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The Awakening of Alice
An untouched heart awakens to romance.
Alice Sheldon's flighty sister had pledged herself to a wealthy Greek. But now that an old beau is suddenly free to marry, Alberta decides, with very little compunction, to break her engagement to powerful Ionides Damoskinos. Alice, kind and demure—but with a heart waiting to be touched—volunteers to travel to Greece and tell Damoskinos of Alberta's choice. But before her mission begins, Alice is swept into a plan of vengeance orchestrated by one of Damoskinos' handsome, unrelenting countrymen. In abducting Alice, Stefan Kassandros means to punish Damoskinos' for a great wrong. And he refuses to believe that Alice's sister, not Alice herself, is his enemy's fiancee, especially when his great desire for vengeance turns into a great desire for his victim!
Alice Sheldon's flighty sister had pledged herself to a wealthy Greek. But now that an old beau is suddenly free to marry, Alberta decides, with very little compunction, to break her engagement to powerful Ionides Damoskinos. Alice, kind and demure—but with a heart waiting to be touched—volunteers to travel to Greece and tell Damoskinos of Alberta's choice. But before her mission begins, Alice is swept into a plan of vengeance orchestrated by one of Damoskinos' handsome, unrelenting countrymen. In abducting Alice, Stefan Kassandros means to punish Damoskinos' for a great wrong. And he refuses to believe that Alice's sister, not Alice herself, is his enemy's fiancee, especially when his great desire for vengeance turns into a great desire for his victim!
255 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
3 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
About the author
Violet Winspear
176 books142 followersViolet Winspear was a British author renowned for her prolific output of romance novels, publishing seventy titles with Mills & Boon between 1961 and 1987. In 1973, she became a launch author for the Mills & Boon-Harlequin Presents line, known for its more sexually explicit content, alongside Anne Mather and Anne Hampson, two of the most popular and prolific British romance writers of the time. Winspear began writing while working in a factory and became a full-time novelist in 1963, producing her works from her home in South East England, researching exotic settings at her local library. She famously described her heroes as lean, strong, and captivating, “in need of love but capable of breathtaking passion and potency,” a characterization that provoked controversy in 1970 when she stated that her male protagonists were “capable of rape,” leading to considerable public backlash. Her novels are celebrated for their vivid, globe-spanning settings and dramatic tension, often employing sexual antagonism to heighten conflict between the alpha male hero and the heroine, who is frequently portrayed as naïve or overwhelmed by his dominance. Winspear never married or had children, and she passed away in January 1989 after a long battle with cancer, leaving a lasting influence on the romance genre.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 27, 2016
I thought this was one of VW better novels and this is why. firstly the hero was an ass but not a rapist, secondly the heroine is smart enough to know she is being manipulate thirdly they actually talk to each other! Wow. I thought the chemistry was good and they had enough in common that their relationship would work. I loved the earthquake scene and how the room was really destroyed. The hero was more effected then he let on and he was too emotional to let it show. This made it worth it for me.
June 21, 2024
Due to a case of mistaken identity, the Alpha Greek hero kidnaps the wallflower English heroine to exact REVENGE upon her for something she is absolutely not responsible for. LOL.
The hero's bark is worse than his bite. He may act arrogant and ruthless but deep down, he is a very lonely man who has been celibate for years after the tragic death of his fiancee (which explains why he is so cranky when he falls in hot lust with the heroine and she keeps rejecting him hehehe). He does NOT forcibly seduce the heroine, he wants her to come to him from her own volition. Time and time again, he saves her life at the risk of his own (from a shark, from an earthquake, from a fate worse than death at the hands of an unscrupulous rival).
The heroine, who constantly derides herself as a boring, spinsterish lady destined for a long life full of boredom, nevertheless has a spine of steel and a tongue as sharp as a knife. She never cowers before him and he respects her for that. Nor will she compromise herself into a marriage of convenience despite her love for him. She has enough integrity and, contrary to her debbie-downer tendencies, enough self-esteem to want to be loved for herself, not as a revenge trophy or as a pale photocopy of a long-lost love.
The ending scene where she tames a wild dog and the hero finally breaks down and confesses his fierce love for her was EVERYTHING. So many authors don't know how to end a story, but this was a gorgeous ending. I have 100% certainty about their HEA. The only reason it didn't earn a fifth star for me is that it was SO UNFAIR that the heroine's deadbeat sister, who got her into this predicament in the first place, and then doubled down and let her twist in the wind instead of clearing up all the Great Big Terrible Misunderstandings, gets no comeuppance. Bovine, deadbeat relatives should NOT get their own HEA with a man who loves and respects them! Let us hope she never find her way onto the hero and heroine's idyllic island of Solitario or if she does, the heroine can set a couple of sharks or her wild dog on her!
