Sweet Vixen

I totally see this movie as one of those elegant, posh romantic movies that came out in the early 60s. I can hear the lush full orchestra and see the beautiful panoramic shots, the sharply-dressed men and the beautifully-dressed woman. Mod furniture and 60s elegant cars everywhere. This book is set in the 80s, but in my mind, I felt like it was the 60s, except for some of the descriptions of the more over the top 80s disco fashions (yeesh)! I picture Clive Owen as Max and Kate Walsh as Sarah. That's how vivid this book was. I do admit that Max was a tad too cruel for my tastes. He's one of those people who know just what words to employ to rip you to shreds. I don't like to be around people like that in real life and I find myself flinching when characters in books are like this. Even near the end, he said a few ugly things that I think he deserved a slap for. I don't think falling in love and not wanting to be in love is really an excuse for bad behavior, but there you have it. Sarah was repressed by her overbearing, possessive artist husband's obsessive jealousy. Now that he's gone, she's retired into a widow's half-life, dressing poorly and not dating. She's good at her job as a personal assistant, and most of her energies are focused there. When Max, the son of the great fashion designer Sir Richard Wilde, and the lead executive of their family firm, comes down to New Zealand to work for a month and to facilitate the takeover of the magazine, Rags to Riches, it's like a spark on dry kindling. Max is an alpha hero who happens to be a suave businessman. He's a predator in the boardroom and the bedroom. He's described as drop dead gorgeous, muscular, with an angular face, and intense hazel eyes. He wears his clothes well and is definitely a ladies man. But beneath the fashionable facade, he's sharp as a tack. He hides an inner turmoil after his brush with death in a plane crash. His father sends him to New Zealand to recover emotionally before he gains the chairman of the board position Max covets. I pictured Sean Connery or Rod Taylor as they were in the 60s movies, although Clive Owen is perfect physically and in his demeanor (and also because Max is British). Max does a lot of needling of Sarah that I felt was downright mean. It seems to bring her out of her shell, there's no question, but it still bothered me. They seem to mix like oil and water. He's used to polished, well-dressed beauties that are sophisticated and conversational. Sarah's very intelligent and perceptive, but is quiet and withdrawn and isn't anything like his usual arm-candy. It makes it all the surprising that they would fall in love with each other (or maybe not). I think from the beginning Max was drawn to her and didn't like it. She wasn't his type, and he didn't want to fall in love or feel intense emotions for a woman who wasn't disposable to him. It's not hard to believe that Sarah would fall for him. He's a ladykiller, and she's a vulnerable widow