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Skye's Legacy #4
Intrigued
A book about war in 1650 and the lives it touches and changes forever. Lady Autumn Leslie leaves war-torn England for France in the hops of making a suitable match.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
63 people are currently reading
479 people want to read
About the author
Bertrice Small
226 books1,122 followersBertrice Williams was born on December 9, 1937 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA, the daughter of Doris S. and David R. Williams, both broadcasters. She studied at Attended Western College for Women and Katharine Gibbs Secretarial School. On October 5, 1963, she married George Sumner Small, a photographer and designer with a History Major at Princeton. They had a son Thomas David. She lived on eastern Long Island for over 30 years. Her greatest passions were her family; Finnegan and Sylvester, the family cats; Nicki, the elderly cockatiel who whistles the NY Mets charge call; her garden; her work, and just life in general.
Published since 1947, Bertrice Small was the author of over 50 romance novels. A New York Times bestselling author, she had also appeared on other best-seller lists including Publishers Weekly, USA Today, and the L.A. Times. She was the recipient of numerous awards including Career Achievement for Historical Romance; Best Historical Romance; Outstanding Historical Romance Series; Career Achievement for Historical Fantasy; a Golden Leaf from the New Jersey Romance Writers chapter of Romance Writers of America; an Author of the Year (2006) and Big Apple Award from the New York City Romance Writers chapter of RWA, and several Reviewers Choice awards from Romantic Times. She had a "Silver Pen" from Affair De Coeur, and an Honorable Mention from The West Coast Review of Books. In 2004 she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by ROMANTIC TIMES magazine for her contributions to the Historical Romance genre. And in 2008 she was named by ROMANTIC TIMES along with her friends Jennifer Blake, Roberta Gellis and Janelle Taylor, a Pioneer of Romance.
Bertrice Small was a member of The Authors Guild, Romance Writers of America, PAN, and PASIC. She was also a member of RWA's Long Island chapter, L.I.R.W., and is its easternmost member on the North Fork of Eastern Long Island.
Published since 1947, Bertrice Small was the author of over 50 romance novels. A New York Times bestselling author, she had also appeared on other best-seller lists including Publishers Weekly, USA Today, and the L.A. Times. She was the recipient of numerous awards including Career Achievement for Historical Romance; Best Historical Romance; Outstanding Historical Romance Series; Career Achievement for Historical Fantasy; a Golden Leaf from the New Jersey Romance Writers chapter of Romance Writers of America; an Author of the Year (2006) and Big Apple Award from the New York City Romance Writers chapter of RWA, and several Reviewers Choice awards from Romantic Times. She had a "Silver Pen" from Affair De Coeur, and an Honorable Mention from The West Coast Review of Books. In 2004 she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by ROMANTIC TIMES magazine for her contributions to the Historical Romance genre. And in 2008 she was named by ROMANTIC TIMES along with her friends Jennifer Blake, Roberta Gellis and Janelle Taylor, a Pioneer of Romance.
Bertrice Small was a member of The Authors Guild, Romance Writers of America, PAN, and PASIC. She was also a member of RWA's Long Island chapter, L.I.R.W., and is its easternmost member on the North Fork of Eastern Long Island.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
July 26, 2020
In the seventy-fifth and final book in the Skye O'Malley series, Autumn of Castle Slutty-pants is determined to sleep her way to the top in both England and France! Tragically, Oliver Cromwell and his Puritans put an end to casual sex in England, so Autumn journeys to France first, where she marries some yutz with a fancy estate who makes love to her about three times before falling over dead for no particular reason. Autumn goes on a crying jag that lasts about six months, then Louis XIV takes her as his mistress and she seems to like that a lot -- though she's very clear on the fact that she just doesn't love him, not like the yutz who fell over in the fields for no particular reason.
So then Louis gets tired of her, (can't imagine why) and she hears that Charles II is back in power in England, so off she goes. Back in London, Autumn seduces Charles ("because I need a house and an English title") and they have an affair that lasts about five days. Then a mysterious lord from her past reappears and Charles shoots dice with this guy and loses. So Autumn has to marry him. And that's the end of the O'Malley saga!
I was really disappointed by this book. Bertrice Small doesn't even try to understand the Puritan revolution. She doesn't go into who Cromwell was, why he was a great general, how he became a dictator, or anything else. The one funny moment in the whole book was where she says a Puritan couple tried to take over Skye O'Malley's old mansion, but Skye and her last husband reappear (as ghosts!) and scare the Puritans into running away. What made this funny was that it was *not* meant to be silly but is told very seriously as historical fact!
Oh and on the last page Autumn's mother gives an Ancestry dot com type rundown of Skye's whole family, like she had 12 children, 49 grandchildren, and 128 great grandchildren, and they all line up on the lawn for a family portrait!
So then Louis gets tired of her, (can't imagine why) and she hears that Charles II is back in power in England, so off she goes. Back in London, Autumn seduces Charles ("because I need a house and an English title") and they have an affair that lasts about five days. Then a mysterious lord from her past reappears and Charles shoots dice with this guy and loses. So Autumn has to marry him. And that's the end of the O'Malley saga!
I was really disappointed by this book. Bertrice Small doesn't even try to understand the Puritan revolution. She doesn't go into who Cromwell was, why he was a great general, how he became a dictator, or anything else. The one funny moment in the whole book was where she says a Puritan couple tried to take over Skye O'Malley's old mansion, but Skye and her last husband reappear (as ghosts!) and scare the Puritans into running away. What made this funny was that it was *not* meant to be silly but is told very seriously as historical fact!
Oh and on the last page Autumn's mother gives an Ancestry dot com type rundown of Skye's whole family, like she had 12 children, 49 grandchildren, and 128 great grandchildren, and they all line up on the lawn for a family portrait!
February 8, 2022
I read this beautiful historical romance years ago! Bertrice Small was in my opinion one of the best historical romance author. Her books are rich in history and fiction with her beautiful and strong heroine and handsome alpha males!
I listened to this book on Audible and the narrator was the amazing Justine Eyre.
I listened to this book on Audible and the narrator was the amazing Justine Eyre.
May 22, 2015
Intrigued continues Bertrice Small' s immense historical saga of Skye O'Malley and her stupendous progeny. The story is set in the 17th century in France and England, starting with the period of great political instability and civil strife that preceded both the French monarch Louis XIV and his English "cousin" Charles II securing their respective thrones.
As usual, Small delivers a meticulous and passionately rendered account of the historical events of the time, with delightful cameos by real life historical figures of the time, like Cardinal Mazarin. No matter how whimsical her interpretation of these characters, she definitely brings them to life in a most exhilarating way.
At the same time, she paints a vivid picture of the daily life of English and French subjects who had to suffer and survive the bloody consequences of all those political intrigues. There are detailed descriptions of the fashions, food, and entertainment of the time. Some readers complain about these as fillers but as for me, I enjoyed them because it gave me a much needed picture of the characters and their lives.
Would that the same passion Small instilled in her historical fiction have been poured into the romantic plot as well! She has quite successfully blended this formula in some of her other novels, but not this one. The story is centered on Autumn Leslie, Skye O'Malley' s great granddaughter. She is the youngest child of Jasmine Leslie, who was the subject of two prequels, Wild Jasmine, and Darling Jasmine. Autumn starts off her story, quite literally, with a bang. No, not that kind. She puts a bullet between the eyes of an English government mercenary who had just invaded her home and murdered her sister in law. I was quite hopeful to see where Small would take this spirited character especially with her mortal enemy, Simon Bates, the commander of the mercenaries, becoming wildly infatuated with the stunning, brave young woman who beat him at his own game.
Sadly, Small decides to avoid this promising situation by dragging off her heroine to France where she gets herself involved with some bland characters and leads a rather boring life. Autumn eventually returns to England and this is where she loses her verve and morphs into the total opposite of the girl the reader met at the beginning of the book. From someone with integrity, she turns into a calculating woman who would sell herself for something as ridiculous as a title! As plot contrivances go, this was one of the most nonsensical. Autumn already has a title and enough money to buy herself a house. Why would she all of a sudden sell her soul for meaningless material things?
Small has a habit of forcing her heroines in untenable situations like these but it is usually because they are trying to protect their children or spouse or some other noble cause. To have Autumn aggressively pursue a powerful man in order to obtain a title (which she already had) and a house (which she had enough money to afford) totally knocked her down in my esteem and spoiled any remnant of interest I had in her story. Readers choose romances as escapist fantasies and need the hero and heroine to have redeeming qualities. They don't need to be perfect of course but it would help if their actions made sense in the context of the plot and their character development. They should at least have integrity both towards others but most importantly towards themselves.
No one can deny Small' s writing skills. She may write bodice rippers filled with purple prose, but her stories and characters are usually riveting and constellations above her fellow writers of this genre. It seems it is always a love-hate relationship for me when I read her books. When she succeeds, she is smashing. Sadly, Intrigued will have to go on my will-not-reread pile. Having said that, I will never give up on this author. She is a guilty pleasure that is worth pursuing. Even a mediocre adventure in her world is still heads and shoulders above the rest.
As usual, Small delivers a meticulous and passionately rendered account of the historical events of the time, with delightful cameos by real life historical figures of the time, like Cardinal Mazarin. No matter how whimsical her interpretation of these characters, she definitely brings them to life in a most exhilarating way.
At the same time, she paints a vivid picture of the daily life of English and French subjects who had to suffer and survive the bloody consequences of all those political intrigues. There are detailed descriptions of the fashions, food, and entertainment of the time. Some readers complain about these as fillers but as for me, I enjoyed them because it gave me a much needed picture of the characters and their lives.
Would that the same passion Small instilled in her historical fiction have been poured into the romantic plot as well! She has quite successfully blended this formula in some of her other novels, but not this one. The story is centered on Autumn Leslie, Skye O'Malley' s great granddaughter. She is the youngest child of Jasmine Leslie, who was the subject of two prequels, Wild Jasmine, and Darling Jasmine. Autumn starts off her story, quite literally, with a bang. No, not that kind. She puts a bullet between the eyes of an English government mercenary who had just invaded her home and murdered her sister in law. I was quite hopeful to see where Small would take this spirited character especially with her mortal enemy, Simon Bates, the commander of the mercenaries, becoming wildly infatuated with the stunning, brave young woman who beat him at his own game.
Sadly, Small decides to avoid this promising situation by dragging off her heroine to France where she gets herself involved with some bland characters and leads a rather boring life. Autumn eventually returns to England and this is where she loses her verve and morphs into the total opposite of the girl the reader met at the beginning of the book. From someone with integrity, she turns into a calculating woman who would sell herself for something as ridiculous as a title! As plot contrivances go, this was one of the most nonsensical. Autumn already has a title and enough money to buy herself a house. Why would she all of a sudden sell her soul for meaningless material things?
Small has a habit of forcing her heroines in untenable situations like these but it is usually because they are trying to protect their children or spouse or some other noble cause. To have Autumn aggressively pursue a powerful man in order to obtain a title (which she already had) and a house (which she had enough money to afford) totally knocked her down in my esteem and spoiled any remnant of interest I had in her story. Readers choose romances as escapist fantasies and need the hero and heroine to have redeeming qualities. They don't need to be perfect of course but it would help if their actions made sense in the context of the plot and their character development. They should at least have integrity both towards others but most importantly towards themselves.
No one can deny Small' s writing skills. She may write bodice rippers filled with purple prose, but her stories and characters are usually riveting and constellations above her fellow writers of this genre. It seems it is always a love-hate relationship for me when I read her books. When she succeeds, she is smashing. Sadly, Intrigued will have to go on my will-not-reread pile. Having said that, I will never give up on this author. She is a guilty pleasure that is worth pursuing. Even a mediocre adventure in her world is still heads and shoulders above the rest.
July 25, 2012
Everytime I read one of Small's novels, I get so caught up in the rich, lush prose that I feel that I am an actual participant in the story, not just a reader. Not this time. With past novels I have plotted with Skye, struggled and wept with Catriona, shared captivity with Cyra, and fought Roman conquerors with Zenobia. But this book just did not sweep me off my feet as her other books have done. Perhaps I had too great expectations for this heroine. After all, she is the granddaughter of the brillant Cat Leslie and the great-granddaughter of the legendary Skye O'Malley. She was bound to be a magnificent addition to the story. However, I found her to be weak, cynical, and flighty. Usually she came off as whiny and spoiled as India with an occasional display of practicality like Fortune. Perhaps, it is that with Autumn the was no true villian to battle, no great cause to fight for (other than complaining about the English roundheads and the one assistance to King Louis.) Autumn had no goals, except when she decided to seduce King Charles II so she could get an English title. She came off as nothing more than a prostitute. There was no strong, underlying plot. No Aidan trying to get home to her husband. No Valentina trying to find her father's identity. Autumn just merely existed as time passed. No life of adventure. Heck, not even a life! All she pretty much did was whine to her mother. The relationship between her and Gabriel was so empty. The potential was there for some amazing scenes, but his and Autumn's relationship was pretty much glossed over and focusing on the rest of the family.
March 27, 2018
granddaughter of skye daughter of Jasmine
May 7, 2010
Why do I do this shit to myself?
Duh.
Duh.
January 16, 2024
Got just over halfway through, and then of course main character is forced to become a king’s mistress against her will, because OBVIOUSLY this isn’t really rape if she’s not literally screaming no while it’s being dine, and fuck her if GOD FORBID she actually wants a fucking say in who she fucks or literally anything to do with her entire life, nope coercion, threats, and legal force are all totes kosher and actually it’s really romantic, because if she just gets over herself she can have fun, and her mom went through the exact same thing, and SHE doesn’t mind anymore, so what’s this bitch’s problem?
Yeah, no. That disgusting bullshit can absolutely fuck right off.
The first half of this book wasn’t technically awful, but I’m refusing to consider that in my rating because, a) it was way more boring and long winded than it should have been, and b) this bullshit destroyed absolutely every shred of conceivable good will I could possibly have towards this author. So, yeah, no. No props from me, fuck this rape apologist bullshit, fuck each and every single thing that uses it. Choke on it.
Yeah, no. That disgusting bullshit can absolutely fuck right off.
The first half of this book wasn’t technically awful, but I’m refusing to consider that in my rating because, a) it was way more boring and long winded than it should have been, and b) this bullshit destroyed absolutely every shred of conceivable good will I could possibly have towards this author. So, yeah, no. No props from me, fuck this rape apologist bullshit, fuck each and every single thing that uses it. Choke on it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 4, 2019
My favorite Bertrice Small
Rereading for the umpteenth time. Love the cover. I actually emailed the author when she was still with us to rhapsodize about the cover and she responded graciously (I still have it). Love Autumn’s mismatched eyes. I was working with green and blue materials he other day and remembered her eyes, which in turn inspired me to reread the book. Sad that there will be no more new novels from Bertrice Small to look forward to in life; grateful for the enormous body of work that she left behind.
Rereading for the umpteenth time. Love the cover. I actually emailed the author when she was still with us to rhapsodize about the cover and she responded graciously (I still have it). Love Autumn’s mismatched eyes. I was working with green and blue materials he other day and remembered her eyes, which in turn inspired me to reread the book. Sad that there will be no more new novels from Bertrice Small to look forward to in life; grateful for the enormous body of work that she left behind.
May 30, 2017
3 stars
April 2, 2019
My first romance book was by Bertrice Small. She never disappointed me. Wonderful book
June 12, 2023
I enjoyed this book, and the entire series.
wnr
November 18, 2023Have two copies of softcover
May 21, 2024
please read along with me on my deluise book series youtube channel
in june
I have done all the books thus far in the series, starting with skye o'malley
in june
I have done all the books thus far in the series, starting with skye o'malley
March 22, 2025
Not my favorite.
August 6, 2010
Book four of the Skye's Legacy series. An interesting but not great from Bertrice Small. I had some issues with the language, the over the top heroine, and the overall feel of the book. Great for her fans, but I doubt that it will make a general reader happy. Of course, I could be mistaken...
For the complete review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/review/Intrig...
For the complete review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/review/Intrig...
October 13, 2015
This book follows the last of Jasmine's daughters, Autumn (great granddaughter of Skye O'Malley). Autumn doesn't have many of the kind of adventures that the women in her family before her have. She does, however, have to deal with kings who demand more of her than she would want to give. She does manage to carve out happiness for herself despite her trials.
I enjoyed reading more about this illustrious family. On to the next book in this series.
I enjoyed reading more about this illustrious family. On to the next book in this series.
May 14, 2015
I loved it the first time I read it several years ago and I loved it this time,too.
The author certainly knows what she is doing when spinning a web of stories as she has, starting with Skye O'malley and continuing thru her legacy. Very very excellent reads all.
The author certainly knows what she is doing when spinning a web of stories as she has, starting with Skye O'malley and continuing thru her legacy. Very very excellent reads all.
May 6, 2022
Historical romance with plenty of sizzle. I found it interesting that people fleeing Cromwell went to the rough beginning of Louis XIV France. Autumn finds herself the interest of both kings. I like learning about another time period while enjoying a good story.
February 17, 2009
~You know you have a good book on your hands when the 15-year old protagonist does not hesitate putting a bullet through someone's head. And in one of the first chapters as well.
September 4, 2011
I found this one boring. sigh.
Read
April 1, 2013Ned. Titel: een roos in de storm
November 27, 2014
It is okay
The book has a lot of good reading in it, however she has taken her back to the kings, just like the o Malley books. If you have never read them it would be a new twist
The book has a lot of good reading in it, however she has taken her back to the kings, just like the o Malley books. If you have never read them it would be a new twist
August 14, 2016
Autumn
Jasmine's youngest daughter was quite a hand full. I liked this story. I hope that you also enjoy it. Thanks
Jasmine's youngest daughter was quite a hand full. I liked this story. I hope that you also enjoy it. Thanks
November 29, 2020
Intrigued
Wow. With each story it gets harder to put down. Bertrice Small is the master of writers. Her stories include history, love and intrigue. I love her stories
Wow. With each story it gets harder to put down. Bertrice Small is the master of writers. Her stories include history, love and intrigue. I love her stories
July 26, 2011
she slept with quite a few men - that surprised me
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews