What do you think?
Rate this book
Splendor
ON SEAS OF WONDER...
The most feared pirate to prowl the waters, handsome Devlin "Devil" Kane is magically transformed by a bolt of St. Elmo's Fire - and impelled by a strange irresistable force toward the Carolina colonies...and the woman who is his destiny.
ON SHORES OF DESIRE...
Only the soft, sensuous touch of prim and lovely Eden Winters can banish the spell that is Devlin's curse...and his salvation. But unknown dangers await Eden in the arms of her mysterious "ghost captain" - sweeping the reluctant beauty into a wondrous, unexplored realm of rapturous passion, perilous adventure and love's sweet SPLENDOR.
The most feared pirate to prowl the waters, handsome Devlin "Devil" Kane is magically transformed by a bolt of St. Elmo's Fire - and impelled by a strange irresistable force toward the Carolina colonies...and the woman who is his destiny.
ON SHORES OF DESIRE...
Only the soft, sensuous touch of prim and lovely Eden Winters can banish the spell that is Devlin's curse...and his salvation. But unknown dangers await Eden in the arms of her mysterious "ghost captain" - sweeping the reluctant beauty into a wondrous, unexplored realm of rapturous passion, perilous adventure and love's sweet SPLENDOR.
394 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1993
31 people are currently reading
207 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Hart
39 books117 followersCatherine Hart is one of today's most popular romance authors and has earned many prestigious writing awards since she started her craft. With 16 historical romances and 2 novellas under her belt, Catherine keeps very busy giving romance readers lots of great reading. Many of her books have made their way to bestseller lists then went on to win awards such as the Romantic Times Storyteller of the Year, a Lifetime Achievement Award for Western Romance. Also, she was recently inducted into her high school's Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame, an honor she cherishes. Catherine is donating total profits from one of her novellas to promoting adult literacy and she credits her success to a firm belief in true and lasting love, an overactive imagination, an insatiable thirst for knowledge and an off-the-wall sense of humor.
Catherine resides in Ohio, where she was born and raised and she is the mother of 3 grown children, a "Nana" and the adoptive "mama" of a Siamese cat named Sassy and a Pekingese dog named B.J., both of whom have found a place in her historical novels. Ms. Hart has a passion for Ohio State football, Native American crafts and culture, romantic movies and books, travel, "oldies tunes" and her husband of 29 years, her own special hero.
Catherine resides in Ohio, where she was born and raised and she is the mother of 3 grown children, a "Nana" and the adoptive "mama" of a Siamese cat named Sassy and a Pekingese dog named B.J., both of whom have found a place in her historical novels. Ms. Hart has a passion for Ohio State football, Native American crafts and culture, romantic movies and books, travel, "oldies tunes" and her husband of 29 years, her own special hero.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 26, 2022
I was looking for another of this author's titles while used book shopping, but I ended up getting this one when they didn't have the one I wanted. It turned out Nenia also owned a copy, so we launched a buddy-read (of course). Both of us were having fun at first, because the characters were so dang likable and the writing was good enough that we didn't mind the silliness of an invisible hero.
However, the silliness quickly grew old for me, and the story just dragged on. The book felt like a series of little things happening that didn't really have larger significance to the plot. I was bored. I ended up skimming a lot at the end, and what I saw there didn't inspire me to read more closely. This wasn't an overly long book, but I agree with Nenia that 100 pages of this could have been cut.
I'll still read the author's other book that I did end up finding after all, but this one wasn't a win for me.
However, the silliness quickly grew old for me, and the story just dragged on. The book felt like a series of little things happening that didn't really have larger significance to the plot. I was bored. I ended up skimming a lot at the end, and what I saw there didn't inspire me to read more closely. This wasn't an overly long book, but I agree with Nenia that 100 pages of this could have been cut.
I'll still read the author's other book that I did end up finding after all, but this one wasn't a win for me.
![Profile Image for ᑭᑌᑎƳᗩ [Punya Reviews...].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1572968006i%2F3840999._UX200_CR0%2C33%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
November 9, 2018
Good writing, but too silly characters (especially the h who went from a prudish spinster to a sexy siren the moment she met the H, her transformation was the most hilarious of all -_-) and situations made it difficult for me to take anything seriously in this book. In fact it started out quite intriguingly and I thought I'd found a new author I'll be checking out often. Unfortunately, it also went downhill soon. I only kept going to see how the author resolved a particular twist regarding the H. There was no big surprises there in the end either. Sigh.
Edited to add:
Okay so I'm a sucker for punishment so here are a few "examples" of what I meant by utterly silly/ridiculous/mind-bogglingly weird, just boiling within me and I couldn't contain it any longer (don't ask -_-):
1. The heroine, Eden. A prudish spinster who can't see anything without her glasses. Lives with her widowed mom and trying to salvage her father's almost done-for warehouse business. They live in a seaside town and Eden's main customer are sailors and, uh, sometimes an odd pirate or two masquerading gentleman sailors. That's how she met the hero, Devlin Kane AKA Devil Kane, The Pirate Extraordinaire. She was so prudish she couldn't even look at his eyes for long (though that didn't stop her from checking out his manly attributes). The moment it was official that they may become an item, she became this siren; a transformation that was totally unbelievable. Whereas I thought her basically a harmless doormat, she proved she's one step ahead of that. She also became this irrational, TSTL thing that............... you just have to read the book cause I can go and on and on about her idiotic behavior.
2. The hero, Devil, was struck by St. Elmo's Fire/lightning while on a voyage and, uh, disappeared instead of dying instantly. That's actually in the blurb I think so not much of a spoiler; the reason why I decided to read the book in the first place. If not then here you have it. :D He was alive but no one could see him... except for, yep you know it! Eden!! And by touching her he could be visible. That's how actually he had to also be around and with her so he could be visible enough to do his business in her town. Of course he gradually begin taking interest in her too..... and the rest, they say, is.............. (not gonna say it). If too much going at it like the bunnies helped achieved nothing, he got his really manly form back to the world of visibility. ;) Oh, and also true love. Can't forget that bit. LOL
3. Initially, I found their banters funny even if a bit too contemporary sounding instead of 1718-ish, when the story is set. Even if Devlin was more of an oaf which was okay seeing he was an uneducated pirate captain. I was even okay with his overall oafishness and randy thoughts and behavior. I thought Eden will be his salvation and tame his hide. But no suck luck. :( It's like he rubbed off on her in a totally wrong way and she also became what I described above. Sigh.
4. Eden's mom. When we first met her she was grieving her husband's passing. An almost blind, old lady who had grey hair. Then she met Devil's first mate Nate (not sure if he was younger than her or not) and the rest they say is............... she was having his child by the end of the story so go figure. As if them and Devlin-Eden both couples staying at the same house and doing "the deed" (which the author thought was funny to mention as often as she could) wasn't gross enough. Yikes. I was never comfortable with this bit of the story at all.
5. There was this hawk Devlin had, who was his constant companion... and Eden also had this parrot. They were also living in the same house. And became a 'couple'.
I think I'm done now. :D Read at your own peril. :P
Edited to add:
Okay so I'm a sucker for punishment so here are a few "examples" of what I meant by utterly silly/ridiculous/mind-bogglingly weird, just boiling within me and I couldn't contain it any longer (don't ask -_-):
1. The heroine, Eden. A prudish spinster who can't see anything without her glasses. Lives with her widowed mom and trying to salvage her father's almost done-for warehouse business. They live in a seaside town and Eden's main customer are sailors and, uh, sometimes an odd pirate or two masquerading gentleman sailors. That's how she met the hero, Devlin Kane AKA Devil Kane, The Pirate Extraordinaire. She was so prudish she couldn't even look at his eyes for long (though that didn't stop her from checking out his manly attributes). The moment it was official that they may become an item, she became this siren; a transformation that was totally unbelievable. Whereas I thought her basically a harmless doormat, she proved she's one step ahead of that. She also became this irrational, TSTL thing that............... you just have to read the book cause I can go and on and on about her idiotic behavior.
2. The hero, Devil, was struck by St. Elmo's Fire/lightning while on a voyage and, uh, disappeared instead of dying instantly. That's actually in the blurb I think so not much of a spoiler; the reason why I decided to read the book in the first place. If not then here you have it. :D He was alive but no one could see him... except for, yep you know it! Eden!! And by touching her he could be visible. That's how actually he had to also be around and with her so he could be visible enough to do his business in her town. Of course he gradually begin taking interest in her too..... and the rest, they say, is.............. (not gonna say it). If too much going at it like the bunnies helped achieved nothing, he got his really manly form back to the world of visibility. ;) Oh, and also true love. Can't forget that bit. LOL
3. Initially, I found their banters funny even if a bit too contemporary sounding instead of 1718-ish, when the story is set. Even if Devlin was more of an oaf which was okay seeing he was an uneducated pirate captain. I was even okay with his overall oafishness and randy thoughts and behavior. I thought Eden will be his salvation and tame his hide. But no suck luck. :( It's like he rubbed off on her in a totally wrong way and she also became what I described above. Sigh.
4. Eden's mom. When we first met her she was grieving her husband's passing. An almost blind, old lady who had grey hair. Then she met Devil's first mate Nate (not sure if he was younger than her or not) and the rest they say is............... she was having his child by the end of the story so go figure. As if them and Devlin-Eden both couples staying at the same house and doing "the deed" (which the author thought was funny to mention as often as she could) wasn't gross enough. Yikes. I was never comfortable with this bit of the story at all.
5. There was this hawk Devlin had, who was his constant companion... and Eden also had this parrot. They were also living in the same house. And became a 'couple'.
I think I'm done now. :D Read at your own peril. :P
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2021
This was the bonus book in a half a dozen books I picked up for cheap at various vendors online in my falling into the rabbit hole for a bit of amusement in this line of similar “romance novels” from the late 1980s and early 1990s. All for the cheese factor... 🧀
A historical romance set in the early 1700s between the American colonies and Caribbean, it focuses on a pair with a biblical play on names—that the characters even muse on—between the womanizing pirate Devlin “Devil” Kane and his female counterpart, Eden Winters. Cliché setup of a spirited but straight-laced virginal female crossing paths with a womanizing alpha male, uptight American colonial woman x rogue pirate edition, and they both learn of “passions untold” in the process of what is inferred to be “falling in love.”
While the attitudes and mindsets written in the story are grating when it comes to women and male behavior toward them, both as a reflection of sentiments during the story’s time as well as the author’s time, my research to understand why and how this was romanticized gave me a better perspective and I will take it for what it is, though yeah, wouldn’t want to experience it myself. Devlin was particularly...overt with it with the “if you won’t, I’ll find someone else who will” mindset (which to be honest, is STILL a frequented mindset in today’s society, let’s be real), though it was frowned upon by more than just Eden and Devlin was called out on it, even cut it out.
Devlin makes up for it in his shameless pursuit for the straight-laced Eden, which brings a great comedic relief with such comments as “raising (parts of) Cain/Kane” and coupled with his foiled attempts to seduce Eden as well as general banter between several characters. The pair both having problems—Devlin’s a bit more paranormal while Eden’s a bit more standard—the unlikely duo team up to assist one another, leading to a variety of shenanigans and a romantic interest in one another.
Like with some other books of this genre, my chief grumbling for the plot was the transparency of the perpetrators of the adversaries in spite of the concept that it was a mystery. There were several sub-plots that were there fast to present a problem and just as quickly resolved. I know deductive reasoning isn’t a primary focus for a work intended to arouse particular feelings, but I prefer not to have it all spoon-fed to me either. I would have liked to see this aspect of the story improved upon.
There was some “happily ever after” time spent in this work, which was a highlight. It didn’t simply end with a “we realize we are in love, end of story” truncation, but let the romance plot line evolve and resolve prior to the primary non-romance plot line concluding. It also threw a few other random sub-plots in for closures and Devlin remarking his views had changed, but I have already stated my feelings on that...
While the process of falling in love isn’t a strength to these type of works in general and was viewed differently back when written (alpha males and womanizers weren’t expected to talk about their feelings, after all, and the confession of love alone from them was a big deal in itself), amidst the passionate interludes between the characters, there was a bit of an attempt to show filaments of developing romantic feelings as well as a surprising continuation of the story past the crucial climax of the pair confessing their love. That was refreshing.
A historical romance set in the early 1700s between the American colonies and Caribbean, it focuses on a pair with a biblical play on names—that the characters even muse on—between the womanizing pirate Devlin “Devil” Kane and his female counterpart, Eden Winters. Cliché setup of a spirited but straight-laced virginal female crossing paths with a womanizing alpha male, uptight American colonial woman x rogue pirate edition, and they both learn of “passions untold” in the process of what is inferred to be “falling in love.”
While the attitudes and mindsets written in the story are grating when it comes to women and male behavior toward them, both as a reflection of sentiments during the story’s time as well as the author’s time, my research to understand why and how this was romanticized gave me a better perspective and I will take it for what it is, though yeah, wouldn’t want to experience it myself. Devlin was particularly...overt with it with the “if you won’t, I’ll find someone else who will” mindset (which to be honest, is STILL a frequented mindset in today’s society, let’s be real), though it was frowned upon by more than just Eden and Devlin was called out on it, even cut it out.
Devlin makes up for it in his shameless pursuit for the straight-laced Eden, which brings a great comedic relief with such comments as “raising (parts of) Cain/Kane” and coupled with his foiled attempts to seduce Eden as well as general banter between several characters. The pair both having problems—Devlin’s a bit more paranormal while Eden’s a bit more standard—the unlikely duo team up to assist one another, leading to a variety of shenanigans and a romantic interest in one another.
Like with some other books of this genre, my chief grumbling for the plot was the transparency of the perpetrators of the adversaries in spite of the concept that it was a mystery. There were several sub-plots that were there fast to present a problem and just as quickly resolved. I know deductive reasoning isn’t a primary focus for a work intended to arouse particular feelings, but I prefer not to have it all spoon-fed to me either. I would have liked to see this aspect of the story improved upon.
There was some “happily ever after” time spent in this work, which was a highlight. It didn’t simply end with a “we realize we are in love, end of story” truncation, but let the romance plot line evolve and resolve prior to the primary non-romance plot line concluding. It also threw a few other random sub-plots in for closures and Devlin remarking his views had changed, but I have already stated my feelings on that...
While the process of falling in love isn’t a strength to these type of works in general and was viewed differently back when written (alpha males and womanizers weren’t expected to talk about their feelings, after all, and the confession of love alone from them was a big deal in itself), amidst the passionate interludes between the characters, there was a bit of an attempt to show filaments of developing romantic feelings as well as a surprising continuation of the story past the crucial climax of the pair confessing their love. That was refreshing.
August 24, 2014
Notorious pirate Devlin Kane is struck by a bolt of St. Elmo's Fire and rendered invisible. His crew can hear him but can't see him. While in the Carolina colonies, Devlin and his firstmate, Nate, approach Eden Winters to buy space in her warehouse. They soon learn that Eden is about to lose her warehouse unless she marries the local banker who holds her loan. They also learn that Eden can actually see Devlin.
I don't usually care for pirate books, but this one was very amusing. An invisible "ghost-like" hero that only the heroine can see. Some very funny scenes involving Eden's invalid mother wondering why she can suddenly hear a man's snores during the night. If you like light romantic adventure, this is a good one. My rating: 4 Stars.
I don't usually care for pirate books, but this one was very amusing. An invisible "ghost-like" hero that only the heroine can see. Some very funny scenes involving Eden's invalid mother wondering why she can suddenly hear a man's snores during the night. If you like light romantic adventure, this is a good one. My rating: 4 Stars.
April 2, 2023
After reading a particularly dark book that left me feeling super depressed (Death of a Dark Lord by Laurel K. Hamilton) I needed a romance novel that ended in smiles and rainbows! 🤣 This book has become my go-to for a mental boost. It’s a ridiculous romance story with a hilariously outlandish situation for the characters to overcome. I’m giving it 5 stars not because it’s great writing but because it amused me so much I return it multiple times when I need a good laugh and a happy ending. 😆❤️
May 14, 2014
Not only was this book lusty, it was FUNNY! I loved the characters & the twists in all of Catherine Hart's stories. The invisible pirate & the girl who could make him visible by touching him made this book hilarious!
January 12, 2019
This book is fun. I laughed & cry though the whole book. It keeps you on your toes. It is o e of my favorite books!
November 4, 2022
I LOVED both of the characters and I laughed so much.
Very fun read and amazing chemistry.
5 stars💕
Very fun read and amazing chemistry.
5 stars💕
February 8, 2024
absolutely love it !!
Absolutely love this book have read it many times over the years. Also have many others of Catherine Hart’s she is one of my favourite authors I love the humour & comedy in her books makes them fun
Absolutely love this book have read it many times over the years. Also have many others of Catherine Hart’s she is one of my favourite authors I love the humour & comedy in her books makes them fun
February 17, 2014
The book is well written. It was an enjoyable read. I don't usually like "fantasy" books...and if I read one it has to be well written. There were some plot flaws I kept getting hung up on, and there was no good resolution of the plot line. However as an escape piece it is good. I would recommend it.
Want to read
September 2, 2015kkkkkk
April 24, 2018
So far hands down my favorite pirate romance to date. Another paperback I've had to purchase several times when it falls apart.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews