Beautiful, headstrong Cameron Campbell knows her privileged life as a Mississippi senator's daughter is about to be shattered. Her fine Southern family has its share of secrets and scandal, and as her father decides to stand with the Union, long-held family rivalries lead to cold-blooded murder. But amidst the devastation, one honorable man is about to show her the meaning of love...
Six years ago Cameron offered Captain Jackson Logan her heart - and he walked away from her. She vowed then never to let another man hurt her that way. But now, as war assumes its deadly course, Cameron will be forced to find an ally in this man she loves to hate... and hates to love. A man whose strength and courage will mirror her own as she stakes a defiant stand against slavery. A man who will face unimaginable danger by her side and show her the magic of a rapturous love that comes but once in a lifetime.
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.
2 Estrellas, y no puedo darle más porque no me ha gustado, tampoco es que esperara nada, pero era el primer libro que leía de Rosemary Rogers y siempre voy con pies de plomo cuando un autor es nuevo para mí. El argumento no pintaba mal, pero me he dado cuenta de que todos los libros de romance que he leído de la guerra de secesión americana no me han gustado; puede que porque todos me parezcan igual, y pienso que leído uno, leídos todos.
En el caso de éste libro tenemos una historia muy muy típica en los prolegómenos de la guerra. La protagonista Cameron Campbell, es la hija mimada de un importante senador sureño que está en contra de la esclavitud, y haciendo todo lo posible para que proyecto del presidente Lincoln se cumpla. Pero la familia Campbell está llena de secretos y un trágico asesinato sacará a la luz varios de ellos.
El protagonista, el capitán Jackson Logan, es un atractivo oportunista, un marino mercante que enamoró a Cameron cuando era una chiquilla, y cuyo rechazo destrozó el corazón de Cameron. Pero han pasado seis años y Jackson ha vuelto a la propiedad del senador para hacer negocios. A partir de aquí empezará el rifi rafe entre los protagonistas, a veces con amor, a veces con odio, y por esto mismo todos estos libros me parecen iguales. Quizás lo que no ha sido igual es que en éste caso los protagonistas están en el mismo bando.
A pesar de todo la historia no ha conseguido conquistarme; está bien escrita y bien investigada, pero para mí lo que ha fallado son el romance y los personajes, Jackson no me ha gustado lo suficiente como protagonista, y Cameron no me ha gustado nada porque me ha parecido una veleta, además de un estorbo para el resto de personajes durante toda la novela, no puedo con los personajes tan orgullosos y egoístas que son incapaces de confiar en la persona que supuestamente aman.
Puede que más adelante lea más libros de Rosemary Rogers porque me ha gustado cómo escribe, pero quizás tarde en leer otros libros que transcurran durante la guerra de secesión americana.
Love and the Underground Railroad During the Civil War
Set in the South beginning in Jackson, Mississippi in 1861, this is the story of Cameron Campbell, a sheltered Southern belle and the daughter of a respected Mississippi senator. When her father decides to stand with the Union and move his family north, Cameron’s world changes. Her father dies in a mysterious accident and a man from her past, one she once thought never to see again, comes back into her life.
Years ago, Captain Jackson Logan walked away from Cameron. Now he hopes to win her back but he has a job to do in the war and not just the blockade running everyone’s awar of. Cam doesn’t trust him and she often does stupid things placing herself and those she loves in danger for Jackson, an honorable man to save her.
Cameron’s brother—a bitter man jealous of Cameron’s favor in the sight of their father—takes his vengeance out on the slaves their father would have freed. Grant Campbell lives a dissolute life, indulging his whims and passions and squandering the inheritance left to him. To save those closest to her, Cameron is forced to seek Jackson’s help.
Rogers delivers an emotion-filled tale but you won’t see much of the Civil War battles. You will get a sense for the risk those using the Underground Railroad took to find freedom in the North. And President Lincoln makes a cameo appearance. As for the characters, the hero is a noble sort with the charm of a rogue; the heroine is brave at times, but at others, her stupid and risky actions had me rolling my eyes. But Rogers writes well and manages to give us a good story.
This is book one in the Logan Duology. Return to Me is book 2.
Jackson and Cameron's journey toward a HEA was pretty standard historical romance fare and relatively satisfying. But I up graded my rating to 3.5* because the real guts of this story IMHO is the development of friendhip between Cameron, Taye, her mulatto emancipated servant girl, and Naomi, an other-worldly Haitian slave on her father's Mississippi plantation, while they flee North to survive the war and slavers that makes this story interesting. It's not Gone With The Wind epic, but it held my interest well enough to read book 2 of this duology.
This one was a winner! I was never a fan of Rosemary Roger's earlier novels (too crude and graphic) but her later ones have come a long way from that. This story, set in the start of the Civil War, is not your typical romance where the southern belle is shouting "Damn the Yankees" every five seconds. In fact, she's on their side, as she's devoted to her "servants" and wishes to free them all, in accordance with her late father's wishes. Cameron Campbell is a likeable leading lady, as she's a bit more mature (twenty-three, rather than the usual late teens), independent, and headstrong, but not in an overbearing way, and has a kind, unselfish nature.
But the story is not just focused on Cameron and her thoughts and feelings, it takes others into consideration, and not just the leading man, Jackson Logan, a captain and blockade runner, who is a lot more than he seems. The story also focuses on Taye, a biracial freed slave, whose mother, Sukey, had a lifetime love for Cameron's father. There's also Grant, Cameron's jealous, vengeful brother, whose dark side compels him to commit a horrible crime, Naomi, a young slave woman who uses her beauty and charm to her advantage, and Thomas, a young lawyer who falls for Taye. The author makes you aware of their thoughts and feelings, which gives the book more of a well rounded perspective, instead of being continually focused on the romantic couple.
In this book, you get plenty of sparks, fire and passion between Cameron and Jackson, but there's also adventure, suspense, and some history thrown into the bargain. It's a real page turner, and you'll find yourself turning pages until you finish, and then be glad that there's a sequel (which I plan to read ASAP).
5/5 stars! I loved this book. It was so fucking good!! My God, that ending! Everything about it screamed it was the perfect book: the characters, plot, writing, setting, everything. This book takes place in Mississippi in 1861 (Civil War). Cameron Campbell is such a strong female lead, she didn't obey anyone's orders and did as she pleased. She hated Jackson yet couldn't help but love him at the same time. I wished that I got to know more about their past history together. Thorough out the book, Jackson is hiding something but I didn't know what and boy, did the ending sure surprised me. I never would have guessed that Jackson had that kind of job. Grant, Cameron's brother, was the major antagonist in this book. He was a cruel, spiteful, dick who deserved what he got and more. He treated the slaves like they were stuff he found at the bottom of his shoes. I loved Taye's character (she's Cameron's 'friend'). She was so innocent that I felt anger towards Grant when he wanted to abuse her. I hated the prejudice toward people's skin color. Why can't everyone just be treated as equals? I loved Cameron and Jackson's romance; they had great chemistry together, and like all relationships, they had their hardships but they overcame them. They reminded me of Jamie and Claire from the Outlander series. Overall, a great book, is a favorite of mine, I would recommend it and this author, and I will be reading the sequel in this duology.
Un harlequin dans toute sa splendeur mais avec du caractère ! Pour moi un livre "Harlequin" avait toujours été un livre facile à lire, offrant une lecture agréable et sans prise de tête mais sans grande originalité dans l'histoire ni dans les personnages. Si vous êtes comme moi, ce livre pourrait bien vous faire changer d'avis ! Alors oui, ce livre parle de romance. Si vous n'aimez pas ce style de lecture, ce livre n'est clairement pas fait pour vous. Pour ceux que ça ne dérange pas outre mesure, les personnages sont bien écrits (un peu tête à claque sur les bords mais pas trop). L'histoire qui se passe au prémisse de la guerre de Sécession aux Etats-unis nous emporte avec plaisir à la rencontre de personnages haut en couleur et distrayants. Le style de l'auteur est fluide, agréable à lire et audacieux.
Such a great ride. I really did enjoy this one. Based in Mississippi 1861 during the start of the Civil war. The heroine, Cameron, is such a head strong, stubborn woman who doesn't take anything from anyone. Then there is the hero, Jackson, another head strong, stubborn man who is very mysterious that you can't quite place your finger on it throughout the entire ride. All in all, he is a stand up guy, especially during those times of slavery. So much goes on throughout this story, sadness, strength, compassion, anger, slavery, survival, death and war. You can't help but fall in love with several of these characters, and you can't help but despise others. Naomi is another woman that gained my respect. This is a great read, especially given the historical time and events. You can totally feel like you are in the midst of that era. The ending is definitely full of surprises.
this book was ok. i would like to have seen more talking between the hero and heroine without them shouting at each other. they did have alot of passion between them. im glady the villain got what was coming to him. i did enjoy this read in someways but not in others.
J'ai adoré les personnages de ce livre! Tout particulièrement Cameron et Taye qui sont attachantes chacune à sa manière. Camaron a un fort caractère, une langue bien pendue et de la fougue à revendre. Par contre, elle est un peu trop gâtée, ce qui la rend un peu capricieuse par moment. Taye est la meilleure amie de Cameron et est la fille d'une esclave noire et d'un père blanc inconnu. Elle est d'un caractère aimant et doux. Tout le contraire de Cameron! Taye est cependant très complexé par le fait d'être une métisse, car à cause de sa couleur de peau, elle n'estime pas avoir doit à un certain bonheur et à avoir la chance de se marier avec un homme bien. Le personnage de Jackson quant à lui, est haut en couleur et je dois dire qu'au début j'avais de la difficulté à m'attacher à lui, car il est le genre d'homme confiant et un peu arrogant qui peut un peu taper sur les nerfs. Par contre, je dois avouer que c'est assez divertissant de le voir confronter Cameron. Quant à Grant, le frère de Cameron, je l'ai carrément détesté, il est méchant, égocentrique et devient de plus en plus cruel au fil du temps. Il fera d'ailleurs quelque chose d'abject que je ne vais pas vous révéler pour ne pas gâcher le plaisir. Bien que le couple principal soit celui de Cameron et de Jackson, il y a des couples secondaires que sont tout simplement adorables! Quels sont-ils? Je vous laisse la surprise! J'ai aussi aimé l'époque de la Guerre de Sécession qui n'est pas une époque où il était facile de vivre, surtout si on avait la peau noire...
En bref, un superbe roman coup de cœur qui a de la romance, mais également de l'action. L'époque de la Guerre de Sécession est bien représentée!
J'ai vraiment beaucoup apprécié ce premier tome, même si j'avais au départ un peu peur de me lancer dans cette lecture au regard de certains avis négatifs. Heureusement que je l'ai fait car j'ai été agréablement surprise! On se retrouve ici plongé dans les prémices de la guerre de Sécession, dans la chaleur et la moiteur d'une plantation du Mississippi où tout risque inévitablement de changer, et on y suit les aventures de Cameron, fière et passionnée jeune femme sudiste et de Jackson, orgueilleux, mystérieux et tout aussi passionné, Nordiste. Evidemment, au vu de leurs caractères respectifs, leur relation est conflictuelle et explosive. Les personnages secondaires ne sont pas en reste, entre le frère de Cameron, Grant, qu'on déteste cordialement, et Taye, la jeune mûlatresse à laquelle on s'attache, et il est intéressant d'avoir un aperçu du destin des esclaves de la plantation luttant pour leur liberté. J'ai vraiment apprécié d'être plongée dans ce contexte historique. J'ai vraiment hâte de lire le second tome.
I am personally a fan of romantic novels...try not to judge me (Ms. Pacyk). It is not for the dirty parts but for the large amounts of suspense, and boy is this book suspenseful! there are moments where I was at the edge of my seat wondering why a certain charecter would be so heartless or why another would make such a stupid decision. I personaly am a lover of history and this book blends the time of the civil war while capturing the readers attention all at once quite wonderfully. There is reference to the underground railroad and president lincoln may have a few words in the book himself. I would recomend this book to anyone who enjoys romantic historical fiction.
My first RoseMary Rogers read and enjoyed it very much. I feel bad giving it only 4 stars but I was swept away so feel 3.5 is fair up rounded up anyways.
I enjoyed the battles of will between Cam and Jackson and the fact that he wasnt wrapped around her pinky til the end and she was willing to stand up to him regardless of the fact that emotions had already become tangled.
Historical romance is not my usual genre, however, this book was lent to me & I did enjoy it. Good, fast paced story. I learned alot about what happened in the Civil War era - the destruction, slavery - from this book. But people in general really haven't changed that much. It makes me think of the saying, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."
Wow! J'adore la période de la guerre de Sécession, et Rosemary Rodgers nous donne un beau roman qui se déroule dans le Sud des États-Unis sur une plantation au tout début de la guerre. De beaux personnages, et un feu roulant captivant !
This is a fun read with all the normal makings of a Historical Romance. Lots of good sex, some voodoo, patricide and the Under Ground Railroad. Several strong characters but very easy to figure out what will happen next. It was an enjoyable read but not the best that I have read.
Tout ce que je trouve a dire c'est bof ... Tous les ingrédients sont là mais ça ne prend pas vraiment pour moi Je lirais quand même la suite car on est pas à l'abris d'une bonne surprise ...