What do you think?
Rate this book
Devil and the Deep Sea
"A year out of your life. What price would you ask?"
Samma supposed that any other woman would surely slap the face of a man who would pose such a question. But Samma couldn't afford that luxury with Roche Delacroix.
With her stepfather ready to sell her "favors" to clear his gambling debts, Roche represented Samma's only avenue of escape from an unthinkable future on Cristoforo Island.
Only a few hours earlier, the lips that opened the suggestive negotiation had made Samma so thoroughly aware of being female. Samma couldn't help feeling that life was doubly unfair.
Samma supposed that any other woman would surely slap the face of a man who would pose such a question. But Samma couldn't afford that luxury with Roche Delacroix.
With her stepfather ready to sell her "favors" to clear his gambling debts, Roche represented Samma's only avenue of escape from an unthinkable future on Cristoforo Island.
Only a few hours earlier, the lips that opened the suggestive negotiation had made Samma so thoroughly aware of being female. Samma couldn't help feeling that life was doubly unfair.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
3 people are currently reading
151 people want to read
About the author
Sara Craven
493 books267 followersAnne Bushell was born on October 1938 in South Devon, England, just before World War II and grew up in a house crammed with books. She was always a voracious reader, some of her all-time favorites books are: "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen, "Middlemarch" by George Eliot, "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë, "Gone With the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell and "The Code of the Woosters" by P. G. Wodehouse.
She worked as journalist at the Paignton Observer, but after her marriage, she moved to the north of England, where she worked as teacher. After she returned to journalism, she joined the Middlesbrough Writers' Group, where she met other romance writer Mildred Grieveson (Anne Mather). She started to wrote romance, and she had her first novel "Garden of Dreams" accepted by Mills & Boon in 1975, she published her work under the pseudonym of Sara Craven. In 2010 she became chairman of the Southern Writers' Conference, and the next year was elected the twenty-six Chairman (2011–2013) of the Romantic Novelists' Association.
Divorced twice, Annie lives in Somerset, South West England, and shares her home with a West Highland white terrier called Bertie Wooster. In her house, she had several thousand books, and an amazing video collection. When she's not writing, she enjoys watching very old films, listening to music, going to the theatre, and eating in good restaurants. She also likes to travel in Europe, to inspire her romances, especially in France, Greece and Italy where many of her novels are set. Since the birth of her twin grandchildren, she is also a regular visitor to New York City, where the little tots live. In 1997, she was the overall winner of the BBC's Mastermind, winning the last final presented by Magnus Magnusson.
She worked as journalist at the Paignton Observer, but after her marriage, she moved to the north of England, where she worked as teacher. After she returned to journalism, she joined the Middlesbrough Writers' Group, where she met other romance writer Mildred Grieveson (Anne Mather). She started to wrote romance, and she had her first novel "Garden of Dreams" accepted by Mills & Boon in 1975, she published her work under the pseudonym of Sara Craven. In 2010 she became chairman of the Southern Writers' Conference, and the next year was elected the twenty-six Chairman (2011–2013) of the Romantic Novelists' Association.
Divorced twice, Annie lives in Somerset, South West England, and shares her home with a West Highland white terrier called Bertie Wooster. In her house, she had several thousand books, and an amazing video collection. When she's not writing, she enjoys watching very old films, listening to music, going to the theatre, and eating in good restaurants. She also likes to travel in Europe, to inspire her romances, especially in France, Greece and Italy where many of her novels are set. Since the birth of her twin grandchildren, she is also a regular visitor to New York City, where the little tots live. In 1997, she was the overall winner of the BBC's Mastermind, winning the last final presented by Magnus Magnusson.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
November 27, 2016
This was ridiculously fun - or ridiculous depending on your mood or ability to suspend disbelief. There are excellent spoiler reviews below, so I won't go into the plot details. Instead, I'll list what made this a five star fun read for me.
1. Hero/heroine meet cute. She draws him as a pirate, he acts like a pirate toward her - complete with manhandling and a quick spanking.
2. Air of menace from all sides - first at the skeevy casino her stepfather owns, then at the "Diablo's" house with rumors of the first wife's death, lipstick warnings on the mirror and a cut up dress straight out of Jane Eyre.
3. Evil, precocious child who needs love.
4. Standoffish hero who blows hot and cold.
5. Mysterious housekeeper, poisonous neighbor. OTT OWs make my day.
6. The buildup to the consummation of their marriage lasted the entire book - and the heroine's invitation to the hero to These two are going to have a lot of fun together.
1. Hero/heroine meet cute. She draws him as a pirate, he acts like a pirate toward her - complete with manhandling and a quick spanking.
2. Air of menace from all sides - first at the skeevy casino her stepfather owns, then at the "Diablo's" house with rumors of the first wife's death, lipstick warnings on the mirror and a cut up dress straight out of Jane Eyre.
3. Evil, precocious child who needs love.
4. Standoffish hero who blows hot and cold.
5. Mysterious housekeeper, poisonous neighbor. OTT OWs make my day.
6. The buildup to the consummation of their marriage lasted the entire book - and the heroine's invitation to the hero to These two are going to have a lot of fun together.
November 26, 2016
Re Devil and the Deep Sea - SC is back with a gothic lite that involves pirates, creepy legends, crazy ladies who should be banished to the attic and a kid that could put Damien from the Omen in the corner as a wimpy little poser. Which is probably apropos cause technically she is Le Diable's ( The Devil for those of use who aren't Francophiles) daughter.
Our h is a 19yr old sweet and innocent miss who really wants to be an art teacher but is stuck on this tropical island with a smarmy nematode for a stepfather who just can't wait to pimp her out to skeevy old dudes who he owes gambling debts to. She needs a lot of money cause airfare to Europe is bucco bucks, but she is stuck slaving for no wages at her stepfather's hotel, so she does tourist sketches at the quay to make some cash. She needs to raise her rates by 300%, cause obviously she isn't making enough to put a dent in the airfare. She meets our Pirate H when she spies him doing the "Gropey Eyes" move that every Pirate HP H perfects by the age of five. This irks our h, cause she has a feisty side and she doesn't take eyeball groping lightly.
She thinks the H is just a deckhand with a remarkable resemblance to an old skool Caribbean Pirate, except he only wears really skimpy cut offs and obviously can't afford the fashionable Pirate wardrobe with leather boots, bandolier, (and only for special plank walkings,) flowing white shirt accented by stripped pantaloons. That's okay tho, the h can have the feels for being poor, she draws a quick caricature of the H and affords him the full Pirate regalia, complete with parrot. The drawing brings in lots and lot of customers, so maybe the rates will only have to be raised 150%. Obviously piracy is good for business.
Until the Pirate himself comes over to see the joke and he doesn't seem to be amused or appreciative of the business boosting abilities of his Piratical likeness. He sweeps the h off her feet by throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her onto the yacht. Words are exchanged and the H decides that discipline must be administered. He spanks the h right there in the main saloon of the yacht and the h is angry, humiliated and done. She runs back to the hotel, while her so called friends on the quay are laughing that she was literally carried off. (Another HP where the h's friends are worse than enemies really.)
Later on nematode step father decides the h needs to tart it up and be nice to the customers. The h reluctantly dons the way too small cocktail dress and guess who the first customer is? Yep it is the H, except he isn't really a deckhand and he owns that yacht, plus most of an island and a huge casino on it. He is also a ringer for the original Le Diable, a French pirate who ran around wild during the buccaneering days, got a King's pardon and settled down to running his own little Caribbean empire. So you could say the H is just continuing the family tradition.
The h isn't too thrilled to see Mr. Eyeball and Spanky Hands but she has to be nice to the customers so that they can get ripped off per the step father's hotel rules, but the H and h have a few more harsh words. Then the h reaches her tolerance limit when she gets a champagne cocktail instead of the fruit juice she really wanted, and the H unwisely opens his mouth with a snarky remark about the h giving up a year of her life to be with him, so the champagne cocktail winds up soaking his head. Well, everybody needed to cool off a bit anyways, so the h takes off again and the real bar tart goes out to entertain the H.
Later that night the nematode stepfather comes in and looks terrible, he has lost everything to the Pirate H and our h now has to go sell herself to the skeevy old guy friend of the nematode so that skeevy guy will bail the nematode out. The h calls him out on nematode pimpness and tells him he is on his own this time. Then our h decides that if any selling of selves is going to be done, she will do it herself and she picks the Pirate, so off to make an offer she goes. And she finds the H naked in bed having breakfast. She is horrified, but it doesn't stop her from making her proposition to accept his proposition.
I just have to admire this girl's single mindedness in selling herself as a solution. I mean srsly, she couldn't get another job on such a busy tourist island? She couldn't get a fisherman friend to boat hop her over to another island? She couldn't just keep working at the hotel and this time for a decent wage as it is under new management? (SC probably considered all of this and decided, well where is all the fun in that? And just threw the options out the window.)
The H accepts of course, after putting the sweet innocent h through the torment of being told to take off her clothes right then and there and leave them on the chair and join him in bed. The h reluctantly starts to comply, but a timely phone call interrupts the action and the H is called away. But he will be back.
The h meantime has had some belated second thoughts on this venture of selling one's self into tarthood. Mainly cause the H is a pirate and he looks rather experienced - and she isn't. Her doubts multiply on the reality that the H's boudoir bouncing tastes probably include some wildly gourmet concoction filled with exotic herbs and spices and the h hasn't even fried an egg sandwich minus the bit of parsley garnish. She decides to rescind her offer due to doubts about her ability to give complete job satisfaction as she has no cooking experience.
The H then asks the h if plans on becoming a shrine to perpetual chastity and the h has to answer she doesn't know, but she is sure she doesn't want to hang with the H any longer. This is his to cue to do the roofie kissing thing, whereupon the H comments she would be a really fast learner in gourmet fusion skills. This food fest is interrupted by the arrival of the nematode and skeevy guy. The nematode tries to pay the H off with skeevy guys money, but the H tells them that plan is a no go, cause he is a Pirate and he is keeping the h as bounty.
The h is to be his nanny for his little daughter. This is news to everybody and nematode has to work at the hotel as the manager and pay the money he owes to the H back out of his salary. Skeevy guy storms off and we can finally get off this island.
The H explains to the wildly befuddled but relieved h that his wife is dead and has been for a year, but she had parents that were even more avaricious than she was (and that is saying something.) The evil in laws want to contest custody of his child and make the H pay a lot of money for maintenance, but the H is going to marry the h for the look of thing - and with a wife the evil in laws don't have a case.
The h will marry him for a year, the evil in laws will go away and the little girl can go to the most stringent convent school the H can find after the year is up. The h had been planning on jumping ship and hiding out, but she feels bad for any little girl who has a Pirate Devil for a dad, so she will go and be her friend. The H and h marry for the look of the thing and the H mentions that the h doesn't have to worry, he already has a mistress, so gourmet meal preparation won't be required from the h.
The h now worries about how she and Le Diable's spawn will get along. The H has made it very clear that he and his late wife were NOT friends and NOT compatible, she basically wandered off for seven years and then wandered back and died at the H's estate when her luck ran out. The H doesn't seem to care very much and the h gets the first look at his estate. She is a bit disappointed, there is no Gothic gloomy ruin with a skull and crossbones flying in the wind, it is just your run of the mill average 50 room house with white stucco and nice gardens. There is a housekeeper too, and the h immediately concludes based on the greeting between the H and her that she will be shacking up with the H's mistress too. She is a bit indignant that the H did not warn her and even more indignant that the housekeeper is also indifferent to the H's daughter skipping school and hanging at the neighbor lady's, who promised to post the girl back like a parcel posthaste.
The h does like the H's bedroom that adjoins hers tho, it is all green and gold with a five acre bed for gourmet deelites and the h thinks it looks just like a pricey jungle clearing. But the h has a little girl to meet and no time for dilly dallying, so after angry words with the H and a punishing kiss, the h goes down stairs to assume her happy wife face and we meet Solange, the H's daughter for the first time. (I have to laugh at SC's choice of a name for Le Diable's daughter. Solange literally means solemn or dignified but a fanciful French interpretation is either "Solitary Angel" or "Angel of the Sun" - as we shall soon see, this proves to be a bit misleading.)
Solange is clearly not happy to see the new family addition, she is being escorted by the neighbor lady she was visiting and her outrage at the h is apparent when she pronounces in a VOICE OF DOOM that the h must flee while she can or she too will be a victim of the family curse.
The original Le Diable, like any good pirate, got himself a good cursing by one of the men he held hostage for ransom. Specifics aren't given as to what this curse entails, but as Solange is clearly anticipating some horrible consequence to the h, it probably isn't something innocuous like getting a wart on your nose or hair in embarrassing places. Plus the original Le Diable is said to stalk the halls of the family mansion at night, and we all know that can't lead to anything good. The neighbor lady seems to be nice, tho the h would rather wean Solange away from her, the h feels strongly that little kids should be held closer to home and she aims to jump right on that.
There is also an immediate custody hearing, which goes in the H's favor after the h frankly answers the judge's questions and the grandparents predict all manner of dire fates -just like their daughter's - for the h. The h bribes Solange with a pretty doll and so the bonding process begins, with the h seething over the familiarity of the H's mistress pretending to be the housekeeper and Solange going on about pirate ghosts and family curses.
The H makes another attempt at gourmet meal fixing with the h, but they are interrupted once again by Solange's timely screams of terror - the pirate ghost was visiting apparently. The H insists he will stay with the little girl and the h is happy to see that the H does have some affection for the child, she was becoming very concerned over the H's distance towards the poor little mite but worried when the little mite confesses that daddy went somewhere else when he thought she was asleep. The h is thinking evil mistress thoughts at that moment.
The neighbor lady shows up again and in between describing her in depth research on the H's pirate legacy and her tactless comments about the h and Solange, an new wedge is driven between the h and the little girl. The h also has some problems with her husband presumably sleeping with his housekeeper with his wife and daughter in the same house. Since the neighbor lady had thoughtfully let the h know that the H's first wife committed suicide by driving her car off a cliff while drunk, and the H is also trying his best to seduce the h with impunity, the h can really feel the pressure starting to ratchet up, magnified by the fact that she now loves the H.
Then Solange decides that demon child spawn impersonations are way better than angelic ones and sets the h up in series of unfortunate incidents that leave the h looking neglectful - if not down right cruel. Solange writes nasty messages on the h's mirror with her lipstick, gets the h to teach her to swim and then accuses the h of trying to drown her - which every one believes because Solange's mother was drunk and threw her in the deep end of the pool and Solange has been terrified of water ever since. This incident causes huge problems between the H and h and the h accuses him of being neglectful in his parenting and smacks him a good one and then runs off.
The h and Solange manage a bit a truce and the h is starting to wonder just what is going on when the neighbor lady keeps imposing on them and making inappropriate comments. After a few more Pirate ghost sightings and a dress that was a gift to the h from the H slashed to shreds, the truth comes out.
Right after the H threatens to forcibly seduce the h, another phone call interrupts and the h flees back to the family manse. ( I think the H was beginning to believe he really WAS cursed cause he just can't get no satisfaction.) Solange is missing and the h goes to the neighbor lady's to find her.
The neighbor lady is clearly out of her mind as she slashes Solange's doll up and raves about Le Diable. She murdered the H's first wife by getting her drunk and driving her to the cliff and then encouraging the drunk lady to drive off it, she has been in and out of the H's house via a fire escape spying and things and she has been encouraging Solange in all her mischief. The crazy neighbor tries to slash the h's face with scissors, but the H comes in at just the right moment and the h's face is saved and the crazy neighbor carted off to a nice quiet padded room.
This is the cue for the H to tell the h she can go now and he has his aide give the h money and plane ticket, she just got voted off the island. Then the h finds out that the housekeeper is actually the H's half sister, they were so familiar with each other because they were related. Tho the half sister has issues with being the illegitimate child and she is actually in love with the H's aide. Since this is SC and not Anne Mather - there is no question of any kind of dubious relationship.
The h is ecstatic, cause that means that the H really wanted her and might like her too. She has learned a few things with all this Pirate nonsense and so she goes to the H's casino where he is holed up and demands recompense for all her pain and agony and horrible treatment she has endured since she married him.
