Royal Seduction

Royal Princes of Ruthenia #1

by Jennifer Blake

By the bestselling author of "Love and Smoke," an enthralling novel of love and international intrigue . . . of an innocent beauty and an ambitious man.

Angeline was living a quiet life with her aunt in the steamy countryside near New Orleans. It was there that Rolfe, the golden-haired, handsome prince of the tiny country of Ruthenia, mistook her for his brother's mistress and kidnapped her. Taking her to his bed, Rolfe soon discovered that Angeline had been a virgin. But a virgin no longer, the prisoner of Rolfe, what future could there be for Angeline?

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Royalty, Enemies To Lovers, Historical Fiction, Adult

340 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

A pseudonym used by Patricia Maxwell.

Jennifer Blake has been called a “pioneer of the romance genre”, and an “icon of the romance industry.” A New York Times and international best selling author since 1977, she is a charter member of Romance Writers of America, member of the RWA Hall of Fame, and recipient of the RWA Lifetime Achievement Rita. She holds numerous other honors, including two “Maggies”, two Holt Medallions, multiple Reviewer’s Choice Awards, the Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times BookReviews Magazine, and the Frank Waters Award for literary excellence. She has written over 60 books with translations in 20 languages and more than 30 million copies in print worldwide.

Jennifer and her husband reside in a lakeside Caribbean-style retreat in North Louisiana where they often entertain family and friends. Always a gardener, she spends much of her time encouraging her garden to bloom with her favorite daylilies and antique roses. She also enjoys walking her two dogs, Buffy and Lucky, and indulging in needlework, painting, and travel.

Reviews

[KatieV · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, yes the hero does rape the heroine in this (more than once). If that is a trigger for you, then this is not the book for you.

Some may prefer to call it a "forced seduction" because the heroine always ultimately succumbs and finds pleasure in it. THIS IS A KINK. If you enjoy this sort of story it does not mean you wish to be raped in real life. Rape fantasy is a common thing and romance novels are just that - fantasy. Let's not shame one another for our kinks.

Anyway, if the captor/captive genre is your thing, this is a book you should read. Rolfe is an alpha, but unlike many in the genre, he feels remorse/self-hatred for the position he has put Angeline in, and does not get angry at Angeline for not initiating sex. It makes me angry when these guys have the nerve to pout and storm around because the respectable virgin they captured and raped is not falling all over them. He is also not unreasonably distrusting of her. He doesn't trust her not to escape at first (duh), but he doesn't blame her for an attempt and act like the wronged party and doesn't suspect her of constantly trying to have sex with every man that walks by. THAT infuriates me too and is all too common in the genre.

Angeline is a practical, sensible girl. She does not pitch ridiculous fits or act "feisty" just for the sake of it (another pet peeve). She is no shrinking violet, however. The story is told strictly from Angeline's point of view, which for some may be an issue. It is nice to know the hero's thoughts. Yet, in this case, I think the reader gets a pretty good view of them through her eyes. Ironically her interpretation of his words/actions is often different than what the reader will get. She honestly thinks he only wants her physically and that whatever feelings he may have for her are not relevant. He is a prince, she is an American commoner - she sees no hope for a marriage proposal.

The only "big misunderstanding" in the book is the depth of his feelings for her and the fact that he very much wishes to marry her. He does not make that clear to her because he feels she'd be a target for assassins who are after him and is waiting until that issue is cleared up. Yeah, he could have told her this, but then there would have been little to hold the second half of the book together and the HEA wouldn't have been as satisfying. Comment | Permalink

[Elle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aggravating. I'm not so politically correct that I object to rape in a historical romance. But if the author resorts to it, and she wants the reader to root for the couple later to get together, then I think she needs to have the hero recognize that he's done wrong and do some sort of penance. In this, the prince deliberately, calculatedly forces himself on the heroine, then when he realizes that she is not who he thought she was (she resembles her slutty cousin), he decides to keep her captive and continue forcing her to have sex (his way of coercing her into giving up said cousin). He does reassure her that he will pay her off when he is through with her, so very kind, nice recompense for deliberately destroying her reputation, and probably assuring that she will never make an acceptable marriage. Even when he decides that he can't do without her, it's purely selfish, it's all about HIM and what HE wants and what HE can't do without, not about making amends to her or trying to help her. He does help her out of some tight situations, but he fails to recognize that the rapes he saves her from aren't that very different from the ones he subjected her to - only by degree. On the whole I disliked him, so it was hard to care how the story ended.

Style-wise the author uses authentic language and dialogue and historical setting (the reason this got two stars instead of one), but sometimes the antiquated speech patterns make the conversations unsatisfying. She's so bloody polite when she lets him know how she feels about the way she's treated that it never feels like she puts up any kind of fight for herself. On the whole, not a favorite.

[Chelsea · Rating 1 out of 5]

More reviews available at my blog, Beauty and the Bookworm.

Royal Seduction begins when a prince comes to town looking for the lover of his murdered brother. He wants to ask her some questions. Unfortunately, he thinks that Angeline is the girl he's looking for, when in fact her cousin Claire is the former prince's lover. When Angeline insists that she's not the right person, Rolfe refuses to believe her, or even ask anyone else at the party where they meet if she is who she says she is. Rather than try to verify her story, he kidnaps her and rapes her. Then, having realized that Angeline is the wrong girl on the basis that she was still a virgin, he refuses to apologize or release her, and continues raping her periodically as he drags her about the countryside in search of Claire. Along the way, Angeline is kidnapped by other people several more times, and is nearly raped by other men on at least three occasions, while falling in love with Rolfe in a dazzling display of Stockholm Syndrome. Apparently we're supposed to think that Rolfe's rapes are romantic, while the other near-rapes are horrendous.

Rolfe never apologizes, merely displays a tremendous sense of entitlement that makes him think he's entitled to take whatever and whoever whenever he wants. He drinks copiously and displays extremely violent tendencies. This might not be historically inaccurate; of course, horrible things like rape did occur in "courting" and in some places probably still do. But that doesn't make it right, and it doesn't make it romantic. Portraying it as so only presents a twisted vision of a severely traumatizing experience and lends itself to the culture of blaming the victim. It's because of shit like this that people say women are responsible for rape, because hey, they never explicitly said no. And it's romantic. Stop crying, bitches.

Hey, Blake, I have news for you. Rape is rape is rape, and it's not sexy.

1 star out of 5.

[Namera [The Literary Invertebrate] · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I'd had to read about ther heroine's 'gray-green eyes' ONE MORE TIME, I would have committed a murder.

Repeated phrases are absolutely one of my top pet peeves as a reader, and it really hampered my overall enjoyment of the book. Which is a shame because so many of its other elements ticked my boxes: blond hero, mistress heroine, dub-con, etc. I got to about 60% but then the accumulated instances of 'gray-green eyes' (there are 37 total which doesn't sound like much but it's an uncommon phrase so I felt every one of those instances) began to really irritate me. Combine that with a plot that began to feel draggingly slow, and I semi-DNF/semi-skimmed all the way to the end.

[Blog] - [Bookstagram]

[Misfit · Rating 4 out of 5]

***Not a spoiler, this is from the first chapters**

“I regret the necessity. I don’t make a practice of raping innocents.”

“No,” she said, “only your brother’s mistresses.”

There you have it, and fair warning - this isn't just a 'forced seduction', it is rape, albeit not a violent one (if that makes sense). The hero is a royal prince of Ruthenia, a fictional country in the Balkans, and he's bent on finding the person(s) responsible for his elder brother's murder, and he mistakes the heroine for her cousin who was found in the murdered brother's bed.

So, consider yourself warned - if the heroine-raped-by-the-hero trope is a problem for you, you should not read this book. Period. Better to stay away than write those one star protest reviews on Amazon. The forced seduction/rape trope was fairly common back in the day, and we really don't know if the choice in this case was made by the author or what her publishers wanted - and hats of to Ms. Blake for not 'cleaning things up' when she got these out for the digital market.

If, however, you can get past that, there really is a good story with plenty of action and adventure and twists and turns. Plus one of the sweetest endings ever with a nice twist on the Cinderella story to boot.

This was a bit different from your usual Jennifer Blake book, her heroes aren't usually quite so commandeering as Rolfe was, but then again he's a Royal Prince and used to commanding people and having his way. While this book had a good feel for the historical period and mindset that you find in all of Blake's historicals, there wasn't the usual bit where she writes her characters into a lesser known bit of history, it felt more like action and adventure and a bit of cray-cray, but thankfully Rolfe was always able to arrive in the nick of time to save the day and the heroine's virtue. Whew.

I'm glad I moved on and didn't miss out on the story or that lovely, lovely ending. I've read the last chapter about three times now :)

[Meredith is a hot mess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost rated this 3 stars, but decided to go ahead and up it to 4 stars because the character Rolfe was so great. This book was at its best when Rolfe was present. Rolfe was one of my favorite types of alphas, consistently confident, at ease, and more likely to laugh at a situation gone awry than lose his temper. The dialogue between him and the heroine was great.The language used was appropriate for the time period. It's clear the author has done lots of historical research relating to this setting. Sometimes she included too many details relating to how people dressed or how rooms were decorated. I ended up skimming 2-3 paragraphs at times that were just descriptions. I almost dnf this, but at p.200 the plot really picked up and got interesting, I'm glad I stuck with it.

Lots of fun tropes and events were in this book:

- mistaken identity

- abduction! (The heroine is abducted at least 3 times)

- strip poker!!

- 'forced seduction' common in bodice rippers I noticed many of the 1 and 2 star reviews are because Rolfe rapes the heroine several times in the beginning. I mean, I basically expect this in bodice rippers, and depending on how the author writes it I'm either extremely turned off or can deal with it. For instance, I hated the rape in the book Lemonade. It was brutal and then right after they both decide to get married. I was like, WTF?? This is one of the most violent rapes I've read and now they're getting wed? The heroine was passive and sniveling and just went along with it. Very annoying.

Well, in this book, Rolfe initially thought the heroine was his brother's mistress and responsible for his murder. So Rolfe kidnaps the girl and rapes her. After he discovers she's a virgin he apologizes, then still rapes her several times afterward but is gentle and apologetic. So he's kind of an asshole for that. The heroine is basically like, 'Well, he's hot and good at sex, so I'll just enjoy it and wait patiently until I see an opportunity to escape.' Other than sleeping with the heroine whenever he wants and holding her hostage, he's kind to the heroine. I was mainly relieved to see the heroine make attempts to escape and move on from Rolfe. It's always annoying when the heroine is raped and then immediately falls in love with the guy or becomes a passive victim.

- Exciting midnight escapades, escape and assassination attempts

- A sweet Cinderella ending, including a ball and 'fairy godmothers'

Favorite quotes:

His desire, directed by fierce intelligence and unbending will, created an onslaught that she could not hope to equal. She felt her senses giving way before it, absorbing the bruising strength, responding with honeyed sweetness. And in that one last flash of clarity she knew with instinctive, ancient wisdom that the ploy could not be bettered. Woman's answer to man's hard force had always been a soft encompassing. To fight him, knowing her strength to be less than his, was to invite defeat. But if she met him instead with yielding grace, he might be disarmed and left vulnerable, open to other, less obvious weapons

Release your hold on remembered dread and banish the phantoms of the night. I have you safe and will not let you go, not even in the final morning of life, nor will I ask of you what you cannot give. Trust me, then, and forgive me, that what I have done in the past awakens inside you an echo of the treatment meted out to you this night. Take my love for buckler and shield, and with it vanquish the scaly dragons of the mind, sustaining...peace.

She walked with a sense of freedom, but also with perplexity and wonder at her own foolishness. There was no security anywhere. That which seemed to beckon in wedlock was an illusion; witness the widows of the world, alone and bereft. The only safety was in the citadel of oneself, from which fastness the disasters of the world could be countered with courage, whether for victory or defeat. Once that bastion was manned, it was fine to sally forth, to meet others in friendship and love. Those who were weak within themselves, those who crumbled at the first challenge and needed constant bolstering, were never able to savor the glory of standing alone, or meeting an adversary, male or female, on equal ground.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. I couldn't decided whether or not to rate the book a 2 or 3. It had a few great moments.

The book starts out great with a kidnapping, enemies, mistaken identity and other great BR tropes. The H mistakenly kidnaps the wrong girl. Interesting start, right? Unfortunately, the plot stalls a bit.

The problem is Angelina doesn't want to tell them where her bitch of a cousin is hiding. You See, Claire was the last person to see Prince Rolfe's brother alive and he needs to know what happened. Unfortunately, The prince soon realizes his mistake when he discovers Angelina is a virgin. After learning his mistake he still holds the beautiful Angelina captive. If she wants her freedom all she has to do is tell him where her selfless cousin is hiding. But no! That would be too simple. So the story stalls for sometime.

Thankfully, the plot picks up again when Claire takes off again.The MC and their entourage are now trying to track down Claire and of course they discover all sorts of obstacles, while they're travel through Louisiana. One problem is that there is a member of the Rolf's group that is a traitor and wants him dead.

I have to say that the MC saved the book. I might have given the book 2 stars. But even with a subpar plot the writing is good. JB has a way of keeping a book interesting. Any other writer It would have been a DNF. But she kept me interested. So I give 3 generous stars.

All in all, it was not the author's best work, but it did have it's moments and the mystery was intriguing. The book might have been better if it had taken place in the fictional country.

[Cat The Curious · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to change my rating on this one. The first part of the book was great. I enjoyed the first half of the book but the last part seemed to drag on and on. Before long I just wanted it to end. I even stopped reading and started other novels because this one just bored me towards the end. I will hand it to the author, at least she can write. The author is heavy-handed with the purple prose, although I liked it in parts, I found some of it hard to follow. I'd say it's worth the read just to read some of Blake's talented passages. Her language in parts of this book had me swooning. Blake had me digging this book... at first.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una vez que superé la sorpresa del tipo de "seducción" inicial de la novela, muy de moda en la romántica de los años 80, tengo que reconocer que he disfrutado leyendo esta novela. La autora ha construido una historia muy completa, partiendo de un hecho dramático, más por lo que significa que por cómo se lo toman los personajes, nos conduce a través de un país que comienza (finales del siglo XVIII en Lousiana) con su moral, sus costumbres, sus luchas, su terreno salvaje, y su sociedad.
Creo que parte de la fuerza de la historia radica en la intriga más que en la seducción y en la coherencia, tanto con ellos como con lo que les rodea. Hay seducción pero es más sutil, es más por necesidad, por comprensión, por sentirse de igual a igual, por valoración.
Es verdad que me ha sorprendido la violencia de algunas escenas, no por sus descripciones sino porque concuerdan con la ambientación narrativa de la época y a veces algo así no se incluye en este tipo de lecturas.
Ha sido una lectura muy interesante sobre la que tengo que meditar para poder escribir mi opinión completa en el blog
#retorita #RitaBlake

https://millibrosenmibiblioteca.blogs...

[bookjunkie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dayumm dis shiz was raw!! I couldn't help feeling simply awful for poor Claire. She wasn't that bad, despite everybody auto-writing her off as shallow and worthless; what was with that anyway, people could just tell at a glance she's not as noble/valiant/worthy as her cousin? It happened way too often. Did she have a sign on her head, Not As Good As Angeline?

Speaking of, Angeline was a good heroine although maybe a bit tame. Very pure and Miss Goody-Goody. I may be being unfair to her because I feel so much sympathy for Claire. Okay, so Angeline was brave, uncomplaining, and very domestic (cooking, nursing, cleaning). I guess I can't call her boring though, because she did crazy brave things, like stampeding the cattle at the enemy, and had flashes of cunning intelligence, like figuring out her "escape" was a trap, etc. She was a great heroine, actually. I did like her, I just think it's so sad that Claire got the shit end of the stick every single time! That gang-rape for some reason seemed way too brutally realistic, I could feel the fear that their attention would turn to Angeline... but wtf poor Claire!! I dunno man, I just felt way too bad for her by the end. What a raw deal she had. And it wasn't like, Evil Woman Gets What She Deserves. It was like this normal, non-heroic, selfish teenager gets way in over her head and ends up betrayed, shot, framed, hunted, raped, gang-raped, kidnapped, beaten, prostituted, starved, murdered, and let's immolate her emaciated, shot-up corpse just to really bring it home. And everybody will remember her as a cheap shallow slut! Nevermind that she literally sacrificed herself twice for her angel cousin. R.I.P. Claire, I felt your pain. :( #shewasntthatbad

Anyway so back to the main plot, the book was good. Angeline was good. Rolfe was alright, pretty silver-tongued if you ask me but hey who doesn't like fancy flowery speeches of love from a golden prince. Lots of sweeping action and the story takes you on a wild ride from drawing rooms and fancy balls to big ol' hunting lodges to shacks in the wilderness to Indian territories to foresty mountains with Jim Bowie. Good times and adventures!

[Heather ~*dread mushrooms*~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 46%

I feel bad for not finishing this, since it was a buddy-read with Brandy. She finished ages ago, while I just let the book molder on my Kindle and tried to work up the desire to keep reading. Also, it came highly recommended by my friend Nenia.

What with the cold, calculating prince and the kidnapping plot, this seemed like something I would like. Alas, it just dragged on and on. At 46%, I felt like we should have been close to wrapping things up, but oh no, things are just getting started.

I really feel the need to clean out my "currently reading" shelf, so this has to go, possibly to be resumed at a much later date.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy bodice rippers, this was quite the adventure! I still cannot believe this little gem was hidden in my kindle from a free download. Thank you Heather (and Nenia) for the push to read it! I buddy read this with Heather, and I’m anxious to read her thoughts on it.

This one feels long as you read it, and I think it’s because of all the scenery changes. You are in Angeline’s small hometown, then the wilderness, then back to Louisiana, and so much occurs in each place. It feels long, but I loved that it was because I really enjoyed this one.

I despised all members of Angeline’s family. With family like that who needs enemies. Angeline’s cousin is somehow involved in a royal murder and Prince Rolfe mistakenly believes Angeline is her cousin Claire. Sure, it’s a stretch to believe that this prince and his guard couldn’t have found out that Wait, a cousin lives there too, but once mistaken, Angeline is kidnapped. As common In old books in the genre, she is raped (and not just once). So you have to be able to get past that to enjoy the book.

Angeline and Rolfe’s life seems in peril repeatedly (after all there is a traitor in their midst). There are multiple suitors but Angeline falls head over heels for Rolfe. Unfortunately, royalty marries royalty and though Rolfe is a silver tongued devil with the sweetest of honeyed words, he sucks at communication and reassurance! So, angst to infinity!

It is a romance, so we get a happily ever after although at times I wondered how it would be pulled off. I will say I really loved Andre , and his final act was completely selfless. Hopefully he met a lady that loved him in bookland as well because he deserved a happily ever after.

I am so glad I gave this one a chance and definitely plan to read the sequel (also free!).

[Regan Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Bodice Ripper set in Louisiana with a Prince of a Hero

Another well-told story from Blake, and this one a bodice ripper with a European prince for a hero…

Set in 1829 in Louisiana, this is the story of Angeline Fortin who lives with her aunt outside of New Orleans. Angeline, a chaste young woman, has a look-alike cousin, Claire, who has returned from Ruthenia in Europe having fled the murder of her lover, the heir to the throne. When his younger brother, Prince Rolfe, comes to New Orleans in search of Claire, who he thinks murdered his brother, he mistakes Angeline for her cousin.

Rolfe abducts Angeline and forces her to his bed, whereupon (of course) he discovers she is a virgin. Realizing he has the wrong woman, does he apologize profusely and return her to her home? No, he keeps her prisoner as his mistress, telling her she can be free if she will only tell him of her cousin’s whereabouts. Of course, she declines, hoping to protect her cousin. And one doubts he would have released her even then.

Much of the story is taken up with the search for Claire, and there are villains aplenty as they ride through No Man’s Land where a pack of Scottish bandits and a Spanish horde of ruthless outlaws seek to tear Claire from Rolfe. But Rolfe is wily and fierce in his defense of the woman he is coming to admire and to care for. The mystery of Claire’s involvement in the murder of Rolfe’s brother continues and treachery lies amidst Rolfe’s cadre of men. Someone is seeking to kill Rolfe.

This is a well-written story that kept me turning pages, a bodice ripper with a great plot and a fine ending. The hero is noble if a bit selfish and the heroine, who begins naïve and a bit weak, ends up showing great courage and regal presence. You will not be disappointed, I promise.

[Birjis · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a Historical Romance Novel is so fantastic (sososofantastic) interests beyond obsession is born. Royal Seduction has me so smitten that I went to my fantasyland fantasying myself in the book.
Why do I like this book? Because of an alpha male (of course!) and mainly because the heroine who is so calm and adjusting to the situation. She saves her undeserving cousin not because it is the right thing to do but for her honour.
The dialogues of Rolfe are so smashing. Royal Seduction is my second favourite after Judith McNaughts Kingdom Of Dreams. Now I am searching whatever scrapes of books I can get similar to these.
I have read this book once before and I forgot to review. (how could I!) It is an awesome read. One could just dream eyes open.

[Jena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread 2022

Outrageous bodice ripper and not PC, but no cheating.

[Edwina " I LoveBooks" "Deb" · Rating 1 out of 5]

RAPE IS NOT LOVE NOR ROMANTIC!!

I don't get it. A Royal Prince mistakes and innocent young women Angeline Fortin for her cousin Claire de Buys. He proceeds to kidnap her and rape her multiple time. She defends and protects her cousin who has obviously something to do with the murder of a Prince an future King Maximilian of Ruthenia. How do you fall in love with your rapist? Talking about a case of Stockholm Syndrome!! The story takes place in a French Parish of Louisiana during slavery. I am so Disgusted!! the heroine was stupid an a bit slow on the uptake if you ask me. She was set up by her Aunt Madame de Buy and her Cousin Claire. It talks Angeline forever to figure it out. The hero Prince Rolfe is disgusting arrogant rapist. Yeah your brother was murder, which I normally would have felt sorry for Prince Rolfe but this character was unhinged at best!! Prince or No Prince. Don't pay for this book. Its not worth it. If you want to read it wait for it to be free again. Zero Stars!!

[Netanella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because I needed a book published in 1983 to complete a challenge, and I was in the mood for a bodice ripper, I grabbed this book and was quickly taken in by its compelling storyline and fast pace. Yes, there are the typical non-pc elements that most modern readers cringe at - particularly the treatment of women and the rape scenes. But the majority of the book was excellent - Angeline of 1820's Louisiana is mistaken for her slutty cousin and is kidnapped by Prince of Rolfe of Ruthenia, whose heir apparent has been murdered in his bed. The two go on a wild goose chase after Angeline's cousin, who may hold information on the death of Rolfe's brother. They cross paths with Scottish highwaymen, Spanish brigands, Indians, even Jim Bowie. It's a wild ride, and the growing romance between the couple is well done as well. I will definitely read more by this author.

[S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Right, buckle up buttercups, because I just wrestled my way through a book that left me feeling like I'd been forced to eat lukewarm porridge. The plot, bless its little heart, actually had some intriguing twists and turns! Like a particularly determined earthworm, it kept wriggling forward and held my attention. I genuinely wanted to know what bizarre shenanigans were going to unfold next. Three cheers for the plot! claps enthusiastically but slightly off-key

However, let's talk about our dear heroine and her… gestures vaguely with a pained expression …journey. Apparently, the author decided to put her through the narrative wringer. Now, I'm all for a bit of character development through adversity, but this felt less like a carefully crafted arc and more like repeatedly tripping over the same poorly placed plot obstacle.

And here’s where my literary eyebrows really started doing the tango. Our heroine was, shall we say, intimately unconsented upon by the hero. Yes, the big, bad, supposedly irresistible force of nature. And then, just for kicks, she was rendered utterly helpless multiple times because… well, reasons involving his overwhelming presence. It felt less like a compelling power dynamic and more like watching a particularly clumsy rhino trying to lead a delicate dance.

Then came the part where she was conveniently stripped of all agency and resources, leaving her with the thrilling option of… following him. Because apparently, destitution is the new aphrodisiac? The story kept insisting there was some sort of magnetic pull, a sizzling connection. But frankly, the chemistry felt less like a roaring bonfire and more like two damp logs refusing to catch alight. The "seduction" felt about as natural as a tax audit, all forced proximity and zero genuine spark.

And the angst? Sweet merciful bookworms, where was the angst? Shouldn't there be some internal turmoil, some soul-searching, some agonizing over the decidedly un-fun situations our heroine found herself in? Nope. It was like watching a drama unfold on mute. I kept waiting for the emotional gut punch, but it never landed.

So, in conclusion: the plot gets a gold star for effort and intrigue. But the heroine's plight felt less like a compelling struggle and more like a series of unfortunate (and frankly, uncomfortable) events orchestrated by a narrative that seemed to confuse coercion with charisma. The forced "romance" lacked any genuine heat, leaving the whole thing feeling… unbalanced. Like a wobbly unicycle with a flat tire. I wanted to love this book, I really did. But the heroine's journey left me feeling more bewildered than emotionally invested. Proceed with caution, fellow readers, especially if you prefer your romantic entanglements to involve, you know, actual consent and believable connection.

[Vyar Sunstrider · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oj, jak mnie boli ta książka... Intryga i wątek przygodowy jest super - ale miłosny, oparty na gwałcie i syndromie sztokholmskim jest już prowadzony tak żenująco, że psuje wszystko. Szkoda, że nie można podzielić tej historii na dwie osobne książki.

[book_luv_r · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good old fashioned bodice ripper from the 80's. If you were born in the 90's, you might want to skip this one. It deals with forced seduction at the beginning. Who am I kidding? There are so many books out there now with the "captive" theme, so maybe you younger generation might like it. Funny thing about reading these scenes now in my 40's, they aren't steamy enough with me. Most of the sex scenes in this book either fade to black or are glossed over with overflowing fluffy words. Really not a meaty love scene to be read.

This is a very well developed book, though. It's almost too long. At the 50% mark I had to force myself to keep plodding along. If I can do it with an overwinded Kristen Ashley book, I can do it with any 80's author out there. Ironically, I thought I had read every author out there before my Kindle introduced me to wannabe romance writers. Was pleasantly surprised to find a new "old" author. Will definitely read her other work.

Also to all you newish readers out there. Don't be afraid to read a book that's only rated 3.61, pre 2000's. The ratings are spot on for what they really think. These Amazon reviewers were not given anything for their "honest" review. If you do find a 5 star read, which is rare from that era, grab it!

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Besides the turquoise and gray-green gaze phrase being repeated about a MILLION times this bodice ripper really wasn't too bad. I like how true to character ole Angeline stayed and I think the girl had a little depth and some courage. She wasn't too stupid to live or anything.

The one thing I did dislike was how the portrayed her cousin as the bad one. I wish the author had fleshed her out more to become someone interesting instead of the neighborhood slut.

Of course I liked the hero but I did grow a little bored with him. In fact, for a minute I was rooting for Meyer to change her mind. That would have kept it from becoming too boring. But it kept me entertained enough to finish it and for that...I thank you. :D

[Su · Rating 2 out of 5]

This writer is good with her words but not very good with plot development and conveying of romance.

With too many consecutive life threatening injuries, it is amazing that both to H and h are still alive.

Four rape attempts on h (one of them the one by H is successful (!)), and several others on h`s cousin (all successful (!) including one gang rape) in one book is too much nauseating.

[eevee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angeline and her aunt arrive at a dance on the lookout for a certain prince. This prince is apparently chasing after Angeline’s cousin to get some information from her. But Rolfe doesn’t know about the relation. He just sees a redhead in the Fortin’s family and assumes Angeline is the girl he’s looking for. Rolfe takes her for interrogation, and ends up keeping Angeline for a lot longer than anyone planned.

There’s non-consent in this book. I was a little confused about it. Rolfe makes Angeline have sex with him almost immediately when he kidnaps her. Not sure why he thinks Angeline would give him information after that. It seems like he didn’t even try to really interrogate her. He was obviously shocked that Angeline was a virgin, but if she wasn’t, then what? It seems like the plot was contingent on that.

The characters were okay. There’s a bit of a mystery about who in Rolfe’s inner circle is trying to kill him. Angeline struggles with not knowing where to turn, since her aunt considers her “soiled” after Rolfe kidnapped and attacked her. I did feel bad for Claire, the cousin. She’s described as selfish and promiscuous and overall just a bad person. I felt like Claire wasn’t that terrible though. She really liked expensive jewels and trinkets, but other than that she didn’t seem bad. Not sure why Angeline thought she was. Claire was also sexually assaulted a lot in this book, and Angeline was almost assaulted but saved twice (maybe three times?).

Overall I wouldn’t keep this on my shelf but I would recommend it.

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whew. Not for the faint of heart. Read only if you enjoy old school historical romances and are prepared to deal with lots of problematic content including non-con, racism, and misogyny. The early 1800s setting in Louisiana was interesting, as was the hero, a prince of a fictional Balkan kingdom. This was a good read in the sense of scholarly intrigue about historical bodice rippers written in the 80s and the appeal of forced seduction.

Spoilers/CWs: Royal Seduction goes beyond forced seduction (aka rape where she eventually warms to the hero). There is on-page gang rape of a side character and the heroine was kidnapped and almost raped by other men three different times in the book. She was saved in the nick of time by the hero. Racial slurs are used and slave smuggling is mentioned as a means of work; this was set in the pre-civil war south.

These CWs may make this book a no-go for many readers and that is totally understandable. I went into this book knowing it was a bodice ripper and problematic. It was the first book I’ve read where forced seduction/rape was used as a plot point to help the heroine be okay with having sex. There’s a scene where the heroine is “being forced” to have sex with the hero and her inner monologue is that she is grateful for the force because it means she can allow herself to enjoy the pleasure. The alternative being that if she chose sex out of her own agency she would be dirty and soiled. It was quite fascinating and felt VERY much of the era it was written (1983).

[Cyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is what I needed it. The last few books were okay to good but not satisfying if you know what I mean. I love the Louisiana setting, the author does a good job of leaving what was going on in that area and the World At Large into the story without it seeming like an info dump.
Rolfe was dashing, has that calm hidden dangerous element to him. He spoke in almost a poetic way. I like that as the book went on I was feeling developed he would share them as best he could with Angeline in his own way, but not being able to trust anyone, would hold back a little.
Angeline for the most part was an enjoyable character. She was seldom annoying, except for the 65 to 85% mark where she got herself into trouble trying to save claire. After 80% I felt she still cared about Claire a bit but she mostly wanted to know what Claire knew for Rolfe. She did do a clever thing around the 85% mark. You'll dislike the aunt and continue to do so it till the end which is valid.
I really liked Andre. His character showed growth, integrity, and care for Angeline. His mother was another good side character.
I hadn't really seen the villain coming. They're the sad moment at around the 85% mark The resolution to that was satisfying.
I love the Fairy Godmothers is coming with the dress for the ball. The book has great cast of supporting characters.
The book has non-con (H to h, other women by other men, attempt by others on h), dub con/CNC (by H on h).

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easily 4.5 stars!

~Virginal Heroine
~Ruthless Hero hellbent on vengeance
~Traditional Bodice Ripper ripe with un-PC elements (primarily non-con)

“It is a pity that we had to meet as we did, but I am not one to spurn a gift from the gods because of its wrappings. I am prepared to enjoy you for as long as the pleasure lasts, and to see that you do not lose by it.”-- Rolfe, morally grey hero of this tale

Our hero, Rolfe, a Ruthenian prince and now the heir to the throne since the death of his older brother, is set to find his brother's former mistress whom he suspects to have information on a murder plot against his brother. Once he makes it to the US continent, he mistakes his target's cousin for his brother's former mistress. Angeline, a caring, helplessly devoted, and innocent young lady, is desperate to keep her cousin, Claire, safe from the ruthless Ruthenian prince whose reputation precedes him. Leading her cousin to the convent that once housed and educated her, she is snatched up by Rolfe on her return journey to her home with here aunt (Claire's mother), and no amount of reasoning and/or pleading can convince him that she is, in fact, not Claire. It is not until he is literally in the process of raping her (a punishment, in his mind, befitting the woman whom he thinks conspired to murder his brother) that he discovers she is telling the truth, because there is no way his brother's former mistress could remain innocent. Alas, it is too late and he pleads with her to let him soothe her pain and make her feel better for the injustice he has done her. Thus begins their story.

I really liked this one. There was so much action, never a dull moment, and the story continued to progress and evolve. The only reason I deducted half a point is because there are roughly THREE instances where the heroine is about to be raped by another person other than the hero and he ALWAYS shows up just in the nick of time to save her. I'm not saying I wanted that to happen. Hell no! I'm just saying that the author might have wanted to stop the progression of the assault at some other point rather than the very moment before the assailant succeeds every time. It was just too many times and too close to succession to consider believable. Also, there's this one character, Andre, who is so incredibly sweet and even though I wanted to see the heroine end up with the hero, I didn't want to see Andre's heart broken and we got a front row seat to the show for that! I don't even know if that was good or bad. It's kind of refreshing to have a potential love triangle where both men were deserving, but the other man was just so well written that you felt his loss in not getting the girl too.
One thing I did appreciate was that we didn't really get groveling from the hero for the wrong he has done the heroine, but we were absolutely certain of the remorse he was feeling over it and it suited the story very well.

“Do not be deceived,” Rolfe said, his voice quiet, his eyes narrow and darkly blue. “She has suffered irreparable injury, the worst that may befall a young woman—and endured it in a spirit of grace and without hope of succor for endless hours while you, Madame, made no attempt to provide rescue, did not even make the effort to see her, though you must have guessed soon enough where she was. Certainly you did not come to plead that she be returned to your loving arms inviolate. You abandoned her to my tender mercy and sat at home rigged out in silk and perfumed lace receiving callers and pretending she was safe in her bed while she was imperiled in mine.” -- Rolfe to Angeline's aunt

If you love historical romance and/or bodice rippers that stick to the traditional non-con elements of the genre, then this is the story for you!

[Rose Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Long story...I skipped few chapters in middle.
Subtle mention of hero's love for heroine and I liked it that way

[Liv · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one crazy read/listen (I listened to the audiobook version). Definitely not the predictable rake reformation story or gentleman meets hellcat who is transformed into sweet vixen. This is very different.... This is a "throw all of your notions of a romance out the door" & "fasten your seatbelt for the ride." The story takes place in the 1800's in Louisiana in a time where the country had many pockets of danger. This book details the unbreakable, insatiable and compelling love story of Prince Rolfe of Ruthenia and Angline.

Difficult parts of the book
1) The concept of rape in this book has been very controversial. More so, it's the treatment of women in an era where a woman was vulnerable among both men and women that I found really tough. There are some very, very sad trajectories of women in this book. It was heart-wrenching to read those parts. For a woman who found herself in a life-altering tragedy (i.e. rape, being kidnapped by men etc.), not only was she personally tormented, but there was very little sympathy from society. Therefore, there were very little choices for a woman found in this terrible predicament with minimal chances of a "happily ever after."

2) It was so sad how some great characters in the book died. I would have liked or preferred less death of people who had so much potential. Thankfully, the evil people die as well.

3) Unrequited love is a difficult thing. I was sad about a suitor's love who did not receive affection in return from his intended. I think those wounds just don't heal easy.

Redeeming parts of the book
1) It's hard to tell when this book redeems itself, but it most certainly does. From the beginning this book will make your heart race. Every moment, scene & travel in the book is unpredictable and well...exciting.

Even though the Hero, Rolfe starts off really bad (after all he violates the heroine), it's odd because Angline faces her situation with courage, some level of resignation and well, almost nonchalance. It was hard to gauge her emotions during the first parts of her relationship with the Hero. I'm not sure if she was psychologically protecting herself or if she really was quite taken & charmed by this man...I don't know...but, ultimately the Captive falls in LOVE with the Captor... and vice versa. I understand that message is not healthy, but perhaps it's the skill of Jennifer Blake & her nuances in Rolfe & Angline's unique situation that makes their unfolding, steamy romance become something strong, lasting and quite irresistible.

There is no question that the Hero and Heroine fall hard for one another. They put each other's needs above their own and sacrifice much to keep one another safe. I think the author did a good job in writing about their backgrounds, presses and one can get a good sense of where each is coming from.

2) There are so many twists and great plot events in this book! I did not see the end and resolution coming! Jennifer Blake did a fabulous job in writing about very intriguing characters & their relationship to one another that makes this story credible and quite fascinating. I did not suspect the traitor until he/she was revealed...wow! So, crazy!

Things I loved about the book:
1) It's obvious that Rolfe, from the beginning, wants and desires Angline, but there is a part where you know that this man grows to simply adore her. She becomes as necessary to him as breathing...this man can not leave her alone...He NEEDS HER.

2) The chemistry between Rolfe & Angline is on fire! It's not just physical, it's mental and intellectual. Angline is sharp, intelligent, kind-hearted and fierce. And, of course Rolfe is attracted to her person. That is, her complete being. But, in particular, I like how Rolfe's defenses are put to the side and he showers her with a poetic dialogue that really showcases the charmer he is. Their banter is charged with witty quips and intellectual challenges that I think leave both...um, intellectually stimulated, shall we say?...LOL

3) I just can't wait to read/listen to the 2nd book. I can't wait to hear about how Rolfe and Angline live their life and how the story continues with the next generation....

Narrator:
In the audiobook, the narrator was good. I know her Scottish accent needs some help, but overall, she was very good.

[Aiden Malecky · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book, man. The reasons I'm giving it two stars instead of one are:

1. Blake can paint a scene and I truly enjoy the way she writes dialogue, especially between the lead characters. The way they banter back and forth is like watching a good tennis game. I love the heroine, Angeline. She's sweet, brave and vulnerable. The "hero" Prince Rolfe is a handsome devil who is so charming in some parts of the book that I almost forgot he was a rapist. ALMOST. But I never could, and that's why this "love" story doesn't work.

2. I can't stop thinking about this book. Not because of the romance, but because it made me think how for the vast majority of history men have treated women like utter garbage and gotten away with it, while women have been shunned by society for BEING raped. Yes, that's right.

Feeling romantic yet? Here's my plot synopsis:

PART ONE:

Prince Rolfe is on the hunt to find the woman who was involved in his brother's murder. This is Claire, Angeline's cousin. He plans to kidnap and rape Claire because that's how Prince Rolfe delivers justice.

Rolfe meets Angeline, and believes she is Claire, despite her protests. He kidnaps her and takes her back to the castle and rapes her, then realizes whoopsie, she WAS telling the truth and she's Angeline after all. Because Angeline is a virgin (or WAS before he raped her), unlike that harlot Claire.

Rolfe says he usually doesn't make a habit of raping innocents (I inferred he only rapes the ones who deserve it), yet he keeps Angeline imprisoned and keeps raping her because he thinks she knows Claire's location and until she tells him he won't let her go. Oh, he also threatens to beat her at one point.

Rolfe threatens Angeline that he's going to ruin her reputation by continuing to rape her unless she tells him where Claire is. Basically, she'll be a ruined woman and no one will ever want to marry her once they find out what she did. Which was get kidnapped and raped by HIM. HOW DARE SHE. And you know, Rolfe's reputation will be fine because he's a powerful man who can be as rapey as he wants with no consequences.

At one point, Rolfe and his cadre of men kidnap Angeline's aunt (Claire's mom) and bring her back to the castle in order to dig up more info about Claire. This scene is the one that I can't stop thinking about because it's so disturbing. Angeline's aunt is a total bitch to Angeline, right? So I feel like because of that we're supposed to be ok with the following:

Rolfe, his cadre of men, Angeline and her aunt (Claire's mom) are all gathered together. Rolfe is determined to find out Claire's location. The aunt refuses to say despite his threats. Remember, this is the guy who planned (plans?) to rape her daughter so her mom is trying to protect her. He tosses his men a knife and tells them to get to work on the aunt. Ok, what the hell are they going to do? Fear is in the air. They use the knife to begin stripping off her clothes one by one, and Rolfe says Angeline can stop this at any time if she tells him where Claire is.

There is nothing sexual about this scene. At one point they rip off her turban and grey hair spills out. As they take each piece off, she becomes more and more afraid but still refuses to tell them where Claire is. At the point where they rip off her upper garments and her breasts fall out, she covers them and falls to the floor. This is the part where Angeline breaks and asks Rolfe if she tells him where Claire is, does he promise not to hurt her?

Claire's mom is crying out something to the effect of, "No, don't tell them!" But Rolfe promises he won't hurt Claire if they just tell him where she is. So Angeline tells him Claire is at the nunnery, which she is, and they go there.

PART TWO:

Rolfe and his cadre are still on the hunt for Claire, as she has fled from them. No longer at the nunnery, she is running across dangerous territory full of bad, lecherous men who aren't hot like Rolfe, so it's worse.

Angeline is still imprisoned by Rolfe and going along for the ride, although at this point, she's starting to wonder how unwilling a prisoner she is because Rolfe is SUCH a charmer and she's actually catching feelings. And uh oh, looks like Rolfe is too. There is one scene where they're having sex in the carriage and fall on the floor and both start laughing in "pure mirth" and I just...what.

Rolfe is going to protect her from all the big, bad men along the journey! He and his cadre are now Angeline's knights in shining armor! Although they are also sort of her kidnappers but hey, Rolfe is nicer now and no longer raping her. They eventually catch up with Claire and Rolfe and his men are going to protect her too! They are on a mission to save Angeline and Claire from all the vile kidnappers and rapists because you know, they totally weren't doing that in part one.

I'll admit I skimmed most of part two because I just cannot with this idiotic plot line, but I was invested in what happened to Claire. Claire is a more complex character than I think Blake meant her to be. She's essentially selfish, and threw Angeline to the wolves (Rolfe) in her place. So yeah, not cool, but later she undergoes such awful treatment (rape, gang rape) and is so vulnerable and hurt that any dislike I had for her was wiped away by utter sympathy. Claire and Angeline form a bond again, as they are kidnapped by villainous men who plan to rape them. She tries to distract Angeline's rapist at one point by stripping off her clothing and then when he comes close she attacks him. I mean, talk about taking one for the team. I actually really liked Claire, and I liked her even more because I think she was supposed to be disposable. Not as chaste as Angeline, not as good a person, and therefore, her rapes and in the end her murder are sad, but you know, at least it wasn't Angeline.

Angeline gets raped multiple times in part two by men who aren't Rolfe, and Rolfe comes to her rescue both times because how dare they. Only he can rape her! By this point in the book, my heart is breaking for Angeline because during one of these rapes she is thinking what Rolfe had first done to her was "practical seduction" compared to this. The first time Rolfe rapes her, by the way, she swallows "bitter tears" and feels "nothing but pain" when he enters her. What a guy.

Rolfe is painted as an almost entirely different character in part two, and Blake must be a good writer because he DOES come off as quite charming at points, but there's still that tricky rape issue, and he and Angeline are still trying to sweep that all under the rug so polite society doesn't find out how this beautiful love story started. I guess ole' Rolfe is feeling sort of ashamed of raping the love of his life at this point. He does express some bread crumbs of remorse though, because now he's such a good guy.

Oh, at one point when Angeline is living with her bitchy aunt (the one Rolfe and his men degraded in part one) Rolfe finds Angeline at her place even though her aunt won't let her leave the house because she's ashamed of Angeline because she got kidnapped and raped. Anyhoo, Rolfe finds Angeline at the house and they end up making love outside and the aunt finds them and gets all incensed that Angeline is still involved with Rolfe, who she QUITE UNDERSTANDABLY hates. And it's like the reader is supposed to side with Rolfe now when he threatens the aunt to do what he did to her in part one and she scuttles away fearfully. How...heroic of him.

Anyway, in the end Rolfe is pronounced king because that's what society does when men rape women vs. when women are raped. They pronounce them king! Then he and Angeline get married with baby on the way and live happily ever after.

Jennifer Blake slaps a bandaid over a massive amount of trauma and emotional pain. Ultimately my heart is left aching for Angeline, because he can never truly do enough to make it up to her. No matter how nice he is, it will never truly be enough.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't really decide how to write this book. There were times when I kind of mentally checked out but kept reading because I knew it would get better or back on track. I think the book is realistically more of a 3.5 star rating but it was worth bumping up to a four star because I did keep reading and at the end it got very good so that I could barely put it down. I will admit to being somewhat confused by who the perpetrator would be and changed my mind pretty frequently about who that person might be. To me it was obvious that Clare knew a lot more than she was telling but I didn't realize how involved she might be as the story progressed. I admired Angeline from the beginning because she really seemed very determined to make things work out to her advantage and she was also very clever. I'd like clever. Another thing was that she wasn't the "superheroine" either and had her own flaws that were made relatively clear. I almost did not read this book because I had accidentally read the second book in the series and when I look back I hadn't rated it it very high. But I will continue to read books by this author because I believe I have read others I have liked very much including Fierce Eden which I believe is my very favorite.