Price of Passion by Susan Napier

Price of Passion by Susan Napier I rarely re-read books because there are so many out there, but the right time, place, and mood had me queue up Price of Passion for a second time. I knew I’d read it before, and remembered a bunch of things, but still enjoyed the book. I thought it might be interesting to compare my original review with the notes I wrote down this time, eight years later, as different aspects stood out.

Here is the original review:

Price of Passion by Susan Napier was a very interesting take on the series theme of pregnant mistresses. In true proof that you can take an old idea and make it new, this story has a twist I couldn’t see coming at all, but when I got there, it made sense and worked on multiple levels. Add that the male lead is a writer, and I was quite amused. Unlike Dragonfly, this was pure candy and perfect for that role. Besides, it has a three-legged dog and a kitten. What else could you ask for? If that’s not enough, it also has wonderful personal conflicts, and the introduction of secondary characters who love to cause trouble for the male lead.

And my thoughts on the reread:

This is a delightful, somewhat old-style, Harlequin with neat cultural differences for Australia and interesting characters. It does fall under the assumption romance category, but there are reasons for what she believes, which drive her actions so that he assumes the rules are her own rather than a desperate attempt not to trigger his need to escape. The animals, a dog and kitten, are a good stand-in for the humans’ need for attachments, and though I’d read this before, the twist about her pregnancy came as a surprise, a sign there’s enough story beyond the traditional theme to stand on its own.

Despite this being about two people actively involved in a long-term relationship with each other, the story was one of discovery and seeing beyond the facade. They felt quite real, and the reasons for their defenses did as well. Interesting choice not to make everything come up roses at the end, but it’s a traditional romance so it still did for the two main characters, Drake and Kate.

I quite enjoyed the read, even though it never brought me to tears, so I wasn’t that deeply engaged with the characters.


Ultimately, the story proved an entertaining, quick read both times. I find it interesting how the twist caught me twice, indicating it is an unexpected turn on a very traditional theme, but one that works. Of course, the animals deserved a mention, and my notes about their nature and purpose in the story grew more detailed by the second read.

Have you found this kind of parity, but with a difference, when you reread? It makes me wonder what my notes on Pride and Prejudice would look like as I’ve reread that book a number of times…sadly, I’ve only reviewed it once.

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2 Responses to Price of Passion by Susan Napier

  1. jjmcgaffey says:

    I reread quite a bit (as you know) and I often add notes to my reviews “on reread”. What I find interesting is what I remember and forget. I thought I remembered the books I read very well – what I’ve found is that I remember the “good bits” and forget a lot of the rest – the bad bits, but also the…expected bits? What goes on that doesn’t strike me strongly. Which means that my memory of a book may be completely at odds with my review done immediately after reading – and on a reread, I may disagree with both (though I’m usually closer to the review than to my memory). LibraryThing has been very good for this sort of thing – making me notice how my reading changes.

    • Margaret McGaffey Fisk says:

      Interesting. I stopped rereading when the book would unfold after the first page in my mind and continuing offered nothing new, but books aren’t providing that kind of experience anymore, so it could be your way of remembering has changed.

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