Escapade Mass Market Paperback – 28 Aug. 2018

A great read, the two stories one of Amanda and Josh someone she had loved for years, but he has a secret that is revealed later on in the book. The story jumps from Amanda to her best friend Mirri who had a terrible time when young, she works in an office as a paralegal working for the FBI agents, her boss Nelson Stuart who keeps telling her off for the way she dresses, a reason why that comes to light later in the book. There is a lot more to both stories, two romances intertwined some very sad moments for both, but enjoyed reading both and there is a shocking scene towards the end, but both couples have a lovely HEA. Definitely recommend this book.

I thought I'd read every Diana Palmer ever written, so when I saw this one on Amazon, I was really pleased and assumed it was a new book. So I was surprised when I started to read it and found that it was set in the eighties, with all the misogynistic values of that time. Now, having read other people's feedback, I see that it is, in fact, a reprint of an old story. I think it's wrong of the publisher and the author not to make that clear on the blurb.The story mercifully does not contain any mercenaries. Instead, it focuses on the romances of two women. The main couple are Amanda and Josh. Josh has to be the most arrogant, inconsistent, moody, irrational jerk ever written as a romance hero. He refuses to marry Amanda because he discovers he is sterile, but that doesn't stop him sleeping with her anyway.He pushes Amanda away, puts her in an invidious position at work and then, when she manages to resolve her workplace issues, thinks to himself "he felt a sense of accomplishment as he realised his part in her development." Ugh! This creep blames her for everything that goes wrong but takes the credit for everything that goes right - even Amanda's own personal development as a character. It makes the romance move from far fetched to ridiculous; what kind of idiotic female would rate a man like that?He also has lots of other 'charming' traits - he smokes cigars frequently, he refuses to help his brother with his gambling addiction, he fires one of the managers of the company for adultery (!)Meanwhile, the second relationship in the book reads like a filler; the characters are so thinly drawn that it's hard to really imagine them. There's the usual more-or-less innocent, traumatised heroine and a psychologically wounded hero - the two get together in record time and miraculously overcome serious barriers such as rape with blithe insouciance. As a story line, it's close to being crass.There's some very unpleasant moralising in this book; the adulterous lovers, brought together by miserable marriages, are given scant sympathy and the end to their story makes it read like a Victorian morality tale. It's unpleasantly judgemental and feels quite pious.So, why I have I given the book 3 stars? Well, the writing quality is good and the pace is brisk, so it's an entertaining - if frequently annoying- read. The scenes where the couples actually share loving moments are touching and allow you to drift off to a lovely, romantic place.But is the book worth the money I paid for it? No. Would I recommend it to others? Unfortunately, given that I usually like Diana Palmer books, I wouldn't.Don't waste your money on this one.

Waited a while for this book as it was pre ordered but great read for my mother

First published in 1992, this romance must always have been dated. The 50's values and open sexism are a bit irritating.

ANOTHER BRILLIANT DIANA PALMER