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Awakening His Duchess
Lord Beaumont Havendish has been thought dead for nine long years. However, death would be a relief from his grinding existence as a white slave in the tropical island of Saint-Domingue. At long last revolution gives him a chance to escape, but he’ll never escape the knowledge that the woman he loved sent him into a living hell.
He leaves the tropical sands behind and returns to the gentle shores of England thinking the nightmare is finally behind him, only to find it has only just begun. The traitorous Yvette is comfortably ensconced in his ancestral home, posing as Beau’s bereaved widow. Yet, nothing is what it seems. Yvette is no longer the girl he once adored. She seems more like a ghost than the wicked temptress he believes betrayed him. Can he forgive the past and dare he risk AWAKENING HIS DUCHESS?
He leaves the tropical sands behind and returns to the gentle shores of England thinking the nightmare is finally behind him, only to find it has only just begun. The traitorous Yvette is comfortably ensconced in his ancestral home, posing as Beau’s bereaved widow. Yet, nothing is what it seems. Yvette is no longer the girl he once adored. She seems more like a ghost than the wicked temptress he believes betrayed him. Can he forgive the past and dare he risk AWAKENING HIS DUCHESS?
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First published January 24, 2013
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About the author
Katy Madison
28 books61 followersKaty Madison has always loved stories. As a child she was always lugging a book around. At the age of eight, after
Katy Madison having gone through over a hundred Nancy Drew mysteries, all the Laura Ingalls Wilder books—at least twice—and many others including her full weekly allotment of library books, Katy went to her mother and begged for a new book to read. Her frustrated mother handed her a romance novel. Katy fell in love with the romance genre. She quickly found where her mother hid the rest and began sneaking them out to read. She cut her eye teeth on books by Georgette Heyer and Mary Stewart, not to mention dozens of Barbara Cartland’s. With a nod to great Gothic novels like Jane Eyre and Rebecca, Katy offers up her gothic romance Tainted by Temptation.
Katy Madison having gone through over a hundred Nancy Drew mysteries, all the Laura Ingalls Wilder books—at least twice—and many others including her full weekly allotment of library books, Katy went to her mother and begged for a new book to read. Her frustrated mother handed her a romance novel. Katy fell in love with the romance genre. She quickly found where her mother hid the rest and began sneaking them out to read. She cut her eye teeth on books by Georgette Heyer and Mary Stewart, not to mention dozens of Barbara Cartland’s. With a nod to great Gothic novels like Jane Eyre and Rebecca, Katy offers up her gothic romance Tainted by Temptation.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 14, 2022
A must read! Different from your typical romance novel. It was an interesting, good book.
February 9, 2013
***SPOILERS WARNING***
I received this book in electronic format via Smashwords for free to review. The following is an honest review and the opinions are my own.
The plot developing in the beginning of the book (Saint Domingue in the Caribbean during the slave revolt) intrigued me as it isn't a typical setting for the average historical romance novel. I felt that this part of the book could have been developed a little further in lifestyles description though the necessary parts of life and treatments were related to the reader as needed and done in a way most comfortable for a pleasure read. (The horrors of the island life for slaves is not overly described and should not be detailed too much for the type of book this is so I appreciate the way it was done by the author rather than getting into the gruesomeness that would deter a reader from continuing.) Having the hero suffer the life of a slave in this setting was an interesting twist to his personal experiences and what shapes his personality for the rest of the book. I love back stories and the author notes filled in much more about why he had the injuries he suffers from as after effects from his original poisoning on the island. I wish it had been included somehow in the story itself as I found myself wondering why his hand didn't work right and how his leg became damaged as well. (Had I been really thinking about it I possibly should have figured out partial paralysis from the drugs since his injuries are the same side of his body but I wouldn't have figured out blood clot causing a stroke on my own. Not that this would be easily worked into the story either...conundrums)
The internal struggle of the heroine who loved the hero from the beginning of the story and then lost him to 'death', not realizing he was put into slavery was prevalent in the whole story and as her back story is revealed makes perfect sense and was very well portrayed. My only drawback to her internal thoughts was that she had only the most fleeting thought of adultery when she discovered that she had taken a second husband while her first was living. Having the fleeting thought and never coming back to it officially with some kind of resolution (either that she realizes that there was no possible way to have done anything else under the circumstances or having it resolved between her and her love somehow) bothered me.
Having a child being central to the story was a significant change of pace to the typical romance novel. I enjoyed having the extra dynamics of new fatherhood development, a sort of step-child syndrome with the biological father, and adjusting from overprotective mother not trusting a secondary parental role to allowing for a good father figure emerge in the boy's life. This was actually my favorite part of this whole book. The dynamics were well written and seemed carefully considered.
Overall the book was very enjoyable and an extremely easy read (by which I mean that a very sleep deprived mother of a toddler and newborn tore through it). As always, the book ended far sooner than I was ready to give it up.
I received this book in electronic format via Smashwords for free to review. The following is an honest review and the opinions are my own.
The plot developing in the beginning of the book (Saint Domingue in the Caribbean during the slave revolt) intrigued me as it isn't a typical setting for the average historical romance novel. I felt that this part of the book could have been developed a little further in lifestyles description though the necessary parts of life and treatments were related to the reader as needed and done in a way most comfortable for a pleasure read. (The horrors of the island life for slaves is not overly described and should not be detailed too much for the type of book this is so I appreciate the way it was done by the author rather than getting into the gruesomeness that would deter a reader from continuing.) Having the hero suffer the life of a slave in this setting was an interesting twist to his personal experiences and what shapes his personality for the rest of the book. I love back stories and the author notes filled in much more about why he had the injuries he suffers from as after effects from his original poisoning on the island. I wish it had been included somehow in the story itself as I found myself wondering why his hand didn't work right and how his leg became damaged as well. (Had I been really thinking about it I possibly should have figured out partial paralysis from the drugs since his injuries are the same side of his body but I wouldn't have figured out blood clot causing a stroke on my own. Not that this would be easily worked into the story either...conundrums)
The internal struggle of the heroine who loved the hero from the beginning of the story and then lost him to 'death', not realizing he was put into slavery was prevalent in the whole story and as her back story is revealed makes perfect sense and was very well portrayed. My only drawback to her internal thoughts was that she had only the most fleeting thought of adultery when she discovered that she had taken a second husband while her first was living. Having the fleeting thought and never coming back to it officially with some kind of resolution (either that she realizes that there was no possible way to have done anything else under the circumstances or having it resolved between her and her love somehow) bothered me.
Having a child being central to the story was a significant change of pace to the typical romance novel. I enjoyed having the extra dynamics of new fatherhood development, a sort of step-child syndrome with the biological father, and adjusting from overprotective mother not trusting a secondary parental role to allowing for a good father figure emerge in the boy's life. This was actually my favorite part of this whole book. The dynamics were well written and seemed carefully considered.
Overall the book was very enjoyable and an extremely easy read (by which I mean that a very sleep deprived mother of a toddler and newborn tore through it). As always, the book ended far sooner than I was ready to give it up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 20, 2013
This book deserves way more than 5 stars!! An amazing adventure of love, death, deception, trust, romance, revenge, class structure, and new beginnings.
When the third son of a Duke, Lord Beaumont Havendish, falls in love with a beautiful French girl during his world travels, he takes her innocence with promises of marriage and happily ever after. Yvette has been promised by her father to another suitor, but her love for the young charismatic Beau sways her. However, happily ever after goes terribly wrong when Beau collapses during breakfast the next morning.
As he's conscious, but unable to move, he can't call out for help when they begin lowering his coffin into the ground. Was Yvette unwilling to be claimed officially as his wife since Beau hadn't told her he came from great wealth? As he's kidnapped and sold into slavery on the sugar cane plantation farms he fears he will never make it back to the comfortable life he took for granted that was stolen from him from the one time he dared to fall in love.
Years later, when the slaves revolt, the plantation owners are their targets and Yvette must run for her life and protect young Etienne from their machetes. Devastated and penniless, she runs across the ocean to seek refuge from the only people left she has any connection to - the Duke's family. When Beau returns to England to find the woman who betrayed him living in his home, and when Yvette realizes the young man she fell in love with is not dead after all, their worlds flip upside down.
What happened on that fateful morning nearly a decade ago? What secrets do they hide? Can they get past years of pain and suffering to reclaim each other as husband and wife, or has Beau's resurrection just interfered with his poisoner's grand plans? As danger lurks around the corner, everything is not as it seems. Can love conquer all or is just an illusion?
A beautifully written romantic suspense. The reader cannot help but feel attached to the characters and the plot is so engaging it is nearly impossible to put this book down!
Hero: 5/5
Heroine: 5/5
Side Characters: 5/5
Romance: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
When the third son of a Duke, Lord Beaumont Havendish, falls in love with a beautiful French girl during his world travels, he takes her innocence with promises of marriage and happily ever after. Yvette has been promised by her father to another suitor, but her love for the young charismatic Beau sways her. However, happily ever after goes terribly wrong when Beau collapses during breakfast the next morning.
As he's conscious, but unable to move, he can't call out for help when they begin lowering his coffin into the ground. Was Yvette unwilling to be claimed officially as his wife since Beau hadn't told her he came from great wealth? As he's kidnapped and sold into slavery on the sugar cane plantation farms he fears he will never make it back to the comfortable life he took for granted that was stolen from him from the one time he dared to fall in love.
Years later, when the slaves revolt, the plantation owners are their targets and Yvette must run for her life and protect young Etienne from their machetes. Devastated and penniless, she runs across the ocean to seek refuge from the only people left she has any connection to - the Duke's family. When Beau returns to England to find the woman who betrayed him living in his home, and when Yvette realizes the young man she fell in love with is not dead after all, their worlds flip upside down.
What happened on that fateful morning nearly a decade ago? What secrets do they hide? Can they get past years of pain and suffering to reclaim each other as husband and wife, or has Beau's resurrection just interfered with his poisoner's grand plans? As danger lurks around the corner, everything is not as it seems. Can love conquer all or is just an illusion?
A beautifully written romantic suspense. The reader cannot help but feel attached to the characters and the plot is so engaging it is nearly impossible to put this book down!
Hero: 5/5
Heroine: 5/5
Side Characters: 5/5
Romance: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
September 14, 2013
I'm having a hard time finding the words to start this review....I guess I can start with phenomenal, great story (okay that's 2 words!), exciting, riveting and couldn't put it down...I could go on and on but I will spare you because I think you can tell already I enjoyed it LOL The characters come alive, jumping right off the page, making you feel as if you are right there with them. During some of the more exciting moments, which there were plenty of, I actually left nail marks embedded in the pages because it felt so real. That is something that I really enjoy in a book and this book had plenty of it. The friction between the main characters, Beau and Yvette, kept me turning pages long after I should have been asleep, but once I started reading I couldn't put it down. The story had such a good flow to it that I didn't even realize that it had only taken me only 2 hours to read. I didn't want it to end, although I truly enjoyed the epilogue which takes place 40 years later. It's nice to read about how their lives progressed. I'm a sucker for a great epilogue :D.... I'm wondering if their children have their own books? I think I would like to read Etienne's story.
Katy Madison's writing has captured my interest and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
Katy Madison's writing has captured my interest and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
September 13, 2013
I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.
At first, it took me a bit to get into the story but once I did I didn't want to put it down.
Story is a little dark and gothic at times, but adds flavor to the mundane historical romance novels. I liked the change from normal historical romance reads to this.
Yvette was very young and in love with Beau and then thought she lost him. She remarried and built her family. After several years and slave revolution she goes to England to get help from Beau's family.
Beau returns and you can see the chemistry between them is still there but so is 8/9 years of separation and hatred. It takes alot to work through the issues that each have or thought was there.
I enjoyed the romance, the gothic parts and the action in the story.
At first, it took me a bit to get into the story but once I did I didn't want to put it down.
Story is a little dark and gothic at times, but adds flavor to the mundane historical romance novels. I liked the change from normal historical romance reads to this.
Yvette was very young and in love with Beau and then thought she lost him. She remarried and built her family. After several years and slave revolution she goes to England to get help from Beau's family.
Beau returns and you can see the chemistry between them is still there but so is 8/9 years of separation and hatred. It takes alot to work through the issues that each have or thought was there.
I enjoyed the romance, the gothic parts and the action in the story.
September 6, 2013
This story drags you in. All the characters in this story go through a very difficult time and must come back and find love together again. I found myself crying, smiling, and cheering the characters in throughout the whole story. In all a very powerful and emotional story.
September 20, 2013
What an amazing read! It has everything you want in a historical novel. The characters are believable. There's romance, mystery, and suspense. The storyline is unique and intriguing. Even the Author's Note I found entertaining. I look forward to more by this author.
Recommended.
Recommended.
February 10, 2013
Overall very good book. I had it done in a weekend as I couldn't set it down. Very compelling story that made me want to know what was going to happen next.
December 14, 2019
Nothing special.
October 13, 2014
An amazing read. An interesting plot with zombies without the flesh eating gore but then this really is the correct historical take on zombies and not the Hollywood verison. The author uses many historical facts and details to get the locations and descriptions correct. Beau being the 3rd son and rebel sets out for adventure only to set foot on the island and fall in love with Yvette. Yvette loves him enough to marry him even if he is penniless. Their happiness is short lived as he ends up dying the next day. She remarries to save her family planation, to a man that ends up not being as nice as he seems. Tragedy follows again when the slaves revolt killing her husband, stepchildren, baby daughter, son, parents, sisters, and brothers. She escapes the island with her eldest son and sets sail for England and safety. You really feel her pain and heartache as she suffers tragedy after tragedy and come to understand her fear of loving again. After 10 years of believing him dead Beau walks into the castle alive and changes all their lives. Beau discovers both his older brothers are dead, his father a shell of a man and that he is next in line for the dukedom. Beau has lived through hell being a zombie slave for 8 years, being buried alive, and trying to get home. He is full of hate and mistrust for his wife that he doesn't believe in her making their lives difficult. He brings a lot of pain, hate, heartache, and mistrust that they will need to work through. Poor Beau you really can feel his torment from all that suffering and pain. Just when think they are making progress more things start happening.....are they cursed or is danger stalking them? With every turn of the page you discover a new secret to all the tragedies that they have suffered.
December 30, 2014
Color me impressed. I'm avoiding my homework like the plague when an email alerted me that this book was only a buck on Amazon. Normally I read through the titles and discard the email. But this one drew me in by it's description. "Lord Beaumont Havendish has been thought dead for nine long years. However, death would be a relief from his grinding existence as a white slave in the tropical island of Saint-Domingue. At long last revolution gives him a chance to escape, but he’ll never escape the knowledge that the woman he loved sent him into a living hell.
He leaves the tropical sands behind and returns to the gentle shores of England, thinking the nightmare is finally behind him, to find it has only just begun. The traitorous Yvette is comfortably ensconced in Beau’s ancestral home, posing as his bereaved widow. Yet, nothing is what it seems. Yvette is no longer the girl he once adored. She seems more like a ghost than the wicked temptress he believes betrayed him. Can he forgive the past and dare he risk AWAKENING HIS DUCHESS?"
I will admit that there is a bit of an info dump at the beginning setting up the background, but it was worth it. Throughout the book you see Beau and Yvette struggle with their own inner demons and misunderstandings on their path to reunite. Yes, there is a tug of war (I want him/her. No, I don't want him/her) that can be annoying in some books, but I believe this author handled them well to build the story as they worked through their issues with the course life set them on.
I believe I will check into more books by Katy Madison to see if they are equally good.
He leaves the tropical sands behind and returns to the gentle shores of England, thinking the nightmare is finally behind him, to find it has only just begun. The traitorous Yvette is comfortably ensconced in Beau’s ancestral home, posing as his bereaved widow. Yet, nothing is what it seems. Yvette is no longer the girl he once adored. She seems more like a ghost than the wicked temptress he believes betrayed him. Can he forgive the past and dare he risk AWAKENING HIS DUCHESS?"
I will admit that there is a bit of an info dump at the beginning setting up the background, but it was worth it. Throughout the book you see Beau and Yvette struggle with their own inner demons and misunderstandings on their path to reunite. Yes, there is a tug of war (I want him/her. No, I don't want him/her) that can be annoying in some books, but I believe this author handled them well to build the story as they worked through their issues with the course life set them on.
I believe I will check into more books by Katy Madison to see if they are equally good.
September 13, 2013
This is not your typical historical romance. Most of the book, the Hero hates the heroine. When they were young, they married and spent one night together. The next day, he is poisoned and ends up a slave for years. He lives all those years believing his young bride was behind the poisoning. When they are reunited again, he finds that maybe he was mistaken about her. He treats the heroine quite harshly. Even through all the years they were apart, the heroine never stops loving the Hero.
I would say this story is about trying to decipher lies from truth. It is a story of young love that has to grow into a mature love. It is not an easy road. The H is quite mean to the h, to the point I couldn't believe she still felt he was her true love. He sort of redeems himself, but it took me a while to like him. All I can say is that if you are looking for a dark, tough historical romance, this book is for you.
I did enjoy it, but it was not my usual read. I would definitely recommend this book to someone who is looking for a dark historical romance.
This book was given to me free from the author via smashwords, in exchange for an honest review.
I would say this story is about trying to decipher lies from truth. It is a story of young love that has to grow into a mature love. It is not an easy road. The H is quite mean to the h, to the point I couldn't believe she still felt he was her true love. He sort of redeems himself, but it took me a while to like him. All I can say is that if you are looking for a dark, tough historical romance, this book is for you.
I did enjoy it, but it was not my usual read. I would definitely recommend this book to someone who is looking for a dark historical romance.
This book was given to me free from the author via smashwords, in exchange for an honest review.
February 20, 2013
While traveling in the West Indies, Beau, Lord Beaumont, falls in love and marries Yvette, the daughter of a local plantation owner. The day after their marriage Beau is poisoned, buried and then sold into slavery. His young wife is forced into marriage with Henri by her father. After the slave uprising and the slaughter of her family,Yvette goes to England with Beau's son to seek shelter with his family. The revolution allows Beau to escape his prison and return home. Can the couple work through their issues and traumas to find happiness? Outside forces make them work together to save their son and their love. This story is fast paced and filled with surprising twists . I couldn't put the book down. I love Katy Madison's writing and look forward to reading more of her stories.
January 21, 2015
I just thought this book was ok. Beau is in love with Yvette and when he's presumed dead, he automatically blames her as being part of the plot. Yvette is described as a ghost of her former self and yet I didn't get that impression. I thought the location was an interesting choice and even having Beau sold into slavery was an interesting twist considering the slaves in his locale were all African and he was "the white slave". But this one didn't do it for me. I thought Beau was often overly harsh with Yvette even for believing she had a hand in his slavery and I thought Yvette let Beau walk all over her. There were parts I liked and other parts I disliked. I just couldn't feel these two together.
September 16, 2014
Four stars for originality; Saint-Domingue and the horrors of the slave rebellion, witch doctor spells, an aristocratic hero buried alive and turned slave. But it doesn't stop there; the star crossed lovers must endure their own subsequent hardships and are eventually reunited half a world away to work through their mistrust, suspicions, and soul-breaking loss. The story glossed over some of the secondary characters, and I would have liked to have seen more romance between Yvette and Beau, but given their history their portrayals were realistic. A well-written and intriguing story that I enthusiastically recommend.
October 11, 2014
I really enjoyed this book, it was a freebie and I glad I read it.
Yvette and Beau were young and in love, until someone conspired to keep them apart.
I was snagged in by the story and felt the roller coaster ride as they navigated their lives together after their reunion.
Yvette and Beau were young and in love, until someone conspired to keep them apart.
I was snagged in by the story and felt the roller coaster ride as they navigated their lives together after their reunion.
August 26, 2014
Loved the unique story!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews