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Marie Fleur
She was a golden-haired French emigree wed to one of Regency England's most eligible bachelors. She longed for the tender embraces of a loving man, but was destined to suffer danger and dishonor in her relentless search for love...
WILLIAM DOWLING
Gambling was his sin -- and making Marie the stakes was his downfall...
THE EARL OF CRANBROOK
Crafty and sadistic, she schemed to make Marie his prisoner - and a participant in his terrible rituals of "love"...
BRANDON NICHOLAS
He claimed Marie in one perfect, dreamlike night of ecstasy, then vanished -- leaving her to seek him in a war-torn Paris, where a beautiful woman could become a conqueror's prize...
WILLIAM DOWLING
Gambling was his sin -- and making Marie the stakes was his downfall...
THE EARL OF CRANBROOK
Crafty and sadistic, she schemed to make Marie his prisoner - and a participant in his terrible rituals of "love"...
BRANDON NICHOLAS
He claimed Marie in one perfect, dreamlike night of ecstasy, then vanished -- leaving her to seek him in a war-torn Paris, where a beautiful woman could become a conqueror's prize...
331 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 1983
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 28, 2013
2.5 stars
This book, despite its ongoing bodice rippery, was a real miss for me. It dragged on, and on--and the heroine was TSTL and I wasn't entirely convinced she wasn't in love with one of her other lovers still, by the end of the book. Make no mistake, the hero & villains were quite memorable, I believe her side-lover was a better suit for her, all in all. He was the only one faithful and genuine with her. Most of Phillips's books have been a 3+ star rating, but this one I cannot forgive for stretching it out through so many pages of pining and pretending to want independence- when in all actuality, I never thought the heroine ever grew in character. Her attempts were merely due to her lack of male suitor, of which she used shamelessly. Every time some type of unbearable situation overran her life, and she was left penniless/homeless, she'd do well a few weeks on her own until some tomcat came prowling around, sniffing in its own dish for a treat. She lacked the capacity to do anything on her own, then fell into an awaiting lover's arms when the bills were conveniently due, or she was broke. She was trapped and hopeless down to the last page, due to her own stupidity, and at her wits end, she took the hero back BECAUSE she was that desperate, IMHO. Frankly, I thought she could have loved anyone if it bettered her circumstance or improved her way of life, and really- she was the same victimized chit who bad luck befell in the beginning of the book. Phillips's attempt to redeem her with rescuing an infant and teaching the village children, just didn't quite cut it. It left her seemingly underdeveloped and a try-hard. And while I love a dominant male hero, there were so many in this book, that she was a shadow puppet, really! Every time she tried to make a stand, a guy would simply say: "BECAUSE I SAY SO!" And guess what happened? Marie Fleur simply complied.
This book, despite its ongoing bodice rippery, was a real miss for me. It dragged on, and on--and the heroine was TSTL and I wasn't entirely convinced she wasn't in love with one of her other lovers still, by the end of the book. Make no mistake, the hero & villains were quite memorable, I believe her side-lover was a better suit for her, all in all. He was the only one faithful and genuine with her. Most of Phillips's books have been a 3+ star rating, but this one I cannot forgive for stretching it out through so many pages of pining and pretending to want independence- when in all actuality, I never thought the heroine ever grew in character. Her attempts were merely due to her lack of male suitor, of which she used shamelessly. Every time some type of unbearable situation overran her life, and she was left penniless/homeless, she'd do well a few weeks on her own until some tomcat came prowling around, sniffing in its own dish for a treat. She lacked the capacity to do anything on her own, then fell into an awaiting lover's arms when the bills were conveniently due, or she was broke. She was trapped and hopeless down to the last page, due to her own stupidity, and at her wits end, she took the hero back BECAUSE she was that desperate, IMHO. Frankly, I thought she could have loved anyone if it bettered her circumstance or improved her way of life, and really- she was the same victimized chit who bad luck befell in the beginning of the book. Phillips's attempt to redeem her with rescuing an infant and teaching the village children, just didn't quite cut it. It left her seemingly underdeveloped and a try-hard. And while I love a dominant male hero, there were so many in this book, that she was a shadow puppet, really! Every time she tried to make a stand, a guy would simply say: "BECAUSE I SAY SO!" And guess what happened? Marie Fleur simply complied.
June 12, 2023
Whenever the H and h spend more time in bed with other people than they do with each other (and play a silly game of: "If you can have a lover so can I; I'll give up mine if you give up yours!"), it costs the book some stars, and when the book includes perverted scenes (in this case, the h being held captive, shackled and whipped against her will, then forced to whip her captor in return, before she's raped), there goes another star!
So, it's left with one star, when if things had been different, it could have gotten three.
My advice: skip this one.
So, it's left with one star, when if things had been different, it could have gotten three.
My advice: skip this one.
January 19, 2025
It wasn't bad, just typical of the HR novels written, in the bodice ripper fashion of the times. I had thought this one might be different, and for a time it seemed like it would be, but I was disappointed.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews