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Cloak of Fate
"DAMN IT ALL LASS, BUT I SWEAR YOU'VE BEWITCHED ME."
Lord Drayton held Lisa Manning close to him. She hardly knew the Cavalier but already they shared many secrets and passions. Within the walls of Stavely Mansion, Lisa Manning, daughter of two Shakespearean actors, plays her greatest role yet--that of a common serving wench. Not even Drayton knows the truth. Slowly she gathers the evidence against the traitor Sir Basil Stavely. One day she'll collect her inheritance but though she's running out of time, she's beyond the point of turning back.
Lord Drayton held Lisa Manning close to him. She hardly knew the Cavalier but already they shared many secrets and passions. Within the walls of Stavely Mansion, Lisa Manning, daughter of two Shakespearean actors, plays her greatest role yet--that of a common serving wench. Not even Drayton knows the truth. Slowly she gathers the evidence against the traitor Sir Basil Stavely. One day she'll collect her inheritance but though she's running out of time, she's beyond the point of turning back.
310 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 18, 2026
I thought this would be good, a 17thc story, starting out with the h posing as a maid but actually spying, in order to get info on the villain of the story, and then falling for the H, and the misunderstandings and jealousy that follow, and a troublemaking OW and a nice guy OM.
But then the author f's it up by doing something I CAN'T STAND: the h is given a drugged drink and ends up in bed with another man (King Charles, nonetheless!), the whole time thinking it was the H. Later, the H (refusing to listen) assumes she cheated and has revenge sex with the OW and then leaves.
Already the book was ruined for me, but I read a bit more and it turns out the h is pregnant, doesn't know who the father is. Her employer/friend, who wants to save her childless marriage (to the villain in the story that the h was trying to get info on to get back the estate she's now working in, yes, it's a convoluted plot), works out a scheme where she'll take the h's baby and pass it off as her own. (It happened in daytime soaps a lot, so why not a romance novel???)
Meanwhile, the OM learns the whole story and tells the h he loves her and wants her to marry him. After giving up the baby (which she believes is the king's son) she agrees, convinced the H is out of her life for good and determined to start a new life. Around the same time, the H learns from the king (everyone knows everyone in this book) about what really happened, that the h was under the influence when she slept with him and thought he was the H, and now the H feels guilty about not listening to her, writes to her to say he's sorry, but the OW intercepts the letter so the h never hears from him and she marries the OM.
And that was it for me! I knew what would happen eventually: in those days of no divorce, the only way for the H and h to get together would be for the OM to die and he didn't deserve that.
DNF
But then the author f's it up by doing something I CAN'T STAND: the h is given a drugged drink and ends up in bed with another man (King Charles, nonetheless!), the whole time thinking it was the H. Later, the H (refusing to listen) assumes she cheated and has revenge sex with the OW and then leaves.
Already the book was ruined for me, but I read a bit more and it turns out the h is pregnant, doesn't know who the father is. Her employer/friend, who wants to save her childless marriage (to the villain in the story that the h was trying to get info on to get back the estate she's now working in, yes, it's a convoluted plot), works out a scheme where she'll take the h's baby and pass it off as her own. (It happened in daytime soaps a lot, so why not a romance novel???)
Meanwhile, the OM learns the whole story and tells the h he loves her and wants her to marry him. After giving up the baby (which she believes is the king's son) she agrees, convinced the H is out of her life for good and determined to start a new life. Around the same time, the H learns from the king (everyone knows everyone in this book) about what really happened, that the h was under the influence when she slept with him and thought he was the H, and now the H feels guilty about not listening to her, writes to her to say he's sorry, but the OW intercepts the letter so the h never hears from him and she marries the OM.
And that was it for me! I knew what would happen eventually: in those days of no divorce, the only way for the H and h to get together would be for the OM to die and he didn't deserve that.
DNF
July 3, 2022
I can't get the full story 😭😭
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews