Passion- Louise Bagshawe

1st PUBLISHED: 2009

ISBN: 978-0-7553-3610-4

NAME OF THE AUTHOR: Louise Bagshawe

BEST SELLERS: Tall Poppies, Venus Envy, A Kept Woman, The Devil You Know, Monday’s Child

Louise Bagshawe is the author of 13 novels, published in more than eight languages, most recently the massive Sunday Times bestseller Glitz.

SYNOPSIS:

Orphan William Hyde and professor’s daughter Melissa Elmet fell passionately in love at Oxford. But after her family intervenes, their secret marriage is annulled. Heartbroken, Melissa retreats into life as a shy academic. Will, rejected and embittered, joins the MI6 then becomes a millionaire in New York, with a model girlfriend and only bad memories of the girl who broke his heart.

They should never meet. But then the killings start.

Only Will notices the link to all four murders: Melissa’s father, who died working on a secret project. Will knows the next hit will be Melissa- unless he can get to her before they do. PASSION is a super charged, irresistible tour de force about two people fighting their own feelings- and fighting for their lives…


EXCERPT:

He had gambled with his life and won big. Melissa had been her father’s daughter, stayed in Oxford, followed the comfortable path. She had inherited his house; that must be worth something. She had a teaching job and, until these bastards came along, a fiancé. He wondered if Sir Richard would have approved of him. Probably. Another don, with a little money of his own and a family.

Melissa had gotten herself exactly what her parents wanted. The safe life. The ordinary life. Will had thought she was so much better than that. But perhaps he had projected on to her his desires, his dreams, when she was just Melissa Elmet, and no better or worse than millions of other girls. It had been shocking to see her, that first moment. He felt he should hardly have recognized her. It was not the same as it had been.

She had no passion.

Will had immediately decided to get her to safety, and then get on with his own life. With Olivia. Her shadow, after this, wouldn’t be as long. It was sad to see her that way. His anger and resentment had turned to compassion; compared to Melissa, his life had been the good one.


ARPITA SPEAKS:

Bagshawe starts off with a quick recap- we learn about Will and Melissa’s relationship in just a few pages, which shows that this book has a lot to offer rather than just a chronicle of romantic trysts. The love between Will and Melissa keeps the action going. It isn’t the sole focus of the plot, but the need for the mystery to be solved is based on their love- and their will to survive.

Years after they are separated, William Hyde learns about the killing of Melissa’s fiancé, and guesses that Melissa had been the actual target. He finds the link to the assassination of an oil billionaire, a US senator, and strangely, the murder of a librarian- Melissa’s father, Professor Richard Elmet who had been knighted for services to science, and who had died not long ago, in an “accident”.

As this ex-spy sets out to protect the woman he had hated for her betrayal, he ultimately realizes that Melissa is being hunted, not by revengeful goons, but by a state agency- “You killed when you did not want information spread.”

The plot revolves around Will and Melissa’s struggle to survive. Although the protagonists might be a wee bit stereotypical, Lola Montoya as the female assassin is disgustingly fascinating. Fast paced and exciting, PASSION is worth your time. Go for it.


RATING: 3 on 5


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