The H goes to the safe to get more money, but the h tells him she wants payment in kind and he can leave his clothes on the chair. She then slinks into the bedroom and has to wonder if she just made an idiot of herself. The H slides his arms around her naked and finally we get to the culmination and consummation of their marriage. The H and h avow eternal love and the h finds out that Solange is not the H's bio child, even tho he told Solange she is his daughter when the neighbor lady went crazy and said Solange would be sent to an orphanage if she did not do what she said. The h is happy to be in love and happy to lurve it up and really happy that the H is going to try to be a decent dad for the big HEA.
This one was good, I especially liked the h's little pirate moves at the end - even tho she had no clue what to do after the 'leave your clothes on the chair' part. Fortunately the H had a yen to be a secret boy toy, so it worked out well for everybody in the end and we get a cute HEA and a good day out in HPlandia.
Our h is a 19yr old sweet and innocent miss who really wants to be an art teacher but is stuck on this tropical island with a smarmy nematode for a stepfather who just can't wait to pimp her out to skeevy old dudes who he owes gambling debts to. She needs a lot of money cause airfare to Europe is bucco bucks, but she is stuck slaving for no wages at her stepfather's hotel, so she does tourist sketches at the quay to make some cash. She needs to raise her rates by 300%, cause obviously she isn't making enough to put a dent in the airfare. She meets our Pirate H when she spies him doing the "Gropey Eyes" move that every Pirate HP H perfects by the age of five. This irks our h, cause she has a feisty side and she doesn't take eyeball groping lightly.
She thinks the H is just a deckhand with a remarkable resemblance to an old skool Caribbean Pirate, except he only wears really skimpy cut offs and obviously can't afford the fashionable Pirate wardrobe with leather boots, bandolier, (and only for special plank walkings,) flowing white shirt accented by stripped pantaloons. That's okay tho, the h can have the feels for being poor, she draws a quick caricature of the H and affords him the full Pirate regalia, complete with parrot. The drawing brings in lots and lot of customers, so maybe the rates will only have to be raised 150%. Obviously piracy is good for business.
Until the Pirate himself comes over to see the joke and he doesn't seem to be amused or appreciative of the business boosting abilities of his Piratical likeness. He sweeps the h off her feet by throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her onto the yacht. Words are exchanged and the H decides that discipline must be administered. He spanks the h right there in the main saloon of the yacht and the h is angry, humiliated and done. She runs back to the hotel, while her so called friends on the quay are laughing that she was literally carried off. (Another HP where the h's friends are worse than enemies really.)
Later on nematode step father decides the h needs to tart it up and be nice to the customers. The h reluctantly dons the way too small cocktail dress and guess who the first customer is? Yep it is the H, except he isn't really a deckhand and he owns that yacht, plus most of an island and a huge casino on it. He is also a ringer for the original Le Diable, a French pirate who ran around wild during the buccaneering days, got a King's pardon and settled down to running his own little Caribbean empire. So you could say the H is just continuing the family tradition.
The h isn't too thrilled to see Mr. Eyeball and Spanky Hands but she has to be nice to the customers so that they can get ripped off per the step father's hotel rules, but the H and h have a few more harsh words. Then the h reaches her tolerance limit when she gets a champagne cocktail instead of the fruit juice she really wanted, and the H unwisely opens his mouth with a snarky remark about the h giving up a year of her life to be with him, so the champagne cocktail winds up soaking his head. Well, everybody needed to cool off a bit anyways, so the h takes off again and the real bar tart goes out to entertain the H.
Later that night the nematode stepfather comes in and looks terrible, he has lost everything to the Pirate H and our h now has to go sell herself to the skeevy old guy friend of the nematode so that skeevy guy will bail the nematode out. The h calls him out on nematode pimpness and tells him he is on his own this time. Then our h decides that if any selling of selves is going to be done, she will do it herself and she picks the Pirate, so off to make an offer she goes. And she finds the H naked in bed having breakfast. She is horrified, but it doesn't stop her from making her proposition to accept his proposition.
I just have to admire this girl's single mindedness in selling herself as a solution. I mean srsly, she couldn't get another job on such a busy tourist island? She couldn't get a fisherman friend to boat hop her over to another island? She couldn't just keep working at the hotel and this time for a decent wage as it is under new management? (SC probably considered all of this and decided, well where is all the fun in that? And just threw the options out the window.)
The H accepts of course, after putting the sweet innocent h through the torment of being told to take off her clothes right then and there and leave them on the chair and join him in bed. The h reluctantly starts to comply, but a timely phone call interrupts the action and the H is called away. But he will be back.
The h meantime has had some belated second thoughts on this venture of selling one's self into tarthood. Mainly cause the H is a pirate and he looks rather experienced - and she isn't. Her doubts multiply on the reality that the H's boudoir bouncing tastes probably include some wildly gourmet concoction filled with exotic herbs and spices and the h hasn't even fried an egg sandwich minus the bit of parsley garnish. She decides to rescind her offer due to doubts about her ability to give complete job satisfaction as she has no cooking experience.
The H then asks the h if plans on becoming a shrine to perpetual chastity and the h has to answer she doesn't know, but she is sure she doesn't want to hang with the H any longer. This is his to cue to do the roofie kissing thing, whereupon the H comments she would be a really fast learner in gourmet fusion skills. This food fest is interrupted by the arrival of the nematode and skeevy guy. The nematode tries to pay the H off with skeevy guys money, but the H tells them that plan is a no go, cause he is a Pirate and he is keeping the h as bounty.
The h is to be his nanny for his little daughter. This is news to everybody and nematode has to work at the hotel as the manager and pay the money he owes to the H back out of his salary. Skeevy guy storms off and we can finally get off this island.
The H explains to the wildly befuddled but relieved h that his wife is dead and has been for a year, but she had parents that were even more avaricious than she was (and that is saying something.) The evil in laws want to contest custody of his child and make the H pay a lot of money for maintenance, but the H is going to marry the h for the look of thing - and with a wife the evil in laws don't have a case.
The h will marry him for a year, the evil in laws will go away and the little girl can go to the most stringent convent school the H can find after the year is up. The h had been planning on jumping ship and hiding out, but she feels bad for any little girl who has a Pirate Devil for a dad, so she will go and be her friend. The H and h marry for the look of the thing and the H mentions that the h doesn't have to worry, he already has a mistress, so gourmet meal preparation won't be required from the h.
The h now worries about how she and Le Diable's spawn will get along. The H has made it very clear that he and his late wife were NOT friends and NOT compatible, she basically wandered off for seven years and then wandered back and died at the H's estate when her luck ran out. The H doesn't seem to care very much and the h gets the first look at his estate. She is a bit disappointed, there is no Gothic gloomy ruin with a skull and crossbones flying in the wind, it is just your run of the mill average 50 room house with white stucco and nice gardens. There is a housekeeper too, and the h immediately concludes based on the greeting between the H and her that she will be shacking up with the H's mistress too. She is a bit indignant that the H did not warn her and even more indignant that the housekeeper is also indifferent to the H's daughter skipping school and hanging at the neighbor lady's, who promised to post the girl back like a parcel posthaste.
The h does like the H's bedroom that adjoins hers tho, it is all green and gold with a five acre bed for gourmet deelites and the h thinks it looks just like a pricey jungle clearing. But the h has a little girl to meet and no time for dilly dallying, so after angry words with the H and a punishing kiss, the h goes down stairs to assume her happy wife face and we meet Solange, the H's daughter for the first time. (I have to laugh at SC's choice of a name for Le Diable's daughter. Solange literally means solemn or dignified but a fanciful French interpretation is either "Solitary Angel" or "Angel of the Sun" - as we shall soon see, this proves to be a bit misleading.)
Solange is clearly not happy to see the new family addition, she is being escorted by the neighbor lady she was visiting and her outrage at the h is apparent when she pronounces in a VOICE OF DOOM that the h must flee while she can or she too will be a victim of the family curse.
The original Le Diable, like any good pirate, got himself a good cursing by one of the men he held hostage for ransom. Specifics aren't given as to what this curse entails, but as Solange is clearly anticipating some horrible consequence to the h, it probably isn't something innocuous like getting a wart on your nose or hair in embarrassing places. Plus the original Le Diable is said to stalk the halls of the family mansion at night, and we all know that can't lead to anything good. The neighbor lady seems to be nice, tho the h would rather wean Solange away from her, the h feels strongly that little kids should be held closer to home and she aims to jump right on that.
There is also an immediate custody hearing, which goes in the H's favor after the h frankly answers the judge's questions and the grandparents predict all manner of dire fates -just like their daughter's - for the h. The h bribes Solange with a pretty doll and so the bonding process begins, with the h seething over the familiarity of the H's mistress pretending to be the housekeeper and Solange going on about pirate ghosts and family curses.
The H makes another attempt at gourmet meal fixing with the h, but they are interrupted once again by Solange's timely screams of terror - the pirate ghost was visiting apparently. The H insists he will stay with the little girl and the h is happy to see that the H does have some affection for the child, she was becoming very concerned over the H's distance towards the poor little mite but worried when the little mite confesses that daddy went somewhere else when he thought she was asleep. The h is thinking evil mistress thoughts at that moment.
The neighbor lady shows up again and in between describing her in depth research on the H's pirate legacy and her tactless comments about the h and Solange, an new wedge is driven between the h and the little girl. The h also has some problems with her husband presumably sleeping with his housekeeper with his wife and daughter in the same house. Since the neighbor lady had thoughtfully let the h know that the H's first wife committed suicide by driving her car off a cliff while drunk, and the H is also trying his best to seduce the h with impunity, the h can really feel the pressure starting to ratchet up, magnified by the fact that she now loves the H.
Then Solange decides that demon child spawn impersonations are way better than angelic ones and sets the h up in series of unfortunate incidents that leave the h looking neglectful - if not down right cruel. Solange writes nasty messages on the h's mirror with her lipstick, gets the h to teach her to swim and then accuses the h of trying to drown her - which every one believes because Solange's mother was drunk and threw her in the deep end of the pool and Solange has been terrified of water ever since. This incident causes huge problems between the H and h and the h accuses him of being neglectful in his parenting and smacks him a good one and then runs off.
The h and Solange manage a bit a truce and the h is starting to wonder just what is going on when the neighbor lady keeps imposing on them and making inappropriate comments. After a few more Pirate ghost sightings and a dress that was a gift to the h from the H slashed to shreds, the truth comes out.
Right after the H threatens to forcibly seduce the h, another phone call interrupts and the h flees back to the family manse. ( I think the H was beginning to believe he really WAS cursed cause he just can't get no satisfaction.) Solange is missing and the h goes to the neighbor lady's to find her.
The neighbor lady is clearly out of her mind as she slashes Solange's doll up and raves about Le Diable. She murdered the H's first wife by getting her drunk and driving her to the cliff and then encouraging the drunk lady to drive off it, she has been in and out of the H's house via a fire escape spying and things and she has been encouraging Solange in all her mischief. The crazy neighbor tries to slash the h's face with scissors, but the H comes in at just the right moment and the h's face is saved and the crazy neighbor carted off to a nice quiet padded room.
This is the cue for the H to tell the h she can go now and he has his aide give the h money and plane ticket, she just got voted off the island. Then the h finds out that the housekeeper is actually the H's half sister, they were so familiar with each other because they were related. Tho the half sister has issues with being the illegitimate child and she is actually in love with the H's aide. Since this is SC and not Anne Mather - there is no question of any kind of dubious relationship.
The h is ecstatic, cause that means that the H really wanted her and might like her too. She has learned a few things with all this Pirate nonsense and so she goes to the H's casino where he is holed up and demands recompense for all her pain and agony and horrible treatment she has endured since she married him.
The H goes to the safe to get more money, but the h tells him she wants payment in kind and he can leave his clothes on the chair. She then slinks into the bedroom and has to wonder if she just made an idiot of herself. The H slides his arms around her naked and finally we get to the culmination and consummation of their marriage. The H and h avow eternal love and the h finds out that Solange is not the H's bio child, even tho he told Solange she is his daughter when the neighbor lady went crazy and said Solange would be sent to an orphanage if she did not do what she said. The h is happy to be in love and happy to lurve it up and really happy that the H is going to try to be a decent dad for the big HEA.
This one was good, I especially liked the h's little pirate moves at the end - even tho she had no clue what to do after the 'leave your clothes on the chair' part. Fortunately the H had a yen to be a secret boy toy, so it worked out well for everybody in the end and we get a cute HEA and a good day out in HPlandia.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 4, 2016
A smorgasbord of HP tropes. This one has the hero spanking the heroine minutes after meeting her, and basically forcing her into marriage the next day. As soon as they are married, he reneges on his promise to keep his distance as this was supposed to be only a marriage of convenience and gets all rapey with her. But that's ok because she already loves him. *eye-roll*
Add in a stepdaughter that makes Damien from the Omen look like a regular choirboy, a TSTL heroine who mistakes the housekeeper for being the OW when the real OW is, quite literally, under her nose the entire time, some ancient curse about the H's pirate ancestor, the suspicious death of H's first wife, and a psycho OW who likes to slash things with her sharp scissors, from the h's evening gown to her face.
I checked, and incredibly, the author forgot to add the kitchen sink to this story because it really seems like everything else went into the pot!
Add in a stepdaughter that makes Damien from the Omen look like a regular choirboy, a TSTL heroine who mistakes the housekeeper for being the OW when the real OW is, quite literally, under her nose the entire time, some ancient curse about the H's pirate ancestor, the suspicious death of H's first wife, and a psycho OW who likes to slash things with her sharp scissors, from the h's evening gown to her face.
I checked, and incredibly, the author forgot to add the kitchen sink to this story because it really seems like everything else went into the pot!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2015
I usually read Sara Craven for the crazies. Her stock-in-trade tends to be forced seduction, but this didn't have that, although there were a few times where you thought maybe it'll happen. That's a good or a bad depending on your HP crazy-o-meter setting and your tolerance for forced seduction in romance. Disclaimer: Forced seduction in romance is (to me) nothing but fantasy it has nothing to do with real life attitudes toward rape.
Anyway, this book was somewhat reminiscent of one of my fav crazies by her The Highest Stakes of All. In both Daddy (actually step-father in this case) is a compulsive gambler and willing to use his virginal daughter to pay off a gambling debt.
Holy macaroni! I thought I'd hit the batsh*t HP jackpot, given that this was written in '89 and THSOA was written in 2011 (which still boggles). I thought that since this was written in the height of the bodice-ripper days this should be at least as crazy and likely even MORE crazy than THSOA. Alas, that was not the case. This was far less crazy all around and much less un-PC than the newer book
There is a spanking, which could be a no-go for some - but "hey" I'm a freak like that and it wasn't a beating (which I can't do). Here's the basic plot outline with no real spoilers (only things that come out fairly early in the book):
The British heroine is stuck on a Caribbean island after her mother dies leaving her with her step-dad who runs a fairly lucrative hotel there for tourists and gamblers. Problem is, he's been neglecting the business end of things in favor of his penchant for compulsive gambling which keeps getting worse and worse.
Samantha (or Samma for short) just wants to go back to England and get an education and teach art, but she needs some savings first. Step dad pays her for her work at the hotel with room and board only, so she makes money by drawing those quickie portraits that you always see in a touristy spot.
One day she's doing her usual thing when she notices this really hot "ship hand" checking her out down by the docks where she's setup her easel. She thinks he's a bit too arrogant, so she draws a caricature of him as a pirate, complete with a parrot on his shoulder.
He recognizes himself and decides to play the part of pirate and carry her off on his shoulder to a bar for drinks when she refuses his offer.
Once there, she is pretty mouthy to him for his shenanigans and he turns her over his knee right in front of everyone and spanks her. He's not trying to hurt her, mostly just trying to humiliate her in kind for her caricature and display his awesome control freak HP alphaness. She runs off furious and embarrassed and he just laughs, which makes her MORE furious.
Later he turns up at her step-dad's hotel dressed in very expensive clothes and she realizes that he is not a ship hand, but an obscenely rich descendent of a French pirate (nicknamed something like 'the Devil') who had established his own empire on another island back in the pirating days. His descendants still rule the roost there (albeit not as pirates) and the hero, Roche, is the current top dog.
Stupid step-dad loses all (hotel included) to the hero. His plan is to get a loan from a frequent gambling buddy in exchange for Samma being "friendly" with him. She's not too keen on that since he's a middle aged, fat lecher. So, she goes to the H for help deciding if she had to sell herself it may as well be to someone hot (as the title indicates she's 'between the devil and the deep blue'). She decides on this course of action because the hero had already offered to pay her for a "year of her life". She thinks she'll endure the year, get the money, then go back to England and forget it all happened.
Instead, the year he proposes is really a MOC where she takes care of his "daughter" from his previous marriage (he's a widower).
The hero, Roche, messes with Samma's head quite a bit so she's always confused as to his intentions. Plus there are mysteries and intrigues on the island, including a OW that's not and one that would like to be.
Of course we have the usual misunderstanding between H and h regarding their feelings for one another. Roche is too proud to come out and admit that he never wanted a MOC and was smitten from the start and used that as an excuse to get her in his clutches. Samma is also confused by his hot/cold behavior and the does he/doesn't he have a mistress question. Throw in a homicidal wannabe-OW and the misunderstanding comes to a head, then HEA.
Anyway, this book was somewhat reminiscent of one of my fav crazies by her The Highest Stakes of All. In both Daddy (actually step-father in this case) is a compulsive gambler and willing to use his virginal daughter to pay off a gambling debt.
Holy macaroni! I thought I'd hit the batsh*t HP jackpot, given that this was written in '89 and THSOA was written in 2011 (which still boggles). I thought that since this was written in the height of the bodice-ripper days this should be at least as crazy and likely even MORE crazy than THSOA. Alas, that was not the case. This was far less crazy all around and much less un-PC than the newer book
There is a spanking, which could be a no-go for some - but "hey" I'm a freak like that and it wasn't a beating (which I can't do). Here's the basic plot outline with no real spoilers (only things that come out fairly early in the book):
The British heroine is stuck on a Caribbean island after her mother dies leaving her with her step-dad who runs a fairly lucrative hotel there for tourists and gamblers. Problem is, he's been neglecting the business end of things in favor of his penchant for compulsive gambling which keeps getting worse and worse.
Samantha (or Samma for short) just wants to go back to England and get an education and teach art, but she needs some savings first. Step dad pays her for her work at the hotel with room and board only, so she makes money by drawing those quickie portraits that you always see in a touristy spot.
One day she's doing her usual thing when she notices this really hot "ship hand" checking her out down by the docks where she's setup her easel. She thinks he's a bit too arrogant, so she draws a caricature of him as a pirate, complete with a parrot on his shoulder.
He recognizes himself and decides to play the part of pirate and carry her off on his shoulder to a bar for drinks when she refuses his offer.
Once there, she is pretty mouthy to him for his shenanigans and he turns her over his knee right in front of everyone and spanks her. He's not trying to hurt her, mostly just trying to humiliate her in kind for her caricature and display his awesome control freak HP alphaness. She runs off furious and embarrassed and he just laughs, which makes her MORE furious.
Later he turns up at her step-dad's hotel dressed in very expensive clothes and she realizes that he is not a ship hand, but an obscenely rich descendent of a French pirate (nicknamed something like 'the Devil') who had established his own empire on another island back in the pirating days. His descendants still rule the roost there (albeit not as pirates) and the hero, Roche, is the current top dog.
Stupid step-dad loses all (hotel included) to the hero. His plan is to get a loan from a frequent gambling buddy in exchange for Samma being "friendly" with him. She's not too keen on that since he's a middle aged, fat lecher. So, she goes to the H for help deciding if she had to sell herself it may as well be to someone hot (as the title indicates she's 'between the devil and the deep blue'). She decides on this course of action because the hero had already offered to pay her for a "year of her life". She thinks she'll endure the year, get the money, then go back to England and forget it all happened.
Instead, the year he proposes is really a MOC where she takes care of his "daughter" from his previous marriage (he's a widower).
The hero, Roche, messes with Samma's head quite a bit so she's always confused as to his intentions. Plus there are mysteries and intrigues on the island, including a OW that's not and one that would like to be.
Of course we have the usual misunderstanding between H and h regarding their feelings for one another. Roche is too proud to come out and admit that he never wanted a MOC and was smitten from the start and used that as an excuse to get her in his clutches. Samma is also confused by his hot/cold behavior and the does he/doesn't he have a mistress question. Throw in a homicidal wannabe-OW and the misunderstanding comes to a head, then HEA.
December 23, 2020
Sara Craven does Caribbean Gothic (it's a thing!), with pirate ghosts, stalkeriffic crazy ladies with slashing scissors, an innocent heroine coerced into an MoC with a piratical descendent of El Diable with a penchant for spanking (so, typical SC), the most unlikely custody battle ever, a rebellious and resentful stepdaughter, a beautiful housekeeper who may or may not be (1) Mrs. Danversing the heroine and (2) possibly the hero's mistress... shall I go on? Because there is more: punishing kisses, forced almost-seduction, unforced almost-seduction, instalove, a smitten hero behaving badly, drinks thrown in faces, skinny dipping, lots of advance-retreat seduction scenes, more stepchild antics (fake drowning! Ghost messages in mirrors!), hurt feelings, misunderstandings, some angry angst. And throughout all of this, our teenaged heroine somehow mostly keeps her cools and deals, for the most part, practically and sensibly with all the OTT drama!
Wow, this was a lot of fun, I have to say--ludicrous, old-skool, no holds barred. Somehow SC managed to make this funny, dramatic, suspenseful, and pretty hot all in one 187 page package. Quite a feat! Boogenhausen thoroughly and amusingly recaps the entire thing, so read her review for more deets--or just plunge on in, like our intrepid heroine does.
Wow, this was a lot of fun, I have to say--ludicrous, old-skool, no holds barred. Somehow SC managed to make this funny, dramatic, suspenseful, and pretty hot all in one 187 page package. Quite a feat! Boogenhausen thoroughly and amusingly recaps the entire thing, so read her review for more deets--or just plunge on in, like our intrepid heroine does.
April 4, 2016
Samma is sketching portraits for tourists down by the docks when she catches sight of piratical Roche, lolling about on a swanky yacht. He gives her a ‘You are too young to know what this means but I would totally dominate you in the bedroom and have you begging for more’ look. Samma, irritated, lampoons him in art.
So he takes her on board his yacht and spanks her. Kinky, I know! Sara Craven will just slip this sort of thing in occasionally, without developing some full-blown BDSM out of it.
Samma is 19. She works for her stepfather at his hotel as an unpaid dogsbody. Her stepfather is looking forward to trading her to some disgusting rich fat man for enough money to keep his struggling business afloat. Samma is fully aware that she’s on the sexual chopping block, and is bitter about it. She dreams of going to art school in London.
The axe falls on her sexual chopping block the morning after Samma decides to go skinny dipping in the employee’s swimming pool. Look, I know she’s got that whole brain hasn’t formed yet to fully appreciate risks, but this is pretty gross. I can’t imagine that employee swimming pools are pristine environments under the best of circumstances, but the risks of picking up some nasty bacteria from a swimming pool attached to a hotel about to go under must be pretty astronomical. I know a bit of spandex is probably no real protection against cryptosporidium, but: eww. Anyway, Samma gets a feeling like she’s being watched. She is.
With her fate as fat rich man’s plaything is decided, Samma goes to Roche for help. Maybe he can take her away in his yacht? She will totally work her passage in some decent and moral way? Nah, says Roche, we’re getting married. That’s my final offer.
So up until this point, Roche has been all sexy innuendo, but now he 360s on the whole idea of getting in Samma’s pants. Is she crazy? He has sexy women lined up at the foot of his bed! He has a mistress! No, what Roche wants is a white lady stepmother for his demon spawn daughter. He has to get married otherwise a judge might award custody of his daughter to his dead wife’s family. Then he would have to pay those leeches maintenance, and probably they will make his daughter horrible. Well, more horrible.
He dismisses Samma’s observation that she’s a teenager as immaterial. I admire Samma for being self-aware enough to know this is ridiculous. It almost makes up for her baby name, which I really dislike. She’s willing to go along with it because Roche is clearly a terrible father, and her own experience with her terrible stepfather has made her sympathetic of what the poor daughter must be suffering. Plus, now that he’s pretending he doesn’t want her, she really digs him.
So Samma marries Roche and they go home to his island, where he owns a casino hotel. Of course she convinces a judge that she’s a fit parent, and then it’s off to Roche’s remote mansion far away from civilisation. Here, Roche plans to abandon her to a house full of servants and the daughter he’s being all gothic about. All the way there, Samma is obsessing about this mistress. What’s she like? Does she live with Roche in his hotel? Is Roche in love with her? Does she like spankings?
Waiting out front is the sexy housekeeper and Samma’s all, oh, there she is, and now I understand why he didn’t just marry her. The sexy housekeeper is a woman of colour, and while this is not the reason Roche didn’t marry her, what really distracted me was whether Samma was being racist, or whether she thought everyone else was so racist that trashy teenage white girl with an English accent always trumps educated, competent woman of colour.
Sexy housekeeper started out as a nurse, and looked after demon spawn daughter’s lush mum. While she’s likeable, her competence is a little questionable. She hasn’t managed to work out the gothic forces at work behind lush mum’s untimely death, and the cause of demon spawn daughter’s disturbing anxiety attacks.
Samma is not an instant hit with the daughter. The daughter is having a just terrible time of it and her father is definitely neglecting her. She is really messed up and totally primed to grow up to be the unstable and wicked other woman in a romance novel.
Samma’s got a difficult job. She gets to stumble through all the gothic mysteries and be a complete failure at raising a demon spawn while she yearns for Roche’s attention and curses him for making her feel this way while he’s off having fun with other women. She’s pretty and silly.
Roche, in the manner of many ridiculously alpha men, shoots himself in the foot with that mistress comment. Sure, I get that he had his pride and didn’t want Samma to know, at first, just how much he was panting after her. And then later, when he was super in love with her, he didn’t want her to know the power she had over his delicate feelings. He’s like that guy you knew when you were a teenager, the guy who was kind of geeky, and didn’t have a girlfriend, but flat out insisted that he was totes experienced at sex and how dare anyone imply otherwise. Roche’s only redeeming feature is that he is torturing himself over his feelings for Samma.
I always like a gothic and enjoy people being idiots, so this was fun. There’s a reference that seems to suggest Roche might start spending more time at home, but it wasn’t very convincing. While they get to declare their love at the end and it’s all rosy, I suspect these two will still end up living separate lives until their marriage ends. It’s sad that Samma will probably never get to go to art college in London, because her destiny is motherhood. Hopefully, the island has a good art school and an artist community and she can go hang out there while the kids are at school.
So he takes her on board his yacht and spanks her. Kinky, I know! Sara Craven will just slip this sort of thing in occasionally, without developing some full-blown BDSM out of it.
Samma is 19. She works for her stepfather at his hotel as an unpaid dogsbody. Her stepfather is looking forward to trading her to some disgusting rich fat man for enough money to keep his struggling business afloat. Samma is fully aware that she’s on the sexual chopping block, and is bitter about it. She dreams of going to art school in London.
The axe falls on her sexual chopping block the morning after Samma decides to go skinny dipping in the employee’s swimming pool. Look, I know she’s got that whole brain hasn’t formed yet to fully appreciate risks, but this is pretty gross. I can’t imagine that employee swimming pools are pristine environments under the best of circumstances, but the risks of picking up some nasty bacteria from a swimming pool attached to a hotel about to go under must be pretty astronomical. I know a bit of spandex is probably no real protection against cryptosporidium, but: eww. Anyway, Samma gets a feeling like she’s being watched. She is.
With her fate as fat rich man’s plaything is decided, Samma goes to Roche for help. Maybe he can take her away in his yacht? She will totally work her passage in some decent and moral way? Nah, says Roche, we’re getting married. That’s my final offer.
So up until this point, Roche has been all sexy innuendo, but now he 360s on the whole idea of getting in Samma’s pants. Is she crazy? He has sexy women lined up at the foot of his bed! He has a mistress! No, what Roche wants is a white lady stepmother for his demon spawn daughter. He has to get married otherwise a judge might award custody of his daughter to his dead wife’s family. Then he would have to pay those leeches maintenance, and probably they will make his daughter horrible. Well, more horrible.
He dismisses Samma’s observation that she’s a teenager as immaterial. I admire Samma for being self-aware enough to know this is ridiculous. It almost makes up for her baby name, which I really dislike. She’s willing to go along with it because Roche is clearly a terrible father, and her own experience with her terrible stepfather has made her sympathetic of what the poor daughter must be suffering. Plus, now that he’s pretending he doesn’t want her, she really digs him.
So Samma marries Roche and they go home to his island, where he owns a casino hotel. Of course she convinces a judge that she’s a fit parent, and then it’s off to Roche’s remote mansion far away from civilisation. Here, Roche plans to abandon her to a house full of servants and the daughter he’s being all gothic about. All the way there, Samma is obsessing about this mistress. What’s she like? Does she live with Roche in his hotel? Is Roche in love with her? Does she like spankings?
Waiting out front is the sexy housekeeper and Samma’s all, oh, there she is, and now I understand why he didn’t just marry her. The sexy housekeeper is a woman of colour, and while this is not the reason Roche didn’t marry her, what really distracted me was whether Samma was being racist, or whether she thought everyone else was so racist that trashy teenage white girl with an English accent always trumps educated, competent woman of colour.
Sexy housekeeper started out as a nurse, and looked after demon spawn daughter’s lush mum. While she’s likeable, her competence is a little questionable. She hasn’t managed to work out the gothic forces at work behind lush mum’s untimely death, and the cause of demon spawn daughter’s disturbing anxiety attacks.
Samma is not an instant hit with the daughter. The daughter is having a just terrible time of it and her father is definitely neglecting her. She is really messed up and totally primed to grow up to be the unstable and wicked other woman in a romance novel.
Samma’s got a difficult job. She gets to stumble through all the gothic mysteries and be a complete failure at raising a demon spawn while she yearns for Roche’s attention and curses him for making her feel this way while he’s off having fun with other women. She’s pretty and silly.
Roche, in the manner of many ridiculously alpha men, shoots himself in the foot with that mistress comment. Sure, I get that he had his pride and didn’t want Samma to know, at first, just how much he was panting after her. And then later, when he was super in love with her, he didn’t want her to know the power she had over his delicate feelings. He’s like that guy you knew when you were a teenager, the guy who was kind of geeky, and didn’t have a girlfriend, but flat out insisted that he was totes experienced at sex and how dare anyone imply otherwise. Roche’s only redeeming feature is that he is torturing himself over his feelings for Samma.
I always like a gothic and enjoy people being idiots, so this was fun. There’s a reference that seems to suggest Roche might start spending more time at home, but it wasn’t very convincing. While they get to declare their love at the end and it’s all rosy, I suspect these two will still end up living separate lives until their marriage ends. It’s sad that Samma will probably never get to go to art college in London, because her destiny is motherhood. Hopefully, the island has a good art school and an artist community and she can go hang out there while the kids are at school.
February 18, 2015
Great marriage of convenience story. Both hero and heroine are good, loving people and there is a strong mystery/ suspense element! Plus an evil wanna be other woman and poor heroine has to deal with a spoiled stepdaughter as well.
December 5, 2017
Although this book was written in the 1980's (1989 in fact), it felt like I was reading something from the 1950's, and that wasn't a bad thing at all. This is more of a thriller than a romance and I loved the gothic ambience the writing style evoked. A desperate waif seeking and finding shelter on an island owned by a pirate descendent who's inherited many traits from his infamous ancestor - what a fascinating story line!
The h Samma is looking for way off the island she lives on with her gambling-addict/shady step father. Funnily enough, it is his gambling debts that allow her to find the perfect escape - in the form of the H Roche (a modern day pirate, or so she thinks). He whisks her away to his lair and makes her his wife, presumably, to look after his precocious daughter. Upon arrival, Samma finds that she has many more responsibilities to shoulder along with playing nanny to Roche's child and this includes warding off curses, unravelling mysteries, dealing with her passionate husband (whose main source of frustration stems from the fact that he's always interrupted when he's trying to get close to his wife. lol.) and others. Thankfully, she manages to handle all of these with grace and finds true love and a permanent home in the process.
I liked the book very much. Quite different from SC's usual stuff, this type of plot I could definitely get used to. It had mystery/romance/excitement/action/drama - the whole package. I give this 4 stars!
The h Samma is looking for way off the island she lives on with her gambling-addict/shady step father. Funnily enough, it is his gambling debts that allow her to find the perfect escape - in the form of the H Roche (a modern day pirate, or so she thinks). He whisks her away to his lair and makes her his wife, presumably, to look after his precocious daughter. Upon arrival, Samma finds that she has many more responsibilities to shoulder along with playing nanny to Roche's child and this includes warding off curses, unravelling mysteries, dealing with her passionate husband (whose main source of frustration stems from the fact that he's always interrupted when he's trying to get close to his wife. lol.) and others. Thankfully, she manages to handle all of these with grace and finds true love and a permanent home in the process.
I liked the book very much. Quite different from SC's usual stuff, this type of plot I could definitely get used to. It had mystery/romance/excitement/action/drama - the whole package. I give this 4 stars!
May 15, 2022
What a fun read! It had elements of a modern day Johanna Lindsey(lite), with the mysteries and gothic feeling of a Jane Eyre. This story takes a little bit from a smattering of books, as you will have spankings, slappings, tossed drinks, not so adorable step children, evil ow’s, questionable house staff, secrets, and a hero with ties to pirates! It’s a jolly rollicking read! I absolutely cannot improve on the reviews out there, anything I could say is already in their fine reviews. Some of my favorite reviews on this book include:
Stmargarets: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Grrrrace: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Boogenhagens: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
For a different less flattering review of the book, Check out Naksed’s https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Stmargarets: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Grrrrace: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Boogenhagens: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
For a different less flattering review of the book, Check out Naksed’s https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
July 1, 2022
A legacy from my Reading Mills and Boons (M&B) Through the Ages project
I finally read this but no prize for me since I still have other books left on the shelf 🤦♀️
Originally published in 1988 - we follow our Alpha-asshole, sorry hero, Roche and his virginal 19 year old artist, angelic, perfection-on-earth (😂😂) heroine, Samma.
Ignoring the age thing - I think the author may have been smoking SOMETHING when she decided to shorten Samantha to Samma. I mean, I guess Sam was too pedestrian a nickname for our angelic heroine. Or the author was afraid Roche would mistake our heroine for a dude (which is possible because he was a bit of an idiot) 😂😂
This was such vintage M&B that even lines like this made me shake my head and grin:
“her eyes met another gaze … totally male in its assessment of the thrust of her rounded breasts against her brief cotton”
So obviously, my fatigue levels crossed some threshold as this entire book made me giggle. Again, I am not sure it should have - but who cares, it made me giggle so win for me! I mean our hero is compared to a pirate, he had a devil-spawn for a daughter, a sort-of-resident ghost in his castle / home / villa, has magic kissing powers which robs her of her willpower (and general language skills), crazy OW.
This also has the most dated description of the Islanders with all of them calling the hero “Mist’ Roche” that made me shake my head. I guess it’s meant to be charming in a ‘look how exotic their English is - how quaint”. I mention this as this was probably the most sour note in this completely OTT bonkers book.
I mean I am still not sure this is a romance per see but as a gothic comedy book this works wonders. It was all so much fun! I think it helped that Roche was probably the most irrelevant character in the book. For all his high and mighty alphaness everything happened around him. You could have replaced him with a pole and the book would still have worked - but been less funny.
4 stars!
I finally read this but no prize for me since I still have other books left on the shelf 🤦♀️
Originally published in 1988 - we follow our Alpha-asshole, sorry hero, Roche and his virginal 19 year old artist, angelic, perfection-on-earth (😂😂) heroine, Samma.
Ignoring the age thing - I think the author may have been smoking SOMETHING when she decided to shorten Samantha to Samma. I mean, I guess Sam was too pedestrian a nickname for our angelic heroine. Or the author was afraid Roche would mistake our heroine for a dude (which is possible because he was a bit of an idiot) 😂😂
This was such vintage M&B that even lines like this made me shake my head and grin:
“her eyes met another gaze … totally male in its assessment of the thrust of her rounded breasts against her brief cotton”
So obviously, my fatigue levels crossed some threshold as this entire book made me giggle. Again, I am not sure it should have - but who cares, it made me giggle so win for me! I mean our hero is compared to a pirate, he had a devil-spawn for a daughter, a sort-of-resident ghost in his castle / home / villa, has magic kissing powers which robs her of her willpower (and general language skills), crazy OW.
This also has the most dated description of the Islanders with all of them calling the hero “Mist’ Roche” that made me shake my head. I guess it’s meant to be charming in a ‘look how exotic their English is - how quaint”. I mention this as this was probably the most sour note in this completely OTT bonkers book.
I mean I am still not sure this is a romance per see but as a gothic comedy book this works wonders. It was all so much fun! I think it helped that Roche was probably the most irrelevant character in the book. For all his high and mighty alphaness everything happened around him. You could have replaced him with a pole and the book would still have worked - but been less funny.
4 stars!
May 23, 2018
This book read like an old 1940’s black and white movie. The cast of characters;
Sammy - poor innocent girl who is forced to marry our hero Roche to save herself from a worse fate.
Roche - the dark, brooding husband is unkind to his innocent wife. He has more secrets than the intelligence community!
Elvira - the beautiful housekeeper/other woman(?) in the hero’s life.
Solange - the hero’s traumatized daughter from his first marriage.
Liliane- the neighbor who just seems so lovely and friendly.l, especially to Solange.
Marie-Christine - the deceased wife who caused as many problems in death as she did in life. Her specter is still haunting their lives.
El Diable - the ghost of the hero’s ancestor who was a infamous pirate. It is said to still haunt their home to this day.
With such a cast of characters you know that there will be drama, angst and danger. The book was so wonderfully written that I fell into it and devoured it. It was so deliciously over the top with the drama that I could easily visualize the actors I would cast for the main characters. This one was fun for me because I love dark, classic movies.
This one is going on my Read Again list.
Sammy - poor innocent girl who is forced to marry our hero Roche to save herself from a worse fate.
Roche - the dark, brooding husband is unkind to his innocent wife. He has more secrets than the intelligence community!
Elvira - the beautiful housekeeper/other woman(?) in the hero’s life.
Solange - the hero’s traumatized daughter from his first marriage.
Liliane- the neighbor who just seems so lovely and friendly.l, especially to Solange.
Marie-Christine - the deceased wife who caused as many problems in death as she did in life. Her specter is still haunting their lives.
El Diable - the ghost of the hero’s ancestor who was a infamous pirate. It is said to still haunt their home to this day.
With such a cast of characters you know that there will be drama, angst and danger. The book was so wonderfully written that I fell into it and devoured it. It was so deliciously over the top with the drama that I could easily visualize the actors I would cast for the main characters. This one was fun for me because I love dark, classic movies.
This one is going on my Read Again list.
May 17, 2022
I like the scenes between them. It’s a shame there are too few of those scenes.
Far too many pages were dedicated to his daughter and the ‘secret curse’ or whatever.
2,5 stars.
Far too many pages were dedicated to his daughter and the ‘secret curse’ or whatever.
2,5 stars.
April 5, 2017
Another excellent read from Sara Craven.
Romantic, suspenseful and exotic.
Romantic, suspenseful and exotic.
February 26, 2021
I thought I like Craven. Lately I’ve not. She’s good with angst but you don’t even get much of that here. I’m starting to see a pattern with SC. She writes a large part of her stories all happening in the heroine’s head. Samma is short for Samantha but honestly what an unattractive name. Anyways, we have Samma here whose favorite pastime is to think, think & think. Then she jumps into the pool. Then she think, think again before going for another swim. So boring, one must be very patience to endure this. Obviously I wasn’t. Overall I don’t recommend this book, it doesn’t have much romance or quality either.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 21, 2022
Re-reread again and this time (after living on an island myself) I understand the h's problem with getting a regular job on the island she lived with creepy stepfather. Tiny island countries have strict laws about employing people who are not permanent residents or citizens so she probably could not get a real job and had to settle for the informal caricature drawing route.
This is one of my favorite Sara Craven novels. No one acts stupid and the mild angst is real and heartfelt. Plus it's funny in parts and our h and H feel like real people who truly will have a HEA.
I reread this 7 months later and must say my initial opinion was way off. This is a lot of fun and quite good romance and several twists in the emotional department.
I re-reread this again and like it still more. In fact it's one I keep nearby for those odd moments when things pleasant and fun are called for.
This is one of my favorite Sara Craven novels. No one acts stupid and the mild angst is real and heartfelt. Plus it's funny in parts and our h and H feel like real people who truly will have a HEA.
I reread this 7 months later and must say my initial opinion was way off. This is a lot of fun and quite good romance and several twists in the emotional department.
I re-reread this again and like it still more. In fact it's one I keep nearby for those odd moments when things pleasant and fun are called for.
August 18, 2019
"A year out of your life. What price would you ask?"
Samma supposed that any other woman would surely slap the face of a man who would pose such a question. But Samma couldn't afford that luxury with Roche Delacroix.
With her stepfather ready to sell her "favors" to clear his gambling debts, Roche represented Samma's only avenue of escape from an unthinkable future on Cristoforo Island.
Only a few hours earlier, the lips that opened the suggestive negotiation had made Samma so thoroughly aware of being female. Samma couldn't help feeling that life was doubly unfair. (less)
Samma supposed that any other woman would surely slap the face of a man who would pose such a question. But Samma couldn't afford that luxury with Roche Delacroix.
With her stepfather ready to sell her "favors" to clear his gambling debts, Roche represented Samma's only avenue of escape from an unthinkable future on Cristoforo Island.
Only a few hours earlier, the lips that opened the suggestive negotiation had made Samma so thoroughly aware of being female. Samma couldn't help feeling that life was doubly unfair. (less)
December 21, 2020
Nothing a simple talk couldn't have cured, plus no one gets laid until the very end, making the love affair pretty dull.
May 19, 2021
This poor overstuffed book is wild! Too many other women for the heroine to deal with. Remember the beginning? Heroine working as a slave for her stupid stepdad, and that crazy dude?! Like the heroine felt so bad for the daughter sheesh! She had a literal crazy woman talking to her, and messing with her at night! Goodness. How about we move?! Wish the heroine got on that plane back to England. But the hero was a weak link, he was such a turd. Always saying one thing then doing another than saying something else! Pick a lane my dude. I don’t think the daughter or the heroine got to know him very well. He deserved all those interruptions, he didn’t really like the heroine. He didn’t spend any time with her! “I would have pulled out off the plane or kidnapped you the first day....” sure dude whatever. And he spanked the heroine, not for sexy times just on a first meeting type thing. Read for the zaniness but skip if you want actual characters or logical plots.
September 15, 2018
This was a cheesy and predictable 80s romance novel with rapey overtones. The story felt a little Jane Eye and a lot Victoria Holt. Perhaps my familiarity with both helped me guess all the twists, but I think it had more to do with heavy heavyhanded foreshadowing and a derivative plot. Samma wasn't a bad character, although she was ridiculously indecisive and impulsive. Roche, despite his rapey-ness and his own constant changing actions vs what he said, was pretty hot, as were their sexy scenes.
The whole book could have been even shorter had either of them ever communicated properly. On the other hand, this book helped me get through an 8 hour plane ride and overall enjoy it, so I guess it served its purpose.
The whole book could have been even shorter had either of them ever communicated properly. On the other hand, this book helped me get through an 8 hour plane ride and overall enjoy it, so I guess it served its purpose.
June 25, 2022
I think this author’s writing just doesn’t work for me for some reason. I generally tend to like the plot of a h forced to be with/marry H for what she believes is a business arrangement, but in this case I found the MC’s frustrating beyond belief. Almost no real communication happened between the H and h until the very end and the secondary characters felt very one dimensional. I had to force myself to get to the finish - took me 3 days cuz I kept losing interest.
September 3, 2019
Bad storytelling, bad pacing.
March 3, 2022
If you enjoy an intrigue and romance, you should read this book!
April 17, 2016
Samantha egy gyönyörű szigeten él és dolgozik, de valójában ennek a kényszer az oka, és anyagi nehézségekkel küzd. Mígnem a sors úgy hozza, hogy találkozik az egzotikus külsejű gazdag üzletemberrel, Alain Delacroix-val, aki egy évet kér az életéből, hogy kölcsönösen kisegítsék egymást… Samantha látszólag belemegy az üzletbe, csak hogy megszabaduljon a szigettől, de a férfi csak akkor vallja be, hogy valójában házasságot akar, mikor már nincs visszaút.
Alain egy gyönyörű, ám eldugott birtokra viszi a lányt, akinek meg kell küzdenie a férfi kislányával is, aki sikeresen üldözte már el a háztól a nevelőnőket…
Alain egy kalóz leszármazottja, és számtalan legenda övezi a múlttal kapcsolatban, többek között, hogy nem véletlen az a sok szerencsétlenség, ami a ház körül történt, és hogy olykor „szellem” jár a házban… Samantha kezd beleszeretni a férfiba, de meg kell küzdenie egy titokzatos vetélytárssal is, miközben rejtélyes dolgok történnek a házban, és egyre inkább úgy tűnik, Alain kislányának a viselkedése mögött több van, mint puszta féltékenység, és nem véletlenül vannak rémálmai…
Szerintem néhány helyen eléggé kiszámítható volt a könyv, mint pl. az elkövető kiléte vagy Elvira titka, de ettől még szórakoztató volt, főleg, mert nem emlékszem, hogy már olvastam volna olyan Harlequin-t, amibe beleszőttek egy kis krimijellegű szálat is.
Többször is olyan érzésem volt, mintha kivágtak volna belőle részleteket, amin már nem kellene meglepődnöm.
Összességében nekem tetszett, jó kikapcsolódás volt. ;)
Alain egy gyönyörű, ám eldugott birtokra viszi a lányt, akinek meg kell küzdenie a férfi kislányával is, aki sikeresen üldözte már el a háztól a nevelőnőket…
Alain egy kalóz leszármazottja, és számtalan legenda övezi a múlttal kapcsolatban, többek között, hogy nem véletlen az a sok szerencsétlenség, ami a ház körül történt, és hogy olykor „szellem” jár a házban… Samantha kezd beleszeretni a férfiba, de meg kell küzdenie egy titokzatos vetélytárssal is, miközben rejtélyes dolgok történnek a házban, és egyre inkább úgy tűnik, Alain kislányának a viselkedése mögött több van, mint puszta féltékenység, és nem véletlenül vannak rémálmai…
Szerintem néhány helyen eléggé kiszámítható volt a könyv, mint pl. az elkövető kiléte vagy Elvira titka, de ettől még szórakoztató volt, főleg, mert nem emlékszem, hogy már olvastam volna olyan Harlequin-t, amibe beleszőttek egy kis krimijellegű szálat is.
Többször is olyan érzésem volt, mintha kivágtak volna belőle részleteket, amin már nem kellene meglepődnöm.
Összességében nekem tetszett, jó kikapcsolódás volt. ;)
May 21, 2020
Synopsis:
"A year out of your life. What price would you ask?"
Samma supposed that any other woman would surely slap the face of a man who would pose such a question. But Samma couldn't afford that luxury with Roche Delacroix.
With her stepfather ready to sell her "favors" to clear his gambling debts, Roche represented Samma's only avenue of escape from an unthinkable future on Cristoforo Island.
Only a few hours earlier, the lips that opened the suggestive negotiation had made Samma so thoroughly aware of being female. Samma couldn't help feeling that life was doubly unfair.
"A year out of your life. What price would you ask?"
Samma supposed that any other woman would surely slap the face of a man who would pose such a question. But Samma couldn't afford that luxury with Roche Delacroix.
With her stepfather ready to sell her "favors" to clear his gambling debts, Roche represented Samma's only avenue of escape from an unthinkable future on Cristoforo Island.
Only a few hours earlier, the lips that opened the suggestive negotiation had made Samma so thoroughly aware of being female. Samma couldn't help feeling that life was doubly unfair.
April 25, 2016
this one was full of intrigue and was surrounded by a lot of mysteries. the child's meanness and the lengths she went to belittle Samma in her father's eyes were horrific. what she needed was a good spanking, just like the one Roche delivered to Samma in the first pages. the one we suspected of being evil OW turned out to be hero's stepsister. evil OW was mentally disturbed and really dangerous. she was the one behind the child's horrible behaviour.
Read
January 27, 2017Why is it that these heroines think too much, assume a lot and not face the issues head-on? On the other hand, if they did, there wouldn't be too much to go in with the stories.
I liked the story and have predicted pretty much who is the doing the mysterious acts. The plot is not the usual pink roses and champagne romance kind of book because there is a bit of thriller in it.
I liked the story and have predicted pretty much who is the doing the mysterious acts. The plot is not the usual pink roses and champagne romance kind of book because there is a bit of thriller in it.
January 2, 2025
Is there no mental health care in HPlandia? I hope they get some for the kid and she turns out all right.
August 30, 2015
Nice quick read with a little mystery in it.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews