From the first moment Thea heard Liam’s sexy voice come over the radio, she began to fantasize about him being in her bed. Unfortunately her reality is a cold, lonely bed and a controlling husband.Thea has always dreamt of a fairy tale life. However, a selfless decision she made fifteen years ago has left her trapped in a loveless marriage.When Malcolm Drake wants to play house with his latest … play house with his latest mistress, he sends his wife, Thea, on a “Hall Pass”. Thea’s steamy fantasies might just become a reality after all.
Liam Pierce is a successful, young British singer who thinks his life is perfect…that is until he meets the beautiful, older Thea. Sensual sparks fly between them, causing Thea to feel alive again. The sexy, young man not only satisfies her physical desires, he stirs up her long buried dreams as well.
Just when Thea believes she can be free of Malcolm’s control, he commits a heinous act that will send her world crashing down.
Liam is a prince worthy of any fairy tale but can he help Thea fight her way out of the darkness?
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This sweet story has everything the old school romance-loving reader could ever hope for, but with a soft twist that suits the narrative. This is a great read that underscores that the female main character does not need to be a savvy, smart-mouthed 20-something-year-old for the story to work, and I love the idea of a younger man being with an older woman for a change. Kudos to the author for this! On the flip side, there were enough endearments to fill several volumes of romance books and I did read myself a little blind to the intended sweetness because almost every sentence seemed to contain a ‘love’, ‘beautiful’, ‘handsome’, ‘angel’ or ‘English’ in it. Nevertheless, this is absolutely a story that will appear to any reader on the hunt for true romance! The steamy bits sit suitably well and though generously described seem neither vulgar, not out of place for the tone. Overall, this story is a smooth winner. It delivers on the promise of the description and you will not be disappointed. This is one couple you’ll find yourself rooting for again and again.
A touching love story about a most unlikely couple. He’s a singing sensation; she’s half again his age and trapped in a loveless, abusive marriage. Not only do they discover they are soulmates, but he helps her heal after she escapes her marriage and sees her husband driven into bankruptcy.
This romance started out with Thea, a forty year old woman married to a real jerk. To be blunt, one I wanted to pull from the book and slap like he’d done to her. Thea was more of a woman than her husband a man. I found her to be brave and putting herself last for her family, was the most honorable. She had married Malcolm when he approached her, offering her to help her family if she married him.
Malcolm became bored with his young wife. He had several affairs, which Thea had been fully aware of. One day Malcolm wants his home to himself and send Thea away for a week long vacation, which just so happens to Liam Pierce. I LOVE Liam! I love how he was so understand and kind with Thea.
Side note: I wish Dorothea Lynne would have ended the book different though. I would like to know if the husband ever attempted to reach out to Thea. Maybe an epilogue? Give the happy couple a baby that Thea wanted. Just putting that out there. Perhaps give Thea’s best friend a book?
This was a wonderful romance. Thea was the sweetest heroine and Liam was awesome. It was great to read about Thea finally coming into her own self-confidence. There is a lot of sex in this book but I didn’t mind it…they had a fun time! It really is a great story. Enjoy.
Destine to be a sultry classic
This book has all the classic elements you want in a fantasy romance novel. A beautiful older woman, a young and handsome British singer with an alluring accent, and lots of steamy moments. Though it is quite enjoyable I found A Hall Pass for Life very relatable. I, like Thea, suffered emotional abuse in my marriage. There were times reading this where a couple of the main character’s situations with her husband “hit close to home” for me. This can be a sensitive topic for many and I felt the author did a great job addressing the issue. Most of the time people don’t recognize the signs that they are being abuse this way. Physical abuse is much easier to recognize. I’m hopeful that this novel will help some readers who are presently in that type of situation recognize some of the signs and maybe it will end up saving someone’s life.
A True HEA! Thea Drake is stuck in a loveless marriage, when her easy-to-despise husband sends her to Hawaii for his selfish reasons. Enter hot love interest Liam Pierce, there to turn the island get away into real paradise! Not even Malcolm can ruin this fairy tale! You will find this romance captivating!
Hot, Sexy but sweet
This was a very well written book that kept me hooked till the last word. It wasn’t only a romance but it was full of suspense too. I liked the fact that the main character (Thea) was forty. I think many women could relate to her in more than one aspect (Not necessarily abusive marriages). This book has an empowering story about how Thea struggled to come out of the dark and find her fairy tale. I liked the chemistry between Thea and Liam a lot. The intimate scenes were steamy and hot but not repulsive. However, there was more to this book than the hot and steamy scenes. It was full of human emotions. I look forward to reading more from Dorothea Lynne.
Full of passion and steam.
Thea’s husband Malcolm is thoroughly unlikeable. Why Thea stayed with the man so long is beyond my comprehension. And the way he sets her up with Liam is so low… If you’re thinking of dumping the story because of that, I encourage you to rethink. The ensuing romance is tender and everything that Thea has needed for a very long time. Liam is handsome, unassuming and non-judgmental. From the moment they meet, passion soars!
This book is well written and has a good story line. The way the author brings in both pov’s at the same time is great. The only downfall of the way it was written, was when there was a change of scene, which wasn’t always clear and made me stop to re-read.
The story makes you root for Thea to have her happy ending. The way she and Liam got on was wonderful and you felt their affection for each other. I would have liked a bit more of Liam’s past and felt parts were rushed, but if you enjoy steamy reads, this is for you.
This book held my attention from the first line. Thea a forty year old is trapped in a loveless and abusive marriage. Her husband is a husband from hell. Yet Thea finds a Prince. This story has a dark premise yes blooms into a love story. I thoroughly enjoyed this juxtaposition. Several social issues were mentioned and managed with finesse, portraying pain and emotion very articulately. I sympathized with Thea’s story and rejoiced when she found love and hope. The intimate scenes are steamy yet well written. The pace and plot is very good. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Lynne.
Moving romance with an ending that made me cry… happy tears.
Technically this story has great pace, not rushed, not too slow. The story unfolds at a lovely leisurely pace that is comforting to read.
It is well structured and written well.
The touch on marriage abuse came as a surprise and was very well handled, not elaborating but revealing enough of the motives and pain that controlling marriages can sometimes have. Dealt with really well.
But the overriding steamy, hot, loving relationship that the two main characters have carries you through the story so that you are rooting for them all the way.
A good written romance book. Alexis and Luke hit it off with a bam… two people with two different lives come together finding true love.
The lack of indentation made it a bit difficult for me to read. However, I loved the lush setting descriptions and strong characters. Besides, I always had a thing for British men, and him being a singer is icing on the cake! Who hasn’t felt trapped in their life and ached for some sort of escape? Most of us must only dream of such things, but Thea’s dreams come true… until they don’t. I appreciate the realistic nature of the love story, and the strong subject matters are handled well.
Hall Pass for Life is the first book by Dorothea Lynne I have read. This is a contemporary romance with dark theme – a young woman trapped in a loveless marriage to an older man. Although he is happy to have multiple affairs during their marriage, he is insistent upon controlling every aspect of her. This doesn’t stop him from arranging for a week’s getaway for her with a younger man so he can have his mistress in their home.
Thea has turned forty and has no idea where her life is going. Her husband, Malcolm, won’t allow her to work, constantly criticises her, and yet isn’t prepared to divorce her just yet – even though is far too old for his tastes. Liam is a singer and is 25 years old. He isn’t sure what to make of the arrangement, but for the amount of money being given to a charity, he will be friendly for the week.
Both Thea and Liam get more than they bargain for, and will fight for their lives together, no matter what Malcolm throws at them.
I loved the premise of this story, although I don’t particularly like first person, present tense, which is how this book is written. I found it to be quite confusing over who was speaking in places, and had to read further down to see who responded to figure it out. Personally speaking, I also found the constant nicknames and terms of endearments to be quite monotonous. Yes, it is cute occasionally, but to use them in 85% of the sentences… The only reason I can think of for the constant use was to help the reader know who was talking, which didn’t work when they weren’t used.
The story itself moved along at a fair pace, albeit a bit jerky in places. Some of the words and actions of various characters didn’t seem quite ‘real’, as though the timing was off slightly. I think this is a standalone book, although the ending has possibly been left open for a follow up.
Anyway, for me, this book didn’t quite hit the mark, although it was still a good story. I am absolutely positive that others will love this book, and devour every word. It just didn’t work on all levels for me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian – I Dig Good Books!