What do you think?
Rate this book
Heather
HEATHER... She was a golden-haired beauty who'd never known her parents. Brought up as a foundling with David, the son of a marquis, she learned the manners of a lady. All of which helped her when she was captured one night and sold to a fancy brothel.
Captain Nicholas Guyon, David's friend, who had long lusted after Heather, rescued her from that notorious palace of pleasure. He planned to make her his mistress. He had not reckoned on falling in love with her. But Heather had no intention of surrendering to the man who once had almost raped her...
A lusty tale of fiery passions and deadly intrigue of men at war and women in love...
Captain Nicholas Guyon, David's friend, who had long lusted after Heather, rescued her from that notorious palace of pleasure. He planned to make her his mistress. He had not reckoned on falling in love with her. But Heather had no intention of surrendering to the man who once had almost raped her...
A lusty tale of fiery passions and deadly intrigue of men at war and women in love...
316 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
46 people want to read
About the author
Cordia Byers
18 books21 followersCatherine Blair (a.k.a. Cordia Byers) grew up in Texas, were she spent her high school years writing romances for her friends. She received her Ph.D. in neuroscience from Cornell University and currently studies opiate addiction. No one else thinks that the pun between "heroin addiction" and "heroine addiction" is as funny as she does. Catherine is a member of the Romance Writers of America and lives with her husband in San Diego, California.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 21, 2019
Why, oh why did I not listen to the words of wisdom from this excellent review of "Heather" and just DNF this lifeless excuse for a bodice ripper?
But no, like the idiot I am, I kept reading on, expecting something interesting to occur. First one thing happens, and then this happens, and then this other thing happens, but none of it has any zing or excitement about it. In “Heather” by Cordelia Byers stuff occurs while characters are like marionettes being pulled by strings to the next scene. Absolute sacrilege for a bodice ripper, because these are the kind of books that are supposed to chock-full of craziness, that they madly affect the senses, either by offending or delighting or titillating. I was a little offended, I suppose; not because there was anything to upset my “delicate sensibilities,” but because this book was so freaking boring.
Beautiful Heather Cromwell is brought up as a foundling by a wealthy Marquis. She’s treated as a part servant/part distant relative, and even though it’s not a rough life, it’s not a great one, either. Heather grows up loving the Marquis’s son, David but knows that her love is hopeless.
Enter Sir Nicholas Guyon, the studly and handsome Captain of the king’s guard. He takes one look at Heather and becomes instantly obsessed. Why? Because she's bee-uu-tee-full, of course. (Did you expect any other reason, like for her charm, personality, wit, or even foot-stomping, spicy temper?) But Heather’s heart is only for David; she despises Nicholas because…that’s what the story demands.
After David is assumed dead at sea and the Marquis is arrested for treason, Heather heads to London to live an exciting life in the big city. But Heather’s so dumb, she gets conned and robbed and ends up in a whorehouse as a Madame’s specialty. Of course, because Heather is so bee-uu-tee-full, she’s not pimped out right away, as the Madame has plans to sell her the highest bidder. Guess who that happens to be?
Nicholas has now been promoted as Ambassador to France (Yeah, that made no sense to me, either) and Heather still hates him. She comes up with a plan to play along as his mistress so she can save the Marquis. For a virgin who hates a guy so much, she sure has a lot of confidence in the magic powers of her cuca.
Then guess who turns out to not be dead? Heather's beloved David, who was held captive by pirates and now is…oh forget it, I don’t care, anymore.
Stuff happens and the story ends as these books always do, HEA. I guess I should apologize for spoiling this great piece romantic literature, but I won’t.
This book was so dull, I couldn’t even get excited about writing a review. This just blew big, giant whale chunks.
1 star
But no, like the idiot I am, I kept reading on, expecting something interesting to occur. First one thing happens, and then this happens, and then this other thing happens, but none of it has any zing or excitement about it. In “Heather” by Cordelia Byers stuff occurs while characters are like marionettes being pulled by strings to the next scene. Absolute sacrilege for a bodice ripper, because these are the kind of books that are supposed to chock-full of craziness, that they madly affect the senses, either by offending or delighting or titillating. I was a little offended, I suppose; not because there was anything to upset my “delicate sensibilities,” but because this book was so freaking boring.
Beautiful Heather Cromwell is brought up as a foundling by a wealthy Marquis. She’s treated as a part servant/part distant relative, and even though it’s not a rough life, it’s not a great one, either. Heather grows up loving the Marquis’s son, David but knows that her love is hopeless.
Enter Sir Nicholas Guyon, the studly and handsome Captain of the king’s guard. He takes one look at Heather and becomes instantly obsessed. Why? Because she's bee-uu-tee-full, of course. (Did you expect any other reason, like for her charm, personality, wit, or even foot-stomping, spicy temper?) But Heather’s heart is only for David; she despises Nicholas because…that’s what the story demands.
After David is assumed dead at sea and the Marquis is arrested for treason, Heather heads to London to live an exciting life in the big city. But Heather’s so dumb, she gets conned and robbed and ends up in a whorehouse as a Madame’s specialty. Of course, because Heather is so bee-uu-tee-full, she’s not pimped out right away, as the Madame has plans to sell her the highest bidder. Guess who that happens to be?
Nicholas has now been promoted as Ambassador to France (Yeah, that made no sense to me, either) and Heather still hates him. She comes up with a plan to play along as his mistress so she can save the Marquis. For a virgin who hates a guy so much, she sure has a lot of confidence in the magic powers of her cuca.
Then guess who turns out to not be dead? Heather's beloved David, who was held captive by pirates and now is…oh forget it, I don’t care, anymore.
Stuff happens and the story ends as these books always do, HEA. I guess I should apologize for spoiling this great piece romantic literature, but I won’t.
This book was so dull, I couldn’t even get excited about writing a review. This just blew big, giant whale chunks.
1 star
November 3, 2015
Wow. This is bad. I've read some terrible rippers in my lifetime, but man. I can't even find an appropriate gif to summarize my reaction. It's the Birdemic of romance -- almost too painful for words, yet each new scene brings a fresh bout of giggles to whoever is brave enough to attempt the experience.
(And yes, those people really are waving hangers at CGI birds that appear to be ripped from a 1985 Nintendo game. If you've never seen Birdemic, download the Rifftrax version & place a soft cushion beneath your chin -- it's jaw-droppinglyhilarious terrible.)
Anyway...
I could ramble about the flat characters, hammy dialogue, sugar-sweet cliches, & slap-dash action that allows no chance for building suspense -- or even interest in the outcome, because WHY THE HELL DO I CARE? Adverbs are flapping in the breeze like toilet paper on a pine tree, yet they pale in comparison to the LOL-worthy antics of these inconstant dunderheads as they ping-pong from one emotion to another. Heather might read like National Lampoon, but it's utterly sincere in its overwrought, underwritten cheese that swirls about the ankles of a cardboard cast.
Fire fed by the fuel of desire surged through their bodies. Gently laying Heather down in the soft clover, David started to remove her clothing. Her milky-white breasts were exposed to the pale moonlight; he kissed each tenderly. Raising on one elbow, he stared at her loveliness, absorbing every inch of her. But as his gaze traveled to her eyes, which sparkled in reflected moonbeams, he thought, "Oh God! I can't!"
Me neither, dude. Me neither. >___<
(And yes, those people really are waving hangers at CGI birds that appear to be ripped from a 1985 Nintendo game. If you've never seen Birdemic, download the Rifftrax version & place a soft cushion beneath your chin -- it's jaw-droppingly
Anyway...
I could ramble about the flat characters, hammy dialogue, sugar-sweet cliches, & slap-dash action that allows no chance for building suspense -- or even interest in the outcome, because WHY THE HELL DO I CARE? Adverbs are flapping in the breeze like toilet paper on a pine tree, yet they pale in comparison to the LOL-worthy antics of these inconstant dunderheads as they ping-pong from one emotion to another. Heather might read like National Lampoon, but it's utterly sincere in its overwrought, underwritten cheese that swirls about the ankles of a cardboard cast.
Fire fed by the fuel of desire surged through their bodies. Gently laying Heather down in the soft clover, David started to remove her clothing. Her milky-white breasts were exposed to the pale moonlight; he kissed each tenderly. Raising on one elbow, he stared at her loveliness, absorbing every inch of her. But as his gaze traveled to her eyes, which sparkled in reflected moonbeams, he thought, "Oh God! I can't!"
Me neither, dude. Me neither. >___<
October 24, 2013
"Heather was not to know who her father was because of the brutality of war and the lust of soldiers."
Just to make one thing clear from page one: this heroine is not one of those well-born misses who got separated from their parents and raised by the working class. That said, she does end up around age four in the care of servants of a wealthy old earl and she's a playmate to the earl's son and heir and given an education, so when the story begins Heather has all the appearances of a lady of class. And so beautiful every man desires to make her his, including Nicholas Guyon, Captain of the King's Guard.
Heather is set for a cushy life in the country in the old earl's household, but events happen and she's on her own in London. Doesn't take long for her purse to get snatched and sold into the clutches of the madam of a high-end London brothel (no spoiler, that's on the jacket). Our heroine's having none of this without a fight, especially since the madame's wanting a piece of Heather's flesh as well. Oh, and there's this Spanish Room in the bordello that makes Christopher Grey's Red Room sound like a playpen.
"I have bought and paid for you and I intend to use what I have purchased."
Will Nicolas find her in time and save her from a fate worse than death? Will she welcome being saved by the man who once attempted to rape her?
This is one of those older romances with all kinds of eye-rolling what-did-I-just-witness stuff going on, that I can't even begin to describe it all - and some of it is just too silly to take seriously. How does a captain in the King's guard become ambassador to France? How does someone escape ?
Only recommended for those fans of all kinds of cray-cray with a foot-stomping dumb-as-a-post heroine. It was fun in a train wreck kind of way, but I do have to knock of one star for the abuse of the words scurry/scurrying/scurried. Doesn't matter if it's rats, Heather or an evil baddie, everyone of them could scurry when the need arose.
Just to make one thing clear from page one: this heroine is not one of those well-born misses who got separated from their parents and raised by the working class. That said, she does end up around age four in the care of servants of a wealthy old earl and she's a playmate to the earl's son and heir and given an education, so when the story begins Heather has all the appearances of a lady of class. And so beautiful every man desires to make her his, including Nicholas Guyon, Captain of the King's Guard.
Heather is set for a cushy life in the country in the old earl's household, but events happen and she's on her own in London. Doesn't take long for her purse to get snatched and sold into the clutches of the madam of a high-end London brothel (no spoiler, that's on the jacket). Our heroine's having none of this without a fight, especially since the madame's wanting a piece of Heather's flesh as well. Oh, and there's this Spanish Room in the bordello that makes Christopher Grey's Red Room sound like a playpen.
"I have bought and paid for you and I intend to use what I have purchased."
Will Nicolas find her in time and save her from a fate worse than death? Will she welcome being saved by the man who once attempted to rape her?
This is one of those older romances with all kinds of eye-rolling what-did-I-just-witness stuff going on, that I can't even begin to describe it all - and some of it is just too silly to take seriously. How does a captain in the King's guard become ambassador to France? How does someone escape ?
Only recommended for those fans of all kinds of cray-cray with a foot-stomping dumb-as-a-post heroine. It was fun in a train wreck kind of way, but I do have to knock of one star for the abuse of the words scurry/scurrying/scurried. Doesn't matter if it's rats, Heather or an evil baddie, everyone of them could scurry when the need arose.
February 9, 2021
*Spoilers are included in this review*
How do I even begin?
I want to start by saying: I am a complete sucker for a good old-fashioned steamy romance with a hint of action and excitement. And I had high hopes for this book at first. I mean, the adorable scene at the beginning where David saves Heather from Nicholas' unthinkable intentions, was nothing short of adorable. A perfect example of what these types of novels are made of. But this book felt like the scene from "Alice in Wonderland" when Alice kept opening the little door, only to find another door, and then another and another and so on. Every time I turned the page, I had to reflect on what I had just read, but also prepare myself for what I was about to read. Not only did the book have some of the most pointless plot points ever, and some of the weirdest tactics to quickly tie up loose ends that I had ever read. But it was also so. Unbelievably. BORING.
I just want to say really quickly that this book, in my mind, has officially been nicknamed "book of false beginnings". There were not one, not two but THREE different false beginnings to this book and I was getting whiplash from how quickly things would just shift. If I wasn't careful and accidentally skipped a sentence, I would find myself two years later, with 7 new characters a new plot, and a different author. First, it was Ellen and her fiancée Tom, then it was Ellen and the bartender George, and then it was Heather and David and then FINALLY it was Heather and no one and I was confused for the whole book about why Heather was so important in the first place.
Let's talk about character development for a second (or shall I say lack thereof). Heather, although given a tragic life, is a lousy excuse for a leading ingenue. She doesn't seem to have her head screwed on quite right for the majority of the book. It isn't until LITERALLY the last 2 paragraphs that she realizes what's actually been going on around her the whole painful 316 pages. The only thing we really learn about Heather, honestly, is that she's beautiful. Oh, and she can sing (because that helps so much in developing a character in a BOOK where the reader can TOTALLY hear her). But singing isn't even a personality trait. It was literally an excuse to get Heather into the room with a number of people she wouldn't have been able to interact with had she not been able to sing (ex. half the time she was singing for the Marquis' rich guests of the court and other people who I didn't pay attention to because I was ASLEEP). Alright, was I the only one who found the politics of this book extremely vague but even more so confusing? That's all, but I just had to ask.
*Side note* I hated Meg until Nicholas said Heather's name while they were together in the garden. And then I was like "girl you need to leave him" and we never hear of Meg after that. She was used viciously throughout the book. Although she was nasty to Heather, she didn't deserve the disrespect she got. That was a pointless plot point that I didn't really understand the importance of.
Nicholas. Oh, Nicholas, where do I begin with you. Well, he's your classic soldier/captain/duke/Sergent/strong-man-in-a-high-power-position-that-I-can't-name-because-I-never-pay-attention-to-the-politics-in-these-books-because-they-normally-aren't-important-because-these-books-are-normally-about-love-but-for-some-reason-this-book-felt-that-revenge-and-politics-were-more-important.......:/ (that was a run-on sentence, and I am so sorry, but it had to be said). Nicholas of course is just infatuated with Heather upon first meeting her because her personality is so- oops I'm sorry. I meant to say because she is so talented at- oops sorry again. Oh right, it's because she's pretty. It's literally because she is pretty. And also because of "that feeling he gets deep inside him when she's around that he couldn't identify and doesn't know why she put it there" that they all get. I believe what he's feeling is best pronounced as LUST. But no matter, I guess that word doesn't exist in these books. At least in other books, there is some meaningful encounter with the girl before the guy is just taken by them. But NOPE. "Heather" has broken every rule. Even the ones you thought were mandatory.
At first, I really loved David. I thought he was going to be our main love interest after the moment he and Heather had shared at the beginning. But that was quickly changed. Leaving a very big empty hole for, you guessed it, Nicholas. The lusty captain-duke-soldier-man of power is here to save the day and seduce Heather. WRONG. She still hates him. Yes, he did attempt the unthinkable on her. however this man moves mountain after mountain for this girl, and he doesn't get so much as a "thank you" or at least a "you're forgiven". Oh you know, saves her and her bestie from a whore house by paying a hefty fee, takes her to Paris, feeds her, gives her a place to stay, gives her safety and tranquility. But of course, because this book sucks and so does Heather, she still hates him. And she kind of just does this for the whole book. She literally just throws wine glasses at him and slaps him when she feels like it. What a lovely wholesome relationship to force a reader through with underlining false hope of some kind of a romance forming.
And then there's the whole Ma wanting revenge on Ellen because George killed himself shortly after Ellen passed away. So she takes it out on Heather, who's been forced to leave Dunhan following the Marquis's arrest and is now looking for work, and she finds it at Ma's Inn. Convenient how Heather just stumbles into the EXACT Inn that her mom did. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree? But of course, Ma's plotting something and sells Heather to this CREEPY woman Bess who owns a whorehouse. I was struggling to see the point in this part of the book because it was just plain weird. It was so creepy. Bess gave off the WORST energy and I hated it. But, I realized that if Heather hadn't gone there she wouldn't have met Missy.
*Side note* Let's also talk about the wholesomeness of poor Missy, who was so kind and so generous throughout the whole book, but got no sort of happy ending. She was spoken to briefly by Nicholas about Heather's whereabouts after she'd run away for the 700th time, but that was all. I'm assuming she just stayed as Heather's mistress? But nothing was ever confirmed for her. Considering this book was ended in approximately 3 sentences leaving barely enough room to finish off the love story between Heather and Nicholas, I'm not surprised every other character was simply cast aside.
And finally, just when you thought things couldn't get weirder or worse. They did.
David coming back to life (because he was apparently never dead) was probably the worst direction this book could have taken. So now this prissy little rich boy is like, the leader of the underworld or something? What the actual heck. I literally was reading the book at this point purely because I was like 60 pages from the end and had to know if it got worse. So, David comes back from the dead, and his personality is different, but Heather doesn't pay attention to it because her childhood sweetheart whom she thought was dead is now alive and well. So she ignores all of the red flags that are being vigorously waved in her face and agrees to help David act upon his plans to help free his father (who is apparently alive too because he was also assumed dead. I know, the characters in this book are dead and then alive again every 30 seconds) from imprisonment. But, of course, David is also super bitter and he wants revenge on Nicholas because the book is getting boring, and that was the best plot option I guess. But, after acting upon a plan to try to locate David's father, (who is now actually dead) Heather is imprisoned and tortured in the tower where the Marquis had been kept.
The abuse in this book was WAY too over the top for me. The slapping and the wine glass throwing was meer child's play in comparison to the things Heather endures in the final parts of the book. The tower was way too much in my opinion. At this point in the book, we knew Heather has had a miserable life thus far. I didn't see where this was supposed to add to her character. She loses her memory but regains it shortly after being saved by Nicholas (another thing he does for her and has yet to receive a "thank you" from yours truly). She has already been abused in so many ways that the tower portion just didn't seem tasteful. It was pointlessly cruel. And of course adding to that, David's full 180 degrees spin on Heather. Throwing her around the room and threatening her child. Apparently, he's hated her the whole time. Well no duh. He left you in the creepy tower with the sick in the head old man and didn't even try to help you out. Nicholas saves her from the tower, and she runs away to the guy who left her there. I know Nicholas screwed up like 2 years prior, but after everything she's endured and everything he has done for her, I think it is safe to say he's redeemed himself.
In the end, after Heather's 68th and final kidnapping in the book, because that seems to be 1 of the only things she ever does in this book other than bath and think about how much she hates Nicholas, there is one final battle. Not a romantic battle to win Heather's heart though. Just two guys fighting because one of them is bitter that their daddy was a criminal. After Nicholas stabs David, conveniently tying up the final loose end to this book, the scene isn't even properly finished. Without even a description of Heather's thoughts on this, or the opportunity to show an ounce of gratitude to Nicholas the scene just abruptly ends. And as always, there's a time jump to several years into the future. And in 3 sentences Cordia Byers manages to let us know that Heather and Nicholas have has more children and are also married, by literally making Nicholas say "I love you my wife" because so many people say that with complete seriousness. There was more thought and care put into the harsh and disturbing abuse in this book than there was in the relationship development between Nicholas and Heather.
Overall, the book sucked. Like it sucked so much.
I love Cordia Byers' writing, and I love a lot of her books. But this one, in my opinion, should have stayed in the archives. Not a good read if you enjoy strong plots, character development, and a little human decency every once and a while.
I'm sorry this was so long, but I feel like it had to be said.
How do I even begin?
I want to start by saying: I am a complete sucker for a good old-fashioned steamy romance with a hint of action and excitement. And I had high hopes for this book at first. I mean, the adorable scene at the beginning where David saves Heather from Nicholas' unthinkable intentions, was nothing short of adorable. A perfect example of what these types of novels are made of. But this book felt like the scene from "Alice in Wonderland" when Alice kept opening the little door, only to find another door, and then another and another and so on. Every time I turned the page, I had to reflect on what I had just read, but also prepare myself for what I was about to read. Not only did the book have some of the most pointless plot points ever, and some of the weirdest tactics to quickly tie up loose ends that I had ever read. But it was also so. Unbelievably. BORING.
I just want to say really quickly that this book, in my mind, has officially been nicknamed "book of false beginnings". There were not one, not two but THREE different false beginnings to this book and I was getting whiplash from how quickly things would just shift. If I wasn't careful and accidentally skipped a sentence, I would find myself two years later, with 7 new characters a new plot, and a different author. First, it was Ellen and her fiancée Tom, then it was Ellen and the bartender George, and then it was Heather and David and then FINALLY it was Heather and no one and I was confused for the whole book about why Heather was so important in the first place.
Let's talk about character development for a second (or shall I say lack thereof). Heather, although given a tragic life, is a lousy excuse for a leading ingenue. She doesn't seem to have her head screwed on quite right for the majority of the book. It isn't until LITERALLY the last 2 paragraphs that she realizes what's actually been going on around her the whole painful 316 pages. The only thing we really learn about Heather, honestly, is that she's beautiful. Oh, and she can sing (because that helps so much in developing a character in a BOOK where the reader can TOTALLY hear her). But singing isn't even a personality trait. It was literally an excuse to get Heather into the room with a number of people she wouldn't have been able to interact with had she not been able to sing (ex. half the time she was singing for the Marquis' rich guests of the court and other people who I didn't pay attention to because I was ASLEEP). Alright, was I the only one who found the politics of this book extremely vague but even more so confusing? That's all, but I just had to ask.
*Side note* I hated Meg until Nicholas said Heather's name while they were together in the garden. And then I was like "girl you need to leave him" and we never hear of Meg after that. She was used viciously throughout the book. Although she was nasty to Heather, she didn't deserve the disrespect she got. That was a pointless plot point that I didn't really understand the importance of.
Nicholas. Oh, Nicholas, where do I begin with you. Well, he's your classic soldier/captain/duke/Sergent/strong-man-in-a-high-power-position-that-I-can't-name-because-I-never-pay-attention-to-the-politics-in-these-books-because-they-normally-aren't-important-because-these-books-are-normally-about-love-but-for-some-reason-this-book-felt-that-revenge-and-politics-were-more-important.......:/ (that was a run-on sentence, and I am so sorry, but it had to be said). Nicholas of course is just infatuated with Heather upon first meeting her because her personality is so- oops I'm sorry. I meant to say because she is so talented at- oops sorry again. Oh right, it's because she's pretty. It's literally because she is pretty. And also because of "that feeling he gets deep inside him when she's around that he couldn't identify and doesn't know why she put it there" that they all get. I believe what he's feeling is best pronounced as LUST. But no matter, I guess that word doesn't exist in these books. At least in other books, there is some meaningful encounter with the girl before the guy is just taken by them. But NOPE. "Heather" has broken every rule. Even the ones you thought were mandatory.
At first, I really loved David. I thought he was going to be our main love interest after the moment he and Heather had shared at the beginning. But that was quickly changed. Leaving a very big empty hole for, you guessed it, Nicholas. The lusty captain-duke-soldier-man of power is here to save the day and seduce Heather. WRONG. She still hates him. Yes, he did attempt the unthinkable on her. however this man moves mountain after mountain for this girl, and he doesn't get so much as a "thank you" or at least a "you're forgiven". Oh you know, saves her and her bestie from a whore house by paying a hefty fee, takes her to Paris, feeds her, gives her a place to stay, gives her safety and tranquility. But of course, because this book sucks and so does Heather, she still hates him. And she kind of just does this for the whole book. She literally just throws wine glasses at him and slaps him when she feels like it. What a lovely wholesome relationship to force a reader through with underlining false hope of some kind of a romance forming.
And then there's the whole Ma wanting revenge on Ellen because George killed himself shortly after Ellen passed away. So she takes it out on Heather, who's been forced to leave Dunhan following the Marquis's arrest and is now looking for work, and she finds it at Ma's Inn. Convenient how Heather just stumbles into the EXACT Inn that her mom did. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree? But of course, Ma's plotting something and sells Heather to this CREEPY woman Bess who owns a whorehouse. I was struggling to see the point in this part of the book because it was just plain weird. It was so creepy. Bess gave off the WORST energy and I hated it. But, I realized that if Heather hadn't gone there she wouldn't have met Missy.
*Side note* Let's also talk about the wholesomeness of poor Missy, who was so kind and so generous throughout the whole book, but got no sort of happy ending. She was spoken to briefly by Nicholas about Heather's whereabouts after she'd run away for the 700th time, but that was all. I'm assuming she just stayed as Heather's mistress? But nothing was ever confirmed for her. Considering this book was ended in approximately 3 sentences leaving barely enough room to finish off the love story between Heather and Nicholas, I'm not surprised every other character was simply cast aside.
And finally, just when you thought things couldn't get weirder or worse. They did.
David coming back to life (because he was apparently never dead) was probably the worst direction this book could have taken. So now this prissy little rich boy is like, the leader of the underworld or something? What the actual heck. I literally was reading the book at this point purely because I was like 60 pages from the end and had to know if it got worse. So, David comes back from the dead, and his personality is different, but Heather doesn't pay attention to it because her childhood sweetheart whom she thought was dead is now alive and well. So she ignores all of the red flags that are being vigorously waved in her face and agrees to help David act upon his plans to help free his father (who is apparently alive too because he was also assumed dead. I know, the characters in this book are dead and then alive again every 30 seconds) from imprisonment. But, of course, David is also super bitter and he wants revenge on Nicholas because the book is getting boring, and that was the best plot option I guess. But, after acting upon a plan to try to locate David's father, (who is now actually dead) Heather is imprisoned and tortured in the tower where the Marquis had been kept.
The abuse in this book was WAY too over the top for me. The slapping and the wine glass throwing was meer child's play in comparison to the things Heather endures in the final parts of the book. The tower was way too much in my opinion. At this point in the book, we knew Heather has had a miserable life thus far. I didn't see where this was supposed to add to her character. She loses her memory but regains it shortly after being saved by Nicholas (another thing he does for her and has yet to receive a "thank you" from yours truly). She has already been abused in so many ways that the tower portion just didn't seem tasteful. It was pointlessly cruel. And of course adding to that, David's full 180 degrees spin on Heather. Throwing her around the room and threatening her child. Apparently, he's hated her the whole time. Well no duh. He left you in the creepy tower with the sick in the head old man and didn't even try to help you out. Nicholas saves her from the tower, and she runs away to the guy who left her there. I know Nicholas screwed up like 2 years prior, but after everything she's endured and everything he has done for her, I think it is safe to say he's redeemed himself.
In the end, after Heather's 68th and final kidnapping in the book, because that seems to be 1 of the only things she ever does in this book other than bath and think about how much she hates Nicholas, there is one final battle. Not a romantic battle to win Heather's heart though. Just two guys fighting because one of them is bitter that their daddy was a criminal. After Nicholas stabs David, conveniently tying up the final loose end to this book, the scene isn't even properly finished. Without even a description of Heather's thoughts on this, or the opportunity to show an ounce of gratitude to Nicholas the scene just abruptly ends. And as always, there's a time jump to several years into the future. And in 3 sentences Cordia Byers manages to let us know that Heather and Nicholas have has more children and are also married, by literally making Nicholas say "I love you my wife" because so many people say that with complete seriousness. There was more thought and care put into the harsh and disturbing abuse in this book than there was in the relationship development between Nicholas and Heather.
Overall, the book sucked. Like it sucked so much.
I love Cordia Byers' writing, and I love a lot of her books. But this one, in my opinion, should have stayed in the archives. Not a good read if you enjoy strong plots, character development, and a little human decency every once and a while.
I'm sorry this was so long, but I feel like it had to be said.
April 29, 2015
Treachery and Betrayal in the time of Charles II
This is the story of Heather, a girl of low birth, born in the time of Cromwell and living in the time of Charles II. It begins in 1650 when her mother, a simple but chaste young woman, is raped by some ruffians in Cromwell’s army. Heather, the daughter she gave birth to from that horrible night, became the joy of her life—her only joy. Ellen fled to London where no one would know of her tragedy only to fall under the coach of the Marquis de la Dunban when Heather was two. Heather became the ward and servant of the marquis to be raised with his son, David.
Heather grows into a beautiful young woman, educated with David, whom she came to love. But one of David’s friends, Captain Nicholas Guyon, lusts after Heather and decides he will have her for his mistress. It seems a keyword of this story is betrayal. Guyon betrays the marquis, Heather is betrayed by them all and survives many tragedies and, dare I say it, more than one rape. Byer keeps you turning pages wanting to know just how it will come out. But what Heather suffers in the Tower of London was, I have to say it, over the top.
All comes out in the end because this is romance but oh my, the ride is a rough one.
This is the story of Heather, a girl of low birth, born in the time of Cromwell and living in the time of Charles II. It begins in 1650 when her mother, a simple but chaste young woman, is raped by some ruffians in Cromwell’s army. Heather, the daughter she gave birth to from that horrible night, became the joy of her life—her only joy. Ellen fled to London where no one would know of her tragedy only to fall under the coach of the Marquis de la Dunban when Heather was two. Heather became the ward and servant of the marquis to be raised with his son, David.
Heather grows into a beautiful young woman, educated with David, whom she came to love. But one of David’s friends, Captain Nicholas Guyon, lusts after Heather and decides he will have her for his mistress. It seems a keyword of this story is betrayal. Guyon betrays the marquis, Heather is betrayed by them all and survives many tragedies and, dare I say it, more than one rape. Byer keeps you turning pages wanting to know just how it will come out. But what Heather suffers in the Tower of London was, I have to say it, over the top.
All comes out in the end because this is romance but oh my, the ride is a rough one.
September 13, 2025
I liked it at first but soon changed my mind. When the h (Heather) starts out with spirit and a lively personality and then ends up TSTL, continually doubts and mistrusts the H (Nicholas), can't recognize that her childhood sweetheart (David, the OM) is the villain and is only using her and - worst of all - sleeps with him while pregnant with Nicholas's baby, (GROSS!!!) that's bad enough, but then later, after Nicholas rescues her from prison and cares for her after their son is born, she takes the baby and runs back to David!! that's when I'd had it!
Heather got to be so annoying, the way she mistrusted Nicholas, yet took everything David said at face value. With Nicholas she was a spitfire, with David, a wet noodle. She'd argue and be snarky with Nicholas, but it was "Yes David, whatever you say David, I'll gladly kiss your butt David", ad nauseum! If the three of them had been held at gunpoint, and the gun was pointed at David, ten to one she'd have yelled: "Shoot Nicholas instead!!" It made me glad she suffered while in jail!
Not that Nicholas didn't have his bad points! No matter how much you care, locking a woman in her room and continually telling her "You're mine and no one else's" is not the way to win her heart! Even so, he was the better man when compared to "from saint to sinner" David!
It also pissed me off that Nicholas felt guilty after sleeping with his former mistress (Meg, the OW) and thought of Heather, while Heather slept with David, didn't feel guilty and didn't think of Nicholas at all, despite not being turned on by David like she was with Nicholas! So many HR readers throw hissy fits when the H cheats, so the h deserves equal bashing! Fairs fair, after all.
Heather sure wasn't fair to Nicholas, he should have stuck with Meg.
Heather got to be so annoying, the way she mistrusted Nicholas, yet took everything David said at face value. With Nicholas she was a spitfire, with David, a wet noodle. She'd argue and be snarky with Nicholas, but it was "Yes David, whatever you say David, I'll gladly kiss your butt David", ad nauseum! If the three of them had been held at gunpoint, and the gun was pointed at David, ten to one she'd have yelled: "Shoot Nicholas instead!!" It made me glad she suffered while in jail!
Not that Nicholas didn't have his bad points! No matter how much you care, locking a woman in her room and continually telling her "You're mine and no one else's" is not the way to win her heart! Even so, he was the better man when compared to "from saint to sinner" David!
It also pissed me off that Nicholas felt guilty after sleeping with his former mistress (Meg, the OW) and thought of Heather, while Heather slept with David, didn't feel guilty and didn't think of Nicholas at all, despite not being turned on by David like she was with Nicholas! So many HR readers throw hissy fits when the H cheats, so the h deserves equal bashing! Fairs fair, after all.
Heather sure wasn't fair to Nicholas, he should have stuck with Meg.
September 10, 2025
Lost interest 70%
At first I was intrigued but then it got boring and dull.
Totally lacklustre.
At first I was intrigued but then it got boring and dull.
Totally lacklustre.
Read
January 10, 2019Found my list of reading from high school!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews