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Windswept Passion
Cathelen was young, innocent and totally unprepared for the flood of overwhelming need that the tall arrogant pirate aroused. He came into her life, swept her into an endless wave of ecstasy and left with the morning tide. And though the lovely blonde beauty was bound to another, she was possessed by an uncontrollable passion that could not be denied. Unknowingly, he had unleashed the fires of her heart-and only he could satisfy her desire...
Adam was wild, worldly and totally unprepared for the insatiable need that the tempting vixen aroused. Her honey-sweet lips beckoned him, her sparkling violet eyes seduced him and her soft silken flesh promised him a night of reckless love. But one night would never be enough, one caress would only be the start-one kiss would forever spark the flames of a lifetime of raging Windswept Passion.
Adam was wild, worldly and totally unprepared for the insatiable need that the tempting vixen aroused. Her honey-sweet lips beckoned him, her sparkling violet eyes seduced him and her soft silken flesh promised him a night of reckless love. But one night would never be enough, one caress would only be the start-one kiss would forever spark the flames of a lifetime of raging Windswept Passion.
428 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 1984
67 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 11, 2014
This book is a perfect example of what I do not like in a story. I do not mind a little cheese as long as the story is entertaining, but this was just, for the lack of a better word, stupid.
The hero is a pirate masquerading around as his older (not even twin) dead brother plantation owner, and yet no one can tell the difference… not the plantation servants/slaves, neighbors, or former lovers. The hero pursues the heroine while in his pirate identity, but marries her in his dead brother’s identity and she doesn’t have a clue. At least the girl figured it out eventually and attempted to make the guy pay for his charade.
Other annoying parts:
- A couple characters allegedly have the “sight” and can see the future.
- Several characters are set-up to be villains, but then they either turn good or do nothing villain worthy.
- A bumpy carriage ride leads to accidental deflowering…
"No, you do not, Pirate!"
He tried to gentle her but she was like a wild kitten. "All right, love, let it be another time, another place, then." He began to draw away.
Just then the carriage began to careen and tip crazily, tossing the Wolf into Cathleen - and the deed was done.
Really? Really?
The hero is a pirate masquerading around as his older (not even twin) dead brother plantation owner, and yet no one can tell the difference… not the plantation servants/slaves, neighbors, or former lovers. The hero pursues the heroine while in his pirate identity, but marries her in his dead brother’s identity and she doesn’t have a clue. At least the girl figured it out eventually and attempted to make the guy pay for his charade.
Other annoying parts:
- A couple characters allegedly have the “sight” and can see the future.
- Several characters are set-up to be villains, but then they either turn good or do nothing villain worthy.
- A bumpy carriage ride leads to accidental deflowering…
"No, you do not, Pirate!"
He tried to gentle her but she was like a wild kitten. "All right, love, let it be another time, another place, then." He began to draw away.
Just then the carriage began to careen and tip crazily, tossing the Wolf into Cathleen - and the deed was done.
Really? Really?
August 10, 2016
You guys are so missing the point of reading books like this. This book was published in 1984. I read this during the 80's. While there were gems out there, a good number were just as over the top as this one. You would find acres of gaudy covers like this in the romance section of your location used bookstore.
But these books have a certain charm when they are done right.
Here is a description of part of the plot I wrote for another board when I was actually searching for the title of this book a few years ago.
She’s Irish and has a twin brother who is also angelic-looking and blond who is a doctor. He seems to be missing. A member of the local gentry sets her up to be convicted of some crime b/c she won’t give up the goodies. She’s deported to the islands and her contract is ultimately bought by a local plantation owner, though he doesn't know it yet. He comes home and finds her in his tub and she faints. He takes this chance to feel her up, of course.
Time moves on, she starts housekeeping, while trying to avoid his former mistress/house servant. He becomes infatuated with her and eventually marries her for whatever reason all the while going off on secret trips to masquerade as his own brother who is masquerading as a pirate. His salty sidekick is often along for comic relief. And I think there’s a parrot in there somewhere.
Right before they do marry, he tries to seduce her a couple of times as his alter ego, the last of which is a clumsy deflowering in the carriage. I remember rolling my eyes as a teen b/c it was so cheesy. There’s a subplot with the heroine’s brother and a biracial neighbor of the clumsy lover.
And the scarred hands and black gloves. He fell forward into a fire as a child and became injured. The gloves figure prominently in the book. After they marry, he tries to seduce her on purpose this time as his alter ego and succeeds. She eventually figures out who he is (only took her 150 pages) and sleeps with him to get revenge for his idiotic scheme.
The carriage scene is worth the price alone. And the salty sideick. And the parrot. And the hero sexually harassing the heroine's brother and possibly sexual assault...it's hard to tell sometimes with these older titles.
In any case, yes, it is full of crazysauce, but it's an awesome crazysauce that is well worth your time.
But these books have a certain charm when they are done right.
Here is a description of part of the plot I wrote for another board when I was actually searching for the title of this book a few years ago.
She’s Irish and has a twin brother who is also angelic-looking and blond who is a doctor. He seems to be missing. A member of the local gentry sets her up to be convicted of some crime b/c she won’t give up the goodies. She’s deported to the islands and her contract is ultimately bought by a local plantation owner, though he doesn't know it yet. He comes home and finds her in his tub and she faints. He takes this chance to feel her up, of course.
Time moves on, she starts housekeeping, while trying to avoid his former mistress/house servant. He becomes infatuated with her and eventually marries her for whatever reason all the while going off on secret trips to masquerade as his own brother who is masquerading as a pirate. His salty sidekick is often along for comic relief. And I think there’s a parrot in there somewhere.
Right before they do marry, he tries to seduce her a couple of times as his alter ego, the last of which is a clumsy deflowering in the carriage. I remember rolling my eyes as a teen b/c it was so cheesy. There’s a subplot with the heroine’s brother and a biracial neighbor of the clumsy lover.
And the scarred hands and black gloves. He fell forward into a fire as a child and became injured. The gloves figure prominently in the book. After they marry, he tries to seduce her on purpose this time as his alter ego and succeeds. She eventually figures out who he is (only took her 150 pages) and sleeps with him to get revenge for his idiotic scheme.
The carriage scene is worth the price alone. And the salty sideick. And the parrot. And the hero sexually harassing the heroine's brother and possibly sexual assault...it's hard to tell sometimes with these older titles.
In any case, yes, it is full of crazysauce, but it's an awesome crazysauce that is well worth your time.
June 20, 2019
This review is of “Windswept Passion” by Sonya T. Pelton.
The story begins in Edinburgh, Scotland, at a boarding school, where Cathelen O’Ruark, the heroine of the book, attends. She is soon taken out of school by her brother, Dr. Michal O’Ruark, upon learning that their father, Cathmor, is going to be tried for murder. Michal helps Cathelen and her nanny, Dany Muir, escape, by putting them on a boat headed for the West Indies. Cathelen is later sold into indentured servitude to work for Adam Sauvage, the hero of the book. Adam is in Barbados to find the killer of his brother, Jonathan, who was killed by a pirate who believed he was Adam.
Cathleen becomes a housekeeper for Adam, who meets her for the first time when he finds her in his bath. They become attracted to each other, become lovers and later, husband and wife.
Shortly after their marriage, Cathelen puts the pieces together about Adam’s secret. Meanwhile, in the guise of the Sea Wolf-Adam captures Michal, who believes he killed Jonathan. Adam believes that Michal is Cathelen’s lover. As a result of this misconception, Adam shuns Cathelen for a while.
There was, however, a conception. Cathelen discovers she is pregnant with Adam’s child, a son she names Adam John. Soon after his birth, an unstable woman, Cameo Salvador, who was both Michal and Jonathan’s former lover, comes to try to kill him. She is stopped by a housekeeper, who loses her life in the process. By the end of the book, Cathelen and Adam senior reconcile, he declares his love for her, the killer of Jonathan is revealed and they have their Happily Ever After.
Upside: I got through the book.
Downside: The same issues that plague Ms. Pelton’s books are on display here in “Windswept Passion”: Weak characters; no plot to speak of, illogical, non-spelled out storylines, they’re all here. Sadly.
Sex: There are love scenes, but most are only slightly graphic, and not particularly exciting or erotic.
Violence: Adam hits Cathlen twice. The book ends with the aforementioned killing of Cameo and the housekeeper. Cameo’s injuries suffered after the fight are described in mild detail.
Bottom Line: I’m starting to run out of space for my paperback book collection, so it’s good to know what books I can get rid of without issue. Books like “Windswept Passion” make the decision easy. This one’s going in the trash.
The story begins in Edinburgh, Scotland, at a boarding school, where Cathelen O’Ruark, the heroine of the book, attends. She is soon taken out of school by her brother, Dr. Michal O’Ruark, upon learning that their father, Cathmor, is going to be tried for murder. Michal helps Cathelen and her nanny, Dany Muir, escape, by putting them on a boat headed for the West Indies. Cathelen is later sold into indentured servitude to work for Adam Sauvage, the hero of the book. Adam is in Barbados to find the killer of his brother, Jonathan, who was killed by a pirate who believed he was Adam.
Cathleen becomes a housekeeper for Adam, who meets her for the first time when he finds her in his bath. They become attracted to each other, become lovers and later, husband and wife.
Shortly after their marriage, Cathelen puts the pieces together about Adam’s secret. Meanwhile, in the guise of the Sea Wolf-Adam captures Michal, who believes he killed Jonathan. Adam believes that Michal is Cathelen’s lover. As a result of this misconception, Adam shuns Cathelen for a while.
There was, however, a conception. Cathelen discovers she is pregnant with Adam’s child, a son she names Adam John. Soon after his birth, an unstable woman, Cameo Salvador, who was both Michal and Jonathan’s former lover, comes to try to kill him. She is stopped by a housekeeper, who loses her life in the process. By the end of the book, Cathelen and Adam senior reconcile, he declares his love for her, the killer of Jonathan is revealed and they have their Happily Ever After.
Upside: I got through the book.
Downside: The same issues that plague Ms. Pelton’s books are on display here in “Windswept Passion”: Weak characters; no plot to speak of, illogical, non-spelled out storylines, they’re all here. Sadly.
Sex: There are love scenes, but most are only slightly graphic, and not particularly exciting or erotic.
Violence: Adam hits Cathlen twice. The book ends with the aforementioned killing of Cameo and the housekeeper. Cameo’s injuries suffered after the fight are described in mild detail.
Bottom Line: I’m starting to run out of space for my paperback book collection, so it’s good to know what books I can get rid of without issue. Books like “Windswept Passion” make the decision easy. This one’s going in the trash.
August 7, 2011
It's 1984, when bodice-ripping was the norm and purple prose was king..er... something. Alas, this novel falls so short in the former, it's laughable and is so overdone in the latter, it's almost a running joke. Ms Cathelen of the long legs, golden triangle, and doves for breasts, dances in the moonlight, wishing to remain a golden virgin all her life. She however, is unable to resist the H with an identity crises, no matter what personality seems to be occupying his clothing at the moment; He, however, sees this as a flaw - that she'll sleep with him no matter who he is. Of course, the dim bulb doesn't realize she figured out the different men were one and the same. She's mad because he won't admit it. He's mad because she slept with all of him. Then her brother shows up; The hero(s?) fails to notice the family resemblance and decides she's cheating. Oh nosssssss. 2 chapters from the end, the brother finally tells him(them?) so he(they?) decide there must be another wedding under the proper name (because he married her under one of his personalities, you see.)
August 31, 2025
I had forgotten I read this 40 years ago when I picked up a copy at a thrift store because I could not remember if I had read it or not. This has happened twice in the last few months. Of course, this was way before reviews and we just read books. Anyway, this was way over the top typical 1970s-1980s books. Yes, it is crazy train but it was a good read. Hidden identities, Caribbean setting, pirates, a parrot, bad guys/girls that you can tell a mile away, misunderstandings galore. All of this right up until the end. Was it the best book from that era, not but it is entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews