Индия

The Dangerous Delameres #2

by Christina Skye, Кристина Скай, Красимира Матева (Translator)

Скрила мъката си зад ослепителна усмивка, Индия Деламиър лекува разбитото си сърце сред светската шумотевица на Лондон. Твърдоглавата красавица среща офицера красавец, когото е мислила за мъртъв. Индия се озовава в свят на интриги и измама, твърдо решена да разбули мистерията.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Amazon, Regency, Ebooks

301 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1995

About the author

AKA Roberta Helmer

Roberta Helmer is an American writer of Chinese art and culture and as Christina Skye is a best-selling USA Today and Publishers Weekly writer of over 23 romance novels. Her romance book have been translated into 8 languages.

Roberta Helmer was born in Dayton, Ohio, U.S.A., an is a descendant of Revolutionary War hero Adam Helmer. She attended the University of Pennsylvania and obtained a doctorate in classical Chinese literature at Ohio State University, where she learned to speak fluent Chinese, French, and Japanese. Later, she worked as translator and as a consultant to the National Geographic Society and the American Museum of Natural History. She lived in on the western slopes of McDowell Mountains in Arizona.

Reviews

[Heather ~*dread mushrooms*~]

I wouldn't say this is a bad book, but it doesn't really seem like my thing. I liked it well enough in the beginning, but once the hero entered the picture, I lost interest. The hero has amnesia, but not really... he's got this other guy who looks exactly like him, so much so that his wife (the heroine) is fooled. This is because of war/spy reasons. So he's able to sneak around doing spy stuff while anyone watching will still see the impostor doing normal things. And he has to pretend not to remember anything in order to protect people. I don't know. I just didn't like it.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Devlyn Carlisle and India Delamere fall in love and secretly marry just before the battle of Waterloo. Devlyn is believed dead following the battle. India eventually returns home to her family. When Devlyn suddenly appears a year later, India can't believe it's him. She confronts Devlyn only to find a cold-hearted stranger with no memory of his past. In actuality, he is working for Wellington to keep Napoleon on St. Helena. Can Devlyn complete his mission without loosing India?

I throughly enjoyed this novel. The story is engaging. A delightful easy read.

[Rosemary Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unlikely

It seems that the only county in England is Norfolk and the only city is London, both of which are flat so no rolling countryside there. However their was a Wellington, so the history is not total rubbish, however, should a young single woman behaved like this in those days, she would have been considered fast and loose and boycotted, definitely not admired. please I know that artistic license is permitted, but please research you subject.

[Veronique · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the worst kind of historical romance: bad history, and bland romance. There were so many ridiculous premises in this book that I had to skip whole passages to save the few brains cells that committed to finishing this Amazon freebie. A wife that is so unfamiliar with her beloved that she doesn't realize... no, no, no, I won't spoil it for you. All let the book spoil itself. Blech!

[Barbara "Cookie" Serfaty Williams]

Come the Dawn (The Dangerous Delameres Book 2)

The love story of India and Devlyn. It's after the fall of Napoleon. Devlyn was thought to be dead but he was MIA and return to London with no memory of most of his life.
India has been in mourning for Devlyn, the man she love and marry in secret. When she sees Dev she is over not but then turn to sadness he does not remember. Can she bring his memory back or are their other secrets? Great stoey?

[Camryn Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love and war make some hearts remember while others choose to forget. Following the horrors at Waterloo, India Delamere can't stop recalling every touch, every kiss, every word from her true love, Devlyn Carlisle (aka Thorne). However, he is on a secret mission--a most important one that demands he masquerade and deceive her. Forced to pretend to forget her, he must move on without her while she can't bear the thought of going forward, leaving Dev behind. India harbors her own secret until a clairvoyant child--a young ward of Thorne's--peers deeply into her wounded soul.

Many things, many people are not as they first appear in COME THE DAWN by Christina Skye. If only Dev and India can find a way to make it back to one another, then the sky's the limit. In the meantime, manipulative Lady Marchmont sets her sights on the only man India will ever love. An adventurous pirate known as "the Frenchman" adds to the intrigue surrounding India's endless quest for love. It's a long way back home, back to one another, for India and Devlyn (aka Thorne).

Christina Skye whisks readers back to Waterloo...back to love and splendor that often follow the ravages of war. COME THE DAWN is a great read that will keep you up turning pages until the wee hours of early morning.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was able to finish the book, but it got fairly confusing in parts, trying to figure out who was speaking. I was hoping the wolf would have a bigger part in helping. I started to shake my head a lot toward the end. For people who knew they were in danger, they weren't very careful or smart. The bridge scene didn't make sense after what the villain said.

[Merle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Truly awful. Just too ridiculous. After Come The Night, I had expected more from this author. This is (maybe) a sendup of romance novels but too silly for words.

[Debbie "Buried in Her TBR Pile" · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one has a good premise - it fell short for me. The h is too modern for the historical setting. 2.5 just ok rounded stars.

[Sandra G. Coffey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Annoying!

I didn't finish this book because the character India got on my nerves, totally annoying and obnoxious. I could only take so much and didn't finish chapter 16.

[Bailey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, my foray in historical romance is DONE!!!!! ( I say historical because I've got the Up in Smoke Trilogy from Katie Macalister to dive into; but at least she knows she's a fantasy romance). I'm a firm believer in the idea that you can't judge a book without having read it, and so here it goes. There's a reason you don't hear about Christina Skye on any top ten or even top twenty list of romance authors: she brings nothing new to the genre. She only tries to reel the readers in with what I call a stew- throwing bits and pieces of successful genres into the novel and see if readers will digest it. Here's just a few of my thoughts: 1. India claims a lot in this novel that is suspect, one glaring note being her family's penchant for the "eccentric"; a few servants' customs at an ungodly hour and antiquing doesn't make for eccentric people; they appear pretty run of the mill to me- even India herself states that she must forget Thornwood and marry to suit her family (standard) and the Grandmother seemed pretty normal herself-meddling, stuffy on gender norms, and yet because she remembers "being young", she's different than others? 2. The ever present "will they won't they" was convoluted from the start, he sends her away from his house after she notices him, but then seeks her out the very next day for what, exactly? 3. The Delameres seem to be bored little rich kids who seek out adventure because they've been denied it- they give it up way to easily for it to be a true desire. 4. Too many plots/villans: did we ever find out who Marchmont was plotting with? And then there was Stevens, a jaded employee, eerily reminiscent of a Scooby Doo villain. 5. Now the little girl has the sixth sense? WHY!?!? This brought nothing but cheesiness. 6. Overall the story seemed to be a hodgepodge of Skye's much better works: The children felt like they were copy/pasted via East of Forever, down the the beginning confusion of calling Thornwood "papa", the pirate on the ship being Thornwood in disguise is nearly note for note Tess and the captain from "The Black Rose", and the noting of seeing the couple's future offspring is from "The Ruby", after tie up all the loose ends with Barrett's grandfather. Did she run out of steam at the end (almost all of her novels I read felt that way). 7. On the plus side, India wasn't "too stupid to live". She also lived up to her description of being rebellious and quite masculine without doing the "breaking social norms till I find a man to tame me", cliche. 8. However, I didn't really see any of the suitors that were supposedly itching to be her hubby; we saw her friends who show up to catch us up on the whole "last time on mindless TV show" bit. 9. The couple seemed to genuinely know each other and grew together, but even their love isn't enough to redeem Skye in my eyes. And I know a lot of people will say "don't read this for words or the story", but that defies the point of fighting to validate the romance genre. It should stand up to criticism and deal with more than rehashed idea, because that is what fans of the genre believe; there's more to it than the man candy/sexcapades. This is proving me wrong. We shouldn't make excuses for poorly written books.

[L. · Rating 2 out of 5]

India Delamere had been in a depressed funk ever since her true love, Devlyn Carlisle, was killed at the battle of Waterloo.

Or was he?



Have you heard of the battle of Waterloo? You'd better, as it is mentioned fifty-six times in this book. (I counted.) Frankly, I was left rather confused most of the time. Devlyn isn't really dead but he's on a super secret mission involving a body double, some smuggled diamonds, and three plot moppets. Oh, how I hated those plot moppets. They didn't talk like kids, they didn't act like kids. They were just... ugh. That's the only word I can come up with: Ugh.

[SuzyHD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous Storyline

A wonderfully written romantic tale filled with lots of intriguing mystery. India is a very independent woman who lets nothing stop her from doing whatever she needs to do. Her husband, Devlyn bring even more exciting adventures to her life. I totally love Alexis with her ability to see dead people. Definitely fun reading.

[Helen White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Come The Dawn

Excellent story line. Well balanced with adventure and romance. The hero and heroin are perfect for each other and show their love dramatically for three adopted children. Don't miss an adventure read book 1 and 2. Book 3 is my next read. Happy reading.

[Becki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Come the Dawn

I'm never disappointed in a Christina Skye book. This book combines pirates, villains, and strong heroines in a romantic historical setting. I look forward to reading more in this series.

[Debbie Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

GREAT HISTORICAL ROMANCE STORY

GREAT characters and a very good storyline. The setting of the end of the Napoleonic Wars is a hotbed of strife and sadness. Thank you for an engaging story, Danny Scott.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suspenseful romance

Christina Skye writes interesting characters and develops intriguing plots compelling you to want to know what will happen next. Her female characters are very strong and independent. If you like suspense, intrigue, and romance, you will enjoy this book.

[Cary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did enjoy the strong hero and heroine but from the first mention I knew where the treasures were buried (as it were). I hoped the author didn’t go for the easy obvious solution but sure enough! Oh wey.

[Mervin Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

I read these books in order book one then book two. This book follows well but can be a stand alone book. I enjoyed it just as much as the first book.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good book

You people should just read this book yourselves and write your own review on this novel yourself and I really enjoyed reading this book very much so. Shelley MA

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

India has kept her secret marriage to Thorne from everyone, as he is listed as killed in action at Waterloo. When he returns, how will she proceed?

[Nicole alphAbet]

fall pile

[Mindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

India Delemare and Devlyn Carlisle are young lovers married on the eve of Waterloo. Are they star crossed lovers? Does Devlyn die during battle or does he make it back?

India, devastated by her loss and the aftermath of Waterloo, returns home with a broken heart determined to move on. Until the love of her life walks into a ball. Only he isn't the same!

Devlyn, back from the dead, doesn't remember anything or anyone especially India. Could it be an act? Is Devlyn hiding something secret?

India, head strong and proud, is determined to find out what happened to her love. What mysteries does she uncover? Meanwhile, Devlyn is fighting his desire for the only women he loves. Does duty destroy the love they both share for one and another or does love conquer?

Come the Dawn is a wonderful story. Full of danger, intrigue and romance. The heroine is strong, independant, and fearless. The hero is a master in deception. Mixed with interesting characters and diamond seeking adventure you'll be turning pages till the mystery is solved and true love overcome all that stands in the way.

A 5-star for me! Christian Skye sucked me in and left me satisfied till the end. Truly enjoyed the adventure! Now, I must know what happens to Ian Delemare! Will there be a sequel? What mysteries will he come across? Family trouble or duty to country? And how will love fit in?

[Nathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as the previous one. There were parts I liked but all the little problems I had with the first seemed amplified in this making parts of it a pain to read. Loose ends are badly tied through clumsy exposition. Monologuing villains pop up in the final chapters to explain what was really going on.

Also in this one everyone is constantly lying and hiding things from everyone else which doesn’t do much to endear me to them. The Hero is lying to the heroine about his memory loss. The heroine is hiding what went on with her until the very end (though I understand her a little more as it was a trauma she suffered.)

A whole other unwritten books work of story is summarised in the few couple chapters, skipping the pairs first meeting and marriage before they’re separated and when they come back together you wonder how they could have possibly gotten together the first time. I’ve never read a romance like this where I felt so strongly that the characters were bad for each other. The only connection they seem to have is the constant lust they feel for each other.

And speaking of. The intimate scenes are written in a style I usually like but I just could not get passed the fact that the first one is being interrupted with mentions of the kidnapped child they are boning in order to not think about while they wait for a ransom note to arrive, and the second comes immediately after a tearful scene of the couple discussing how their first child had died before becoming determined to get started on making a new one.

Also on the topic of things that threw me out of the story, the aforementioned kidnapped child who can see dead people, including the heroines dead baby and which is supposed to be, I guess, heartwarming because now the heroine knows her baby’s soul is happy out there somewhere? I really hate that kind of supernatural gubbins suddenly appearing in a story otherwise grounded in reality which is obviously a me problem but if you hate that sort of thing too then it’s going to bother you.

The way things are hurriedly wrapped up in the end, not just with the relationship but the plot, is just really unsatisfying. One of the characters literally has the plot brushed aside as no longer interesting to start talking about the wedding. Was it supposed to be funny? I just couldn’t with this book. I could see the good book that could have been if the author had bothered to tie the plot bits and the relationship bits together better. As it stands I’m just dissatisfied and don’t see myself seeking out this author a third time.

[Michelle Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story started in the wrong place and the plot only got triter from there.

I would have expected an author like Christina Skye to understand the importance of pacing, showing and not telling, and the importance of setting up characters before breaking them. But that didn't happen here. Now maybe because this is a second book in a series we are supposed to already know the characters, but as a new reader all I got was a heap ton of info dump and not much that reeled me in.

Sure India sounds on paper like a great heroine, but she's a broken shell at the start of the book who broods and mopes better than Angel from Buffy. I was sick of that 20 years ago. Then we get to the hero who is completely unlikable. Yes he's got amnesia (or not as the case may be!), but because of where the story started I didn't care. In my mind he didn't deserve India ad nothing that happened changed that view.

We needed to have a reason to care, show the characters happy before putting them through the conflict. Oh sure, we got told it in a seemingly endless number of flashbacks, but it didn't have the same impact. The overall story line was predictable. I could point out each and every beat and knew what trope was going to happen next. It was formulaic. Too formulaic. Even the inevitable twist was predictable and overused...especially in romance. And it's unbelievable every bloody time.

The only reason this gets three stars is for the minor characters especially the grandmother and the writing is solid and well edited. This isn't what I would expect from such a well known and respected author and it makes me leery to read her other works.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay story

This was an okay story. I didn't particularly care for either . Of the main characters. The secret wedding thing didn't work for me, especially when she said that she Thought that she Might still be in love with him!

[Katia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun sexy read

I love bold, wild female characters and their equally bold counterparts. India was fun and smart and enjoyable to read about and Dev was the perfect foil. Can't wait for more.

[Mem]

This competent no-brainer from Skye (Come the Night) is the second book in her sensual Regency trilogy about the Delamere family, whose "wealth was beyond measuring and their eccentricities beyond numbering." Heiress India Delamere, daughter of the Duke of Devonham, secretly marries Devlyn Carlisle, 12th Earl of Thornwood?a heartbreaker from a chilly dysfunctional family?just before the battle of Waterloo. India loses their baby in the aftermath of the horrible battle and, believing her husband dead, returns to London to get on with her life. What a shock when a battle-scarred Dev reappears on the night of her gala introduction to society. Though he claims to remember nothing and no one, including his titian-haired wife, he is really on a secret mission for the Duke of Wellington to recover a cache of French diamonds that might put Napoleon back on the throne. And far from forgetting his reckless vixen, he fights constantly to keep his hands off her body. India is one of a new breed of independent heroines: she's been trained in a sort of Regency martial art that Jane Austen never heard of, and she can take care of herself, up to a point. Tumultuously, India and Dev sort out their relationship, rescue the diamonds and protect Dev's three wards (one of whom makes regular contact with the spirit world) in an uninspired but pleasant fashion.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christina Skye writes a heartfelt and adventurous story. She writes about a heroine who is broken and lost because of tremendous lose and devastation. India, the heroine has so many emotions and layers that the author does an excellent job peeling back. You see India as a lost soul carrying around pain and secrets, then you see her become angry and protective as well as determined. She writes of a hero who loses a part of himself after battle and after being presumed dead he comes back a different person. Devlyn has many secrets that need to be discovered and protected at the same time. The secondary characters are just as multi-dimensional as the hero and heroine.

This is the second book in the series but can definitely be read as a standalone. I haven’t read the first book yet but I have already purchased it and will be reading it very soon. I am thoroughly looking forward to reading the next book in the series as well as more stories by this author.

[Carla Emmons · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story but a little arduously drawn out. It would have been perfect as a face-paced novella.

The characters are amusing and likeable - perhaps some would say the characters are a little over the top, but I enjoyed them thoroughly.
The plot is actually engaging if too drawn out.
The writing is decent though a little too heavily peppered with adjectives for my taste.
The sex scenes are profuse, overdone and easily skimmed or skipped.

A good light read that requires little attention - I read it in the middle of the night with a teething toddler sleeping on my lap. There were points when I was like, "How can there still be X% left in this book?" And some of the actions that drew out the word count were a bit exasperating or implausible, but the great characters easily made up for it.

I will probably go back and read the first in this series,