The hero's bark is worse than his bite. He may act arrogant and ruthless but deep down, he is a very lonely man who has been celibate for years after the tragic death of his fiancee (which explains why he is so cranky when he falls in hot lust with the heroine and she keeps rejecting him hehehe). He does NOT forcibly seduce the heroine, he wants her to come to him from her own volition. Time and time again, he saves her life at the risk of his own (from a shark, from an earthquake, from a fate worse than death at the hands of an unscrupulous rival).
The heroine, who constantly derides herself as a boring, spinsterish lady destined for a long life full of boredom, nevertheless has a spine of steel and a tongue as sharp as a knife. She never cowers before him and he respects her for that. Nor will she compromise herself into a marriage of convenience despite her love for him. She has enough integrity and, contrary to her debbie-downer tendencies, enough self-esteem to want to be loved for herself, not as a revenge trophy or as a pale photocopy of a long-lost love.
The ending scene where she tames a wild dog and the hero finally breaks down and confesses his fierce love for her was EVERYTHING. So many authors don't know how to end a story, but this was a gorgeous ending. I have 100% certainty about their HEA. The only reason it didn't earn a fifth star for me is that it was SO UNFAIR that the heroine's deadbeat sister, who got her into this predicament in the first place, and then doubled down and let her twist in the wind instead of clearing up all the Great Big Terrible Misunderstandings, gets no comeuppance. Bovine, deadbeat relatives should NOT get their own HEA with a man who loves and respects them! Let us hope she never find her way onto the hero and heroine's idyllic island of Solitario or if she does, the heroine can set a couple of sharks or her wild dog on her!
July 6, 2021
“The Awakening of Alice” is the story of Alice and Stefan.
Basically, heroine is the plain bespectacled older sister who decides to help out the younger, prettier, selfish sibling. For some reason, she gets manipulated to go and tell the sisters fiancé that their engagement is broken. However, she gets kidnapped by the fiancé’s nemesis- who wants to use the bride to take revenge. Ofcourse, the story has her pleading her innocence while he tries to amorously kiss her and disbelieve her. He was pretty taken with her they we spent more time arguing than romancing. Ends with a sweet confession.
It was ok!
Safe
2.5/5
Basically, heroine is the plain bespectacled older sister who decides to help out the younger, prettier, selfish sibling. For some reason, she gets manipulated to go and tell the sisters fiancé that their engagement is broken. However, she gets kidnapped by the fiancé’s nemesis- who wants to use the bride to take revenge. Ofcourse, the story has her pleading her innocence while he tries to amorously kiss her and disbelieve her. He was pretty taken with her they we spent more time arguing than romancing. Ends with a sweet confession.
It was ok!
Safe
2.5/5
Read
February 25, 2010An old favourite from my youth, recently rediscovered at a UBS. Once I got past the whole forced-abduction-by-stereotypically-vengeful-Greek thing, it actually reminded me of what I loved best about Winspear's books when I was a teenager: the wistful plain heroine, wounded but honourable hero, and a story that brings together two people who need each other.
August 9, 2017
Usually I like vintage harlequins, but this was just so boring, I had to force myself to finish it so I could add it to my reading challenge.
Mousy looking doormat heroine is used to being taken advantage of by her beautiful sister. So the Hero mistakenly assumes she is the intended fiancé of his nemesis. In his revenge plot he abducts the heroine and takes her to his island. He refuses to believe her explanation since her nasty sister, even used her name to fool aforementioned fiancé.
She convinces the hero to telegram (those were the days) her nasty sister to affirm her claim that she is not the fiancé of Hero's nemesis. BTW the nasty sister also did a runner on fiancé and is now married to a planter in Ceylon. So it will take a week for her reply to come in. In the meantime, the H agrees to act like a host and treat the heroine as his guest. We barely see any development to their relationship, when suddenly so many events come to a head, there are revelations, an earthquake and a wedding. Also nasty sister has thrown her under the bus by denying ever knowing the nemesis. But then we saw all that coming.
More drama until they have their HEA.
Mousy looking doormat heroine is used to being taken advantage of by her beautiful sister. So the Hero mistakenly assumes she is the intended fiancé of his nemesis. In his revenge plot he abducts the heroine and takes her to his island. He refuses to believe her explanation since her nasty sister, even used her name to fool aforementioned fiancé.
She convinces the hero to telegram (those were the days) her nasty sister to affirm her claim that she is not the fiancé of Hero's nemesis. BTW the nasty sister also did a runner on fiancé and is now married to a planter in Ceylon. So it will take a week for her reply to come in. In the meantime, the H agrees to act like a host and treat the heroine as his guest. We barely see any development to their relationship, when suddenly so many events come to a head, there are revelations, an earthquake and a wedding. Also nasty sister has thrown her under the bus by denying ever knowing the nemesis. But then we saw all that coming.
More drama until they have their HEA.
September 4, 2021
Good book for a one time read.
A simple story with many of the usual tropes of "old" HPs.; the winning point is the writing style.
I cannot help but compare old HPs to the new one and the "oldies" win more and more often!!
A simple story with many of the usual tropes of "old" HPs.; the winning point is the writing style.
I cannot help but compare old HPs to the new one and the "oldies" win more and more often!!
February 6, 2022
When I have finished with you, sweet icy girl," Stefan said grimly, "Damoskinos will have the anguish of knowing that you have endured the ultimate at my hands!"
Alice Sheldon was trapped on a lonely island in the Aegean, kidnapped by a man intent on avenging the murder of his fiancee. Haunted by the ghost of a tragic love, he meant to make Alice his instrument of revenge.
How could she convince him that Damoskinos didn't even know of her existence? (
Alice Sheldon was trapped on a lonely island in the Aegean, kidnapped by a man intent on avenging the murder of his fiancee. Haunted by the ghost of a tragic love, he meant to make Alice his instrument of revenge.
How could she convince him that Damoskinos didn't even know of her existence? (
November 4, 2015
Alice is regarded as a frigid, nun-like character, with an unassuming face behind her glasses. Her sister, Alberta, has china blue eyes, spun gold hair, a ready smile and is a honeypot who can get stirred up in the most delicious ways(lol)...guess whose milkshake brings all the boys to the yard?
Yes, Alberta. She gets engaged to an unscrupulous, wheelchair bond Greek, she manages to escape into the arms of her one true love who is growing tea in Ceylon(of course). Alice takes it on herself to go and apologise for her sister's heartlessness.
Enter hero who, while pretending to be a waiter at the hotel Alice is staying in, drugs her and kidnaps her. The obvious case of mistaken identity.
Turns out the hero hates Alberta's ditched fiancee who killed the girl he was bethrothed to and will avenge girl by ravishing Alberta(who is actually Alice and she definitely is salivating for a good ravishing).
Throughout the book our heroine goes on incessantly about how disgustingly plain she is, how she just needs to have sex...sorry needs a mans "affection". No man will ever kiss her because she wears glasses and ties her hair in a bun, she's not the sexy Alberta but she wishes she was. She's not the hero's dead fiancee but oh the hero wishes she was. At the end of the book she compares herself to a hungry, flea ridden dog: "I'm just like this dog, I just need a roof over my head and someone to love me".
There's also an earthquake, unfortunately the hero saves Alice from getting smashed into the ground.
Yes, Alberta. She gets engaged to an unscrupulous, wheelchair bond Greek, she manages to escape into the arms of her one true love who is growing tea in Ceylon(of course). Alice takes it on herself to go and apologise for her sister's heartlessness.
Enter hero who, while pretending to be a waiter at the hotel Alice is staying in, drugs her and kidnaps her. The obvious case of mistaken identity.
Turns out the hero hates Alberta's ditched fiancee who killed the girl he was bethrothed to and will avenge girl by ravishing Alberta(who is actually Alice and she definitely is salivating for a good ravishing).
Throughout the book our heroine goes on incessantly about how disgustingly plain she is, how she just needs to have sex...sorry needs a mans "affection". No man will ever kiss her because she wears glasses and ties her hair in a bun, she's not the sexy Alberta but she wishes she was. She's not the hero's dead fiancee but oh the hero wishes she was. At the end of the book she compares herself to a hungry, flea ridden dog: "I'm just like this dog, I just need a roof over my head and someone to love me".
There's also an earthquake, unfortunately the hero saves Alice from getting smashed into the ground.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2017
Absolutely enjoyed this book.
It had the angst, the overbearing alpha male, the sweet, sassy innocent, and the other woman, who this time around, was a ghost of the H’s long dead love.
There was also abduction, mistaken identity, some serious bullying and manhandling and even a near miss shark attack. It was chock full of drama!
What else could you possibly want in your vintage HP?! :D
It had the angst, the overbearing alpha male, the sweet, sassy innocent, and the other woman, who this time around, was a ghost of the H’s long dead love.
There was also abduction, mistaken identity, some serious bullying and manhandling and even a near miss shark attack. It was chock full of drama!
What else could you possibly want in your vintage HP?! :D
June 18, 2020
So this story starts out fine but completely stalls after they get to the island. Dead exfiances, earthquakes, lies from the sister, 'we are gonna get married' for no reason. It doesn't come together as it needs to. And read this gem of a line from our hero “I’ll kill you before I’ll let you leave-"....whew smell that romance? Skip.
October 17, 2021
24yo bespectacled prim virgin h goes to Greece at her vivacious sister's behest to cancel her sister's engagement to an older but wealthy disabled Greek man. But h gets kidnapped on her 1st night there by her sister's fiance's enemy, 30s Greek hotelier H who'd been hell-bent on avenging his fiance's death. His plans to blackmail h's return for money changes when H holds h by accident that 1st night. H now wants to devirginize h for his pleasure and keep her at his island until he's done with her as a way of humiliating his enemy. But h won't submit easily to him. As they wait for her sister's cable response to h's true ID, H&h get to know each other for a week and find things in common. So, H proposes marriage but h resistant, especially as she finds out how similar she looks to his deceased fiancee.
Average overall. Pacing was slow in 1st 60%, with the location & the food description as the most interesting aspects. H&h were often verbally battling each other ala Taming of the Shrew. In the 1st 60%, lacked sexual chemistry & romance since H was focused more on avenging his deceased fiance's death in hands of another Greek tycoon who he believes is 24yo commercial-artist h's fiancee and h defending her ID as the wrong sister & her spinsterhood. Their romance was more out of convenience due to their age & shared loneliness and similar introspective characteristics. H seemed more romantically attached to his deceased fiancee than h for most of the book. But he did later realize that he likely put his former bethrothed on a pedestal while now that he's older & more pragmatic he sees h's personal appeal.
Didn't like h too much since she was shrewish/uptight/uppity for most of the book. She did soften up & was less defensive after 70%. H's character was more likable & easier to connect with but average overall. Emotional involvement was meh until about 80%, when had some angst from h's secret hurt that H only wants to marry her because she looked like his dead fiancee and not because he loved h. No sex scenes. Only 3 tame kissing scenes.
Average overall. Pacing was slow in 1st 60%, with the location & the food description as the most interesting aspects. H&h were often verbally battling each other ala Taming of the Shrew. In the 1st 60%, lacked sexual chemistry & romance since H was focused more on avenging his deceased fiance's death in hands of another Greek tycoon who he believes is 24yo commercial-artist h's fiancee and h defending her ID as the wrong sister & her spinsterhood. Their romance was more out of convenience due to their age & shared loneliness and similar introspective characteristics. H seemed more romantically attached to his deceased fiancee than h for most of the book. But he did later realize that he likely put his former bethrothed on a pedestal while now that he's older & more pragmatic he sees h's personal appeal.
Didn't like h too much since she was shrewish/uptight/uppity for most of the book. She did soften up & was less defensive after 70%. H's character was more likable & easier to connect with but average overall. Emotional involvement was meh until about 80%, when had some angst from h's secret hurt that H only wants to marry her because she looked like his dead fiancee and not because he loved h. No sex scenes. Only 3 tame kissing scenes.
December 16, 2022
Bonkers mistaken identity revenge kidnap story. Its VW so of course heaps of dubcon and broody, forceful men weirdly claiming 'I won't rape you' while pushing the h onto a bed and ripping her nightie off. Comforting words indeed. I mean what can I say, it's exactly what you want if you're reaching for a VW book.
As an aside - I'm always strangely touched when she writes plain spinster characters who proclaim with such passion that they are not dead inside, that they feel desire and need to be loved too. I know the author was a so-called spinster her whole life and I always wondered how biographical her own shy, plain, hopelessly single characters were.
As an aside - I'm always strangely touched when she writes plain spinster characters who proclaim with such passion that they are not dead inside, that they feel desire and need to be loved too. I know the author was a so-called spinster her whole life and I always wondered how biographical her own shy, plain, hopelessly single characters were.
May 15, 2017
I have actually read this book twice, and loved it both times! (The first time I read it was when it was first released.) I understand and like the characters. It is well written, and has a good story line.
January 26, 2018
liked everything about it except the ending which was such a letdown it ruined the book for me
May 30, 2023
I recently discovered this packed away in a box, and apparently I gave it 2.5 stars back in the day.
October 14, 2024
Hmmmm I just don’t like Alice when she talks about her sister and compares herself with her sister in many ways come on girl stop it. Stop putting yourself down
March 6, 2017
Oh my goodness. D:
June 21, 2014
Well now that was different.
July 14, 2014
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January 14, 2023
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June 3, 2015
Violet Winspear - The Awakening of Alice
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews