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المفتون
England är under Charles II ett glädjefyllt land och lady Panthea Vyne njuter av livet i fulla drag. Hon minns alltför väl de mörka dagarna under Cromwells järnvälde och Christian Drysdale, den fruktade skatteindrivaren. Han var hennes make under några korta timmar, tills hon blev "räddad" av en mystisk stråtrövare. Panthea tror att ingen känner till hennes hemlighet - men nu, fem år senare, börjar skvallret löpa om att hon har mördat sin man ...Cartlands böcker äger rum i de finare engelska kretsarna och i exotiska miljöer. Kärleken är häftig mellan de passionerade hjältarna och vackra hjältinnorna, men gång på gång går de igenom prövningar. Men äkta kärlek är alltid starkast och det finns ingenting den inte kan besegra.
176 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2000
18 people are currently reading
264 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Cartland
1,531 books831 followersBorn in 1901, Barbara Cartland started her writing career in journalism and completed her first book, Jigsaw, when she was just 24. An immediate success, it was the start of her journey to becoming the world’s most famous and most read romantic novelist of all time. Inspiring a whole generation of readers around the globe with her exciting tales of adventure, love and intrigue, she became synonymous with the Romance genre. And she still is to this day, having written over 644 romantic fiction books.
As well as romantic novels, she wrote historical biographies, 6 autobiographies, plays, music, poetry and several advice books on life, love, health and cookery – totalling an incredible 723 books in all, with over 1 billion in sales.
Awarded the DBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 in honour of her literary, political and social contributions, she was President of the Hertfordshire branch of the Royal College of Midwives as well as a Dame of Grace of the Order of St John of Jerusalem and Deputy President of the St John Ambulance Brigade.
Always a passionate advocate of woman’s health and beauty, she was dubbed ‘the true Queen of Romance’ by Vogue magazine in her lifetime. Her legend continues today through her wonderfully vivid romantic tales, stories that help you escape from the day to day into the dramatic adventures of strong, beautiful women who battle, often against the odds, eventually to find that love conquers all.
Find out more about the incredible life and works of Dame Barbara Cartland at www.barbaracartland.com
As well as romantic novels, she wrote historical biographies, 6 autobiographies, plays, music, poetry and several advice books on life, love, health and cookery – totalling an incredible 723 books in all, with over 1 billion in sales.
Awarded the DBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 in honour of her literary, political and social contributions, she was President of the Hertfordshire branch of the Royal College of Midwives as well as a Dame of Grace of the Order of St John of Jerusalem and Deputy President of the St John Ambulance Brigade.
Always a passionate advocate of woman’s health and beauty, she was dubbed ‘the true Queen of Romance’ by Vogue magazine in her lifetime. Her legend continues today through her wonderfully vivid romantic tales, stories that help you escape from the day to day into the dramatic adventures of strong, beautiful women who battle, often against the odds, eventually to find that love conquers all.
Find out more about the incredible life and works of Dame Barbara Cartland at www.barbaracartland.com
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
January 15, 2017
le livre a gagné une étoile parce que je ne me remettrai jamais d'un bandit de grand chemin qui s'appelle Johnny Dentelle
September 15, 2019
من افضل الروايات الرومانسيه التي قرأتها
وزمن جميل الذي تتحدث عنه الكاتبه القرن التاسع عشر
انصح بقرأتها
لا يمل منه
روايه رومانسيه مسليه
الليدي إلفا فتاة مختلفه عن كل الفتيات في نفس عمرها
في يوم تسمع والدها وهو يحدث والدتها كيف انها الخصومه مع الدوق شيستر
وفكرت والدها ان يتزوج الدوق من ابنته المفضله كارولين وبذالك يسترد الدوق الارض التي خسرها والده في القمار
كارولين تحب رجل آخر فتقترح إلفا ان تتزوج الدوق بدل منها
روايه جميله اعدت قراءتها عدة مرات في مراهقتي
وزمن جميل الذي تتحدث عنه الكاتبه القرن التاسع عشر
انصح بقرأتها
لا يمل منه
روايه رومانسيه مسليه
الليدي إلفا فتاة مختلفه عن كل الفتيات في نفس عمرها
في يوم تسمع والدها وهو يحدث والدتها كيف انها الخصومه مع الدوق شيستر
وفكرت والدها ان يتزوج الدوق من ابنته المفضله كارولين وبذالك يسترد الدوق الارض التي خسرها والده في القمار
كارولين تحب رجل آخر فتقترح إلفا ان تتزوج الدوق بدل منها
روايه جميله اعدت قراءتها عدة مرات في مراهقتي
June 25, 2017
C'est une lecture commune, ou plutôt la volonté d'accomplir un travail sociologique, anthropologique et archéologique qui m'a fait lire pour la 1ère fois( à l'âge adulte) un Barbara Cartland. Je ne compte pas la seule que j'ai fait à mes 12/13 ans et dont je n'ai aucun souvenir. En bonne lectrice de romance je devais rattraper ça, et puis carotte ultime revoir prochainement l'adaptation avec Hugh Grant qui vaut son pesant en cacahuètes.
Bon soyons réalistes, je ne peux pas mettre plus de 2 étoiles, C'est simpliste et cliché, même si je comprends qu'elle l'a écrit en 1952 et que depuis les mentalités ont évolué. Je mets 1 étoile parce que pendant toute ma lecture je me suis refait le film dans la tête^^ Je ne dirais pas que c'est mauvais (elle écrit quand même bien) mais je ne dirais pas non plus que c'est bon. Un livre vraiment dépassé qui a mal vieilli et surtout très manichéen. Je ne suis pas persuadée que ce soit son meilleur, il est très court et ne permet pas d'étoffer grand chose. Mais c'est bien écrit, Barbara Cartland prend le temps de bien décrire les costumes, les décors, c'est très visuel et pas désagréable à lire. Mais il y a aucune matière pour s'attacher aux personnages... à part Barbara Castlemaine. Du coup je retenterai l'expérience avec les Hasards de l'amour qui a lui aussi son adaptation CDFD
Bon soyons réalistes, je ne peux pas mettre plus de 2 étoiles, C'est simpliste et cliché, même si je comprends qu'elle l'a écrit en 1952 et que depuis les mentalités ont évolué. Je mets 1 étoile parce que pendant toute ma lecture je me suis refait le film dans la tête^^ Je ne dirais pas que c'est mauvais (elle écrit quand même bien) mais je ne dirais pas non plus que c'est bon. Un livre vraiment dépassé qui a mal vieilli et surtout très manichéen. Je ne suis pas persuadée que ce soit son meilleur, il est très court et ne permet pas d'étoffer grand chose. Mais c'est bien écrit, Barbara Cartland prend le temps de bien décrire les costumes, les décors, c'est très visuel et pas désagréable à lire. Mais il y a aucune matière pour s'attacher aux personnages... à part Barbara Castlemaine. Du coup je retenterai l'expérience avec les Hasards de l'amour qui a lui aussi son adaptation CDFD
October 29, 2015
لم أحب الرواية، كانت مشوقة في بدايتها حتى تفجرت أحداثها برومانسية فجة خليقة بعقول المراهقات.. ذكرتني بروايات عبير و أحلام حتى أن ترجمة حلمي مراد ذاتها جاءت باردة بين أسطرها كأي لغو.
August 13, 2020
أحببتها كثيرا واحببت اللون التاريخى
November 22, 2025
I’d give this a 3.5 or 4 but on a Cartland scale. This is one of her earlier books. I think it was written in 1959. So as her books go, this is much longer and more substantial than the cookie-cutter cash cow novels she churned out later on.
It still has many of her signature elements; the historical figures who actually feature prominently in the book. In this case, King Charles II and his mistress Barbara Castlemaine, who is actually the villainess in this story. We have the young beautiful heroine, who finds herself in danger and must be rescued by the Hero. There is actually very little screen time between the Hero and heroine, the story is more about court intrigue and how the heroine needs to balance a fine line since she has incurred the wrath of the favored mistress.
Anyways on to the story.
The book opens with the very very young heroine (barely 16yrs old) being spirited away in a coach. She is terrified of the man she is with, an oily, old, gross corrupt tax collector who has convinced her to marry him. This is during the time when King Charles had to flee to France and there were Royalist vs the roundheads, loyal to Oliver Cromwell. The heroines family are Royalist and her older brother has been captured. The evil tax collector tells her he will free her brother if she marries him. So she does.
In the coach, the villain tries to rape the heroine, but her little dog bites him. He then proceeds to kill her doggie 😢 Ugh, the author does not spare us this and i was as distressed as the heroine. As she is crying the coach is held up by a couple of highway men. Needless to say, she is rescued by the mysterious highwayman, who duels w her corrupt husband and wins, he then brings her back home. He also reveals that he has heard news that her brother has already been hanged, therefore the evil tax collector had been lying to her all along.
Years later, when King Charles II returns to the throne, the heroine and her aged aunt are at court to be ladies in waiting to the new queen. They meet a cousin there, Rudolph, who tries to introduce the aunt to Barbara Castlemaine, the mistress of the King. However, the aunt snubs her, since she is an immoral woman, and thus she and the heroine incur the wrath of the mistress. Not a good idea since the mistress is very powerful at court.
Cousin Rudolph tries to convince the aunt to help him petition for their family estates and for him to get the title. The heroine’s father was the last Marquis of their estate Staverley. But since her brother death, the estate and title have been in abeyance. The aunt argues that there is in fact an older cousin Lucius, who has more claim to the title, but no one has heard from him in years. Rudolf wants to have Lucius declared dead so he can now succeed to the title and estates. He also wants to marry the heroine since she is an heiress. (** when she was rescued, the highwayman gave her the money of the tax collector, reasoning that since she was the ‘widow’ she was entitled to it) No one yet knows how she has come by her riches, but so far no one has questioned it.
The cousin suspects that the highwayman is Lucius, but if he confesses this to anyone, it would just prove that Lucius is alive and therefore the rightful Marquess. The heroine starts suspecting also that the highwayman who rescued her is actually her cousin Lucius.
Anyway one day she hears that there are soldiers who are out looking for him to bring him in and charge him as an outlaw. Despite the return of the King, whom he us rumored to have saved, he has not come out of hiding and in fact has continued being a sort of robin hood to the poor and unjustly charged. The heroine finds out that her okd groom knows how to get in touch w her cousin Lucius and she convinces him to take her to him so she can warn him. Okay why the old groom could not do this himself instead I have no idea!! But Dame BC wants our heroine to ride through the night to her old abandoned estate where Lucius is hiding out so she can warn him. And of course he is hiding out there! And of course he is the highwayman who rescued her. Despite this being just the 2nd time they meet, they are in love w each other 🤦🏻♀️ but whatever! She eventually warns him, so he and his men escape.
Rudolf arrives w a bunch of soldiers to capture the notorious highwayman, but they only find the heroine. She makes some excuse that she usually goes to her old home for sentimental reasons. So their mission is foiled. Rudolph wants his cousin captured because if he is hanged as a highwayman, he gets the title.
Remember the nasty Mistress hates the heroine and her aunt, and apparently she has a much more efficient spy network than all the kings horses and all the kings men! 😳 Through her network, they find out the backstory of the heroine and her secret marriage. She now has her arrested for the murder of the husband. Its very distressing and the heroine is actually brought to Newgate and Dame BC describes the filth and horror of the cells. Luckily, the heroine has money so she can purchase a private cell for herself but it is still pretty bad.
It looks very bleak for the heroine, and during the trial, the evil Mistress and her cronies get front row seats to better observe the heroine’s downfall and conviction. However, at the last minute, the notorious highwayman arrives, (he is still masked) and he explains how the heroine was just a child, taken advantage of by a vile corrupt man, and he in fact died by dueling w him. So if anyone should be held accountable, it should be him and not the heroine. Then he escapes after this confession and the heroine gets off free.
However, because of this trial, the evil mistress is very intrigued by this dashing highway man and she is determined to meet him. Since, as it seems, she is smarter than all the kings horses and all the kings men, she has figured out that this highwayman is Lucius the true heir to the Marquisate. She is so obsessed by him, she hunts him down and finds him!! 😁 LOL everything is so plausible 😁 she tries to seduce him, but he resists.
Rudolph also is still determined to marry the heroine for her money, so he kidnaps her and spirits her off to a little church. However, the highwayman as Lucius comes in time to rescue her once again. He marries her instead. Also just in time, the King shows up snd recognizes Lucius as the man who helped him escape, so he pardons him and his men and he restores the title snd estates to him and the heroine.
Rudolph is told to go into exile. No comeuppance for evil mistress…ever. Even in the history books. I looked her up.
It still has many of her signature elements; the historical figures who actually feature prominently in the book. In this case, King Charles II and his mistress Barbara Castlemaine, who is actually the villainess in this story. We have the young beautiful heroine, who finds herself in danger and must be rescued by the Hero. There is actually very little screen time between the Hero and heroine, the story is more about court intrigue and how the heroine needs to balance a fine line since she has incurred the wrath of the favored mistress.
Anyways on to the story.
The book opens with the very very young heroine (barely 16yrs old) being spirited away in a coach. She is terrified of the man she is with, an oily, old, gross corrupt tax collector who has convinced her to marry him. This is during the time when King Charles had to flee to France and there were Royalist vs the roundheads, loyal to Oliver Cromwell. The heroines family are Royalist and her older brother has been captured. The evil tax collector tells her he will free her brother if she marries him. So she does.
In the coach, the villain tries to rape the heroine, but her little dog bites him. He then proceeds to kill her doggie 😢 Ugh, the author does not spare us this and i was as distressed as the heroine. As she is crying the coach is held up by a couple of highway men. Needless to say, she is rescued by the mysterious highwayman, who duels w her corrupt husband and wins, he then brings her back home. He also reveals that he has heard news that her brother has already been hanged, therefore the evil tax collector had been lying to her all along.
Years later, when King Charles II returns to the throne, the heroine and her aged aunt are at court to be ladies in waiting to the new queen. They meet a cousin there, Rudolph, who tries to introduce the aunt to Barbara Castlemaine, the mistress of the King. However, the aunt snubs her, since she is an immoral woman, and thus she and the heroine incur the wrath of the mistress. Not a good idea since the mistress is very powerful at court.
Cousin Rudolph tries to convince the aunt to help him petition for their family estates and for him to get the title. The heroine’s father was the last Marquis of their estate Staverley. But since her brother death, the estate and title have been in abeyance. The aunt argues that there is in fact an older cousin Lucius, who has more claim to the title, but no one has heard from him in years. Rudolf wants to have Lucius declared dead so he can now succeed to the title and estates. He also wants to marry the heroine since she is an heiress. (** when she was rescued, the highwayman gave her the money of the tax collector, reasoning that since she was the ‘widow’ she was entitled to it) No one yet knows how she has come by her riches, but so far no one has questioned it.
The cousin suspects that the highwayman is Lucius, but if he confesses this to anyone, it would just prove that Lucius is alive and therefore the rightful Marquess. The heroine starts suspecting also that the highwayman who rescued her is actually her cousin Lucius.
Anyway one day she hears that there are soldiers who are out looking for him to bring him in and charge him as an outlaw. Despite the return of the King, whom he us rumored to have saved, he has not come out of hiding and in fact has continued being a sort of robin hood to the poor and unjustly charged. The heroine finds out that her okd groom knows how to get in touch w her cousin Lucius and she convinces him to take her to him so she can warn him. Okay why the old groom could not do this himself instead I have no idea!! But Dame BC wants our heroine to ride through the night to her old abandoned estate where Lucius is hiding out so she can warn him. And of course he is hiding out there! And of course he is the highwayman who rescued her. Despite this being just the 2nd time they meet, they are in love w each other 🤦🏻♀️ but whatever! She eventually warns him, so he and his men escape.
Rudolf arrives w a bunch of soldiers to capture the notorious highwayman, but they only find the heroine. She makes some excuse that she usually goes to her old home for sentimental reasons. So their mission is foiled. Rudolph wants his cousin captured because if he is hanged as a highwayman, he gets the title.
Remember the nasty Mistress hates the heroine and her aunt, and apparently she has a much more efficient spy network than all the kings horses and all the kings men! 😳 Through her network, they find out the backstory of the heroine and her secret marriage. She now has her arrested for the murder of the husband. Its very distressing and the heroine is actually brought to Newgate and Dame BC describes the filth and horror of the cells. Luckily, the heroine has money so she can purchase a private cell for herself but it is still pretty bad.
It looks very bleak for the heroine, and during the trial, the evil Mistress and her cronies get front row seats to better observe the heroine’s downfall and conviction. However, at the last minute, the notorious highwayman arrives, (he is still masked) and he explains how the heroine was just a child, taken advantage of by a vile corrupt man, and he in fact died by dueling w him. So if anyone should be held accountable, it should be him and not the heroine. Then he escapes after this confession and the heroine gets off free.
However, because of this trial, the evil mistress is very intrigued by this dashing highway man and she is determined to meet him. Since, as it seems, she is smarter than all the kings horses and all the kings men, she has figured out that this highwayman is Lucius the true heir to the Marquisate. She is so obsessed by him, she hunts him down and finds him!! 😁 LOL everything is so plausible 😁 she tries to seduce him, but he resists.
Rudolph also is still determined to marry the heroine for her money, so he kidnaps her and spirits her off to a little church. However, the highwayman as Lucius comes in time to rescue her once again. He marries her instead. Also just in time, the King shows up snd recognizes Lucius as the man who helped him escape, so he pardons him and his men and he restores the title snd estates to him and the heroine.
Rudolph is told to go into exile. No comeuppance for evil mistress…ever. Even in the history books. I looked her up.
May 15, 2012
that book was kind of dificult to read but i was still reading that book because i wanted to prove myself that i can do the imposible and i accualy was very proud of myself that i have accomplished something that i never thought that i can do.
March 27, 2015
من ارق الروايات الرومانسية المترجمة اللى قريتها.. كمان الفترة الزمنية وحياة الدوق والدوقة والبلاط الملكى دى بتشدنى جدا
المترجم مختار الفاظه جدا وبعد بيها عن الابتزال وجايز ده اساس الكاتبة طبعا كالعادة مش هعرف احدد الا لو قريت النسخة الاصلية
المترجم مختار الفاظه جدا وبعد بيها عن الابتزال وجايز ده اساس الكاتبة طبعا كالعادة مش هعرف احدد الا لو قريت النسخة الاصلية
June 29, 2010
I'm obsessed with this book. I only wish it had a different title and a different author. ;-)
September 26, 2019
An easy read
January 25, 2012
Uma historia envolvente, com cenas que surpreendem e momentos de suspense. Alguns acontecimentos inesperados dão giros inesperados na história e prendem o leitor até o final.
January 12, 2014
No clue why I love this book so much. Unbearably sweet
July 30, 2015
بقالى فترة بفكر أقرأ أى رواية من عبير أو أحلام دى أدت الغرض
بدايتها كانت حلوة وكان ممكن تتقفل أحسن من كده نهايتها مش لذيذة زى البداية
بدايتها كانت حلوة وكان ممكن تتقفل أحسن من كده نهايتها مش لذيذة زى البداية
July 2, 2016
Highway men, kings, simpering heroines, trusty maidservants, prisons, palaces, plotting cavaliers and jealous mistresses. What more could you want from a hearty BC romp!
February 9, 2024
Chcela som sa presvedčiť, či bude 2. kniha znesiteľnejšia ako prvá, ale nie veľmi. Tiež je to jednoduchá zápletka zo 17. storočia - zbojník zachráni svoju malú sesternicu a zaľúbia sa do seba. Potom o pár rokov príde 1 zlý muž a 1 zlá žena a tí intrigujú a tak ďalej. Zabudla som, že ona je očarujúca a on je mužný, hrdinský a čestný gentleman.
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May 30, 2021Ради спасения брата героиня соглашается на брак с неприятным ей человеком, но они не будут вместе, и вообще его по-быстрому прикопают в лесу.
Надежда пустила ростки в моём сердце, но после с каждой главой было всё хуже и хуже.
Надежда пустила ростки в моём сердце, но после с каждой главой было всё хуже и хуже.
July 9, 2023
This was a longer book from Barbara and not like her usual historical romances. Probably because this was published a few decades before her peak in historical where she published many more books a year. This one is a lot more detailed and has a few more subplots. I enjoyed it a lot.
August 18, 2022
Everything happens so much
January 2, 2023
Açıkçası ben filmini izledim. Hugh Grant başroldeydi diğer oyuncuları pek tanımıyorum. Tam bir Barbara Cartland hikayesi ama kitaplardan okumakla filmde savaş, ölüm, idam sahnelerini izlemek arasında hakikaten fark var. Muhtemelen kitabı okusaydım daha romantik, daha aşk kokan bir tadı olacaktı ama filmde daha ziyade gerilim hissettim. Aşk kısmını pek hissedemiyorsunuz.
February 21, 2020
من أوائل ما قرأت من روايات💚
كنت كالمفتونة بقراءتها
وكررت القراءة عدة مرات 😍
فتاة قررت التضحية بلقاء خاطب اختها قبل مقابلته لأبوهما.. حتى يتراجع عن الزواج من اختها التي لا تحبه. فيقرر الانصياع ليتزوجها هي قربانًا يفدي أختها.. لا ترى في نفسها جمالًا وتظن الزواج عقد موقع بين طرفين وأنتهى..
ما زلت أذكر مشهد اختبائها فوق الدولاب ليلة الزفاف 😂😂 ونومه على السرير ضاحكًا على مظهرها الطفولي العبثي.. ثم قفزها إليه ♥️
كنت كالمفتونة بقراءتها
وكررت القراءة عدة مرات 😍
فتاة قررت التضحية بلقاء خاطب اختها قبل مقابلته لأبوهما.. حتى يتراجع عن الزواج من اختها التي لا تحبه. فيقرر الانصياع ليتزوجها هي قربانًا يفدي أختها.. لا ترى في نفسها جمالًا وتظن الزواج عقد موقع بين طرفين وأنتهى..
ما زلت أذكر مشهد اختبائها فوق الدولاب ليلة الزفاف 😂😂 ونومه على السرير ضاحكًا على مظهرها الطفولي العبثي.. ثم قفزها إليه ♥️
January 9, 2018
بدايتها كويسة بس نهايتها عادية ومتوقعة تشبه فيلم ابيض واسود خفيفة ولذيذة تتقرا في جلسة واحدة
June 23, 2021
رومانسية لدرجة سخيفة و مضحكة
March 7, 2022
فقد صرنا بتلحب مخلوقا واحدا
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews