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Black Swan #1
The Black Swan
Set in the Civil War South between the years 1852 and 1865, THE BLACK SWAN recounts the story of two memorable and powerful characters. Adam Tremain, the captain of the Black Swan will deny his loyalty to the South to become a blockade runner, transporting fugitive slaves to freedom. Dulcie Moran is the beautiful, defiant daughter of Savannah's most prosperous slave-breeder. Despite and treachery, jealousy, deceit and passion weave and interweave through their epic love story, played out against the backdrop of a land at war.
765 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
November 17, 2009
The Black Swan begins in 1851 as wealthy New Orleans planter Tom Pierson secretly weds quadroon slave Ullah, the mother of his child. Tom sets them up on a homestead far from the city and they are befriended by Adam Tremain and his widowed mother. Tom's *friends* from New Orleans find out his great secret and murder Ullah and cripple Tom for life - witnessed by Adam and his boyhood chums (no spoilers here, this is all covered in the first few chapters). Fearing for their lives, Tom, Adam and his mother Zoe flee further north. When Adam is grown he becomes a captain of his own ship and as the Civil War breaks out finds himself running slaves to the North and returning to the South with contraband. Dulcie is the only child of Savannah plantation owner Jem Moran, who decides to turn his plantation into a slave breeding operation. Dulcie and Adam eventually meet and sparks fly (of course) and the rest of the story revolves around the pair as the war between the North and South explodes around them.
Of course there's a whole lot more to the story than that but I am not into book reports - read it for yourself. That said I have mixed feelings about the book and I'm having a hard time categorizing it. The slavery issue is front and center, especially in the first half of the book and is not for the perfectly politically correct, and I suspect your average romance reader is not going to want to stick long with a pair who don't even meet until page 200 or so. I was ready to call this one a historical novel heavy towards the romance side of things until the story took a very bizarre twist involving a shipwreck, voodoo and devil worship that was soooooo OTT in weirdness that I ended up setting it aside for a good week or two.
In the end, I found it very much a mixed bag, but I did enjoy it for the most part. It's a great example of those old 70's romances, although it could easily lose 200-300 pages and not lose any of the story. There is a sequel, called Moss Rose and I do intend to read that as Dulcie and Adam rebuild their lives in the South at the end of the Civil War.
Of course there's a whole lot more to the story than that but I am not into book reports - read it for yourself. That said I have mixed feelings about the book and I'm having a hard time categorizing it. The slavery issue is front and center, especially in the first half of the book and is not for the perfectly politically correct, and I suspect your average romance reader is not going to want to stick long with a pair who don't even meet until page 200 or so. I was ready to call this one a historical novel heavy towards the romance side of things until the story took a very bizarre twist involving a shipwreck, voodoo and devil worship that was soooooo OTT in weirdness that I ended up setting it aside for a good week or two.
In the end, I found it very much a mixed bag, but I did enjoy it for the most part. It's a great example of those old 70's romances, although it could easily lose 200-300 pages and not lose any of the story. There is a sequel, called Moss Rose and I do intend to read that as Dulcie and Adam rebuild their lives in the South at the end of the Civil War.
May 11, 2015
Need to be reviewed.
ETA: Review time!
This book was actually one of the better romance/bodice ripper novels I've read.
Even when it had a few things that annoy me: Big Misunderstandings that a simple conversation would solve. My updates had a lot of "USE YOUR WORDS, PEOPLE" in them, and most misunderstandings were quickly resolved.
This was a slooooow book. The first 200 or so pages are mostly background information but it is vital to the plot/character motivations.
It's Civil War era, but the war itself is not heavily featured.
This is not a racially politically correct novel (It's very much the style of Gone with the Wind).
I also did not totally hate/dislike Adam or Dulcie, which is a very rare thing for me. I mean, they both had their moments of wtf, but I've read so much worse when it comes the characterization and dynamic between the two leads.
The first 500 or so pages were pretty standard historical romance, granted not as clean as some are today. This was written in the 70's (Keep in mind) and also quite smutty.
It wasn't until our lovely couple got shipwrecked and separated on a random island in the caribbean that this book pace changes from slow burner to WTF is this insane shit. It was also my fave part of the book, because it was crazy and random and honestly felt really unnecessary to the plot but it was glorious at the same time. I am also a weirdo, so keep that in mind. :P My partner said "Oh, that sounds almost like a plot to a Japanese horror film, pretty slow and normal until half-way or so until the end" when I told her about the voodoo island from hell.
I don't want to give too much away, but I call it the Voodoo island from hell for a reason. I will say trigger warnings for kidnapping, drugging someone, and attempted rape.
This was an ambitious door-stopper of a book that I do not regret reading, even though it took me almost a whole year (to be fair, I took lots of breaks between reading sessions).
I can't say it will be everyone's cup of tea, but if it's yours, you are welcome to sit with me. :P
ETA: Review time!
This book was actually one of the better romance/bodice ripper novels I've read.
Even when it had a few things that annoy me: Big Misunderstandings that a simple conversation would solve. My updates had a lot of "USE YOUR WORDS, PEOPLE" in them, and most misunderstandings were quickly resolved.
This was a slooooow book. The first 200 or so pages are mostly background information but it is vital to the plot/character motivations.
It's Civil War era, but the war itself is not heavily featured.
This is not a racially politically correct novel (It's very much the style of Gone with the Wind).
I also did not totally hate/dislike Adam or Dulcie, which is a very rare thing for me. I mean, they both had their moments of wtf, but I've read so much worse when it comes the characterization and dynamic between the two leads.
The first 500 or so pages were pretty standard historical romance, granted not as clean as some are today. This was written in the 70's (Keep in mind) and also quite smutty.
It wasn't until our lovely couple got shipwrecked and separated on a random island in the caribbean that this book pace changes from slow burner to WTF is this insane shit. It was also my fave part of the book, because it was crazy and random and honestly felt really unnecessary to the plot but it was glorious at the same time. I am also a weirdo, so keep that in mind. :P My partner said "Oh, that sounds almost like a plot to a Japanese horror film, pretty slow and normal until half-way or so until the end" when I told her about the voodoo island from hell.
I don't want to give too much away, but I call it the Voodoo island from hell for a reason. I will say trigger warnings for kidnapping, drugging someone, and attempted rape.
This was an ambitious door-stopper of a book that I do not regret reading, even though it took me almost a whole year (to be fair, I took lots of breaks between reading sessions).
I can't say it will be everyone's cup of tea, but if it's yours, you are welcome to sit with me. :P
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2020
Partly Wonderful, Partly Weird Civil War Romance-- a Bodice Ripper that is a Very Mixed Bag
This was a difficult book to review as most of it is “keeper” material, but as you’ll see from my comments, there was a part that was just icky.
THE BLACK SWAN started out as a 5-star historical romance set in the Civil War years between the years 1850 and 1865…a sweeping saga of the South and two people who grew up on opposite sides of the slavery issue that tore the country apart. The love story is between a worthy and noble hero, Adam Tremain, a blockade running captain, who moved the Underground Railroad to the sea, and Dulcie Moran, the only daughter of Savannah's most prosperous slave-breeder.
It is divided into three “books”: Adam (1852-59); Dulcie (1850-1862); and The Black Swan (1862-1865). While he was still a teenager, Adam experienced the hatred of the white slave owners for any who cavorted with the slaves, and he wanted no part of it. He vowed to become one who sent the slaves north to freedom. Dulcie, raised as an indulged young woman in the genteel Southern society by a father who considered the slaves mere animals, couldn’t understand why the ones she loved weren’t treated like family.
The characters were well developed and the imagery vivid. We know exactly what motivated Dulcie and what moves Adam. We experience their young loves and are not surprised when they are attracted to each other. They are not so different really; each believes the slaves should be treated as people, and they lament a society in which they are not. Each has the courage to fight Southern Society for what they believe is right. And there are some wonderful secondary characters, including Tom, the aristocrat from New Orleans who married Ullah, a light colored slave because he loved her, the families of Adam and Dulcie, and Adam’s two childhood friends, Beau and Ben, who join him as fellow captains.
Until the 3rd “book,” I was thinking I’d stumbled across a keeper. Then the story took a nosedive in a bizarre twist with a shipwreck, a voodoo island and a twisted family that holds Dulcie captive. Adam and Dulcie are separated and both partnered (willingly or unwillingly) with others—a real no-no in my book. Also, that part was, in places, boring and frankly, disgusting. I started skipping paragraphs (never a good sign). Where was the Civil War? Where was my romance?
The story finally comes back around for a great close but the detour left me reeling; hence I’m giving it 4 stars.
For more of Adam and Dulcie’s romance you have to read the second in the duology, MOSS ROSE, set in the Reconstruction Period after the end of the Civil War. At 1400+ pages for the two books, it’s a real investment of your time.
This was a difficult book to review as most of it is “keeper” material, but as you’ll see from my comments, there was a part that was just icky.
THE BLACK SWAN started out as a 5-star historical romance set in the Civil War years between the years 1850 and 1865…a sweeping saga of the South and two people who grew up on opposite sides of the slavery issue that tore the country apart. The love story is between a worthy and noble hero, Adam Tremain, a blockade running captain, who moved the Underground Railroad to the sea, and Dulcie Moran, the only daughter of Savannah's most prosperous slave-breeder.
It is divided into three “books”: Adam (1852-59); Dulcie (1850-1862); and The Black Swan (1862-1865). While he was still a teenager, Adam experienced the hatred of the white slave owners for any who cavorted with the slaves, and he wanted no part of it. He vowed to become one who sent the slaves north to freedom. Dulcie, raised as an indulged young woman in the genteel Southern society by a father who considered the slaves mere animals, couldn’t understand why the ones she loved weren’t treated like family.
The characters were well developed and the imagery vivid. We know exactly what motivated Dulcie and what moves Adam. We experience their young loves and are not surprised when they are attracted to each other. They are not so different really; each believes the slaves should be treated as people, and they lament a society in which they are not. Each has the courage to fight Southern Society for what they believe is right. And there are some wonderful secondary characters, including Tom, the aristocrat from New Orleans who married Ullah, a light colored slave because he loved her, the families of Adam and Dulcie, and Adam’s two childhood friends, Beau and Ben, who join him as fellow captains.
Until the 3rd “book,” I was thinking I’d stumbled across a keeper. Then the story took a nosedive in a bizarre twist with a shipwreck, a voodoo island and a twisted family that holds Dulcie captive. Adam and Dulcie are separated and both partnered (willingly or unwillingly) with others—a real no-no in my book. Also, that part was, in places, boring and frankly, disgusting. I started skipping paragraphs (never a good sign). Where was the Civil War? Where was my romance?
The story finally comes back around for a great close but the detour left me reeling; hence I’m giving it 4 stars.
For more of Adam and Dulcie’s romance you have to read the second in the duology, MOSS ROSE, set in the Reconstruction Period after the end of the Civil War. At 1400+ pages for the two books, it’s a real investment of your time.
July 11, 2016
Only thing I liked about this book? The cover is pretty, and . . .
The cover is just pretty.
The cover is just pretty.
April 2, 2022
Although I did enjoy the historical aspect of this epic door stopper, romance between H/h did not work for me at all. I couldn’t warm up to Dulcie, she was too much of a besotted idiot, chasing after Adam and playing hot and cold. Noble Adam on the other hand, could have been a poster boy for dangers of promiscuous sex....
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2022
”Making love, making a child together, dying together- all of them. And only herself-dead. Tomorrow’s with no beginnings.”
I will come right out and say it, I don’t care if this book is a bodice ripper or just a historical romance. It has become one of my favorite stories. Adam and Dulcie are amazing main characters, and are both amazing and memorable. They are full of love for each other and each have their own struggles.
Adam just wants to follow his dreams of being out on the ocean and being the captain of his ship. He’s really lonely on the inside and when he finds Dulcie, he begins to change and we can see how his character develops. Dulcie is courageous and full of fire. She is a badass in her own right, and I found her much more fascinating than Scarlett O’Hara.
The scenes set out on the ocean, the Voodoo island, the intimate moments that Adam and Dulcie share, all are just great. They are written well and are really vivid. I loved the Civil War setting as well, along with the scenery and the locations all bought to life.
The main plot involves Dulcie and Adam getting together (of course.) What follows are kidnappings, killings, helping slaves escape, Voodoo islands, ocean storms, family secrets, and fiery passionate love.
Adam finds out the man he works with is his father, Dulcie almost commits suicide at one point, one of her slaves dies, and there’s ongoing tension. It’s a lot, but there’s so much to love about this book.
I will come right out and say it, I don’t care if this book is a bodice ripper or just a historical romance. It has become one of my favorite stories. Adam and Dulcie are amazing main characters, and are both amazing and memorable. They are full of love for each other and each have their own struggles.
Adam just wants to follow his dreams of being out on the ocean and being the captain of his ship. He’s really lonely on the inside and when he finds Dulcie, he begins to change and we can see how his character develops. Dulcie is courageous and full of fire. She is a badass in her own right, and I found her much more fascinating than Scarlett O’Hara.
The scenes set out on the ocean, the Voodoo island, the intimate moments that Adam and Dulcie share, all are just great. They are written well and are really vivid. I loved the Civil War setting as well, along with the scenery and the locations all bought to life.
The main plot involves Dulcie and Adam getting together (of course.) What follows are kidnappings, killings, helping slaves escape, Voodoo islands, ocean storms, family secrets, and fiery passionate love.
Adam finds out the man he works with is his father, Dulcie almost commits suicide at one point, one of her slaves dies, and there’s ongoing tension. It’s a lot, but there’s so much to love about this book.
November 26, 2013
This was a tough book to rate... With 765 pages it is definitely an investment of time, (I tend to like long books) but the majority the novel was worth reading, in fact it was excellent. However, at page 500 the novel took a bizarre twist for about one hundred pages or so with a shipwreck on a voodoo island equipped with a flippered torso adolescent named Lucifer.
Still with the wtf curveball the novel was mostly excellent and worth reading and I would still give it a 4/5 and it would have been a 5/5 if not for the One hundred pages of oddities. I will continue reading Adam and Dulcie's love story in the Moss Rose.
Still with the wtf curveball the novel was mostly excellent and worth reading and I would still give it a 4/5 and it would have been a 5/5 if not for the One hundred pages of oddities. I will continue reading Adam and Dulcie's love story in the Moss Rose.
November 3, 2010
I obsessively read through this book and give it a 4 1/2. There was a tremendous amount of historical information detailing the civil war. This book had the biggest WTF moment for me that I have ever read in a book. The whole VooDoo Island plot was sort of out of left field and bizaar. Adam was an incredible character. I plan on reading Mossrose soon.
November 7, 2012
This is my very favorite book, great romance, a flowing story of intrigue and adventure a must read for all historical romance readers, but very hard to find a copy as I have been looking for over ten years and now have a very good copy and can live the adventure again followed by its sequel Mossrose. Oh what a read
March 8, 2020
Read this back in 2015. Great story! Loved every part of it!
November 22, 2019
This was a real roller coaster of a book, I personally enjoyed it for what it is ....and it swept me away to the deep south for sure, this book is not for the faint of heart or for anyone who only likes light and airy HR reads, there was brutal violence (the villain in this story was the worst one ever in the sense he was a COLD evil bastard) rape (not by the hero) and words are used that unless you understand the need for the author to be historically accurate with the times most will not like because of this being set in the deep south ....and this one at almost 800 pages will keep you wrapped up in it for a while ...and also this book has more than one long separation period between the main characters so if that is a peeve of yours then don't pick this one up
March 19, 2018
This book runs on and on and on and on and on. It's like the La Brea Tar Pits for romance readers. You want them to be together, but they are endlessly stupid. It's painful and it just keeps going and going. It's worse than Ayn Rand if you can believe that. Ever tried to read Atlas Shrugged? Oh, and the tragedy she made of southern accents! I am southern as the day is long and not even the biggest redneck in the trailer park sounds this bad.
I give it three stars for having an interesting beginning, but after that, I have to say that it was painfully slow and the sex scenes were so boring.
Blast. I was so hopeful too.
I give it three stars for having an interesting beginning, but after that, I have to say that it was painfully slow and the sex scenes were so boring.
Blast. I was so hopeful too.
March 21, 2014
The best. I read it in the 80s when I was in high school. Shared it with my friends and it made the rounds! Not only a great romance but an epic depiction of the Civil War. I don't know what happened to this author; I think she only wrote a couple of other books, including "Moss Rose" a sequel to "The Black Swan" but not nearly as good.
Read
March 9, 2014I read this book many years ago and it still sticks fresh in my mind today. The back story is compelling. I do not read romance unless it is along the lines of the Bronte sisters however I must say this one captured me. Probably because it wasn't just romance but subplots as well.
May 27, 2012
I read this 35 years ago and I never forgot this title, that in of itself is significant considering the number of books I've read and forgotten their title not long after.
December 15, 2012
Years ago when this book was first published...I was so mesmerized by it I recommended it to all of my friends and read the sequel's to it and have read them again...several times.
Want to read
October 13, 2018NTS: The H/h story continues in the follow-up “Moss Rose.”
NTS: “Love Grotto” gave this and “Moss Rose” 5-stars
NTS: “Love Grotto” gave this and “Moss Rose” 5-stars
November 11, 2018
4.75 Stars! Darn good book! This Historical Fiction novel is the child hybrid of Gone w/the Wind, 7 yrs a slave, & The Feast of All Saints. It was pretty excellent but definitely, not for the faint of heart! Seriously good book. Id say its a must read. And should be a been movie!
August 22, 2022
HARD PASS!!! This book was so slooooooooow … there was no “love story” until around page 300 and it was fleeting at best. I definitely wouldn’t categorize this book as a “romance book.” There are hints of romance here and there but not a lot. Mostly there are a lot of historical reference about that time period that will make your stomach turn. The Moran’s making a HUMAN breeding farm and their justifications for why they believed it was right are deplorable. What those Southern animals did to Ullah still sickens me, but their rape and murder of a person less then them being justified because they were “the superior race” bothered me to no end.
Again, the “romance” didn’t start until pages 300+, and little more around 400+, but there was so much darkness and cruelty it was hard to even want to enjoy or look for romance. The behavior of the plantation owners was disgusting.
The third part of the books took a left turn to crazy town with the island and the voodoo shenanigans. This book was 400 pages too long, super slow, HIGHLY OFFENSIVE, and without “romance.” HARD PASS. Gone with the Wind vibes, but WORSE than that atrocity!
Again, the “romance” didn’t start until pages 300+, and little more around 400+, but there was so much darkness and cruelty it was hard to even want to enjoy or look for romance. The behavior of the plantation owners was disgusting.
The third part of the books took a left turn to crazy town with the island and the voodoo shenanigans. This book was 400 pages too long, super slow, HIGHLY OFFENSIVE, and without “romance.” HARD PASS. Gone with the Wind vibes, but WORSE than that atrocity!
October 23, 2017
WHAT a disappointment!!! I absolutely *LOVED* the book UP UNTIL the freaky island. Much of that was so bizarre and unsettling that I just skimmed through it. I stayed with the book until the end but it just never recovered after the island bit. I hung on to see Adam and Dulcie reunited but the last 100 pages was the most ridiculous of "they're together/they're not", "they hate each other/they love each other". It was like watching a really bad soap opera, that I had to do A LOT OF skimming. The ending was so bad, I have to put this on my "fling it against a wall" shelf. Ugh. What a waste of time and a huge disappointment. How it's consistently gotten over 4 stars is beyond me.
January 21, 2011
Read this when I was about 19 or 20. It was circulating around my sister, stepmom, me and some other ladies. It was pretty racy if I recall correctly. Makes me wonder where I put my copy of it. could be a read again.
September 12, 2012
Not sure why this book got so many rave reviews. It was long, which I liked, but utterly enfuriating and often disappointing.
June 28, 2014
OMG I read this back when it first came out. Was just thinking of it and searched and here it is. I was 14 and wanted a consuming love like Dulcie's. LOL
May 22, 2020
I enjoyed this read and all of the may twists and turns in the plot points. I was a little dissapointed with the ending. It felt like it was lacking closure for a few of the characters. I mean, did Tom ever catch up to Edmund? Did Tom end up giving up on his daughter Angela for good? Those are just a couple of questions I wonder about.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 23, 2021
This is a typical 1970s bodice ripper. The work product of romance authors back then was and still is impressive, from the standpoint of complexity, settings, epic drama, etc. I've read a lot of acts of evil torture and attempted murder in romance novels. The one perpetrated by the villain in this book is absolutely unforgettable. Chilling.
May 24, 2018
This was a very long book. Some parts were difficult to read, especially the Andros Island plot. Took me a long time to get through it. But, that being said, I enjoyed the story and will be reading the sequel Moss Rose.
February 9, 2023
I read this book back in the 80's and have had a copy since then. My all time favorite book. Its historical and romantic which I absolutely have loved enough to read this book and MossRose a few times.
August 19, 2019
Loved, loved this book, and the second one that goes with it.
March 10, 2020
This book is very well written and captivating, but also very long and frustrating to read! I can't say I didn't enjoy it, but I would not read it again.
October 13, 2020
Read it back when it came out and have been looking for this book and it's sequel Moss Rose for awhile. Plus wanted to read all her other books in this name and as sharon Silvato
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews