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العروس الأسيرة
The Unwilling Bride by Violet Winspear released on Feb 22, 1979 is available now for purchase.
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1969
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357 people want to read
About the author
Violet Winspear
175 books140 followersViolet Winspear was a British author renowned for her prolific output of romance novels, publishing seventy titles with Mills & Boon between 1961 and 1987. In 1973, she became a launch author for the Mills & Boon-Harlequin Presents line, known for its more sexually explicit content, alongside Anne Mather and Anne Hampson, two of the most popular and prolific British romance writers of the time. Winspear began writing while working in a factory and became a full-time novelist in 1963, producing her works from her home in South East England, researching exotic settings at her local library. She famously described her heroes as lean, strong, and captivating, “in need of love but capable of breathtaking passion and potency,” a characterization that provoked controversy in 1970 when she stated that her male protagonists were “capable of rape,” leading to considerable public backlash. Her novels are celebrated for their vivid, globe-spanning settings and dramatic tension, often employing sexual antagonism to heighten conflict between the alpha male hero and the heroine, who is frequently portrayed as naïve or overwhelmed by his dominance. Winspear never married or had children, and she passed away in January 1989 after a long battle with cancer, leaving a lasting influence on the romance genre.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
April 1, 2017
Violet Winspear certainly knows how to create a magical setting. After the glittering Castelo D'Oro from her Tower of the Captive, The Unwilling Bride transports the reader to the surprisingly gloomy, almost gothic-like, Sardinian coast where another stony castle awaits the arrival of our willowy, English, heroine, using the trope of the revenge-blackmail-marriage.
The hero is scarred both inside and out. Comparisons to Hades and Persephone abound. We are treated to Sardinian folk celebrations, the specter of a dearly departed first wife, a thorny, possibly malevolent matriarch, and flirtations with attractive local townspeople.
It was a satisfying read overall but it did not connect with me emotionally in the way that the story of the protagonists from Tower of the Captive did. The protagonists here were less likeable and more prone to big, terrible misunderstandings. I don't know that I believed their emotions or their future happiness, nor am I sure I really cared to.
The hero is scarred both inside and out. Comparisons to Hades and Persephone abound. We are treated to Sardinian folk celebrations, the specter of a dearly departed first wife, a thorny, possibly malevolent matriarch, and flirtations with attractive local townspeople.
It was a satisfying read overall but it did not connect with me emotionally in the way that the story of the protagonists from Tower of the Captive did. The protagonists here were less likeable and more prone to big, terrible misunderstandings. I don't know that I believed their emotions or their future happiness, nor am I sure I really cared to.
March 13, 2019
Another one down on my quest to read the first 100 HPs. This one is numbered 21 and was published in 1969.
On the whole it was pretty decent. Unlike many books written in this era it didn't take half the book to get to the action/romance portion of the story. It starts right off with the wedding of the hero and the heroine. There are then a couple of brief flashbacks to fill in what is happening. The marriage is consummated but it is fade to black and there is no suggestion that any part of it is forced. So that's kind of different for an old HP. The heroine was sensible enough to realize that he had told her up front he wanted a son and she had agreed to it so there was no fussing around like a twit when she had to follow through. On the other hand, she was a bit of a twit about the instant dislike she took to the hero even before he blackmailed her into marriage. Then she continued to snip at him in a haughty manner for no real reason. I think the author was trying to convey how feisty she was.
You did get the feeling all along that the hero had fallen for her and that is why he forced her to marry him. Where the book really falls down though is the ending. It was too brief and there were no real explanations to tell us how he had felt about her all along. Okay we kinda knew but the heroine sure didn't. I think HP authors have wised up to how much readers want those satisfying I Love Yous and explanations so this shorting of the feelings bit doesn't happen so much anymore.
I want to thank StMargarets so much for gifting this book to me!
On the whole it was pretty decent. Unlike many books written in this era it didn't take half the book to get to the action/romance portion of the story. It starts right off with the wedding of the hero and the heroine. There are then a couple of brief flashbacks to fill in what is happening. The marriage is consummated but it is fade to black and there is no suggestion that any part of it is forced. So that's kind of different for an old HP. The heroine was sensible enough to realize that he had told her up front he wanted a son and she had agreed to it so there was no fussing around like a twit when she had to follow through. On the other hand, she was a bit of a twit about the instant dislike she took to the hero even before he blackmailed her into marriage. Then she continued to snip at him in a haughty manner for no real reason. I think the author was trying to convey how feisty she was.
You did get the feeling all along that the hero had fallen for her and that is why he forced her to marry him. Where the book really falls down though is the ending. It was too brief and there were no real explanations to tell us how he had felt about her all along. Okay we kinda knew but the heroine sure didn't. I think HP authors have wised up to how much readers want those satisfying I Love Yous and explanations so this shorting of the feelings bit doesn't happen so much anymore.
I want to thank StMargarets so much for gifting this book to me!
dnf
November 25, 2024DNF - I’m scratching my head at some of these higher rated reviews. I’ve read quite a few VW books at this point but I found this one barely legible. Maybe I got a weird copy? Like it literally felt like the sentences were jumbled up or maybe a badly done foreign language interpretation?? Like someone took a book written in Spanish and used google translate to provide the English version?? Anyway… I’m kinda disappointed because the lower star reviews sound like something right up my alley 🤷🏼♀️😂
April 28, 2021
Ravena Brenin dearly loved the kindly guardian who had brought her up -- and she loved his son Rhodri Brenin even more.
But she was marrying a virtual stranger, the forbidding Sardinian Mark di Curzio, a man for whom she felt nothing but apprehension and dread. She was doing it for love - but for love of her guardian, whose life would be ruined if Mark told him, as he had threatened to, that it was his son who had been responsible for the tragic death of Mark's only child.
The price for Mark's silence was a high one - for all he wanted of Ravena was that she bear him a son to replace the one he had lost. Could she bring herself to pay it?
But she was marrying a virtual stranger, the forbidding Sardinian Mark di Curzio, a man for whom she felt nothing but apprehension and dread. She was doing it for love - but for love of her guardian, whose life would be ruined if Mark told him, as he had threatened to, that it was his son who had been responsible for the tragic death of Mark's only child.
The price for Mark's silence was a high one - for all he wanted of Ravena was that she bear him a son to replace the one he had lost. Could she bring herself to pay it?
August 28, 2014
3.5 stars
She was too self sacrificing, he wanted an eye for an eye; a new son to replace the son her guardian's son killed in an accident. I tried to hate him, but I couldn't. The person I really disliked was the guardian's son.
She was too self sacrificing, he wanted an eye for an eye; a new son to replace the son her guardian's son killed in an accident. I tried to hate him, but I couldn't. The person I really disliked was the guardian's son.
October 17, 2023
رواية من ذكريات المراهقة
May 5, 2016
Here's what you need to know about Violet Winspear books:
- If you have read one, you've read them all, but will probably come back for more.
- The "hero" epitomizes a misogynistic cave man bordering (and sometimes crossing the line) of being abusive.
- The heroine thinks she is a modern woman with a spine ... she isn't. She is a simpering brainless, confidentless archetype pigeon holed into thinking that being a trophy slave to the "hero" is her only option.
- The dub con and non con elements fulfill rape kinks.
- Everything about the relationships these books depict is toxic and unhealthy and these are the types of books that impressionable young ladies should avoid at all costs.
- When these first came on the market or so in the 1970's they were probably a dirty little guilty pleasure. Today you can much better dirty little guilty pleasures.
- If you are looking for modernized bodice rippers ... these will satisfy.
- If you have read one, you've read them all, but will probably come back for more.
- The "hero" epitomizes a misogynistic cave man bordering (and sometimes crossing the line) of being abusive.
- The heroine thinks she is a modern woman with a spine ... she isn't. She is a simpering brainless, confidentless archetype pigeon holed into thinking that being a trophy slave to the "hero" is her only option.
- The dub con and non con elements fulfill rape kinks.
- Everything about the relationships these books depict is toxic and unhealthy and these are the types of books that impressionable young ladies should avoid at all costs.
- When these first came on the market or so in the 1970's they were probably a dirty little guilty pleasure. Today you can much better dirty little guilty pleasures.
- If you are looking for modernized bodice rippers ... these will satisfy.
April 10, 2013
Kitap çok aman aman değildi ama İtalyan adasında geçmesi çok etikili okumamda.
Mark ile zorunlu evleniyor Ravera.Mark ortaya saçma bir intikam nedeni koyduğu için.
Ama bu sözlerle olmasa da göstererek aşk ortaya çıkarıyor.
Tipik bir italyan gibi değik Mark ama genede çok hoş.
Violet harika düşünceye sahip bir yazar.Buldukça her kitabını okumaya çalışıyorum zaten.
Mark ile zorunlu evleniyor Ravera.Mark ortaya saçma bir intikam nedeni koyduğu için.
Ama bu sözlerle olmasa da göstererek aşk ortaya çıkarıyor.
Tipik bir italyan gibi değik Mark ama genede çok hoş.
Violet harika düşünceye sahip bir yazar.Buldukça her kitabını okumaya çalışıyorum zaten.
July 16, 2014
الروايه رومانسية وممتعه
زواج رافينا من مارك لانه ابن عمها سبب موت ابنه
وتتواله الاحداث لكنها ككل روايات عبير رومانسيه وبنهاية سعيده
زواج رافينا من مارك لانه ابن عمها سبب موت ابنه
وتتواله الاحداث لكنها ككل روايات عبير رومانسيه وبنهاية سعيده
August 13, 2025
#21 of first 100. 3 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
June 6, 2012
Winspear the word-smith, "The trees and flowers stirred sluggishly and the sun looked bruised." And, "I'm a Sard, my dear. We don't compromise with the elements, or expect tame submission from our women." LoL to the plural women. I think I finally found a Violet Winspear that lives up to expectations. She's not quite my brand of escape but I can certainly applaud her mastery of the genre.
December 19, 2013
Love it , it was my first Book <3
May 23, 2020
It's ridiculous.
October 29, 2021
Ravena is forced to marry the powerful Sardinian Mark di Curzio to pay for a tragic mistake her guardian's son Rhodri made, leading to the death of Mark's son. She must leave the life she knows and travel to the Sardinian home, where her new life is overshadowed by memories of Mark's first wife.
Winspear's descriptions of the island and its culture are detailed and poetic. The setting and people are interesting, even if some of the wording is not politically correct for today's readers. Ravena initially fears the scars Mark bears from the tragic accident, but as she gets to know him and comes to see how he cares for the people who live in his community, the scars become less important. This story isn't a modern, realistic love story. It has elements of gothic romances, with Mark like Mr. Rochester, where the heroine both fears and is drawn to the hero's power and mystery. They don't meet as equals, but they do reach an understanding.
Quibble: Ravena has flame-colored hair and green eyes. We know, because Winspear mentions and describes them over and over!!!
I give the setting and depiction of the culture four stars, but the love story, hero, and heroine get only three stars.
Winspear's descriptions of the island and its culture are detailed and poetic. The setting and people are interesting, even if some of the wording is not politically correct for today's readers. Ravena initially fears the scars Mark bears from the tragic accident, but as she gets to know him and comes to see how he cares for the people who live in his community, the scars become less important. This story isn't a modern, realistic love story. It has elements of gothic romances, with Mark like Mr. Rochester, where the heroine both fears and is drawn to the hero's power and mystery. They don't meet as equals, but they do reach an understanding.
Quibble: Ravena has flame-colored hair and green eyes. We know, because Winspear mentions and describes them over and over!!!
I give the setting and depiction of the culture four stars, but the love story, hero, and heroine get only three stars.
April 23, 2023
The premise and set up were great - but our h held onto her resentment and dislike of her husband until the bitter end, so when her love confession comes blasting out of nowhere on the last page my reaction was no less than 'you fuckin what now??'
Such wasted potential, it would have been great to see these two slowly grow to love each other and put their ghosts to bed, but nah, just have them seethe and hate for each other for 186 pages, then apropos of nothing have them cry 'oh darling I love you' on page 187 and leave it at that I guess.
Such wasted potential, it would have been great to see these two slowly grow to love each other and put their ghosts to bed, but nah, just have them seethe and hate for each other for 186 pages, then apropos of nothing have them cry 'oh darling I love you' on page 187 and leave it at that I guess.
April 22, 2021
I fell in love with Sardinia. Now it's on my 'must-visit' list.
I would have given it more stars if we could see more of Marc's feelings. Did he fall for Ravena the first time he saw her in Wales? Or was it simply revenge in the beginning?
I would have given it more stars if we could see more of Marc's feelings. Did he fall for Ravena the first time he saw her in Wales? Or was it simply revenge in the beginning?
March 14, 2021
رومانسى مليان بالرقة والاخلاق والنبل يستحق القراءة
August 2, 2021
OK read but no reason for romance, it just happens.
April 26, 2024
A good one. Wonderful travelogue, well written and I did not want to bash the H s head in more than a couple of times.
May 29, 2014
In my simple mind, I think that this novel was amazing,but I cannot say it's perfect for many reasons. First of all, I didn't like the character of Mark he seemed to me oppressor,controller,and selfish for all he wanted of Ravena was that she bear him a son to replace the one he had lost. He may loved Ravena truly but in his own way.In other words, he couldn't express any emotions to her he was empty but he could express his true love by doing things reflect his beautiful kind part. On the other hand,Ravena, I think she is easily controlled, maybe she did that for the sake of her beloved Rhodri. What I didn't understand is how she forgave him when she saaw Mark with the girl of the black hair loving each others, may I mistaken I really became confused from this part which Ravena was looking on two lovers I didn't who was the other partner Mark or one else. However, She easily at last chapters fall in love with Mark forgetting Rhodri, may be because he sold their house which was the only last thing for her to remember her childish memories. From that time she felt her true position in the heart of Rhodri, and felt that Mark loved and protected her more.At last, I should say that I am really enjoyed reading this romantic story although I criticized it.
October 8, 2012
دائما يرتبط الحب بالجمال . دائما يكون العاشق شبيها بادونيس والعاشقة عشتار .الا أن القاعدة ,ككل قاعدة لها شواذها . ورافينا التي أحبت رودري الجميل ما ليثت أن وجدت نفسها حيال رجل محروق الوجه واليدين , يطارده ماضيه كالظل ,
وفي أرجاء قصره المنيع في سيردينيا وقعت أسيرة ذلك الماضي وتلك "الحروق" ... فهل تبقى هناك وهل يطل الورد من غابة الشوك ؟
July 30, 2013
I remember loving this, way back when.
July 11, 2015
I reread this book again as a kind of remembering old books I used to read. This one I read long time ago under the name of العروس الاسيرة
Nice one
Nice one
December 31, 2016
نظره الى الماضي ليست بالجيدة ولا بالسيئة ولكني صرت الآن افهم من اين جاءت كاتبات اليوم بالافكار الوردية
إنها سلسله روايات عبير
ولقد عزمت على قراءة ما يسعني فضولي من حشر أنفي فيه
إنها سلسله روايات عبير
ولقد عزمت على قراءة ما يسعني فضولي من حشر أنفي فيه
October 18, 2020
برغم انها من اصدار روايات عبير بس بجد رواية حلوة😂🤦🏻♀️
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews