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Women of Fire #1
Mavreen
She was the illegitimate daughter of an English aristocrat and a young and gentle governess. She was lovely, intelligent, and had a quality that drew all men to her, ensnaring them fatally in a web of charm. Stubborn in her loyalties, passionate in her affections, her one flaw was her uncontrollable and tempestuous nature...
Sir John Danesfield, captivated by his daughter's spirit, takes her to Georgian London to live with his mistress. At the age of fifteen, she falls in love with the Vicomte Gerard de Valle, an impoverished French nobleman. Believing him lost to her, she enters a loveless marriage arranged by her father. But she can never forget the man who had captured her heart.
When her husband dies she seeks Gerard and embarks on an epic journey across the Napoleonic war-ravaged wastes of Europe. It is finally to the snowy battlefields of Russia that Mavreen, passionate, headstrong, and courageous, goes in search of the man she loves.
Sir John Danesfield, captivated by his daughter's spirit, takes her to Georgian London to live with his mistress. At the age of fifteen, she falls in love with the Vicomte Gerard de Valle, an impoverished French nobleman. Believing him lost to her, she enters a loveless marriage arranged by her father. But she can never forget the man who had captured her heart.
When her husband dies she seeks Gerard and embarks on an epic journey across the Napoleonic war-ravaged wastes of Europe. It is finally to the snowy battlefields of Russia that Mavreen, passionate, headstrong, and courageous, goes in search of the man she loves.
561 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1976
8 people are currently reading
109 people want to read
About the author
Claire Lorrimer
49 books25 followersClaire Lorrimer began writing at the age of ten, encouraged by her mother who was the author Denise Robins. Her post as a sub editor on a woman's magazine gave her a close insight into the world of publishing, but it was during the Second World War that her writing career became established. She subsequently turned to historical fiction. These novels on an epic scale feature the lives of passionate and striking heroines set against a strongly drawn historical background, often highlighting the situation of women. Claire Lorrimer lives in rural Kent, and is currently busy writing her latest historical novel.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 5, 2017
DNF @ 20%
Sorry, but the endless diatribes on Mavreen's perfection are the literary equivalent of Ambien.
There's nothing she doesn't do well -- math, science, philosophy, reading, writing, history, politics, multiple foreign languages, horseback riding, piano playing, etiquette, card games. She's a feminist! She's an abolitionist! She doesn't judge by accent, appearance, or social strata! There's nothing about her person that isn't the pinnacle of perfection -- hair, eyes, limbs, skin, blossoming bosom, hands, fingers, graceful movement. She's a tomboy, yet a perfect lady! How adorable! There's nobody she doesn't charm -- crunchy old aristocrats, jaded dudes, mistresses, farmers, maids & butlers. Everyone loves her precocious, sensual appeal; her rare social gaffes are endearing & there's nothing she can't learn by nature of her endless thirst for knowledge. There's no skill she can't absorb immediately. Nothing that dampens her cheery attitude. Nothing that frustrates her. Nothing that worries her. Nothing that causes her guilt, discomfort, or distress for more than five seconds.
It's so fucking dull. And the rare occasions that don't detail Mavreen's perfection are spent on As You Know, Bob.
Ugh. Nope.
Standard 2-star DNF. It's not poorly written, but the pace crawls & it's too damn starched.
Sorry, but the endless diatribes on Mavreen's perfection are the literary equivalent of Ambien.
There's nothing she doesn't do well -- math, science, philosophy, reading, writing, history, politics, multiple foreign languages, horseback riding, piano playing, etiquette, card games. She's a feminist! She's an abolitionist! She doesn't judge by accent, appearance, or social strata! There's nothing about her person that isn't the pinnacle of perfection -- hair, eyes, limbs, skin, blossoming bosom, hands, fingers, graceful movement. She's a tomboy, yet a perfect lady! How adorable! There's nobody she doesn't charm -- crunchy old aristocrats, jaded dudes, mistresses, farmers, maids & butlers. Everyone loves her precocious, sensual appeal; her rare social gaffes are endearing & there's nothing she can't learn by nature of her endless thirst for knowledge. There's no skill she can't absorb immediately. Nothing that dampens her cheery attitude. Nothing that frustrates her. Nothing that worries her. Nothing that causes her guilt, discomfort, or distress for more than five seconds.
It's so fucking dull. And the rare occasions that don't detail Mavreen's perfection are spent on As You Know, Bob.
Ugh. Nope.
Standard 2-star DNF. It's not poorly written, but the pace crawls & it's too damn starched.
September 24, 2010
Mavreen is the illegitimate daughter of Sir John Danesfield, a result of an affair with his daughters' governess. Sir John learns of the existence of a child years later, and hoping for a son he heads for the Sussex farm where the child is living and despite the disappointment of a girl (gasp!), he is so impressed with Mavreen's intelligence and indomitable spirit that he makes arrangements for her proper education. Sir John also has a young ward, Gerard de Valle (Gerard's mother put him into Sir John's care during the height of the French Revolution), and Mavreen has loved him since she was a youngin'. When he matures, Gerard returns to France to fight for the royalist cause and eventually returns to England years later to find a very grown up and most delectable Mavreen. Of course it's true love until death do they part, but Gerard needs a rich heiress to help restore his family home and being a penniless by-blow Mavreen is pretty much out of the running.
What follows are plentiful ups and downs and too-brief reunions amidst looooooong separations as our pair of lovers battle fate, amnesia, ill-advised marriages, the Napoleonic wars, the Russian winter and more. Despite some OTT situations that might seem a bit of a stretch (you would think that finding one soldier in Napoleon's army in a country as vast as Russia would be like finding a needle in a haystack but our Mavreen she can do it all), this was still an enjoyable romp. Note: whilst our heroine is stubborn and independent to a fault and she does have quite the adventurous life, this is not your usual foot-stamping TSTL always needs the hero to get her out of her latest pickle kind of heroine. Our Mavreen takes care of herself, with a little help from her faithful servant Dickon. This is the first in a trilogy, the next two being Tamarisk and the last Chantal (oh, wait until you see that cover). There's a bit of telling instead of showing here and there, but otherwise a solid entertaining romance with a good dollop of history
What follows are plentiful ups and downs and too-brief reunions amidst looooooong separations as our pair of lovers battle fate, amnesia, ill-advised marriages, the Napoleonic wars, the Russian winter and more. Despite some OTT situations that might seem a bit of a stretch (you would think that finding one soldier in Napoleon's army in a country as vast as Russia would be like finding a needle in a haystack but our Mavreen she can do it all), this was still an enjoyable romp. Note: whilst our heroine is stubborn and independent to a fault and she does have quite the adventurous life, this is not your usual foot-stamping TSTL always needs the hero to get her out of her latest pickle kind of heroine. Our Mavreen takes care of herself, with a little help from her faithful servant Dickon. This is the first in a trilogy, the next two being Tamarisk and the last Chantal (oh, wait until you see that cover). There's a bit of telling instead of showing here and there, but otherwise a solid entertaining romance with a good dollop of history
did-not-finish
August 5, 2017Buddy read with the awesome Sarah.
DNF on page 50.
I'm skimming hardcore because it's boring af. Mavreen is NOTHING like Scarlett too. >.> I am salty af.
DNF on page 50.
I'm skimming hardcore because it's boring af. Mavreen is NOTHING like Scarlett too. >.> I am salty af.
Want to read
August 17, 2012Maybe I should start a shelf titled something like "It's all Misfit's fault". The Napoleonic War and Russia also grabbed my attention.
May 13, 2015
Boy does this bring back memories! I read this book way back in the day when I was a teenager (if my parents had only known what was in those romance novels). I stopped reading romance novels in college when I turned to more serious works with perhaps romance embedded as in books by a certain Norwegian Nobel Prize winner books I love. Mavreen is set in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It is the story of young English woman who is illegitimate. Her father is a nobleman and her mother is a maid from what I recall. Mavreen meets a young French nobleman named Gerard and it is love at first site, however, circumstances repeatedly rip them apart throughout the book. Plenty of adventure and other stuff in this volume.
July 4, 2012
Scarlett (or Mavreen) is a lush, adventurous saga bursting with romance, war, robbery, and exotic locations, and it held my interest for the entire time. Relatively long at just over 600 pages, it is melodramatic and fun and is a great escapist read.
Read the rest of my review here - http://mmmmandys-thoughts.blogspot.co...
Read the rest of my review here - http://mmmmandys-thoughts.blogspot.co...
October 1, 2012
I enjoyed this book very much. I will have to reread it.
September 15, 2013
Hilariously stupid. Tedious. Badly written. Won't be reading the sequel.
October 17, 2018
Even for people who don't like Romantic Novels this book will be surprisingly good read.
There are twists and turns in the plot on every page. The book covers the period of the Napoleon wars and presents the life of people during this period in both England and France, and all the countries involved.
There is betrayal, as much as their is loyalty.
I am in love with the plot and the writing style of this book.....
There are twists and turns in the plot on every page. The book covers the period of the Napoleon wars and presents the life of people during this period in both England and France, and all the countries involved.
There is betrayal, as much as their is loyalty.
I am in love with the plot and the writing style of this book.....
March 29, 2019
I am not really a fan of Romance Novels but this one captivated my heart. This was the first novel I've read and I must say that this paved a way for me to one of my enchanting abditories. This is highly recommended!
June 12, 2017
I really enjoyed reading this book.
The passionate love between them is just so moving and all the difficulties they had to go through.
The passionate love between them is just so moving and all the difficulties they had to go through.
July 4, 2012
Scarlett (or Mavreen) is a lush, adventurous saga bursting with romance, war, robbery, and exotic locations, and it held my interest for the entire time. Relatively long at just over 600 pages, it is melodramatic and fun and is a great escapist read.
Read the rest of my review here - http://mmmmandys-thoughts.blogspot.co...
Read the rest of my review here - http://mmmmandys-thoughts.blogspot.co...
April 6, 2008
I found this compelling author of historical fiction on an obscure shelf of imports during my first job in New York.
This is the first of a trilogy, followed by Tamarisk and
Chantal.
This is the first of a trilogy, followed by Tamarisk and
Chantal.
August 7, 2013
Enjoyable, but too long, too many events got in the way, got a little monotonous. A good read though, but my interest did flag half way through.
October 11, 2014
one of my favourite books
August 18, 2016
Fascinating account of how thoroughly inconvenient the Napoleonic wars must've been.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews