I’ve been looking for romance authors who write books with interesting characters and a sense of immediacy and warmth, similar to my favorite Betty Neels. Anne Weale is another English author who wrote novels published from 1955 to about 2000, and like Betty Neels had a separate, successful career. Anne Weale is the pseudonym for Jay Blakeney, a reporter who also wrote as Andrea Blake. The first romance I read by her, A Marriage Has Been Arranged, was OK so I got a few of her other novels.
A Spanish Honeymoon features a likable leading lady, Liz, and her new neighbor, the glamorous reporter Cam. Liz is a widow. She married very young and her husband has been dead for 4 years; now she lives in a small Spanish town and earns her living as a needlework designer. Cam is about ready to settle down and finds Liz delightful.
A Spanish Honeymoon has some good points: The descriptions of small Spanish towns feels real and attractive, Liz is independent in mind and approach. On the less appealing side Cam gives a couple lectures about current social views, e.g., shouldn’t spend money on this or that but give to the poor, atheist, water policies. Even one of these is a bit jarring in a romance.
Liz had 13 years of unenjoyable lovemaking in her first marriage and this causes the main conflict in the novel, will she be able to have a satisfying physical relationship with her new husband.
My biggest issue with this novel is the focus on sex and the expectation that people should sleep together before marriage. Our heroine feels there is something wrong with her that she is not sleeping around. Look, just because many, or even most people, do sleep together before marriage does not mean it is right, wise or required.
Nonetheless, I did finish the novel and found it worth 3 Stars. Be aware there are some semi-explicit scenes.
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