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waves of passion

Historical Romance Review: Waves of Passion by Casey Stuart

Blue Falcon reviews Waves of Passion by Casey Stuart, another subpar early-era Zebra historical. But at least it has a pretty cover!

book review historical romance
Waves of Passion by Casey Stuart
Rating: one-star
Published: 1984
Illustrator: TBD
Imprint or Line: Zebra Historical Romance
Published by: Kensington
Genres: Historical Romance, Pirate Romance, Regency Era Romance
Pages: 449
Format: Paperback
Buy on: AmazonAbeBooks
Reviewed by: Blue Falcon


Historical Romance Review: Waves of Passion by Casey Stuart

TOTAL SPOILER ALERT ⚠

The Book

This review is of Waves of Passion by Casey Stuart. It’s an early Zebra historical romance from 1980.

The Plot

Book #1 Predestination

Waves of Passion begins in Northampton, England, circa 1810. Alaina Deering, the heroine, is facing trial for murdering her father, John, a shipping and boating magnate.

Alaina is innocent. One of her father’s former employees is the real culprit. Not only had he embezzled from the firm, but he also tried to pursue Alaina. It is Alaina, however, who is convicted of his crimes. She is sentenced to die via hanging. In the nick of time, with the help of a family friend, she is able to escape from prison. Then she and her younger brother Russell set out to find their father’s killer–Edward Tate.can

Alaina’s first stop is the West Indies. There she meets Justin Chandler, our dashing hero. Justin is a privateer. He is captain of The Avenger and works out of the Carolinas. Because Justin is attracted to Alaina, he offers to help the siblings find Tate. Alaina, too, is attracted to Justin but fights it. She is emotionally scarred from the trauma she experienced and observed in prison.

As they sail to America, Alaina and Justin get closer and finally become lovers. They land in the Carolinas, where we learn about Justin’s life. Despite Justin’s profession, he comes from a well-to-do family. H—reasons for becoming a privateer are revealed.

waves of passion review
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Book#2 Happenings

We also learn about his relationship with his sister-in-law, Jessica York, who lusts after Justin and wants him in her arms again. Jessica is a conniver, quite willing to go to any length to get Alaina out of the picture.

Jessica’s not the only non-Alaina female lusting after Justin. So is teenager Maggie Todd, who also tries to destroy Alaina by accusing her of killing Jessica. After she comes close to being killed, Alaina is distraught when Justin betrays her.

So Alaina makes her way to Charleston, South Carolina. Here that she meets Edward again, and not on good terms. Edward kidnaps Alaina and Russell and forces her to marry him by threatening Russell’s life.

The scene then changes to New Orleans, where we learn more about Edward’s cruelty. Justin arrives and tries to earn Alaina’s forgiveness, which she doesn’t give easily.

By the end of Waves of Passion, Justin explains his actions, and Edward gets his comeuppance. Alaina and Justin marry and have their Happily Ever After.

Sex

The love scenes are so short that I question Justin’s stamina, if you know what I mean. And I think you do! They are also nothing close to erotic or interesting.

If you’re looking for heavy “Waves of Passion,” there aren’t any here. This is not a passionate ocean but a kiddie pool that’s been laid out in the summer sun.

casey stuart waves of passion warm heat

The Upside

Not much. Alaina has her good points, but…

The Downside

Alaina is an example of someone who can be smart in one area yet naive at best and dumb at worst in others.

During the book, Alaina:

  • She goes to a dangerous dockside to investigate her father’s death. The result: someone beats and nearly rapes her.
  • Alaina goes to the docks a second time with a man because “he seemed sincere” about knowing of Tate’s whereabouts. Once again, Alaina is beaten badly.
  • Runs off after she argues with Justin, and she rides a horse which throws her off. A nearby rattlesnake almost bites her, but Justin is able to kill the snake.

All of these are examples of Alaina getting into trouble because of her own poor judgment.

Alaina and Justin are both underdeveloped characters with shallow personalities. The same holds true for the other characters in Waves of Passion.

Violence

In addition to the many acts of violence against Alaina, Justin hits Alaina during an argument. A murder occurs, and some come close to death. Alaina almost dies after getting shot during Justin and Edward’s fatal last fight.

Bottom Line on Waves of Passion

From the first two books I’ve read by Casey Stuart, I know they are only good for a cure for insomnia and kindling for a fire. Save Waves of Passion for a cold winter day and use it to warm up the house.

Rating Report Card
Plot
1
Characters
0.5
Writing
1
Chemistry
1
Fun Factor
1
Cover
4
Overall: 1.4

Synopsis

SEA OF ECSTASY
Accused of killing her father, alluring Alaina’s only escape was to slip aboard a ship bound for America. Somehow she would find the real murderer and make him pay! Instead she found herself in the powerful arms of Captain Justin Chandler. She hated his arrogance but longed for his ardent kisses. She loathed his protectivenes more but sought the warmth of his embrace. She had no intention of falling in love with a pirate…never dreamed that her body would betray her heart…

TIDE OF DESIRE
Mesmerized by the brown-eyed beauty, unaware of her innocence, Justin caressed her luscious curves until there was no turning back from desire. He had been burnt once before by a woman’s rapture and was sure no one would ever possess him again, but he had no idea that fate would bring him a woman as tantalizing as Alaina. And once he stroked her golden curls and touched her creamy flesh, he was swept into the rolling surf of love — swept into the endless Waves of Passion.

Waves of Passion by Casey Stuart
tazia's torment

Historical Romance Review: Tazia’s Torment by Sylvie F. Sommerfield

Tazia’s Torment by Sylvie F. Sommerfield, an early Zebra bodice ripper, has some good qualities, but overall, that’s all the book has.

book review historical romance
Tazia's Torment Rating: three-stars
Published: 1980
Illustrator: TBD
Imprint or Line: Zebra Historical Romance
Published by: Kensington
Genres: Historical Romance, Bodice Ripper, Forced Seduction
Pages: 495
Format: Paperback
Buy on: AmazonAbeBooks
Reviewed by: Blue Falcon


Historical Romance Review: Tazia’s Torment by Sylvie F. Sommerfield

TOTAL SPOILER ALERT ⚠

The Book

This review is of Tazia’s Torment, a 1980 Zebra historical romance by Sylvie F. Sommerfield.

The Plot

One Night, four men–Garrett Flye, Louis Plummer, and brothers Delmond “Del” LaCroix and Cameron “Kirk” LaCroix, the “hero” of the book–go to a restaurant to watch a performance given by a dancer. The dancer in question is Elena Maria Constancia Fantasia de Montega–to use her full nomenclature. She is known as “Tazia” for short and is the book’s heroine.

Unknown to the men, Tazia and the four men share a tragic history. One of the four men listed above killed Tazia’s brother, Manolo, and Tazia is determined to find out which one and punish him.

Tazia and Kirk marry, but after four months, they separate due to their secrets. Tazia returns to her home, Casa del Sol, in California. There, she faces more sadness and shock. By virtue of their marriage and the archaic, sexist laws of the 1800s, Kirk– her estranged husband– owns Tazia’s family home now.

This leads to another rift between the couple. The arrival of Tazia and Kirk’s daughter, Mercy, mends the rift.

Two of the other men arrive at Casa del Sol and find happiness.

The fourth man, however, is lurking to destroy the happiness of the other three. As part of that process, he kidnaps Tazia and Mercy. The wife of one of the other men loses her life. Kirk and company rescue Tazia and Mercy, both of whom are unharmed. And ultimately, they solve the mystery of Manolo’s death. Subsequently, the killer is disposed of.

And there is a Happily Ever After for the three couples, although not in a linear way.

tazia's toment
Tazia’s Torment, ReIssue, Zebra, 1985 cover artist TBD

The Upside

Tazia’s Torment is, in a way, a book that would establish Mrs. Sommerfield’s writing style. It has a bit of emotion, some depth to her characters, and special attention placed on her supporting characters.

The Downside

Mrs. Sommerfield didn’t delve as deep into her characters as I would have liked to see. I felt there was more SHE COULD HAVE REVEALED ABOUT THEM.

The early tone of the book is patronizing to Tazia. This is due to the attitude of the male characters: “We need to save Tazia because we know things she doesn’t.”

Finally, the ending of the book is very weak sauce. I thought the storyline of one of the men falling in “instaluv” with and marrying his deceased wife’s sister was creepy.

Sex

There are a few sex scenes. These are not really descriptive in any way, nor are they terribly romantic.

Steam Level: As Senora Elena Maria Constancia Fantasia de Montega de LaCroix might say: “La pasión es tan tibia como el agua del baño del bebé.”

(The passion is as lukewarm as a baby’s bathwater).

Violence

Tazia is raped several times. Del is shot. In the end, the good guys kill the villain.

The violence is not graphic.

Bottom Line on Tazia’s Torment

Sylvie F. Sommerfield’s California-set bodice ripper Tazia’s Torment is not a bad book. However, it is not as good as it could have been.

Rating Report Card
Plot
3
Characters
3
Writing
3.5
Chemistry
3
Fun Factor
3
Cover
2.5
Overall: 3

Synopsis

SHE BURNED WITH LOVE…AND LUSTED FOR REVENGE

Beautiful and tempestuous Fantasia de Montega aroused passion in every man who was fortunate enough to see her dance. And though many tried, none could learn where this mysterious and unapproachable beauty came from, or why she disappeared after every show.

But no one who beheld her could have guessed her dark secret—her mission of revenge—or the cruel trick of fate that would make her unwittingly fall in love with the very man she had vowed to kill….

Tazia’s Torment by Sylvie F. Sommerfield
Elusive as the Unicorn by Carole Mortimer

Category Romance: Elusive as the Unicorn by Carole Mortimer

The most exciting aspects of Adam and Eve—the main characters in Carole Mortimer’s Elusive as the Unicorn—sadly start and end with their names.

category romance
Elusive as the Unicorn by Carole Mortimer
Rating: two-half-stars
Published: 1989
Illustrator: TBD
Published by: Harlequin, Mills & Boon
Genres: Category Romance, Contemporary Romance
Pages: 187
Format: Paperback
Buy on: AmazonAbeBooks
Reviewed by: Introvert Reader


Category Romance: Elusive as the Unicorn by Carole Mortimer

MILD SPOILERS 😉

The Book

Elusive as the Unicorn by Carole Mortimer is another mediocre romance that Harlequin publishers bafflingly honored with their so-called Award of Excellence.

Why they chose this ho-hum Carole Mortimer entry when she’s written many more books that—although they might not have been the best of the best—at least had some sizzle to them, is a mystery to me. It only reinforced my belief that the editors gave this distinction to authors with long careers as a “pat on the back” for their overall body of work, not because a story was particularly riveting.

elusive as the unicorn

The Plot

Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden

The plot of this one is a little cringy. Alas, it’s not cringe-worthy for the good “bad” reasons that an HP or Mills & Boon can be. Eve Eden—yes, that’s the heroine’s name—is a British woman with a secret. She keeps it so well hidden that not even her beloved fiancé knows of it.

Adam Gardener—yup, that’s the hero’s name—is an American art businessman (yeah, I know that’s not the accurate term, but Adam’s demeanor shouts cocksure US capitalist, not fine art lover) in the UK searching for the elusive “Unicorn.” The Unicorn is a painter whose works have caused quite a stir in the art scene. But no one knows who this mysterious Unicorn is.

Have you guessed their identity already?

When Adam meets Eve, he knows they’re meant for one another—their names decree it so! He pursues her relentlessly, even if she is engaged to a dull fiancé. Eve has loved her fiancé Paul for years. Why? Beats the heck out of me. Sure, their names are Biblical, but she’s Old Testament, and he’s New Testament–an obvious sign they were never meant to be.

Paul’s Not Really the Marrying Kind, Anyway

Paul doesn’t speak to her kindly and ditches her at a party to mingle with important people. This allows Adam to tell Eve how horrible Paul is. He berates her for being such a shortsighted fool and scolds her for letting her boyfriend treat her like crap. So Eve should ditch that zero and hook up with him, the book’s hero.

Then one day, Adam plants a big old Yankee kiss on her, which gets Eve hot and bothered. She realizes, “Oh, I’m supposed to be attracted to the guy I want to marry, not just like him for “reasons.” So she dumps Paul, and Adam is there to gobble her up.

Ultimately, Adam gets proof that Paul was stealing Eve’s fortune right from under her nose. Eve was too busy with her art to count her millions, and multitasking was not for her. Seriously this girl was just so passive!

No worries, Adam is mega-rich, and Eve can paint her brilliant pieces to heart’s content on either side of the Atlantic.

elusive as the unicorn mortimer ward of excellence
The art scene in the early 1990s was très avant-garde.

Adam Gardener and Eve Eden (The Stupidest Names Ever for a Couple in a Romance Novel)

Adam was like a single-minded predator, a shark fixated on what he wanted to eat (Eve tacos). He was so overbearing; it was actually charming. Adam was the lone bright spot in this book, but his flame was not strong enough to make this thing sizzle.

Eve is a placid, non-entity of a character. All she wants is to be left alone to paint her pictures and marry Paul. Her grandparents left her a windfall, so Eve could afford to live as she pleased. (Eve’s an orphan, naturalment). She has a cousin who makes googly eyes at Adam, but there’s nothin’ doin’ there.

elusive as the unicorn

Final Analysis of Elusive as the Unicorn

Elusive as the Unicorn was one in a string of mediocre Harlequin Presents that I read in the spring of 1990, which made me temporarily lose interest in the line in favor of the more lusty Temptation romances. I thank the “reading gods” for authors Robyn Donald, Violet Winspear, and especially Charlotte Lamb for drawing me back in with their over-the-top cruel heroes and insane plots.

This book wasn’t horrid, but it wasn’t exciting or angsty. While I appreciated (and still do) that Carole Mortimer was one of the few authors in the Presents line who wrote blond heroes, if Elusive as the Unicorn was an example of the best of her works, I wasn’t interested in reading more. Thankfully, it turned out that Mortimer wrote many, many books, and this award-winning romance was by no means the best of them.

This is a romance I’m glad to say I’ve read—for historical reasons, not out of enjoyment.

elusive as the unicorn
Rating Report Card
Plot
2.5
Characters
2.5
Writing
2
Chemistry
2
Fun Factor
2
Cover
3
Overall: 2.3

Synopsis

Eve Eden considered Adam forbidden fruit

When Eve Eden discovered that Adam Gardener, successful art entrepreneur, was searching for the legendary English artist, The Unicorn, she nervously shied away. The Unicorn’s true identity hit too close to home….

Besides, Eve was rattled by Adam’s mesmerizing presence, especially in light of the ridiculous coincidence of their names–and his determination to take advantage of it! But Eve was already engaged to marry her longtime friend, Paul.

Yet Eve found herself troubled by the different choices Adam and Paul presented. If only the answer to her dilemma didn’t keep eluding her….

Elusive as the Unicorn by Carole Mortimer
mr valentine

Category Romance Review: Mr. Valentine by Vicki Lewis Thompson

Marked with Thompson’s characteristic humor and sensuality, Mr. Valentine is a romance treat for anyone looking for something fun to read for Valentine’s Day.

Mr. Valentine
Mr. Valentine by Vicki Lewis Thompson
Rating: four-stars
Published: 1997
Illustrator: TBD
Imprint or Line: Harlequin Temptation #624
Published by: Harlequin
Genres: Category Romance, Contemporary Romance
Pages: 224
Format: Paperback
Buy on: AmazonAbeBooks
Reviewed by: Introvert Reader


Category Romance Review: Mr. Valentine by Vicki Lewis Thompson

MILD SPOILERS 😉

The Book

Mr. Valentine by Vicki Lewis Thompson is a Harlequin Temptation series romance, #624. Published in February 1997, it was Thompson’s 25th book.

Marked with Thompson’s characteristic humor and sensuality, Mr. Valentine is a romance treat for anyone looking for something fun to read for Valentine’s Day.

The Hero

Our Mr. Valentine is Jack Killigan, who is an honest-to-goodness nice guy–and by nice guy, I don’t mean “nice guy,” but a genuinely decent human being. I can’t stand how the term has been co-opted to mean its opposite because I really adore nice-guy heroes.

Jack’s a sweet man whom most women would love to introduce to their girlfriends but maybe wouldn’t exactly think of dating themselves. While he isn’t a wimpy guy, he (OMG) wears glasses. Jack works out and has a manual labor job that requires him to be fit, but he doesn’t have a high financial or social status. He is kind and respectful to women but lacks the lucre many ladies are drawn to.

Certainly not the woman he secretly desires: his best buddy, Krysta Luekenhoff. She has him placed as an orbiter in the dreaded “friend-zone.”

mr valentine by vicki lewis thompson

The Plot

Jack is a regular guy with a regular job. On a whim, Jack had written a romance novel for a writing contest and submitted it under the pen name Candy Valentine. (Come on, the days of romance novelists using those porn star names are long gone. It’s the heroes and heroines with those types of names!)

He is elated when he discovers his book is the winner and will be printed by a big publisher. Then Jack realizes the publishers want him to promote the book on a national tour, and instantly deflates because he can’t possibly market a romance novel as a male romance writer!

o he turns to Krysta, his BFF, tells her the truth, and convinces her to pose as Candy for the week.

Along the way, Krysta wonders about Jack and his steamy novel. She’s shocked by what she reads on the pages. Is it possible that Jack is as good in bed in real life as he is in his writings?

On the other hand, Jack is still in love with Krysta–why? I don’t know. She is a complainer, nagger, and big old Miss Know it All. Yet Jack looks at her through love goggles.

Krysta’s curiosity turns into desire; over time, they fall into bed and then into love.

There are obstacles along the way. There always are! But rest assured, Krysta realizes the treasure of a man she has. She intends to keep him around for life while giving him plenty of ideas for sexy love scenes for his new books.

Steam Factor

very warm heat level

Like any standard Temptation, Mr. Valentine has a nice level of heat, not too euphemistic, with the right amount of romance.

Final Analysis of Mr. Valentine

Vicki Lewis Thompson’s Mr. Valentine is a delightful mix of humor and romance. The unique aspect of a regular working guy who happens to write romance novels is a nice change of pace “from the millionaire/ billionaire/ royalty/ businessmen heroes in Harlequins.

Jack is a fusion of a “Beta” with just a touch of “Alpha” male who is both relatable and sweet. The chemistry between Jack and Krysta is electric, and their transition from friends to lovers is a journey worth taking. Despite some of Krysta’s annoyingly bossy nature, their relationship still makes for a delightful and heartwarming read.

Mr. Valentine is a hilarious romance that engages readers with its endearing character–well, Jack, at least. Overall, this Harlequin Temptation is a great Valentine’s Day romance, full of humor, romance, and heart.

Rating Report Card
Plot
4
Characters
4
Writing
4.5
Chemistry
4
Fun Factor
4
Cover
3.5
Overall: 4

Synopsis

Romance author Candy Valentine is actually the very rugged, very masculine Jack Killigan. But nobody knows that—including his publisher! So when Jack discovers he’s just been signed up to do a book tour, he’s stuck…until he convinces his best friend, Krysta Luekenhoff, to be “Candy” for the week. Only, between sharing hotel rooms and reading Jack’s steamy novel, Krysta’s curiosity is at a fever pitch. Can Jack make love as well as he writes it? There’s only one way to find out…

Mr. Valentine by Vicki Lewis Thompson
angel heart victoria thompson

Historical Romance Review: Angel Heart (aka Texas Angel) by Victoria Thompson

historical romance review
Angel Heart by Victoria Thompson
Rating: four-stars
Published: 1988
Illustrator: TBD
Imprint or Line: Zebra Lovegram
Book Series: A Hired Gunslinger #1; The Cowboy and the Lady #4
Published by: Kensington
Genres: Historical Romance, Western Romance
Pages: 522
Format: Paperback
Buy on: AmazonAbeBooks
Reviewed by: Blue Falcon


Historical Romance Review: Angel Heart (aka Texas Angel) by Victoria Thompson

TOTAL SPOILER ALERT ⚠

The Book

This review is of the western historical romance Angel Heart by Victoria Thompson. It is also known as Texas Angel, book #1 in the A Hired Gunslinger” series. Originally this was released as a Zebra Lovegram.

This book is also connected to Texas Triumph book #2 in Ms. Thompson’s “The Cowboy and the Lady series.

The other books in the latter series were #1 Texas Treasure and #3 Texas Blonde, which have been previously reviewed at Sweet Savage Flame.

The Plot

Part 1 of Angel Heart

As Angel Heart, or Texas Angel, begins, the hero of the book, Christian “Kid” Collins–who was a supporting character in Texas Triumph–is engaged in a gun battle at the home of his sister and brother-in-law, Rose and Pete Hastings, with gunslicks hired by Harlan Snyder, a ruthless rancher.

Sadly, Rose, Pete, and their unborn child have been killed. Christian is seriously wounded when he tries to escape. He is found by Comanche Indians and taken to the Diamond R ranch, home to Angelica Ross and her younger brother, Robbie. The Comanche brought him here partially due to their respect for Angelica and Robbie’s late father, Cameron.

While nursing him back to health, Angelica and Christian discover they have a mutual foe in Snyder, and Angelica asks for Christian’s help to fight him. He agrees to do so.

However, they will also have to fight their attraction for each other. They don’t, and Angelica and Christian become lovers. After which, he proposes to her, but she refuses. Despite this, Christian agrees to stay on to help Angelica with Snyder as well as help the Diamond R fulfill an Army contract to provide beef to Indian reservations.

Part 2 of Angel Heart

To that end, Christian calls in some help from his friends from the Circle M ranch in Texas Triumph. These are not ordinary ranch hands. The men are some of the most notorious gunslingers in Texas.

In concluding a successful cattle roundup, Angelica and Christian’s relationship deepens. However, he is now reluctant to marry her. This is not due to Angelica’s earlier rejection; it has more to do with Christian’s shame over his family and his concerns about what his future will be. And whether or not he has one, given his history as a gunman.

He and Angelica also gain a new enemy, a prostitute named Sunny Day. The backstory: Sunny was being sexually and physically abused by Snyder when Christian intervened to stop it. He and Sunny slept together–as in, they slept in the same bed but did not have sex.

Afterward, Sunny interpreted these acts as Christian being in love with her and wanting to protect her from Snyder’s wrath. Christian, obviously, viewed things differently. Hurt and angry that her dream isn’t going to happen, Sunny hooks up with Snyder’s newest hired gun, Tom Rivers, who was brought in specifically to kill Christian.

Part 3 of Angel Heart

Rivers makes this attempt at a party, where he tries to goad Christian into a gunfight. Christian refuses, and Rivers tries to shoot him in the back. In a surprising turn of events, Rivers is shot and killed by Miles Blackmon, a friend of Christian’s.

After a legal inquiry, the shooting is ruled justifiable. This angers Snyder, who makes his final move, kidnapping Angelica and Robbie. Christian saves Angelica, killing Snyder in the process (Robbie was taken to another location and released)

In the end, Christian shares his fears with Angelica, who helps him get beyond them, and “Kid” Collins “dies.” That’s the story the townspeople of Marsden’s Corners, Texas, tell two gun-slicks who come to town to kill Christian. They both leave without violence.

Angelica and Christian have two children, with another third on the way–and celebrate their Happily Ever After.

angel heart texas angel thompson
Angel Heart later rereleased as Texas Angel

The Upside

Angel Heart is a rare book where the hero is more emotional than the heroine. Emotional heroes are something of a trademark of Ms. Thompson’s historical romances. Angelica and Christian are a well-matched couple: two people who believe that they are too flawed to be loved by anyone.

When they find each other, they discover that this is not the case.

The Downside

There isn’t a huge amount of character development or depth here. The supporting characters are pretty one-dimensional. It’s never really explained–other than the fact that he’s a greedy evil bastard–why Snyder wanted to court Angelica or why he wanted to kill Christian so badly.

Sex

The love scenes between Angelica and Christian are very mild and not very exciting.

Violence

There is assault, battery, shootings, and a fire. The violence is not graphic.

Bottom Line on Angel Heart (aka Texas Angel)

There are some areas that could use improvement, but the romance novel, Angel Heart, later reissued as Texas Angel, is a solid western historical by Victoria Thompson.

Rating Report Card
Plot
4
Characters
4.5
Writing
4
Chemistry
3
Fun Factor
4
Cover
4
Overall: 3.9

Synopsis

HEAVENLY PLEASURES
Ever since Angelica’s father died, Harlan Snyder had been angling to get his hands on her ranch, the Diamond R. And now, just when she had an important government contract to fulfill, she couldn’t find a single cowhand to hire on–all because of Snyder’s threats. It was only a matter of time before she lost the ranch…. That is, until the legendary gunfighter Kid Collins turned up on her doorstep, badly wounded. Angelica assessed his firmly muscled physique and stared into his startling blue eyes. Beneath all that blood and dirt he was the handsomest man she had ever seen, and the one person who could help her beat Snyder at his own game–if the price were not too high…

DEVILISH DESIRES
Before Kid Collins knew what hit him, he had somehow agreed to act as a hired gunfighter–and for a lady. Or at least she looked like a lady, with her carefully pinned red hair and proud green eyes. But no lady would be trying to run a ranch on her own, let alone take on the likes of Harlan Snyder. She needed Kid Collins’ help, all right, but his help came with a price attached.

Angel Heart (aka Texas Angel) by Victoria Thompson
a breath of scandal mason

Historical Romance Review: A Breath of Scandal by Connie Mason

book review
A Breath of Scandal by Connie Mason
Rating: one-half-stars
Published: 2001
Illustrator: TBD
Book Series: Sin Trilogy #2
Published by: Avon
Genres: Georgian Era Romance, Historical Romance
Pages: 372
Format: eBook, Paperback
Buy on: AmazonAbeBooks
Reviewed by: Introvert Reader


Historical Romance Review: A Breath of Scandal by Connie Mason

TOTAL SPOILER ALERT ⚠

The Book

Having read a few Connie Mason books in the past and (more or less) entertained by them, I picked up A Breath of Scandal expecting some ahistorical yet sexy, romantic fun. Sadly, except for the wallpaper Georgian background, the second book in her “Sin Trilogy” series lacked all those standard Mason elements.

Chock-full of my most hated pet peeves, I should’ve put this book down when the hero raised the ire of my inner Ron Swanson by vehemently proclaiming that smugglers were cheating the Crown and the English government out of their right to collect taxes on French wine.

Not a good sign of things to come.

The Hero and the Set Up

Julian, Earl of Mansfield, is known as the Scorpion (pet peeves number 2 and 3: English nobleman is a spy, plus an animal alias for extra lameness), and he’s posing undercover to catch the evil smuggler, the Jackal (there’s another stupid animal codename).

The Jackal tried to kill Julian years earlier but instead killed Julian’s pregnant fiancée.

Julian vowed revenge for the only woman he ever cared for (pet peeve number 4: the hero is obsessed whis ith dead lover throughout the entire book, so much so that he cannot acknowledge his feelings for the heroine).

A Breath of Scandal by Connie Mason
A Breath of Scandal, Connie Mason, Avon, 2001, cover artist TBD

The Plot

Julian, the Spy Lord and Lara, the Gypsy Lady

A Breath of Scandal begins with Julian on a mission. His identity is exposed and he is shot by the Jackal’s men. Julian jumps off a boat and washes ashore, to be discovered by some traveling gypsies.

Mason stretches the bounds of credibility here when Julian is found by lovely Lady Lara, the illegitimate daughter of a gypsy and an English Earl, who first knew of her father’s identity when her mother died.

She showed up on her father’s doorstep at age 13. He accepted her and made her legitimate. Now she spends most of the year with her father but is allowed to spend summers with her Gypsy family before settling down with an English husband.

Other than caravans and the word “gadjo” for an outsider, it doesn’t appear as if Mason did any real research on Roma people, but as I said, this is wallpaper historical at its worst.

A Forced Marriage

Lara is drawn to the stranger and helps heal him back to health. In a twist of events, Julian and Lara are married in typical gypsy wedding fashion. (?) Lara declares Julian is her husband three times in front of men who are pursuing Julian, and Julian doesn’t deny it.

With his black hair (another pet peeve–it’s nit-picky and shallow, I know–his hair doesn’t match the reddish-brown hair on the back cover) and walnut-stained skin Julian pretends to be a gypsy while his wounds heal.

Meanwhile, he takes advantage of his marriage to Lara by banging her and banging her and banging her some more.

He doesn’t consider his marriage to Lara binding because she’s only a gypsy after all. He hides his true identity from his “wife” and is known solely as Drago. And, of course, Lara doesn’t tell him that she is the half-English daughter of an Earl.

Julian goes on and on about how he is an honorable man. What’s that saying about how a man with honor doesn’t call himself one? Well, that applies to Julian as his repeated actions belie his claims. Such a shame because I like stuffed-shirt, uptight heroes and was expecting Julian to be rigidly noble. Alas, he was just a lame-ass loser.

Scandalous Secrets Revealed in A Breath of Scandal

Eventually, Julian leaves Lara to go back to his home in England. Lara is headed there as well to enter society and find a husband. Lara’s fortune-telling grandmother predicts that she will not see Drago in England.

Of course, she does see him; not as Drago, but in his true form as Julian, Lord Mansfield. Upon realizing Lara is the daughter of an Earl, Julian’s supposed honor kicks in, and he vows to marry Lara for real. (Because gypsies don’t deserve respect even if they save your life! [That is sarcasm, in case your detector is broken.])

The Jerky Hero

Julian does all he can to convince her into matrimony. This consists of:

  • Compromising Lara in a carriage in a public park
  • Accusing her father of being the nefarious Jackal
  • Putting her in danger several times
  • Absconding with Lara to Scotland and leaving her Daddy a note
  • All this while having as much sex with Lara as he can and telling her he doesn’t love her, will probably never love her due to the pain of losing his fiancée.

Honorable man indeed.

The worst is when he hides in the woods like a coward while Lara and her family convince the Jackal’s henchmen that Julian isn’t there. Some hero.

Another pet peeve of mine rears its head as Lara declares emphatically that if Julian does not love her, she won’t marry him. But she’ll keep on sleeping with him, cuz he’s too irresistible!

Final Analysis of A Breath of Scandal

To be fair, the first 100 pages of A Breath of Scandal were okay. Connie Mason has an erotic way with love scenes. I was on board to give it a 3-star rating, as there was a Lindsey-like vibe that appealed to my bad taste.

Unfortunately, this was a 400-page book, and the story went in circles for the last 300 pages. There were glaring errors that were hard to ignore.

When Julian and Lara meet up with her gypsy family, Lara’s grandmother happily exclaims, “I told you that you’d meet Drago again!” No, she had said the freaking opposite!

For an Avon paperback, this was riddled with errors galore. What were the highly-paid New York editors smoking? In 2001, it was probably mass-produced BC bud.

Julian is referred to as Lord Manchester a few times… but he’s Lord Mansfield!

Plus, the anachronisms were painful to deal with.

If a story has charm, appealing characters, or an engaging WTF vibe, I can overlook bad history, but when there are none of those qualities present, then I just can’t enjoy the ride. Sorry, A Breath of Scandal.

1.74 Stars

Rating Report Card
Plot
1
Characters
1
Writing
1.5
Chemistry
3
Fun Factor
1.5
Cover
3
Overall: 1.8

Synopsis

She claimed him as her husband without even knowing his name. Now she will risk everything to keep his secret—but can she give her heart without having his love in return?

Lord Julian Thornton, Earl of Mansfield by day and secret agent of the crown by night, has sworn never to love another woman. But then a mission goes wrong, and Julian is left for dead, his only hope a seductively mysterious gypsy woman named Lara. And when she marries him under gypsy law for his own protection, Julian is too entranced with the dark beauty to deny himself the benefits of their marriage.

Yet even as he longs for their idyllic interlude to last, Julian knows his presence alone puts her very life in danger. Until he discovers Lara in the one place he never expected to see his wild gypsy enchantress…the one place where he isn’t sure he can protect her—or his own heart.

From the moment Lady Lara, half-gypsy daughter of the Earl of Stanhope, finds a wounded stranger washed up on Scotland’s rugged shore, she knows their destinies will be forever entangled. So when a band of smugglers comes looking for the dashing stranger, Lara doesn’t hesitate to claim him as her husband “Drago.”

But when her mysterious husband goes back to his own world—and its dark secrets—Lara returns to her father to take her place as his heiress…never expecting to find her Drago across the earl’s crowded ballroom. And although he still enthralls her, Lara is determined that she will never truly be his wife until he surrenders his heart as well. 

A Breath of Scandal by Connie Mason
Jennifer Wilde

Historical Romance Review: Love’s Fiery Jewel by Elaine Barbieri

book review historical romance
Love's Fiery Jewel by Elaine Barbieri
Rating: one-star
Published: 1982
Illustrator: TBD
Imprint or Line: Zebra Historical Romance
Published by: Kensington
Genres: Historical Romance, Bodice Ripper
Pages: 510
Format: eBook, Paperback
Buy on: AmazonAbeBooks
Reviewed by: Blue Falcon


Historical Romance Review: Love’s Fiery Jewel by Elaine Barbieri

MILD SPOILERS 😉

The Book

This review is of Love’s Fiery Jewel by Elaine Barbieri, a bodice ripper romance that Zebra books published in 1982.

The Plot

In 1775, an acting troupe called The American Company is boarding a ship, The Sally. The ship is captained by notorious privateer Damien Staith, the “hero” of Love’s Fiery Jewel, and is to sail from the Colonies to Jamaica.

Among those on the ship are actress Marian Greer and her daughter, Amethyst, the heroine. When the book begins, Amethyst is 9 and Damien is 26.

During the course of the book–which spans 510 pages and seven years–(keep in mind, she is 16 and Damien is 33), the hero does the following things to Amethyst:

Emotionally abuses her by belittling her, calling her derogatory names, and disregarding any of her wishes. Damien also threatens to kill two of her other suitors. He uses her love for her caretaker in Jamaica to blackmail her.

Mentally abuses her by letting her believe that he practices obeah, a form of black magic.

Physically abuses her by slapping Amethyst several times and shaking her so hard that she is bruised.

Sexually abuses her. Although Damien doesn’t rape Amethyst–big whoop–he does coerce her sexually, using his skills at sex and her desire against her. This is clearly a forced seduction trope, at best.

And yet, despite all of that, Amethyst falls in love with Damien! When she is finally free of him, she chooses to go back to him!

The Upside

Like most of Ms. Barbieri’s books, Love’s Fiery Jewel is well-written and emotionally deep.

The Downside

It’s rather appropriate that Damien Straith shares the name of the character from The Omen. The behavior of Damien in Love’s Fiery Jewel is just as horrifying as the character of the same name in the “Omen” movie franchise.

Amethyst, however, is not entirely blameless. She is very weak in regard to his actions. She constantly needs a man to take care of her–a weakness shared by many of the heroines in Ms. Barbieri’s books.

Sex

The sex scenes are mostly focused on the feeling of the act rather than the mechanics. They mostly focus on what the man doing to the woman.

Violence

In addition to the violence listed above, Damien beats up one of Amethyst’s suitors toward the end. Another man is seriously injured in an accident that Amethyst blames on Damien’s obeah.

At one point late in the book, Amethyst draws a gun on Damien and makes him leave her. If she had shot and killed the bastard, it would have made Love’s Fiery Jewel so much better!

Bottom Line on Love’s Fiery Jewel

Do you like books with heroines with zero pride or self-esteem? Women willing to allow themselves to be emotionally, mentally, physically, and sexually abused by the “men” who claim to love them? And then fall in love with said cretins?

If you do, chances are you’ll love Elaine Barbieri’s Love’s Fiery Jewel. For the rest of us, not so much.

Right after I finish posting this review, this “romance novel” is going into my trash bin.

.75 Stars (cover points don’t count)

Rating Report Card
Plot
0
Characters
0.5
Writing
3.5
Chemistry
0.5
Fun Factor
0
Cover
3.5
Overall: 1.3

Synopsis

THE SPARKLE OF PASSION glowed in Amethyst’s big violet eyes. She was on the verge of womanhood, ripe for love, and no one knew it better than Captain Damien Straith. He was intoxicated by her rare beauty. Her sensual innocence and fiery temper made her more alluring than any woman he had ever known. With just one fierce, long, lingering kiss he could possess her forever. Somehow he’d have to make her his own…

THE GLITTER OF DESIRE shone like a diamond in Damien’s piercing gray eyes. And each time Amethyst met his gaze her pulse quickened and she ached with desire. She wanted the handsome captain to bring her to the heights of rapturous pleasure, but what if she gave him her love and he cast her aside? Delirious with longing, yet afraid to give her heart, she hated the power he had over her body — and vowed never to give him her love! 

Love’s Fiery Jewel by Elaine Barbieri
the marriage war charlotte lamb

Category Romance Review: The Marriage War by Charlotte Lamb

the marriage war by charlotte lamb
The Marriage War by Charlotte Lamb
Rating: half-star
Published: 1997
Illustrator: TBD
Imprint or Line: Harlequin Presents #1913
Published by: Harlequin, Mills & Boon
Genres: Category Romance, Contemporary Romance
Pages: 186
Format: eBook, Paperback
Buy on: AmazonAbeBooksOpen Library (BORROW FOR FREE)
Reviewed by: Introvert Reader


Category Romance Review: The Marriage War by Charlotte Lamb

TOTAL SPOILER ALERT ⚠

The Book

The Marriage War by Charlotte Lamb may not have the absolute worst cruel hero in Harlequin Presents’ history, but he certainly ranks in the top twenty…maybe forty.

Okay, maybe the top 50. The HP line has at least a thousand crappy heroes in its 50 years of existence.

The Plot

Sancha is a stressed-out housewife with a handsome, workaholic husband named Mark. While she’s not yet middle-aged, she feels and looks her age, while Mark gets better each year like a fine vintage wine.

She is a stay-at-home mother responsible for cooking, cleaning, raising the children, and keeping her husband satisfied. She works hard on the first three. Lately, though, Sancha’s been neglecting her final “responsibility,” as her husband keeps telling her.

The twin beds in their bedroom don’t help. That became a habit when their twins were young, and Sancha had to wake up for midnight nursings and nappy changes. It had been Mark’s idea since he didn’t want his sleep disturbed by her movements.

Sancha and Mark have been married for six years. Well, if you’ve heard of the seven-year-itch, you know what happens next.

Mark has a charming secretary in the office. Capable, beautiful, attentive, and young.

Sancha starts receiving letters hinting that her husband is getting down and dirty with someone during his late-night work sessions. Is Mark having an affair with his secretary? Maybe. Maybe not. But it sure looks like he is when Sancha catches them out at a late-night dinner.

Sancha’s life crumbles around her. Even as it does, she decides, like any good woman from the lyrics of Country Music, to fight for her philandering man.

Romances with adultery are difficult enough to pull off. Combine that plot with a male protagonist–who, if classified by scientific terms, would be considered non-Newtonian fluid–you get a wall-banger that requires great force when tossed across the room.

It’ll be over my dead body,

So get out while you can!

‘Cause you ain’t woman enough to take my man.

LORETTA LYNN, “YOU AIN’T WOMAN ENOUGH”

Sancha gets a makeover and decides to be sexier, but now Mark thinks his wife is getting sexy for other men! Could things get any worse?

Spoiler: The Shocking Revelations

Perhaps Mark’s twisted conscience led him to do what he did. For he tells Sancha the shocking truth. He is the one behind all the letters Sancha received, not his secretary.

Apparently, Mark has a super good reason–to motivate his wife to get over herself to fight for their marriage (i.e., cater to all of Mark’s wants and needs).

In truth, he was only planning to have an affair. Nice guy, right?

Mark figured he could have his matronly wife tend to his children and home. Meanwhile, his carnal desires would be fulfilled by other women. Starting with his secretary, who was down for it.

Instead of shagging her right away, though, Mark decided first to torment his wife with anonymous letters to make her re-evaluate what was important: him!

It all works out for Mark, as Sancha gets her mojo back, and insecurity drives her to be the devoted, horny Stepford wife he knew she could be.

So Mark dumps the floozy of a secretary. In return, Sancha promises never again to get too overwhelmed by her many responsibilities. Mark will always come first. (Yeah, he seems like he’d be that type.)

“See that? How much I want you?”

“As much as you wanted her the other night?” she asked bitterly, and he shut his eyes, groaning, turning away.

“Oh, not again! Do we have to bring that up again? Forget Jacqui!”

“I can’t. Can you? Working with her every day, seeing her, being alone with her? You may not have slept with her–but you admit you almost did. Is she going to accept the end of the affair?”

Final Analysis of The Marriage War

I’ve mentioned before how Charlotte Lamb is one of my two most beloved authors in the Harlequin Presents line. I’ve given her more 5-star ratings than any other writer in that line. But she’s also written a lot of clunkers. This is one of them.

Oh, boy, did I hate this book!

Mark was a paramecium scum-sucker. Not worthy of the title of “man.” Cruel hero? More like absolute zero!

Sancha was not much better. She was a bland, reactive character and not too many rungs above her husband in the animal kingdom.

I love Charlotte Lamb’s writings, so I’ll forgive her for this hideous attempt at “romance.” Out of her 160-plus books published, there are bound to be bad ones. And sheesh, was this one ever that!

File The Marriage War under “suck-suckity-suck.”

(Note: the cover rating does not count toward the final score.)

Rating Report Card
Plot
0.5
Characters
0.5
Writing
1.5
Chemistry
0.5
Fun Factor
0.5
Cover
3.5
Overall: 1.2

Synopsis

Something worth fighting for!

Sancha’s first instinct was to burn the anonymous letter. Its malicious message couldn’t be true: Do you know where your husband will be tonight? Do you know who he’ll be with?

Sancha adored Mark now as much as when they were first married, even though family life meant that they were no longer so close. She’d never dreamed that her tough, handsome husband would fall into the arms of another woman!

The battle was on – though when Sancha confronted Mark, she discovered the physical attraction between them was as strong as ever. But she wouldn’t let herself be seduced by him…. Not yet!

The Marriage War by Charlotte Lamb
Bold Texas Embrace

Historical Romance Review: Bold Texas Embrace by Victoria Thompson

historical romance review
Bold Texas Embrace by Victoria Thompson
Rating: two-half-stars
Published: 1989
Illustrator: TBD
Imprint or Line: Zebra Lovegram
Book Series: The Cowboy and the Lady #4
Published by: Kensington
Genres: Historical Romance, Bodice Ripper, Western Romance
Pages: 478
Format: Paperback
Buy on: Amazon
Reviewed by: Blue Falcon


Historical Romance Review: Bold Texas Embrace by Victoria Thompson

MILD SPOILERS 😉

The Book

This review is of Bold Texas Embrace, #4 in the “The Cowboy and the Lady” series by Victoria Thompson (Zebra/Kensington December 1989).

The Characters

Heroine: Catherine Eaton, 23. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Teacher. Originally from Philadelphia.

Hero: Sam Connors, 32. Black hair, black eyes. Owner, The Spur ranch.

The Plot

As the story begins, Catherine Eaton has arrived in Crosswicks, Texas, from her home in Philadelphia to teach the town’s children. One of the children, David Connors, 15, has great drawing skills and wants to be an artist.

This interest, however, puts him at odds with his older half-brother Sam Connors, the hero of the book. Sam, who is also David’s guardian, has his own goals for David, and soon Catherine finds herself in conflict with Sam, even as she is becoming attracted to him and him to her.

Catherine and Sam become lovers, however, he is also dealing with a range\war, as well as trying to keep David from falling for a grasping, scheming young woman.

In the end, the range war doesn’t happen. David goes to Philadelphia. Catherine and Sam marry, have a child, and have their Happily Ever After.

Upside

Bold Texas Embrace is pretty much standard Ms. Thompson historical romance. Her characters are very much in touch with their emotions and readers can see the emotional pinball the characters deal with.

Downside

Ms. Thompson didn’t make me care enough about Catherine and Sam. Part of this is the fact that there are WAY too many similarities between Bold Texas Embrace and the previous book in the “The Cowboy and the Lady” series.

To wit:

  • Both heroines–Felicity Storm in the former book, and Catherine Eaton in the latter–are from Philadelphia. However, they don’t know each other.
  • Both women are artistically inclined. Felicity is a photographer; Catherine is an artist.
  • Both fall in love with and marry Texas ranchers.

I get that any creative person will occasionally repeat themselves, but it’s nice to have a little space between repeats. The characters are not particularly well developed and the “range war” storyline is unfinished and weak.

Sex

The love scenes between Catherine and Sam aren’t particularly romantic, nor do they generate any real heat. The first sex scene between Catherine and Sam can be described as forced seduction at best, rape at worst.

Violence

Assault, battery, shootings, and killings take place. The violence is not graphic.

Bottom Line on Bold Texas Embrace

Bold Texas Embrace is my least favorite book in Victoria Thompson’s loose “The Cowboy and the Lady” series.

Location: Crosswicks, Texas.

Time: unknown.

Tropes: Artist heroine. Historical romance. Rancher hero. Texas.

2.66 Stars

Rating Report Card
Plot
2.5
Characters
2.5
Writing
3
Chemistry
1.5
Fun Factor
2.5
Cover
4
Overall: 2.7

Synopsis:

HOT-BLOODED RANCHER

Art teacher Catherine Eaton could hardly believe how stubborn Sam Conners was! Even though the rancher’s young stepbrother was an exceptionally talented painter, Sam forbade Catherine to instruct him, fearing that art would make a sissy out of him. Spunky and determined, the blond schoolmarm confronted the mule-headed cowboy…only to find that he was as handsome as he was hard-headed and as desirable as he was dictatorial. Before long she had nearly forgotten what she’d come for, as Sam’s brash, breathless embrace drove her mind all thought of anything save wanting him…

HOT TEMPERED SCHOOLMARM

Sam Conners was too absorbed by a range war to pay any attention to the town talk about a fancy new schoolteacher from Philadelphia. But when petite, pretty Catherine Eaton marched into his office, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. From the instant she opened her lush red mouth, Sam didn’t agree with a word she said. He kissed her to shut her up, then proceeded to take her mind off her troubles with some irresistible arguments of his own…until she was powerless to resist his BOLD TEXAS EMBRACE.

Bold Texas Embrace by Victoria Thompson
Rebel Vixen

Historical Romance Review: Rebel Vixen by Dana Ransom

historical romance review
Rebel Vixen by Dana Ransom
Rating: five-stars
Published: 1987
Illustrator: TBD
Imprint or Line: Zebra Heartfire
Published by: Kensington
Genres: Historical Romance, Bodice Ripper, Civil War Romance
Pages: 445
Format: Paperback
Buy on: AmazonAbeBooks
Reviewed by: Introvert Reader


Historical Romance Review: Rebel Vixen by Dana Ransom

MILD SPOILERS 😉

Love & Betrayal

The Beginning: Love

Rebel Vixen commences by diving right into the story.

As the Civil War rages throughout the United States, 21-year-old Savannah Russell is on a ship in the Caribbean, bringing food and medical supplies to her southern brethren, when she spots a body floating in the water. She urges the sailors to bring him aboard.

However, when they see the man’s Union buckle on his uniform, everyone but Savannah wants to throw the enemy back into the sea. Savannah is defiant and swears to help save the Yankee sailor, despite what anyone says, including her Uncle, who’s in charge.

Savannah takes the officer on land and brings him to an inn. With a doctor’s aid, she helps him recover, saving his injured arm from amputation. She is instantly attracted to the blond-haired Lt. Commander named Skyler Reade. He, in turn, falls madly for the woman who saved his life.

Upon a tropical beach, Savannah and Skyler exchange their words of love, promising to be together forever.

The Beginning: Betrayal

As they begin to make love, an explosion shatters the silence. In horror, Savannah realizes that the Union army has taken her Uncle’s ship. Skyler tells her that the ship was loaded with weapons and ammunition, not medicine and supplies, and as a Union soldier, he had a responsibility to report it.

He vows his love for Savannah as she sees that every man on board, including her uncle, is now a prisoner of war. Savannah lashes out at Skyler, reinjuring his arm, and flees in terror, declaring her eternal hatred.

The Book: Rebel Vixen

Thus begins one of my all-time favorite romance novels, Rebel Vixen by Dana Ransom (aka Nancy Gideon).

Yes, it’s a cheesy-looking Zebra Heartfire with a bosomy-clinch cover and cornball title. It must be read to be fully appreciated.

The scope is grand, spanning years across the American North and South, with war, death, love, and birth. This “bodice-ripper lite” was so well written and emotional that it made me cry tears of sadness and joy.

Seriously, Rebel Vixen is one of the best books I’ve read.

Not surprising, as Dana Ransom’s Zebras are almost all among my favorites, along with the great Deana James and, to a lesser extent, Penelope Neri.

The Plot: The American Civil War

Savannah

Savannah is the oldest daughter of three children. Her father was a casualty of war, her brother is off fighting, and now with her uncle imprisoned, she finds herself burdened as the head of the family with an enormity of responsibilities on her shoulders.

Unconventionally beautiful, she has no time for gaiety as the war rages on, destroying everything she ever knew. Saving Skyler was instinctive, as she deeply values human life. She has the weight of the world upon her, and despite her recalcitrance, Skyler is her one bright spot in the darkness.

Skyler

A Man Without Purpose

Skyler Reade has no real purpose in life, bouncing aimlessly along from adventure to adventure. As the middle son of an upper-crust Philadelphia family, he’s sort of flitting along in life when the war starts.

His father is a respected doctor, his older brother is settled down with a family and fighting for the Union, and even Skyler’s wayward younger brother seems to be following in the family’s footsteps of pursuing a medical degree.

Skyler has a “girlfriend” at home, not someone he feels serious about–although she absolutely does about him–who encourages him to pursue politics. To be a politician, he’ll have to have some military experience. But Skyler was not keen on fighting a war he cared nothing about. So he entered the Navy because he thought he’d see little battle action at sea.

A Genuinely Nice Guy

Although Skyler is a drifter suffering from the middle-child syndrome, he seeks to be virtuous. The main characteristic I adore about Skyler is that he is nice. I mean genuinely nice: a decent, caring, empathetic human being.

Yes, he is a bit domineering at times, but if 19th-century women weren’t 3rd wave feminists, you damn sure can’t expect the men to have been. He is relentless in pursuing Savannah, vowing to make her love him again. Most times, he’s generous and kind. Even so, other times, he can be demanding.

However, spoiler warning here: there is one bodice ripper-type scene.

A “forced seduction” occurs after Savannah taunts Skyler and tells him of her many lovers–a lie–for which he is instantly regretful and never repeats.

Skyler is kind to Savannah despite her shrewishness. He pursues Savannah across the North and South, confident that nothing could ever shatter their love.

Then again, maybe there is.

A Sensitive Subject Matter

As this Rebel Vixen is set during the US Civil War, slavery is a large part of the plot. I can understand that the sensitivity on this topic repels a lot of modern romance readers from this era. However, there’s no sugar-coating it. Savannah’s family owns plantations, and as such, they own slaves.

As far as Savannah’s views on slavery, like the war, it’s complicated. Ever since she was a child, Savannah’s father has allowed one slave to be freed at her request on her birthday. Although Savannah herself questions the righteousness of slavery, she will not betray her family, her state, and “The Cause.”

On the other hand, Skyler is aghast at the practice. He finds purpose in life through two motivations: to reobtain Savannah’s love and trust and fight for his nation until slavery is eliminated.

I adore the conclusion of this book as it’s reminiscent of the end of John Jakes’s mini-series North and South Part I and the scene with Lesley Anne Downs and Patrick Swayze. It always makes me chuckle. What the hell, that series was so good, so it’s ok with me that Ransom borrowed a bit from that ending.

“Why me? Why would you want me?” she asked in bewildered frustration.

“You–you make everything else so unimportant… I’ve never had much direction in my life, nothing I wanted to devote myself to until you held my hand and sat with me when I prayed I would die. Just wanting to hear your voice made me fight to get through the hell of each day. I loved you before I even saw your face.”

Final Analysis of Rebel Vixen

Rebel Vixen is a book I go back to and enjoy every few years. For me, it’s an old friend with reliable characters who go through tragic circumstances but come out of it united and secure in their love for each other.

I truly hope author Dana Ransom (aka Nancy Gideon) regains her rights to this book from Kensington and is able to republish it in digital format. It would be a shame for this romance to remain a hidden gem for only lovers of old paperbacks to discover.

If you’re in the mood for an old-school romance that skirts with being un-PC but doesn’t have an over-the-top-Alpha hero you’d want to hit in the head with a frying pan, I can’t recommend a better read than Rebel Vixen.

5 Stars

Rating Report Card
Plot
5
Characters
5
Writing
5
Chemistry
5
Fun Factor
5
Cover
4.5
Overall: 4.9

Synopsis:

TENDER INNOCENCE
When Savannah Russell spotted the lone survivor drifting among the shipwreck’s debris, nothing could have stopped her from rescuing him. Not even that she was sailing on a Confederate blockade runner while he wore the uniform of the Union Navy. As a spirited Southerner, she hated to help the enemy, but as a woman she could not let him die. So she nursed him herself, rejoicing as pain left his startling gray eyes and strength returned to his lean, muscular body. And before she had time to guard against the unwanted desire his gentle touch aroused in her, she had given her enemy more than her compassion …. she had given him her heart.

WANTON PASSION
Skyler Reade felt more than gratitude for the raven-haired rebel who’d saved his life. Her courage had earned his boundless admiration; her beauty had sparked his limitless desire. She’d risked everything to help him and he knew that staying with her would only endanger them both. Still, he had to taste the beckoning sweetness of her lips, had to caress the ivory smoothness of her skin before he could leave her. Someday he would return to build a future with his seductive Savannah, but for tonight he could only give her the warmth of his embrace and the promise that she would always be his treasured, tantalizing REBEL VIXEN.

REBEL VIXEN by DANA RANSOM