A passion so all-consuming, a love so powerful -- she would follow him to the ends of the earth
Branded as a runaway white slave, golden-haired Caroline Fane had come with her rogue lover Justin from the dangers surrounding them in England to the unknown perils of America. She had put her fate in his powerful hands, made his love more precious to her than life itself. But now she saw this man who possessed her being and intoxicated her with every excitement of spirit and flesh being tempted by the naked lust of an exquisite half-Indian girl, who seductively led him down a path of insatiable desire. And now Caroline herself became helpless captive to a ruthless savage chieftain who forced her to submit to his carnal appetites, plunging her into a degradation far beyond her darkest nightmares.
Here is the unforgettable, breathlessly romantic saga of a woman who dared everything for the man she loved -- and who paid the full price in a turbulent wilderness where raw strength reigned and wild passion raged...
Constance Gluyas was born in London in the lean years following World War I and left school at the age of fourteen to go to work. During World War II, she served in the Women's Royal Air Force and supervised the main switch-board with a direct line to Europe during the Normandy invasion. After moving to California, where she lives with her husband, Donald, and daughter, Diane, Mrs. Gluyas began her career as a writer.
This isn't the first Constance Gluyas book I've read (and didn't finish) but it'll most likely be my last, as I'm getting sick and tired of her h's being wrongfully sent to Newgate prison and horribly abused while there. This is the third book of hers I've read where this happens, and while other authors have written the same kind of thing, they don't seem to relish going into the gory details like Ms. Gluyas does. Enough is enough is too much!!
Aside from that, this book is yet another novel that started off good then went off track. The H, Justin Lawrence, (a.k.a. "The Rogue, a highwayman along the lines of Robin Hood) is saved from the hangman's noose by his younger brother, Paul (a shy scholar, Justin's exact opposite), who also rescues Caroline Fane, a young woman falsely accused of adultery and the murder of her elderly, sexually abusive husband. (She only married him to save her father from financial ruin, a wasted sacrifice, as he died shortly after.) They escape and hide out at the Lawrence family's country estate, where Caroline and Justin are drawn to each other, though Caroline's afraid of her feelings, due to past abuse, and Justin's determined never to get serious about any woman. It takes time for Justin to break down the barriers Caroline put around her feelings, as she hides from her desires by alternating between cold indifference and hot anger. When she finally succumbs and then admits to her love for him, Justin's as afraid of the emotional involvement as she was of the physical. To add to all this, Paul had fallen for Caroline, and hoped she would start to think of him as more than a good friend.
For me, the novel ended after Justin, becoming bored with hiding out and longing for the excitement of his former life, decides to become a highwayman again, and takes Caroline with him, so they become partners in crime! (Kind of dumb, when you think about it, since they were wanted by the law already.) Then, shortly afterward, the authorities catch up with them, Paul is killed, Justin and Caroline are arrested, there's more prison whipping scenes, (I'm convinced Ms. Gluyas got off on this; I can imagine how she and her significant other celebrated their anniversaries) more whips aboard ship, and next thing you know, Caroline's sleeping with more than one creep, to ensure that Justin stays alive.