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Desire in Disguise
They called her the crimson witch, Genevieva Saint-Georges, former belle of Paris until the French Revolution sent her fleeing into her new life of piracy. She was only matched by the man they called The Black Mephisto, notorious spy, master of disguise and black-masked bandit of the seas.
460 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
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521 people want to read
About the author
Rebecca Brandewyne
61 books175 followersBorn in Knoxville, Tennessee, Rebecca lived in Knoxville and then, later, Chattanooga for the first few years of her life. After that, she and her family moved to Kansas, where she grew up, spending her summers in Alabama, visiting both sets of her grandparents. She says she's just a country girl with a dash of big city sprinkled in for spice. But having traveled extensively in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and the Caribbean, she moves easily between the publishing world of New York and her hometown.
Rebecca graduated cum laude with departmental honors from Wichita State University, earning a B.A. in journalism, minors in history and music (theory and composition), and an M.A. in communications [mass (broadcasting) and interpersonal (dyadic relationships):]. During the course of her education, she was fortunate enough to study at various times under, among several other distinguished instructors, three Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists and one of the foremost authorities in the field of interpersonal communication. Twice a recipient of the Victor Murdock Scholarship, Rebecca taught interpersonal communication at the university level before becoming a published writer.
She was twenty-one when she started work on her first novel, No Gentle Love. She finished the book a year later and sold it to Warner Books some months after her twenty-third birthday, making her, at that time, the youngest romance author in America, a record that stood for ten years before finally being broken. To date, Rebecca has written over thirty consecutive bestselling titles, including novels and novellas on the following lists: New York Times, Publishers Weekly, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Magazine & Bookseller, Ingram, B. Dalton, and Waldenbooks, among many others.
Her books have been translated into a number of foreign languages, including Chinese, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Rumanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish; and they have been published in over sixty countries worldwide. Many have been selections of the Doubleday Book Club and Literary Guild. Hardback editions of several titles have been published by Severn House, and large-print editions of some books are also available from Macmillan Library Reference and Thorndike Press. Rebecca currently has millions of books in print in the United States alone.
From Affaire de Coeur magazine, she has won: the Classic Award for Classic Romances, for Love, Cherish Me, 1990; the Golden Quill Award for Best of the '80s Historical Romances, for Love, Cherish Me, 1990; the Bronze Pen (Wholesalers' Choice) Award, 1989; the Silver Pen (Readers' Choice) Award, 1988, 1987, and 1986; and a Gold Certificate for The Outlaw Hearts, 1987.
From Romantic Times magazine, she has won: the Reviewer's Choice Nominee for Best Historical Romantic Mystery, for The Ninefold Key, 2004; the Reviewer's Choice Certificate of Excellence for Victorian Historical Romance, for The Jacaranda Tree, 1995; the KISS (Knight in Shining Silver) of the Month for Best Hero, for The Jacaranda Tree, 1995, and for Swan Road, 1994; the Career Achievement Award for Futuristic Romance, 1991, for Passion Moon Rising and Beyond the Starlit Frost; the Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Historical Gothic, for Across a Starlit Sea, 1989, and for Upon a Moon-Dark Moor, 1988; the Historical Romance Novelist of the Year Award, 1987; and the Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Western Romance, for The Outlaw Hearts, 1986. Rebecca has also been named one of Love's Leading Ladies and inducted into Romantic Times magazine's Hall of Fame.
http://www.brandewyne.com/castle/gall...
Rebecca graduated cum laude with departmental honors from Wichita State University, earning a B.A. in journalism, minors in history and music (theory and composition), and an M.A. in communications [mass (broadcasting) and interpersonal (dyadic relationships):]. During the course of her education, she was fortunate enough to study at various times under, among several other distinguished instructors, three Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists and one of the foremost authorities in the field of interpersonal communication. Twice a recipient of the Victor Murdock Scholarship, Rebecca taught interpersonal communication at the university level before becoming a published writer.
She was twenty-one when she started work on her first novel, No Gentle Love. She finished the book a year later and sold it to Warner Books some months after her twenty-third birthday, making her, at that time, the youngest romance author in America, a record that stood for ten years before finally being broken. To date, Rebecca has written over thirty consecutive bestselling titles, including novels and novellas on the following lists: New York Times, Publishers Weekly, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Magazine & Bookseller, Ingram, B. Dalton, and Waldenbooks, among many others.
Her books have been translated into a number of foreign languages, including Chinese, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Rumanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish; and they have been published in over sixty countries worldwide. Many have been selections of the Doubleday Book Club and Literary Guild. Hardback editions of several titles have been published by Severn House, and large-print editions of some books are also available from Macmillan Library Reference and Thorndike Press. Rebecca currently has millions of books in print in the United States alone.
From Affaire de Coeur magazine, she has won: the Classic Award for Classic Romances, for Love, Cherish Me, 1990; the Golden Quill Award for Best of the '80s Historical Romances, for Love, Cherish Me, 1990; the Bronze Pen (Wholesalers' Choice) Award, 1989; the Silver Pen (Readers' Choice) Award, 1988, 1987, and 1986; and a Gold Certificate for The Outlaw Hearts, 1987.
From Romantic Times magazine, she has won: the Reviewer's Choice Nominee for Best Historical Romantic Mystery, for The Ninefold Key, 2004; the Reviewer's Choice Certificate of Excellence for Victorian Historical Romance, for The Jacaranda Tree, 1995; the KISS (Knight in Shining Silver) of the Month for Best Hero, for The Jacaranda Tree, 1995, and for Swan Road, 1994; the Career Achievement Award for Futuristic Romance, 1991, for Passion Moon Rising and Beyond the Starlit Frost; the Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Historical Gothic, for Across a Starlit Sea, 1989, and for Upon a Moon-Dark Moor, 1988; the Historical Romance Novelist of the Year Award, 1987; and the Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Western Romance, for The Outlaw Hearts, 1986. Rebecca has also been named one of Love's Leading Ladies and inducted into Romantic Times magazine's Hall of Fame.
http://www.brandewyne.com/castle/gall...
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 12, 2014
Superb French Revolution Romance!
I have become a huge Rebecca Brandewyne fan and find many of her well woven, complex love stories absolutely captivating...they are so different than the fast past but shallow stuff we so often get today in romance. It's worth shopping for a good used copy of Brandewyne's historical novels on Amazon and curling up for a great read. Desire in Disguise is such a romance.
Like many of Brandewyne's romances (see my other reviews), it is divided into "books"--in this case 5 of them. In the front of the book is a "list of players" that is very helpful and a poem. I highly recommend NOT reading the poem until you've read the book as it gives away the ending.
In 1746, long before the revolution, a young French noblewoman gives birth to female twins, Dominique and Lis-Marie, but she is not wed to their father because her strict father will not allow her to marry an actor, albeit a good one with noble linage. The young mother flees from her home and takes the babies to her lover, afterward dying of a fever. The father of the twin girls raises them in Paris, where they become beautiful, celebrated actresses. He vows they will have noble marriages, and so his two daughters are wed, one to a comte in France and one to an earl in England. This is the story of the two daughters and their children, set against the background of the French Revolution.
Dominique has one son, Justin. Lis-Marie has twins, a boy (Vachel) and a girl (Genevieve). When the revolution comes, Genevieve becomes a smuggler and savior of the French noblemen and women, saving many lives. In the process, she becomes the Crimson Witch who sails the waters between England and France. She meets a pirate-spy, Capitaine Diabolique, commander of the Black Mephisto ship. Genevieve calls him "Noir"; he calls her "Rouge." Though wed to her cousin Justin, who is indifferent to her, Genevieve falls in love with Noir, and he with her. And the game is afoot.
Genevieve is a heroine to love. While only 16, she is intelligent and has been raised with her twin brother to sail a ship and fight with a saber better than most men. Noir is a fearless swashbuckling spy, a very mysterious man. Is it any wonder their chemistry is explosive? Brandewyne's writing is excellent, her dialog natural and her research impeccable. This story, like many of her tales, is very detailed as she creates unique, believable characters and weaves a story set against a very troubled time in France's history. Her love scenes will curl your toes, too.
I highly recommend this one.
I have become a huge Rebecca Brandewyne fan and find many of her well woven, complex love stories absolutely captivating...they are so different than the fast past but shallow stuff we so often get today in romance. It's worth shopping for a good used copy of Brandewyne's historical novels on Amazon and curling up for a great read. Desire in Disguise is such a romance.
Like many of Brandewyne's romances (see my other reviews), it is divided into "books"--in this case 5 of them. In the front of the book is a "list of players" that is very helpful and a poem. I highly recommend NOT reading the poem until you've read the book as it gives away the ending.
In 1746, long before the revolution, a young French noblewoman gives birth to female twins, Dominique and Lis-Marie, but she is not wed to their father because her strict father will not allow her to marry an actor, albeit a good one with noble linage. The young mother flees from her home and takes the babies to her lover, afterward dying of a fever. The father of the twin girls raises them in Paris, where they become beautiful, celebrated actresses. He vows they will have noble marriages, and so his two daughters are wed, one to a comte in France and one to an earl in England. This is the story of the two daughters and their children, set against the background of the French Revolution.
Dominique has one son, Justin. Lis-Marie has twins, a boy (Vachel) and a girl (Genevieve). When the revolution comes, Genevieve becomes a smuggler and savior of the French noblemen and women, saving many lives. In the process, she becomes the Crimson Witch who sails the waters between England and France. She meets a pirate-spy, Capitaine Diabolique, commander of the Black Mephisto ship. Genevieve calls him "Noir"; he calls her "Rouge." Though wed to her cousin Justin, who is indifferent to her, Genevieve falls in love with Noir, and he with her. And the game is afoot.
Genevieve is a heroine to love. While only 16, she is intelligent and has been raised with her twin brother to sail a ship and fight with a saber better than most men. Noir is a fearless swashbuckling spy, a very mysterious man. Is it any wonder their chemistry is explosive? Brandewyne's writing is excellent, her dialog natural and her research impeccable. This story, like many of her tales, is very detailed as she creates unique, believable characters and weaves a story set against a very troubled time in France's history. Her love scenes will curl your toes, too.
I highly recommend this one.
July 29, 2022
Забавен исторически любовен роман, чието действие се развива през 1792 година и е за революцията във Франция. Ако търсите история в тази книга, няма да намерите. Революцията е бегло застъпена и то покрай героите, замесени в нея. Книгата е приключенска и е смесица от комедия на Шекспир и филма „Фанфан лалелто“, поне такива асоциации направих аз.
Женевиев бяга от революцията във Франция при сестрата на майка си в Англия, преследвана от Клод Рамбуйе. Тя има буйни червени коси, красавица е и не иска да стане метреса Клод. Готова е да се омъжи за Джъстин, когото мрази, за да може зад гърба му да пътува във Франция в издирване на родителите си и брат си близнак. Поради това тя спретва маскарад на своя съпруг и скрива медните си къдрици в сложни прически и пудра. Успява да покори коравите морски мъже и да стане техен капитан. Влюбва се в шпионина пират Черния Мефисто, който всява ужас във французите и също се маскира. Двамата изживяват своята любов.
Морски битки, приключения, смях, забавни моменти, объркани ситуации, маскарад, любов и тайни ще ви забавляват през цялото време. Книгата е от старите любовни романи и си има своите несъвършенства, наивни моменти и нереални ситуации, но аз избрах да я чета като приказка. Пренебрегнах тези моменти и предпочетох да се насладя на приключенията, отколкото да се вторачвам в несъвършенствата на сюжета и да проявявам критичност. Все пак тази литература е за забавление и никога не ми омръзва да чета за романтика и любов.
Женевиев бяга от революцията във Франция при сестрата на майка си в Англия, преследвана от Клод Рамбуйе. Тя има буйни червени коси, красавица е и не иска да стане метреса Клод. Готова е да се омъжи за Джъстин, когото мрази, за да може зад гърба му да пътува във Франция в издирване на родителите си и брат си близнак. Поради това тя спретва маскарад на своя съпруг и скрива медните си къдрици в сложни прически и пудра. Успява да покори коравите морски мъже и да стане техен капитан. Влюбва се в шпионина пират Черния Мефисто, който всява ужас във французите и също се маскира. Двамата изживяват своята любов.
Морски битки, приключения, смях, забавни моменти, объркани ситуации, маскарад, любов и тайни ще ви забавляват през цялото време. Книгата е от старите любовни романи и си има своите несъвършенства, наивни моменти и нереални ситуации, но аз избрах да я чета като приказка. Пренебрегнах тези моменти и предпочетох да се насладя на приключенията, отколкото да се вторачвам в несъвършенствата на сюжета и да проявявам критичност. Все пак тази литература е за забавление и никога не ми омръзва да чета за романтика и любов.
October 6, 2020
Rebecca Brandewyne described this, her seventh novel, as "a lighthearted change of pace" from her previous novels. And indeed, it is: "Desire in Disguise" is a rather silly story of a family of French and English aristocrats, descendants of actors, who fight back against the Reign of Terror in 1792 Paris. Mistaken identities, disguises, sword play, foreplay and the most willing suspension of disbelief play out against the love affair of Rouge (aka the Crimson Witch) and Noir (aka the Black Mephisto), two vigilante super heroes who naturally fall in love even while they keep their masks on. Luckily, the stakes in this novel are not very high and it moves quickly, even though the final chapter seems a little pointless and tidily brought to its conclusion. Probably the best way to think of this book is as a pause for both author and reader between the more satisfying love story of its immediate predecessor, "The Outlaw Hearts," and the much-more absorbing, better-written and more compelling novel that followed it, "Upon a Moon-Dark Moor."
May 6, 2010
This is the book I read as a kid which made me really love romance. It is probably my number one romance of all time because of its complexity. I might not feel the same way as an adult, and I've read different books I might find more intellectually stimulating, but at fifteen, I was blown away.
July 8, 2010
I'm giving this 4 stars because I've liked it since High School. I'm not sure how it fares with a modern eye for romance, though. There has always been one thing that really bothered me, though. Spoiler: the hero and heroine are cousins, which is nothing unusual for the time period, but their mothers were identical twins!! Wouldn't that be bad, genetically? Wouldn't their DNA be like that of half-siblings? Blech. I always ignore that part when I re-read this book, because I think it is a good story and well-written otherwise.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2011
This was my number one romance novel for a long time. I read it when I was fifteen so my tastes have probably changed, but this book will always be a benchmark for me when it comes to romance and masks.
June 4, 2025
It's certainly an entertaining book, and I had fun reading it, but wouldn't say it was necessarily good. More like so-bad-it's-good, but I'll start with what I liked.
This book is set during the Reign of Terror and the French Revolution. I found the politics interesting. Never could I imagine a trashy erotic novel from the 80s would have me sympathetic to the aristocracy, but here we are.
The spicy scenes were spicy, albeit repetitive (take a shot everytime the author says "twin globes" instead of breasts. or how about everytime they kiss he "explores every secret crevice in her mouth" -- what is he doing, licking her molars? gross.) -- Still, I found myself giggling and blushing at a few points. Extremely flowery language that draws out every detail and emotion, very different from modern smut.
I also liked the lengthy descriptions of historical fashion and architecture, but I would understand if other readers found it boring, because it's a lot, I just like historical fashion and architecture.
Unfortunately, the pacing is all over the place, which is why I have to give it two stars. Many interesting pirate things happen "off screen" while other superfluous details span pages and pages. Like when Justin and Genevieve go to a party. They could have had a cheeky, flirty conversation while ballroom dancing, I would have enjoyed that. Instead the whole scene is used to bring up "Rouge et Noir," a popular card game at the time and also the main characters nicknames. We're supposed to think that's clever.
My biggest gripe is that the stakes felt artificially high. Genevieve spent the novel trying to rescue her parents from the guillotine, but in the last few pages they manage to escape by themselves. Quite easily, in fact, so the entire crux of the novel is resolved in just a paragraph or two. So she could've just sat on her ass the whole time and things would've worked out fine.
Another example: when Justin discovers that his lover is actually is wife (you must suspend your disbelief to enjoy this book) he comes up with one ridiculous reason after another to avoid "coming out" to her. he even asks her to choose between himself or... himself. So many times I thought "here is where it all comes out, right? nope." The tension was needlessly dragged out until, again, it is resolved quickly and stupidly in the last few pages.
There is a second mistaken-identity-romance subplot between Vachel and Kitty. At first I found this interesting but it ultimately went nowhere and is -- you guessed it -- resolved at the very end without any fanfare.
There is also a lot of problematic tropes, which I can easily blame on the time period when it was written. For example, Noir can feel her hymen breaking when he takes her virginity. He later goes on to say most women aren't so obvious but Genevieve's pussy is especially tight (paraphrasing here.) I laughed out loud at that part. You're telling me she's beautiful, skinny, intelligent, chaste, brave, unique, excellent with a sword, AND her pussy is ungodly cinched!? Talk about a Mary Sue.
There are two scenes that are fairly sexy but fairly rape-y. The characters even address it, but ultimately decide it's not actually rape because Genevieve comes (get it?) to enjoy it. Also she's 16, but I chose to ignore that because she's pretty badass. Until a man starts kissing her, that is. Also, they're cousins from identical twin mothers. Ignore that part too. Ultimately it was a fun, trashy book, but you have to be extremely forgiving in order to enjoy it.
This book is set during the Reign of Terror and the French Revolution. I found the politics interesting. Never could I imagine a trashy erotic novel from the 80s would have me sympathetic to the aristocracy, but here we are.
The spicy scenes were spicy, albeit repetitive (take a shot everytime the author says "twin globes" instead of breasts. or how about everytime they kiss he "explores every secret crevice in her mouth" -- what is he doing, licking her molars? gross.) -- Still, I found myself giggling and blushing at a few points. Extremely flowery language that draws out every detail and emotion, very different from modern smut.
I also liked the lengthy descriptions of historical fashion and architecture, but I would understand if other readers found it boring, because it's a lot, I just like historical fashion and architecture.
Unfortunately, the pacing is all over the place, which is why I have to give it two stars. Many interesting pirate things happen "off screen" while other superfluous details span pages and pages. Like when Justin and Genevieve go to a party. They could have had a cheeky, flirty conversation while ballroom dancing, I would have enjoyed that. Instead the whole scene is used to bring up "Rouge et Noir," a popular card game at the time and also the main characters nicknames. We're supposed to think that's clever.
My biggest gripe is that the stakes felt artificially high. Genevieve spent the novel trying to rescue her parents from the guillotine, but in the last few pages they manage to escape by themselves. Quite easily, in fact, so the entire crux of the novel is resolved in just a paragraph or two. So she could've just sat on her ass the whole time and things would've worked out fine.
Another example: when Justin discovers that his lover is actually is wife (you must suspend your disbelief to enjoy this book) he comes up with one ridiculous reason after another to avoid "coming out" to her. he even asks her to choose between himself or... himself. So many times I thought "here is where it all comes out, right? nope." The tension was needlessly dragged out until, again, it is resolved quickly and stupidly in the last few pages.
There is a second mistaken-identity-romance subplot between Vachel and Kitty. At first I found this interesting but it ultimately went nowhere and is -- you guessed it -- resolved at the very end without any fanfare.
There is also a lot of problematic tropes, which I can easily blame on the time period when it was written. For example, Noir can feel her hymen breaking when he takes her virginity. He later goes on to say most women aren't so obvious but Genevieve's pussy is especially tight (paraphrasing here.) I laughed out loud at that part. You're telling me she's beautiful, skinny, intelligent, chaste, brave, unique, excellent with a sword, AND her pussy is ungodly cinched!? Talk about a Mary Sue.
There are two scenes that are fairly sexy but fairly rape-y. The characters even address it, but ultimately decide it's not actually rape because Genevieve comes (get it?) to enjoy it. Also she's 16, but I chose to ignore that because she's pretty badass. Until a man starts kissing her, that is. Also, they're cousins from identical twin mothers. Ignore that part too. Ultimately it was a fun, trashy book, but you have to be extremely forgiving in order to enjoy it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 24, 2022
As an entertaining, vintage romance read from the 80s? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This bodice ripped! I laughed out loud a number of times for all manner of reasons, and didn't have a thought of putting it down.
As a well written novel? Hoo boy! Prepare for some of the purplest of purple prose!
This late 80s gem really has it all: an introductory two-page poem, enemies to lovers, the French Revolution, spies, pirates, and a twelve page love scene actually kicks it off.
How 80s is it? NSFW fun facts below the spoiler ribbon!
✅Aaargh there be pirates!
✅Body hair descriptors: fur, forest, carpet, nest
✅The adjective "moss-green" to describe our heroine's eyes was used at least 13 times
✅Romance tropes: I stopped counting at 12
If you too love a fabulous "trashy novel" I highly recommend.
As a well written novel? Hoo boy! Prepare for some of the purplest of purple prose!
This late 80s gem really has it all: an introductory two-page poem, enemies to lovers, the French Revolution, spies, pirates, and a twelve page love scene actually kicks it off.
How 80s is it? NSFW fun facts below the spoiler ribbon!
✅Aaargh there be pirates!
✅Body hair descriptors: fur, forest, carpet, nest
✅The adjective "moss-green" to describe our heroine's eyes was used at least 13 times
✅Romance tropes: I stopped counting at 12
If you too love a fabulous "trashy novel" I highly recommend.
October 27, 2017
Yikes, what a book. Read it ages ago and remember loving it but the parts I remember leave me laughing and cringing. On my list to track down at used book stores. Really want to know how it holds up, lol.
January 15, 2019
Completely predictable. The pop pacing is very slow and then far too hurried. It could have been good, despite the lack of originality, but the pacing was too far off.
May 5, 2023
4 stars. An enjoyable romance that takes place during the French Revolution.
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April 4, 2024Very good story and plotline keeps you reading till the end.
August 9, 2016
This was one of those books which were waiting on my Moms bookshelve, waiting to be discovered by me.
I loved it right from the start, even while being a bit too young for the sex scenes in it. But the topic of pirates, a female pirate to get revenge for the things she lost, and the characters intrigued me.
I read it over and over again, but then, sadly, it kind of vanished during moving houses :(
I still ave my hopes up that it is somewhere upstairs in a bookbox, waiting to be discovered again ;)
I loved it right from the start, even while being a bit too young for the sex scenes in it. But the topic of pirates, a female pirate to get revenge for the things she lost, and the characters intrigued me.
I read it over and over again, but then, sadly, it kind of vanished during moving houses :(
I still ave my hopes up that it is somewhere upstairs in a bookbox, waiting to be discovered again ;)
February 10, 2013
My favorite romance. Maybe because it was one of my first, but I love the crazy little poems mixed through the book. I also love how all of her books have the story outlined in her poems at the beginning along with her 'cast'.
March 26, 2014
I'll simply say that this was a good read which made me think of a male and female "Zorro" duo. They are a married couple through convenience. However, they fall "head over heels" in love with one another while they're assuming their respective alter ego identities.
November 6, 2011
A recommendation from my misspent youth. Purple prose, big misunderstandings, disguises, and that cover! My 14 year old self re-read this one a dozen times.
January 7, 2015
I loved the setup of this book and the varying "scenes" in this book ! I stayed up until 3 am to finish this I just couldn't put it down !
July 1, 2016
It turned out to be lighthearted fun! I'm glad I reread it.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews