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Passion's Fury
Out of the glory and agony that was the Civil War, bestselling author Patricia Hagan has brought to life a tale of victory and tragedy, love and pain, escape and triumphant reunion -- the epic saga of a woman betrayed into bondage by her spiteful twin sister, forced to fight for her beloved family plantation, Pinehurst, and for a man her heart could not resist.
Horse breeder Rance Taggert was a dashing scoundrel, an irresistible rogue. In a reckless horse-racing bet he won an extraordinary prize -- April Jennings, the beautiful Southern belle kidnapped from her plantation home.
Terrified and alone, April escaped and made her way across thundering battlefields, risking injury and worse at the hands of brutal men. Yet even in her determination to find a way home, April could not forget Rance...for though she might escape him, he had won her heart forever!
Horse breeder Rance Taggert was a dashing scoundrel, an irresistible rogue. In a reckless horse-racing bet he won an extraordinary prize -- April Jennings, the beautiful Southern belle kidnapped from her plantation home.
Terrified and alone, April escaped and made her way across thundering battlefields, risking injury and worse at the hands of brutal men. Yet even in her determination to find a way home, April could not forget Rance...for though she might escape him, he had won her heart forever!
390 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
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98 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Hagan
2 booksLibrarian Note: This profile may contain multiple authors. Those below have multiple books on GoodReads.
Patricia Hagan (2 spaces): Romance
Patricia Hagan (2 spaces): Romance
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 17, 2019
Passion’s Fury is a difficult book to review. There is much to like about this book: the story is interesting and keeps the reader thoroughly involved, and the historical setting feels authentic.
But regardless, as a romance, this story has a fatal flaw. The hero is such a cad, almost any of the other men in the book seem a preferable choice. A relationship built on rape, kidnapping, and ownership seems unlikely to be a foundation for love. And there is so much rape and attempted rape in this book, that I found it a bit of a bitter pill to swallow. And the amount of attempted, unsuccessful rapes the heroine endured stretches the limits of believability.
Contains violence, graphic sex, attempted rape, and rape.
"I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review."
But regardless, as a romance, this story has a fatal flaw. The hero is such a cad, almost any of the other men in the book seem a preferable choice. A relationship built on rape, kidnapping, and ownership seems unlikely to be a foundation for love. And there is so much rape and attempted rape in this book, that I found it a bit of a bitter pill to swallow. And the amount of attempted, unsuccessful rapes the heroine endured stretches the limits of believability.
Contains violence, graphic sex, attempted rape, and rape.
"I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review."
up-next-br
December 7, 2020Note to self: On Kindle it says "author's cut edition"; I need to avoid Kindle and find a dead tree copy.
October 11, 2021
One of the reasons I read Ms. Hagan's books is because she gives enough historical background, where you feel you're learning something, not just reading a fiction story. I learned about some Civil War campaigns and battles I hadn't been aware of before, and I like adding to my knowledge of American history, while being entertained at the same time.
I had suspected something when I started reading her books, and had it confirmed when I found out Ms. Hagan was from Atlanta. So many of her leading ladies are loyal southern women, ever faithful to the Confederate cause, and only someone born in the south could put such strong emphasis on this. It reminds me of Margaret Mitchell, who I'm sure had a few Confederate flags in her home.
Being a native "Yankee", I can't share that opinion, and find it rather tiresome to hear the beloved confederacy so idealized, but that was a reflection of the times. She does, however, make it clear that her main characters, while loyal to south, don't really approve of slavery, and always treat their black "servants" well. There must have been a real paradox back then: southerners who didn't like slavery, but at the same time liked the life they had, which they couldn't have without owning slaves. What a mess!
The storyline was good, but it could have been better. The "happy couple" could have been a lot happier if they had admitted their true feelings a long time before they finally did, and it didn't help that for most of the novel they're separated; when they find each other again, next thing you know, they're apart again. It got to be a bit too much, and so did April's love for her plantation home, that she'd do anything to get back to. Had her life there been a good one, that would have made sense, but it was a real nightmare. Her father and sister were both insane; dad almost raped her and sis almost killed her (as well as kidnapped her more than once, also too over the top) and yet she keeps forgiving them and wanting to get back home and straighten it all out. (Even a total lobotomy couldn't have helped those two!)
Ironically, when she does run away, it's from the man she loves, though she won't admit it, because he hasn't said he loves her. He, in turn, is waiting for her to say it to him, but he won't admit he cares, because the last time he cared about a woman she died. This silliness got dragged on too long, but the in between situations when they were apart were interesting enough to keep you reading, if a bit frustrating.
So it's worth the time, but it could have been better.
I had suspected something when I started reading her books, and had it confirmed when I found out Ms. Hagan was from Atlanta. So many of her leading ladies are loyal southern women, ever faithful to the Confederate cause, and only someone born in the south could put such strong emphasis on this. It reminds me of Margaret Mitchell, who I'm sure had a few Confederate flags in her home.
Being a native "Yankee", I can't share that opinion, and find it rather tiresome to hear the beloved confederacy so idealized, but that was a reflection of the times. She does, however, make it clear that her main characters, while loyal to south, don't really approve of slavery, and always treat their black "servants" well. There must have been a real paradox back then: southerners who didn't like slavery, but at the same time liked the life they had, which they couldn't have without owning slaves. What a mess!
The storyline was good, but it could have been better. The "happy couple" could have been a lot happier if they had admitted their true feelings a long time before they finally did, and it didn't help that for most of the novel they're separated; when they find each other again, next thing you know, they're apart again. It got to be a bit too much, and so did April's love for her plantation home, that she'd do anything to get back to. Had her life there been a good one, that would have made sense, but it was a real nightmare. Her father and sister were both insane; dad almost raped her and sis almost killed her (as well as kidnapped her more than once, also too over the top) and yet she keeps forgiving them and wanting to get back home and straighten it all out. (Even a total lobotomy couldn't have helped those two!)
Ironically, when she does run away, it's from the man she loves, though she won't admit it, because he hasn't said he loves her. He, in turn, is waiting for her to say it to him, but he won't admit he cares, because the last time he cared about a woman she died. This silliness got dragged on too long, but the in between situations when they were apart were interesting enough to keep you reading, if a bit frustrating.
So it's worth the time, but it could have been better.
September 4, 2020
I could not get past how brain dead April was. She literally trips and fumbles into multiple prisoner scenarios the entire book.
EVERYONE: Just leave your sister alone, she's a crazy bitch
April: Maybe I should talk to her
She can't even get it through her thick skull that her sister hates her and wants her dead. JUST STAY AWAY FROM HER APRIL!!!
The entire book is April being held prisoner. Even if her captor is different, it's always the same thing. Poor, naive April...too stupid to use her wits. Too stupid to lie to get out of a situation. Too stupid to sneak into a building rather than barge in. Too stupid to just fucking leave a dying man alone in the hospital instead of causing an enormous scene.
This book really irritated me.
EVERYONE: Just leave your sister alone, she's a crazy bitch
April: Maybe I should talk to her
She can't even get it through her thick skull that her sister hates her and wants her dead. JUST STAY AWAY FROM HER APRIL!!!
The entire book is April being held prisoner. Even if her captor is different, it's always the same thing. Poor, naive April...too stupid to use her wits. Too stupid to lie to get out of a situation. Too stupid to sneak into a building rather than barge in. Too stupid to just fucking leave a dying man alone in the hospital instead of causing an enormous scene.
This book really irritated me.
March 23, 2015
the only reason I finished this book was due to the GoodReads book challenge. The hero was a complete jerk the whole book. The heroine keep becoming a prisoner over and over. The plot was just one basic scene. I gave it two stars because I did complete the book.
October 17, 2019
It's an interesting read but the hero, Rance Taggart, was too crude and a complete jerk to for my liking. The heroin, April, was kidnapped by her twin sister from their home and sent to the monastery as a revenge against her and their dad. Along the way, she was wagered off as the price to a horse race bet. And her nightmare continues... "I received this book from eBook discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review ".
June 23, 2020
Madison's Fury (Author's Cut Edition): Historical Romance
A very good story about love and family and the civil war twin sisters one good and one evil fight for the family property
A very good story about love and family and the civil war twin sisters one good and one evil fight for the family property
October 20, 2021
I expect a heroine in a bodice ripper, to protest, struggle, fight for her dignity or anything when H rapes her, NOT to melt from the encounter, that really turned me off.
December 25, 2024
I enjoyed this book. Recommend to those that enjoy bodice rippers. Takes place during the US civil war, mostly in the south.
May 30, 2020
I am giving this silliness 3 stars because it helped me get through difficult time. Just about everyone in this book acted nonsensically at one time or another, all of them tugging at the plot rope and dragging it into a wall. The worst of the lot was of course the spoiled April. Please ignore reviews that whine about rape. There was none though April deserved it in loads.
Want to read
August 30, 2014Oldie going on Kindle. The information isn't completely listed yet, but oddly enough, it's on the Kindle page.
October 11, 2014
enjoyed this over 30 years ago. a good read
June 22, 2019
Pretty Good 👍
The pace of the book was fast, I enjoyed refreshing my memory of the Civil War generals but the ending was surprisingly abrupt. I'd probably read it again.
The pace of the book was fast, I enjoyed refreshing my memory of the Civil War generals but the ending was surprisingly abrupt. I'd probably read it again.
Read
April 14, 2024Logging this because I reference it all the time as a book I read way too young but lol
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews