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Royal Princes of Ruthenia #1-2
Royal Princes of Ruthenia Box Set
The Royal Duo that took the romance world by storm come together in this very special boxed set.
ROYAL SEDUCTION
Frontier Louisiana is set aflame by Rolfe and Angeline - a dynamic prince on the trail of his brother's killer and the innocent beauty he mistakes for her wanton cousin. But death rides with the prince and his captive, and their only protection is love....
ROYAL PASSION
Mara must seduce and betray Prince Roderic, son of Rolfe and Angeline, or her beloved aunt will suffer. How is she to attract this commanding royal who consorts with gypsies? And how can she bear to choose between her aunt and the prince?
ROYAL SEDUCTION
Frontier Louisiana is set aflame by Rolfe and Angeline - a dynamic prince on the trail of his brother's killer and the innocent beauty he mistakes for her wanton cousin. But death rides with the prince and his captive, and their only protection is love....
ROYAL PASSION
Mara must seduce and betray Prince Roderic, son of Rolfe and Angeline, or her beloved aunt will suffer. How is she to attract this commanding royal who consorts with gypsies? And how can she bear to choose between her aunt and the prince?
758 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 18, 2012
100 people are currently reading
290 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Blake
171 books542 followersA 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 8, 2020
4 for Royal Seduction. 3 for Royal Passion. More thoughts to come.
**full review**
Royal Seduction is the superior work in the Royal Princes of Ruthenia. If you read Royal Passion, it's mostly trying to relive the magic of Royal Seduction.
Ugly cover, amazing story. That's what I think when I think of Jennifer Blake. I read and loved Embrace and Conquer and I've recently now been revisiting her works. Jennifer Blake's historical research is solid - I don't even care I'm not in Regency England anymore!
Rolfe, a prince from Ruthenia, a minor Balkan country, is on the hunt for Claire. Claire is Angeline's cousin who went off to Europe and attracted the attentions of Maximilan, Rolfe's eldest brother and heir to the Ruthenian throne. Maximilan is dead and Claire has fled Europe back home to Louisiana. Claire knows more than she is letting on about Maximilan's death and Rolfe needs to find out what she knows, as he is now also the target of assassination attempts...
Rolfe sees Angeline and thinks she is her cousin. Naturally he abducts her and thereafter Angeline's life is swept up in adventure after adventure as they try to find where Claire has gone.
Rolfe is absolutely perfect. I loved the way he talked. This is my type of flowery language.
The hijinks Rolfe's cadre of followers get into are amazing. The card game with the women was so much fun to read.
And CLAIRE! I loved Claire. I wanted her to heal. Now she was someone that made me feel for. Yes, she was incredibly spoiled and vain but she was clearly struggling with the unfair reality that if you are a beautiful woman with rumours to be fast with men, you were not considered marriage material. I felt so much for her.
I did not appreciate how in both books women like Claire were considered beneath men to respect. In Royal Passion, Roderic notes Mara looks like a woman to take on horse rides, not a woman to ride - I'm paraphrasing, but that virgin - seductress binary peeved me off!
You get glimmers of Perfect Heroine Syndrome in Angeline in Royal Seduction but in Royal Passion, Mara suffers from a full-on case of it. Far from seducing Roderic, the eldest son of Rolfe and Angeline, as the book blurb makes this story out to be, she ends up making Ruthenia House in Paris a liveable place and...
That's it.
There's like this political intrigue plot but it's so stretched out. I stopped caring about why De Landes chose her for his plot.
Now I did learn a lot about the state of France at this time and that was interesting.
But the spark between Mara and Roderic is soon snuffed out by a thin plot.
**full review**
Royal Seduction is the superior work in the Royal Princes of Ruthenia. If you read Royal Passion, it's mostly trying to relive the magic of Royal Seduction.
Ugly cover, amazing story. That's what I think when I think of Jennifer Blake. I read and loved Embrace and Conquer and I've recently now been revisiting her works. Jennifer Blake's historical research is solid - I don't even care I'm not in Regency England anymore!
Rolfe, a prince from Ruthenia, a minor Balkan country, is on the hunt for Claire. Claire is Angeline's cousin who went off to Europe and attracted the attentions of Maximilan, Rolfe's eldest brother and heir to the Ruthenian throne. Maximilan is dead and Claire has fled Europe back home to Louisiana. Claire knows more than she is letting on about Maximilan's death and Rolfe needs to find out what she knows, as he is now also the target of assassination attempts...
Rolfe sees Angeline and thinks she is her cousin. Naturally he abducts her and thereafter Angeline's life is swept up in adventure after adventure as they try to find where Claire has gone.
Rolfe is absolutely perfect. I loved the way he talked. This is my type of flowery language.
The hijinks Rolfe's cadre of followers get into are amazing. The card game with the women was so much fun to read.
And CLAIRE! I loved Claire. I wanted her to heal. Now she was someone that made me feel for. Yes, she was incredibly spoiled and vain but she was clearly struggling with the unfair reality that if you are a beautiful woman with rumours to be fast with men, you were not considered marriage material. I felt so much for her.
I did not appreciate how in both books women like Claire were considered beneath men to respect. In Royal Passion, Roderic notes Mara looks like a woman to take on horse rides, not a woman to ride - I'm paraphrasing, but that virgin - seductress binary peeved me off!
You get glimmers of Perfect Heroine Syndrome in Angeline in Royal Seduction but in Royal Passion, Mara suffers from a full-on case of it. Far from seducing Roderic, the eldest son of Rolfe and Angeline, as the book blurb makes this story out to be, she ends up making Ruthenia House in Paris a liveable place and...
That's it.
There's like this political intrigue plot but it's so stretched out. I stopped caring about why De Landes chose her for his plot.
Now I did learn a lot about the state of France at this time and that was interesting.
But the spark between Mara and Roderic is soon snuffed out by a thin plot.
April 19, 2017
Yeesh! How to review and rate.
Royal Seduction: 3
It includes what the author calls forced seduction. Let's face it, Rolfe is right later when he tells Angeline's aunt that he has scarred her soul, not her body. It was rape but he made her respond. Despite that, I felt it was written well given the time period it portrays.
Royal Passion: 1.5
This wasn't the worst book I have ever read, but even bringing Rolfe and Angeline back couldn't keep it from being terrible. Roderic is far less fleshed out and he is clearly cut from the same cloth as his father. I was far more interested in the two secondary romances than I was in the main plot and both of those were so glossed over it was depressing.
I am inclined to think that the author wanted to find a way to neatly close the loop on Angeline and Andre's abortive love. It flopped.
Royal Seduction: 3
It includes what the author calls forced seduction. Let's face it, Rolfe is right later when he tells Angeline's aunt that he has scarred her soul, not her body. It was rape but he made her respond. Despite that, I felt it was written well given the time period it portrays.
Royal Passion: 1.5
This wasn't the worst book I have ever read, but even bringing Rolfe and Angeline back couldn't keep it from being terrible. Roderic is far less fleshed out and he is clearly cut from the same cloth as his father. I was far more interested in the two secondary romances than I was in the main plot and both of those were so glossed over it was depressing.
I am inclined to think that the author wanted to find a way to neatly close the loop on Angeline and Andre's abortive love. It flopped.
dnf
January 4, 2013I read only the first book in this set. It was the same story, setting, and type of characters of her Louisiana Historical Collection. I didn't like it anymore the second time.
I realize rape is often a staple of bodice-rippers and I really do not want to engage in a discussion. I will only say this. There are authors who do not glamorize it and those who do. I believe Ms Blake belongs to this latter group. Rape in romance is always fake and it caters to a whim, that said there is something called plausible behavior...
I realize rape is often a staple of bodice-rippers and I really do not want to engage in a discussion. I will only say this. There are authors who do not glamorize it and those who do. I believe Ms Blake belongs to this latter group. Rape in romance is always fake and it caters to a whim, that said there is something called plausible behavior...
February 14, 2013
My review of the first book is posted under its title rather than the box set. The second book is even more of a yawn-fest. The author is a good writer, but if I had wanted a history of France's politics, I would have bought one of those instead of a romance novel. I liked the characters and the mystery surrounding them but skipped whole sections of the history stuff.
October 8, 2017
I tried. I really really tried.
When the main lady gets. . . *ravished* shall we say within the first few chapters, I keep reading. I said to myself, hon, you’re a prude who doesn’t even look in the mirror naked. It’s some sort of bondage play that you don’t understand and that’s just fine. The girl seems fine if not rather jolly and fiction is fiction so I kept on reading.
It’s a detailed and interesting story. And I wanted to see what the cousin really knew or did and all that and if the prince would fall in love ya know?
But then I got to the part where the cousin is raped by five guys and then not half an hour later does a sexy dance and asks the sixth to also rape her. Gotta nope out there.
There are some things I don’t want to understand, or even think about too hard, and this book is now one of them.
July 9, 2017
Intriguing book.
This book held me bound to turn the pages to see what would happen next. My only regret is that it ended too abruptly
This book held me bound to turn the pages to see what would happen next. My only regret is that it ended too abruptly
November 5, 2017
Great Novel
I love the words, the humor, the sarcasm and the Insight. I love both the books. Looking forward to finish all the books by the Author
I love the words, the humor, the sarcasm and the Insight. I love both the books. Looking forward to finish all the books by the Author
October 14, 2020
It’s a good thing it was a free read
I kept reading thinking it would get better.
I was wrong.
This box set was dull slow and boring.
Don’t waste your time or money
I kept reading thinking it would get better.
I was wrong.
This box set was dull slow and boring.
Don’t waste your time or money
December 31, 2022
Awesome
I loved this book from the very beginning. It is an awesome book. I recommend it to everyone who loves to read
I loved this book from the very beginning. It is an awesome book. I recommend it to everyone who loves to read
July 21, 2023
DNF at 54%.first story was good but second started flat and never improved. Also the Romani people have a name; next time, use it instead of the G slur.
January 3, 2013
HISTORICAL ROMANCE BOX SET
prince Rolfe has travelled from Ruthenia to the Deep South of America on the trail of his dead brothers mistress. Max had been heir to the throne, but had been murdered, and Rolfe suspected that Claire de Buys was either involved, or knew what had happened. But so far Claire had proven elusive. This evening Prince Rolfe is due to attend a party, upon arrival he sees a young woman, whom he believes to be Claire. She fits the description. But she informs him that Claire is her cousin, she is Angeline de Buys. Of course Rolfe doesn't believe her, and some short while later he kidnaps her.
ROYAL PASSION
Mara is being blackmailed, one of her family owes money. So the person who is owed wants Mara to seduce Roderic prince of Ruthenia. Mara has never seduced any man before, and feels at a loss how to go about this. But once she gets close to Roderic, the idea of lying to him, let alone causing him harm becomes more and more difficult.
First read for me by this author. On the whole both stories were quite well written. They were both overlong IMO. Which made both stories at times rather hard going. I am given to understand that both books were originally published in the early eighties. Apart from the leading characters in both stories, the side characters were not very well fleshed out. But my biggest objection lies in the first of the two tales. When Prince Rolfe kidnaps Angeline, he forces himself on her believing that she is her more experienced cousin Claire. Quite frankly whether he thought she was Claire or not didn't make it right. Then rather than being remorseful after discovering his error, as Angeline was a virgin. He has sex with her at every opportunity. While still insisting to hold her a prisoner. Angeline for her part barely made the slightest objection as to what was happening. But later in the story when another male character attempts to rape her. It's shock horror, even from Rolfe. And why was this other mans behaviour considered different? Because unlike Rolfe who was tall virile and handsome. The other guy was overweight and unpleasant. I thought that was just too much.
That certainly affected my rating. Overall quite well written, the dialogue was a little pompous at times.
Not sure i would recommend these.
prince Rolfe has travelled from Ruthenia to the Deep South of America on the trail of his dead brothers mistress. Max had been heir to the throne, but had been murdered, and Rolfe suspected that Claire de Buys was either involved, or knew what had happened. But so far Claire had proven elusive. This evening Prince Rolfe is due to attend a party, upon arrival he sees a young woman, whom he believes to be Claire. She fits the description. But she informs him that Claire is her cousin, she is Angeline de Buys. Of course Rolfe doesn't believe her, and some short while later he kidnaps her.
ROYAL PASSION
Mara is being blackmailed, one of her family owes money. So the person who is owed wants Mara to seduce Roderic prince of Ruthenia. Mara has never seduced any man before, and feels at a loss how to go about this. But once she gets close to Roderic, the idea of lying to him, let alone causing him harm becomes more and more difficult.
First read for me by this author. On the whole both stories were quite well written. They were both overlong IMO. Which made both stories at times rather hard going. I am given to understand that both books were originally published in the early eighties. Apart from the leading characters in both stories, the side characters were not very well fleshed out. But my biggest objection lies in the first of the two tales. When Prince Rolfe kidnaps Angeline, he forces himself on her believing that she is her more experienced cousin Claire. Quite frankly whether he thought she was Claire or not didn't make it right. Then rather than being remorseful after discovering his error, as Angeline was a virgin. He has sex with her at every opportunity. While still insisting to hold her a prisoner. Angeline for her part barely made the slightest objection as to what was happening. But later in the story when another male character attempts to rape her. It's shock horror, even from Rolfe. And why was this other mans behaviour considered different? Because unlike Rolfe who was tall virile and handsome. The other guy was overweight and unpleasant. I thought that was just too much.
That certainly affected my rating. Overall quite well written, the dialogue was a little pompous at times.
Not sure i would recommend these.
January 2, 2017
I actually read the entire series and found it quite good. I'm no fan of "forced" seduction, but after reading the entire series from start to finish I have to say it was well written, creative, adventures galore, humorous at times, romantic and maddening. I found a great combination of very interesting stories overall.
The heroes are virile, sexy and honest characters and the heroines brave, seductive and funny.
I would definitely recommend the series to historical, fantasy, romance fiction readers in a heartbeat!
The heroes are virile, sexy and honest characters and the heroines brave, seductive and funny.
I would definitely recommend the series to historical, fantasy, romance fiction readers in a heartbeat!
May 5, 2016
Fantastic
Picked this set up for free and was pleasantly surprised. Excellent writing, believable characters, interesting and complex plots. The set was hard to put down. Looking forward to reading more from this author!
Picked this set up for free and was pleasantly surprised. Excellent writing, believable characters, interesting and complex plots. The set was hard to put down. Looking forward to reading more from this author!
January 18, 2017
Just not for me
Want to read
October 3, 20171st book in this series, when published in hard copy was a bodice ripper. BRRA members have shelved book 1 as a bodice ripper.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews