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A Daring Passion
Legacy of danger
Headstrong but sheltered, Raine Wimbourne longs for adventure--and when her ailing father reveals a closely guarded secret, she seizes her chance. Disguised as England's most notorious highwayman, Raine vows to uphold her father's legacy as champion of the poor. Then a midnight encounter with the powerful Philippe Gautier shows her the price of protecting her family's honor...
A hostage heart
Philippe Gautier has a mission of his own--and the beautiful impostor he's delivering to justice may hold the key to saving his brother's life. He will stop at nothing to keep Raine close. But as they travel from the town houses of London to the streets of France, can he convince his untamed captive to risk it all on the promise of passion?
Headstrong but sheltered, Raine Wimbourne longs for adventure--and when her ailing father reveals a closely guarded secret, she seizes her chance. Disguised as England's most notorious highwayman, Raine vows to uphold her father's legacy as champion of the poor. Then a midnight encounter with the powerful Philippe Gautier shows her the price of protecting her family's honor...
A hostage heart
Philippe Gautier has a mission of his own--and the beautiful impostor he's delivering to justice may hold the key to saving his brother's life. He will stop at nothing to keep Raine close. But as they travel from the town houses of London to the streets of France, can he convince his untamed captive to risk it all on the promise of passion?
448 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
26 people are currently reading
258 people want to read
About the author
Rosemary Rogers
111 books420 followersThere is more than one author with this name
Rosemary Jansz Navaratnam Rogers Kadison
Rosemary Jansz was born on 7 December 1932 in Panadura, British Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka), she was the oldest child of Dutch-Portuguese settlers, Barbara "Allan" and Cyril Jansz. Her father was a wealthy educator who owned three posh private schools. She was raised in colonial splendor: dozens of servants, no work, summers at European spas, a chaperone everywhere she went. A dreamy child, she wrote her first novel at eight, and all through her teens scribbled madly romantic epics in imitation of her favorite writers: Sir Walter Scott, Alexandre Dumas and Rafael Sabatini.
At 17, Rosemary rebelled against a feudal upbringing and went to the University of Ceylon, where she studied three years. She horrified her family by taking a job as a reporter, and two years later marrying with Summa Navaratnam, a Ceylonese track star known as "the fastest man in Asia." The marriage had two daughters. Unhappily, he often sprinted after other women. Disappointed with her husband, in 1960, she moved with her two daughters and took off for London.
In Europe she met her future second husband, Leroy Rogers, an african-american. "He was the first man," she recalls, "who made me feel like a real woman." After getting a divorce from her first husband, she married Rogers in his home town, St. Louis, Missouri. They moved with her family to California, where she had two sons. Six years later, when that marriage broke up, Rosemary was left with four children to support on her $4,200 salary as a typist for the Solano County Parks Department. In 1969, in the face of a socialist takeover of Ceylon, her parents fled the island with only ?100, giving Rosemary two more dependents. At 37, the rich girl from Ceylon was on her uppers in Fairfield.
Every night for a year, Rogers worked to perfect a manuscript that she had written as a child, rewriting it 24 times. When she was satisfied with her work, she sent the manuscript to Avon, which quickly purchased the novel. That novel, ''Sweet Savage Love'', skyrocketed to the top of bestseller lists, and became one of the most popular historical romances of all time. Her second novel, ''Dark Fires'', sold two million copies in its first three months of release. Her first three novels sold a combined 10 million copies. The fourth, ''Wicked Loving Lies'' sold 3 million copies in its first month of publication. Rosemary Rogers became one of the legendaries "Avon Queens of Historical Romance". The difference between she and most of others romance writers is not the violence of her stories, it is the intensity. She says: "My heroines are me", and certainly her life could be one of her novels.
In September of 1984, Rosemary married a third time with Christopher Kadison, but it was a very brief marriage and they soon began to live apart. "I'd like to live with a man," she admits, "but I find men in real life don't come up to my fantasies. I want culture, spirit and sex all rolled up together."
Today single, Rosemary lives quietly in a small dramatic villa perched on a crag above the Pacific near Carmel. Her four children are now away from home and she continues to write.
Rosemary passed away at the age of 87 on November 12, 2019 in Carmel, California where she called home since the early 1970s.
Rosemary Jansz Navaratnam Rogers Kadison
Rosemary Jansz was born on 7 December 1932 in Panadura, British Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka), she was the oldest child of Dutch-Portuguese settlers, Barbara "Allan" and Cyril Jansz. Her father was a wealthy educator who owned three posh private schools. She was raised in colonial splendor: dozens of servants, no work, summers at European spas, a chaperone everywhere she went. A dreamy child, she wrote her first novel at eight, and all through her teens scribbled madly romantic epics in imitation of her favorite writers: Sir Walter Scott, Alexandre Dumas and Rafael Sabatini.
At 17, Rosemary rebelled against a feudal upbringing and went to the University of Ceylon, where she studied three years. She horrified her family by taking a job as a reporter, and two years later marrying with Summa Navaratnam, a Ceylonese track star known as "the fastest man in Asia." The marriage had two daughters. Unhappily, he often sprinted after other women. Disappointed with her husband, in 1960, she moved with her two daughters and took off for London.
In Europe she met her future second husband, Leroy Rogers, an african-american. "He was the first man," she recalls, "who made me feel like a real woman." After getting a divorce from her first husband, she married Rogers in his home town, St. Louis, Missouri. They moved with her family to California, where she had two sons. Six years later, when that marriage broke up, Rosemary was left with four children to support on her $4,200 salary as a typist for the Solano County Parks Department. In 1969, in the face of a socialist takeover of Ceylon, her parents fled the island with only ?100, giving Rosemary two more dependents. At 37, the rich girl from Ceylon was on her uppers in Fairfield.
Every night for a year, Rogers worked to perfect a manuscript that she had written as a child, rewriting it 24 times. When she was satisfied with her work, she sent the manuscript to Avon, which quickly purchased the novel. That novel, ''Sweet Savage Love'', skyrocketed to the top of bestseller lists, and became one of the most popular historical romances of all time. Her second novel, ''Dark Fires'', sold two million copies in its first three months of release. Her first three novels sold a combined 10 million copies. The fourth, ''Wicked Loving Lies'' sold 3 million copies in its first month of publication. Rosemary Rogers became one of the legendaries "Avon Queens of Historical Romance". The difference between she and most of others romance writers is not the violence of her stories, it is the intensity. She says: "My heroines are me", and certainly her life could be one of her novels.
In September of 1984, Rosemary married a third time with Christopher Kadison, but it was a very brief marriage and they soon began to live apart. "I'd like to live with a man," she admits, "but I find men in real life don't come up to my fantasies. I want culture, spirit and sex all rolled up together."
Today single, Rosemary lives quietly in a small dramatic villa perched on a crag above the Pacific near Carmel. Her four children are now away from home and she continues to write.
Rosemary passed away at the age of 87 on November 12, 2019 in Carmel, California where she called home since the early 1970s.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 11, 2011
This was a true guilty pleasure. There was nothing reasonable or right about the situation, the romance, or the sex, but...I liked it.
Romance novels involving kidnapping go one of two ways for me: They work senselessly well, or they fail utterly. When they work senselessly well, as this one did, there has to be some good reason for the kidnapping to occur in the first place, the victim has to try like heck to escape, and the sex cannot cross that murky threshold into rape.
In this case, we got dangerously close to the border on a couple of those points, but didn't cross. His reason for kidnapping her: She tried to rob him. Okay, I'll go with that. The sex was of the over-the-top irresistable variety, but she definitely wanted it.
This may have been one of those right books at the right time thing. If you're not in the mood for steamy, brainless pleasure, skip this one. If you are...here you go. :)
Romance novels involving kidnapping go one of two ways for me: They work senselessly well, or they fail utterly. When they work senselessly well, as this one did, there has to be some good reason for the kidnapping to occur in the first place, the victim has to try like heck to escape, and the sex cannot cross that murky threshold into rape.
In this case, we got dangerously close to the border on a couple of those points, but didn't cross. His reason for kidnapping her: She tried to rob him. Okay, I'll go with that. The sex was of the over-the-top irresistable variety, but she definitely wanted it.
This may have been one of those right books at the right time thing. If you're not in the mood for steamy, brainless pleasure, skip this one. If you are...here you go. :)
June 11, 2013
I'm the romance novel queen... This is my favourite... Lovely escapism for a woman
August 8, 2022
Read:2020
Not a very memorable read! RR has so many better books!
Not a very memorable read! RR has so many better books!
October 24, 2020
MY GRADE: B-
The years this took place weren't mentioned but Napoleon was so it's gotta be the early 1800's but he works for King George IV, doing dirty deed for, so I have no clue. I'm not sure of the timespan either. Early on it jumped ahead two months and later there was some traveling to France, so let's say at least three months. Then the last chapter jumps ahead one year to Portugal.
Philippe is on a mission to find out who framed his younger brother Jean-Pierre, who's been sent to Newgate prison, accused of treason. Raine's dragged along for the ride from early on. The "free Jean-Pierre" plot took over this entire story and I got a bit bored with it, hence the B-. It just never let up. So it's fair to say I was disappointed in this. Oddly enough we never even meet Jean-Pierre!
Raine is a typical headstrong Rosemary Rogers heroine. She's got amber hair and "dark" eyes. Her mother died when she was little and she was raised by her almost-forty-year-old father, who's a secret criminal. Raine's been unaware of that until recently. Her age isn't given but since her mother died sixteen years ago when Raine was little and she'd been in a convent for the past seven years, she's at least in her early twenties, I would think. We only got one incident of her being the highwayman, "The Knave of Knightsbridge", which was disappointing.
Philippe has dark hair and green eyes and is thirty-one. He's from France but has lived mostly in Portugal. He's arrogant, self-centered, for the most part, arrogant, and possessive. Everything I could ask for in a fictional hero. He's an investor and does do good things for people, so he's got a good side to him as well. He kidnaps Raine and cares nothing for her feelings. They bicker a lot but get along alright when they're not.
Carlos is his good younger friend whom he grew up with in Portugal. They're like brothers but Carlos is not a good friend. He's let it be known to Philippe that he's interested in Raine. He's let Raine know several times that he wants her, has kissed her, and is having inappropriate thoughts about her, "He wanted to tug off that delicate ivory gown and reveal the slender beauty that was hidden beneath."
Rosemary died in November 2019.
July 30, 2024
He has met his match
I read this years ago and didn't really remember it, so I wanted to reread. Raine is a sheltered village girl who is older than her 19 years. She's mature & level headed and our Hero, Philippe, is a wealthy 30 y/o used to ordering people about without question. She is acting as a notorious highway man when she meets Philippe, who is bewitched by her beauty. He keeps her against her will as he goes about his business of looking for a man set to ruin his family. Our MCs fall for each other even though they try not to. He's very heavy handed with his commands & edicts and she despairs that she just his mistress & will be set aside soon. Philippe's quest takes them from London to Paris and then shortly to Madeira. This was an enjoyable read of two people who are falling in love with each other but won't voice it. This can be extremely annoying in some books, but I didn't think so in this one. I enjoyed it & would definitely recommend!
I read this years ago and didn't really remember it, so I wanted to reread. Raine is a sheltered village girl who is older than her 19 years. She's mature & level headed and our Hero, Philippe, is a wealthy 30 y/o used to ordering people about without question. She is acting as a notorious highway man when she meets Philippe, who is bewitched by her beauty. He keeps her against her will as he goes about his business of looking for a man set to ruin his family. Our MCs fall for each other even though they try not to. He's very heavy handed with his commands & edicts and she despairs that she just his mistress & will be set aside soon. Philippe's quest takes them from London to Paris and then shortly to Madeira. This was an enjoyable read of two people who are falling in love with each other but won't voice it. This can be extremely annoying in some books, but I didn't think so in this one. I enjoyed it & would definitely recommend!
April 25, 2020
Here is another book that I recently read in April, 2020. This is also in a historical setting with the main characters romantically involved. Although I did like the story, it is definitely fictional as the heroine is just too good and of course the man takes advantage of her but the ending is good.
January 15, 2020
One intense historical romance! This book will have you at the edge of your seat.
December 26, 2011
Me gustan mucho las novelas de Rosemary,lo que me paso con esta es que no me gustan mucho cuando los personajes están juntos desde el principio! Me atrapa mas el tipo seducir,conquistar, aun cuando Acá ellos están juntos pero tienen miles de barreras! El ultimo tercio del libro es el mejor,sin dudas!
Ella tiene el poder de hacerme emocionar,siempre. Y esta historia no fue la excepción! Philippe es muy sexy,y su obsesión es increíble! A veces me desespero! Tanto el como ella!! Vean lo que tienen adelante! Sientan!!
Igual es un 4 y medio de estrellas!
Lo recomiendo!!
Ella tiene el poder de hacerme emocionar,siempre. Y esta historia no fue la excepción! Philippe es muy sexy,y su obsesión es increíble! A veces me desespero! Tanto el como ella!! Vean lo que tienen adelante! Sientan!!
Igual es un 4 y medio de estrellas!
Lo recomiendo!!
November 5, 2009
This was a great love story written by one of the best writters of all times. I have read many of her novels. This story had a little bit of every thing love, sex, sadness, happiness,wealth and beauty.
Read
April 21, 2014Good book
September 21, 2017
really enjoyable historical romance. although slightly unbelievable the characters are interesting and feisty.
a young woman pretends to be a highwayman in order to protect her ill father.
a young gentleman is searching for his families arch enemy when he gets high jacked by a mysterious highwayman who turns out to be a spunky young Lady.
well written and with a good amount of suspense. read this book on one sitting.
a young woman pretends to be a highwayman in order to protect her ill father.
a young gentleman is searching for his families arch enemy when he gets high jacked by a mysterious highwayman who turns out to be a spunky young Lady.
well written and with a good amount of suspense. read this book on one sitting.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews