's how these things seem to work, even outside of romance novels.

So, Eve confers with Lucie and Ted after her walk and tells them she doesn't think she's succeeded. Lucie laughs and says that Jack takes in more than you think during an argument.

Later, Eve dresses for dinner (See? It's totally a fancy place!) and joins a happy mood when she walks into the room with the other three. Jack is being completely non-threatening about this whole thing and Eve is puzzled. Oh, by the way, at one point during the night, Eve mentally refers to Jack as, “the enigma seated to her left.” Hook, line and sinker.

Throughout the night, Jack looks at Eve with, “a wicked gleam in his eyes, and a smile of mocking amusement...” but he only looks at her this way. She's special and unique to him.

Eve wants to ask Jack about why he hasn't told the lovers (although they aren't technically lovers, so says Eve) that they can't get married, but he doesn't give her the chance to be alone with him all evening, the next morning, or into the afternoon. Why won't he talk to her alone? He's just so....dastardly....annoying.

No Love in Return-Chapter One: The Unwilling Model and the Attractive Businessman

The book opens with Eve looking at Jackson Sinclair. From what Jackson's sister, Lucie, had said, Eve had expected a middle aged, “bloodless businessman”. Although Lucie seems to love him, when Jackson Sinclair walks into the room, she grabbed Ted's hand. However, the man standing before her was in the prime of his life, and so very sexy. On the second page of the story, Eve is already describing his mouth as sensual. Even if I hadn't read the back of the book, I'd know she was totally into him. If only Eve had taken Tony's word for it, she would have been prepared.

Then we begin to get some explanation for all of these names. You see, Eve is just like you or me. Just because she happens to be beautiful enough to be able to make a living, and put her brother through college, by posing in front of cameras doesn't mean that she wants to be a model. Also, you can tell this book is old (published in 1989) because Eve is able to pay for all of her brother's college and there's no mention of student loans. Tony is the guy who takes the pictures of her and he takes an interest in Eve because she doesn't want to be a model. Her parents died after she'd gotten a two year degree at a Liberal Arts college. What's a poor girl with little education to do to make lots of money? She becomes a model. If she were a whore, this would be a different kind of book entirely. You see, it would be cruel not to put her brother, Ted, through college because he's so brilliant. He couldn't have taken loans or put himself through college.

Anyway, Tony tells Eve that Lucie is much more than “comfortably off”, she's stinking rich. Lucie's brother, Jackson, wants to forbid Ted from marrying Lucie because Jackson thinks Ted is only after Lucie's money. Oh yes, there's a time limitation because Ted's going to be an anthropologist and he's going to his fieldwork in less than a year and the two want to be married before that. Lucie was a student in Ted's Intro to Anthro course, you see. So she'll be married, and going through college, while he's in another country? That's one hell of a long distance relationship.

So, Eve is going to spend the weekend at the Sinclair's house in Boston with Lucie, Ted, and Jack to plead with Jack on behalf of the couple. Although, if Ted's just after Lucie's money, why would Ted's sister make a difference? In any case, the author makes sure Tony calls Eve innocent (Garden of Eden, anyone?) before we're taken back to the time when the book begins. You see, Jack is just so different from other men and “more attractive than any man had a right to be...” He takes his time staring at Lucie, Ted, and Eve before talking. Then we learn that he came to Boston this weekend just to see Lucie. He's had a rough week and would have stayed in London to sleep if not for his lil' sis. He declines polite talk that night and leaves the room.

Also, Jackson is apparently just like his father-passionless and coldly logical. That's what Lucie told Eve, anyway. After Jackson was born, their dad didn't care anymore and apparently Lucie was “a momentary lapse” on dad's part. According to Lucie, Jackson only cares about making money and doesn't like spending it and only talks to Lucie when he's lecturing her not to spend it. All evidence we've seen to the contrary doesn't seem to enter Lucie's mind.

When Eve's getting ready for bed, she looks in the mirror and is unhappy that she looks so much like a model. You see, Jack likes to keep out of the news and being related to a model won't help that. Eve's getting over the hill, though. She's already 28. Egads. By the way, Jack's probably in his mid-thirties. After thinking that maybe a more private line of work would make Jack happier, Eve gets up from her table and turns out the light. She goes to open a window and sees Jack leave the house and light a cigarette outside. She wonders if he was so tired, why he's awake and wandering. He leans against a tree, smokes the whole cigarette, and then wanders into the gardens. Then Eve thinks about how she can just tell that he loves this place and the only thing they have in common is loving Stonegate, the name of the expensive, nicely kept mansion where they're all spending the weekend.

All right, Eve, the reason he's awake is because he's thinking about you. Clearly, your beauty has turned him right round, right round, like a record. Also, Eve has to convince Jack that love is a real thing so he'll let Ted and Lucie get married. Hm. Now how could Eve do that? I mean, the back of the book says that Jack says he wants an affair with Eve, so she's kind of got her work cut out for her. Tune in next time to find out!

I said I wouldn't but...

I ended up getting several more trashy romance novels for free.  You know what that means: this blog is back in business.  Since I don't have any of the books in front of me, I can't tell you which one I'll start with.  Some of them are legit Harlequin Romance novels, and some seem a bit trashier than that.  In any case, there will be snarkiness and there will be romance. Stay tuned to see which book I start with.

Update: I'm starting with No Love in Return by Elizabeth Barnes.  I'm doubting that the title of the book is the status of the main couple at the end, but I could be wrong about this romance novel.