Лилия в нощта

Louisiana #2

by Shirlee Busbee

Седемнадсет годишната Сабрина, дъщеря на богатия плантатор Алехандро дел Торес, омагьосва всички мъже със своята красота, смелост и темперамент. За това не е чудно, че и Бред Дейнджърмънт се влюбва в нея. Сабрина отвръща на чувствата му и след една вълшебна нощ заклетият ерген Бред поисква ръката й. Сабрина е извън себе си от щастие, защото Бред е мъжът на нейните мечти. Само братовчед й Карлос не се радва. Дълги години той се е надявал да се ожени за Сабрина и нейната богата зестра. Заедно с леконравната Констанца скрояват пъклен план и успяват да развалят годежа. Но нито един от двамата не може да забрави другия…

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Westerns, Southern, Western Romance, Historical Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Shirlee Elaine was born 9 August 1941 in San Jose, California, USA. She was the first daughter of a career naval officer, later she had two sisters and three brothers, they raised traveling the world. She went to the institute in Kentri, Morocco, after which she returned to California and she went to Burbank Bussines College of Santa Rosa, where she received a certificate in 1962.

Shirlee married with Howard Busbee in June 22, 1963. Now, they live in hills of California, where they raise for pleasure Standard Schnauzers, Standardbred horses, and other many animals.

She has worked as a receptionist for the Marin County Title and Abstract Co., as plant supervisor for Fairfield Title Co., and as secretary and drafting technician for the County Parks Department of Fairfield, California, where she met her life-long friend and mentor Rosemary Rogers. Published since 1977, Shirlee Busbee is the proud author of over 18 novels, including seven New York Times bestsellers. With over nine million copies of her books in print, she is the recipient of numerous awards for excellence in writing, including the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award and Affaire de Coeur's Silver and Bronze Pen Awards.

You may write to Shirlee Busbee care of C/O Warner Books, Inc., Time and Life Building, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

Reviews

[Azet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read "The Tiger Lily" first when i was 16 years old and now i re-read it when i have turned 20.All the emotions of anxiety,giddyness and fascination are still the same and i found myself falling in love with the spirited spanish heroine Sabrina del Torre and the love of her life, the adventourus,savage and passionate hero Brett Dangermond (who i first met in Shirlee Busbee`s other novel Deceive Not My Heart) all over again.Ahh the anger,the passion and the powerful emotions of love Sabrina and Brett felt for each other. Brett Dangermond for all his antics of bittersweet revenge after all the years Sabrina cancelled their engagement still mooned longingly for Sabrina to be his.I couldn`t be angry at this man. He who had been betrayed by every woman he ever came to care for and when he does finally lose his heart it took him quite a while to admit it for himself..and therefore his heart broke.In falling in love with Sabrina he lost a bit of his pride,parts of his soul..and his whole heart.It totally destroyed him when he thought Sabrina could never come to love him.I smiled when he blackmailed her into being his mistress.AND I NEVER DO THAT WHEN SIMILAR THING HAPPENES in other novels.But in this story its so fun reading how Brett afterwards builds a gazebo with his bare hands just for Sabrina for her not to feel homesick.When he returns and filled with jealousy,anger and passion makes love with Sabrina he can no longer deny the truth for even himself anymore and he demands marriage the next morning.Ahhh Brett Dangermond...

What a utterly stupid,pig-headed and stubborn love-sick fool!

[Misfit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both refused to think about the distasteful subject , and both thrust the ideas away as nonsense, but the seed had been planted, and they were hampered by their lack of trust in one another.

That pretty much sums it up for me. Girl meets boy, boy's been burned by women too many times to trust them, girl's evil-doing cousin stirs up more distrust and it all devolves into one long winded Big Misunderstanding. That said, I did enjoy the characters, especially oh-so-hunky Brett and I'll give Busbee extra points for writing a good smoking love scene without any embarrassing purple prose. Points lost for the big mis and a baddie that's way to easy to guess.

This is part of a series, but stands alone. From what I can gather from the synopsis for books one and three, those are the stories of two of Brett's good friends, and their stories are already 'told' and happily married before this book ends up.

Dead tree copy owned, kindle copy purchased on the $.99 special.

[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le pongo un 3.5 estrellas redondeando a 4. Este libro ha sido súper intenso y la historia de amor tormentosa. Por fortuna no ha habido ninguna violación, en ese sentido el protagonista aunque sea misógino me ha gustado.
Odio con todas mis fuerzas a Carlos que tío más intrigante, manipulador y malvado. Pero los protagonistas también son muy tontos al creerle todo lo que decía y la prota despues de intentar violarla se sigue creyendo todo lo que le dice y lo perdona como si nada. Ese punto me cabreó mucho por eso le bajo nota. Las cosas se hubieran solucionado antes si hubieran hablado entre ellos. Pero ese es el problema no hablan y se creen todo lo que los demás les dicen sin contrastarlo primero y eso me sacó de quicio. Cada uno pensaba lo peor del otro. Aunque claro si hubieran hablado antes la historia no sería tan larga y no habrían pasado 6 años separados. Por otro lado me ha gustado ver las demás parejas como les va salen Morgan y Leonie de no engañes a mi corazón y Jason y Catherine de la Gitana y hay intrigas políticas también que pasaron en la vida real y me ha gustado saber un poco de historia y más que la protagonista es española. Aunque la autora saca clichés de nosotros como que a todos los españoles nos gustan los toros, bailamos fandangos y cosas de esas. Pero tampoco nos ha pintado aquí de malos. En definitiva un libro de los de antes con muchos enredos, malentendidos, intrigas, pero con mucha enjundia y por suerte aquí no hay ninguna violación y eso me ha gustado. Pero aviso no es un libro ligero de leer, pasan muchas cosas. El anterior no engañes a mi corazón era más ligero de leer. Por lo demás ya son 4 libros los que me leo de esta autora y el que más me ha gustado por ahora es la Rosa de España y no sé comparada con Woodiwiis que es de la misma época y tal me quedo con Woodiwiss. De momento no ha habido libro de ella que no me haya gustado.

[Jena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t reread this. I kept by original 5 stars, but I don’t remember a thing about this book.

Reviewers said that he was sleeping with ow to stay away from h though, maybe he wasn’t celibate during their separation too?

Not safe, so I no longer want to reread it and ruin my experience.

Originally read over 10yrs ago.

[L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like another reviewer said, I know I read this (I recognize the cover and I went through a Shirlee Busbee spell) but for the life of me I can't remember what the story was actually about.

----------------Update--------------------

Since Busbee's back catalogue is being digitized, and I was able to catch this on sale, I decided to go back and re-read Tiger Lily in order to refresh my memory. At this point in her writing career Shirlee was of the I Hate You/I Love You school of romance. Her heroes were basically interchangeable as long as they met her criteria of

1) Being Rich
2) Thriving on adventure, and
3) Diehard misogyny.

All that's left to do is slap on a manly man name: Brett Dangermond. In fact, it's so manly manly I feel compelled to type it with more emphasis. Brett Dangermond!

In an attempt to play matchmaker, Sabrina's father invites Brett Dangermond! for a visit at the family ranch in East Texas. Cousin Carlos, desperate to marry Sabrina and her fortune, schemes to keep the heroine and hero apart. For the most part he succeeds very well as several years will pass before the OTP get their shit straight. There is the thinnest of storylines running through this and other books in the series (Gypsy Lady, Deceive Not My Heart) connecting the characters together along with Aaron Burr and his shenanigans.

I'm giving this three stars because it's not a bad book to kill an afternoon with.

[Gogol · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a reminder for the future so that i’d Never mistakenly pick a book by this writer. The pages were incoherent ramblings that made me wish I had a hard copy of the book so that I could shred it with my hands. It was that boring. We all have an agonizingly boring family, or acquaintance who just doesn’t know how to talk. Once they start one of their obnoxious monologues it’s torture to sit through their agonising, insipid narration of events which can be of no interest to anyone. It always seems to me that what they most enjoy is the sound of their own voice. Well this book is like one of those people in the book format, except that you paid for it. So it’s doubly mortifying. Never Again!

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really! They don't make covers that these anymore!
Shirlee Busbee is really good, I tell you. I've been indulging in her books these past few weeks now ... and been enjoying it.
This one was a very lovely read. I really enjoyed the angst between the couple - even until the very end (like the last 10 pages) - hence keeping the suspense and all. The mystery regarding who's been stealing the gold and creating havoc in the town was up there until the very end.
I LOVE IT. LOVE IT. LOVE IT.
The writing was so eloquent; it flowed so beautifully. I was instantly captivated from the very beginning. The way S.B. writes, I am truly in love with her writing. She's such an amazing writer.
I loved Brett - he's such a gentleman. And the heroine, she's such a treasure and most importantly, she's not a doormat.
You shouldn't miss this!!!

[Kit★ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was picked for me last year in one of the monthly Pick-It-For-Me challenges over at Western and Medieval Romance Lovers. Not sure which month, I will have to go back to the archives and find it. I got so behind on those challenges, and am now trying to catch up :)
Found it, this was picked for my April '15 book. Nice, only a year and a half late...

Really more like 2.5 Stars but I'll round up. Full review coming, but for now I'll say it was ok. Too much drama and angsty stuff between the H and h. But the book did keep me interested. So, just ok. Will I ever try another book by this author? Perhaps. Like if I found the book of Brett' s friend Morgan for cheap, maybe. Just out of curiosity.

[Laura James · Rating 1 out of 5]

(1.5 Stars) I'm shocked by all of the positive reviews on this one. Usually I prefer the 80s and early 90s books to today's offerings but this one missed the mark. First of all it was way too LONG. I have no problem with long books but this one dragged on and on unnecessarily. By the time it was over I was so sick of both characters trust issues and misunderstandings that I began skipping and skimming pages. Definitely not on my keeper list.

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a whole lot of people being really, really stupid. Three minutes of conversation and it would have been over. In typical dumb romance fashion no one says a word and everyone is miserable.

[Nessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

MY THIRD BUSBEE LOUISIANA BOOK AND I GOTTA SAY IT IS MORE HUMANE THAN THE OTHER TWO I HAVE READ. THE CHARACTERS ARE MORE PLAUSIBLE AND THEIR ACTIONS MORE NORMAL.

Unlike the first book, this story has a better hero that you can digest. Basically,

OUR HERO is a hard-working man, however as BUSBEE books go he had his heart trampled on before by a gold digger and he already mistrusts women at the young age of 17 when his father got remarried to a better woman. What I prefer about him compared to Jason Savage is that he is at least more reasonable, less hot-headed and he isnt afraid to own up to his feelings faster than average. I dont know if that is a good thing, but for a BUSBEE hero, this guy is way more preferable but not anymore admirable. His flaws...well he is quick to judge and sometimes I feel like Busbee's heroes are more feminine in the way they hold grudges for A LONG TIME and are always planning a revenge. How immature...

OUR HEROINE is rather immature and still tempestuous. But Sabrina is a mellowed version like Brett (the hero) compared to Busbee's other characters. She is still sharp-tongued and prone to impulsiveness and not to mention, childish in the fact that she consoled her emotions by thinking REVENGE ON BRETT, YAY THE ANSWER TO ALL MY PROBLEMS!!! NO IT IS NOT! BLOODY HELL! I always say that they should talk out their problems but it is IMPOSSIBLE in a BUSBEE Novel because nobody ever listens and if they do, it ends up in a fight or in denial. I hated how Sabrina didn't confront Brett about his relationship with Constanza and the imaginary baby the bitch concocted just to break the couple up...if she had, then they would have saved themselves 6 years of heartache.

OVERALL you must be wondering why I gave this a 4 stars when clearly I have been ranting on about the bad shit, well call me crazy but I am a sucker for angst and out of curiosity I wanted to challenge myself to read all of Busbee's books because I WANT A CHANCE TO READ A STORY OF HERS THAT IS ACTUALLY RIGHT. So comparing the others, this story is more acceptable but may still be too much for others to like.

IF YOU DONT ALREADY KNOW, BUSBEE BOOKS HAVE A SIMILAR WRITING STYLE. Hero gets hotly attracted to heroine, they have a fucking huge fight often that ends up in RAPE(S), they can never talk normally always barb-tongued, some villian is always manipulating their relationship from behind and a family member will always try to act the matchmaker. Apart from PASSION AND RAPE, I would rather hope to see a single real emotion from the characters. All I feel is PRIDE AND ANGER and who comes out the winner in the relationship. It can absolutely take a toll on you SO DONT READ THIS WHEN YOU ARE UNHAPPY OR MOODY.

[Mary Fricke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the book when it was published. It was one of my mother's favorites but beyond that I can only remember that I read it

[Myfanwy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two words. Brett. Dangermond.
It’s the only reason I read this book, just the most fabulous, ridiculous romance hero name ever. I love it. I don’t care that he’s supposed to have ‘coal black hair’ and ‘jade green eyes’ or whatever. Brett Dangermond will forever be played by Roger Moore circa The Persuaders, the only man who could ever pull off a name so ridiculous with style.
I got hours of entertainment just reading out his name in ridiculous voices. (I’m like a child and very easily amused.) Brett Dangermond (or Señor Brett, if you’re nasty) is a name so great it added a whole star to my review. It’s that good.
Although I feel I should be clear that I’m talking only about the name and not the actual character Brett Dangermond. That’s a whole other thing.
Unfortunately, Brett Dangermond is basically the only good thing about this book. And a good name only goes so far in ensuring my enjoyment.
Tiger Lily has some of the same historical strengths as Lady Vixen and Deceive Not My Heart, but unlike those two, which weave the history throughout the plot, in Tiger Lily the history sits heavily in the last hundred pages of the book, creating an effect not unlike an adult trying to ride a seesaw with a toddler. And the history that Busbee chokes the last hundred pages with isn’t even very interesting. Tiger Lily, along with Deceive are both set during the Burr Conspiracy, and aside from being kind of a historical non-event, Busbee very much makes her characters spectators rather than participants and the impact of the events on the characters is very minimal. (Sidebar: I’m also Team Burr-my only position on US history-and this book is... not.)
The other problems of Lady Vixen and Deceive are also present; racism, sexism, classism, and obnoxious physical perfection are all present in spades, the most notable example being a First Nations character named Blood Drinker. (Which would be an awesome name if he wasn’t First Nations, but since he is it just makes me want to go read Shadows at Dawn: A Borderlands Massacre and the Violence of History again. Which you should read, if you haven’t.)
But based on my enjoyment of Deceive and Lady Vixen, none of these problems should be fatal to my enjoyment.
Was is fatal is the main characters, Brett Dangermond and Sabrina (I don’t remember her last name and whatever it was isn’t as awesome as Dangermond). Or really the problem is Sabrina. Brett is basically identical to Morgan from Deceive and What’s-his-pickle from Lady Vixen in that retro alpha boreline insane, constantly jealous, makes-Mr-Rochester-seem-like-a-great-guy sort of way.
You know what I’m talking about.
With the right heroine (and assuming you’re into that kind of thing) this type can be a lot of fun. But I just didn’t like Sabrina. I’m not really sure why I don’t like her, aside from the fact that she’s just so gullible. Her cousin, Carlos, tells her that he saved a prostitute that Brett attacked with a knife (when in reality it was Brett Dangermond who did the saving and Carlos who did that slicing) and Sabrina continues to believe Carlos basically until the end of the book, despite Carlos attempting to rape her, her father (whom she trusts) putting her inheritance in Brett’s care with the intention that they marry, Sabrina being in love with Brett, Carlos pressuring Sabrina to marry him for her fortune, Brett revealing that Carlos is a big fat liar, Carlos revealing that he told Brett that he and Sabrina were lovers, Carlos attempting to kidnap and rape her for her fortune, Sabrina agreeing to marry Brett (twice), and Sabrina being married to Brett for a couple of months and pregnant. And despite all that, literally until the last chapter of the book, she never questions that Carlos is telling the truth. Nor does she seem to believe that Brett harming her might be an impediment to their marital felicity. She just believes that Brett sliced up a girl and marries him anyway. Anyway, I really didn’t like her.
That cover though, amirite?

[femmedenoir✨🦋 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, this book was published in the 80s. A lot of issues were still not being given the attention they they were supposed to be given. The age gap for me when they kiss for the first time, she was a minor and yes, I know in that time period it was normal but doesn't mean it was right. Shirlee Busbee is a great wordsmith and if you want to better your vocabulary and wording, you can read her work. This book was...well....a typical vintage romance novel. Quite a few problematic things about Brett and Sabrina's relationship that was just very concerning but ultimately he respected and loved her, sometimes, when his trauma from his past relationships with women didn't get in the way. In the end, they found a happy relationship.

[Isabel Luna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sabrina de Torres se enamoró de Brett, el hijastro de su tía, a los siete años y nunca dejó de estar enamorada. Brett siente q la niñita q lo mira con adoración tira de él, decir otra cosa sería criminal, pero obviamente estamos ante los fundamentos de la pasión que los consumiría 10 años después.
Cuando vuelven a encontrarse, Sabrina no puede evitar reavivar y fortalecer lo que siente por él, aunque él no la ame, y sólo desee aprovecharse de la fortuna de su padre. Aunque lucha contra sus sentimientos por él, y se convence a sí misma (influida por su primo) que es perverso, su amor crece por él, y no puede evitar las sensaciones que siente cada vez que él está cerca o la toca, y cuando él decide hacerla su mujer, se entrega feliz. Pero hay muchas desconfianzas, y una mentira terrible hará que Sabrina rompa el compromiso. Brett por su parte se deja llevar por la pasión q siente por Sabrina, aunq sabe que las mujeres son mezquinas e interesadas, y cuando ella rompe el compromiso después de que sus tierras han sido desoladas, comprueba que Sabrina no es distinta a las demás.
Con esos malos entendidos se separan durante 6 años y luego se vuelven a encontrar cuando muere el padre de ella y Brett se convierte en su tutor. Obviamente a partir de ahí, la cosa se tiene que arreglar entre ellos para q puedan vivir felices para siempre.
La cuestión con esta novela no pasa por los personajes, q resultan bastante clichés a lo q nos ha tenido siempre acostumbrados la Busbee; sino q concentra en los conflictos. Si Brett y Sabrina no están peleando por una cosa, es por otra, si no están haciendo el amor con pasión, se están odiando con la misma pasión. Y así hasta q termina el libro, y es q si algo ha hecho mucho Shirlee Busbee es llenar sus historias de mucha pasión, positiva o negativa.
No puedo decir q me encantó, pero estuvo bien.

[Siska · Rating 1 out of 5]

how lame... how can a man sleep with another woman to forget his desire with yet the other woman. that guy is a coward, can not deal with his own feeling and afraid to be rejected. who wants to be with a man like that? well not me.
as if the story not already so lame. now the heroin.... she was almost being rape by her cousin which she didnot like either. her dress being torn and yank by the raper and than the hero came and think the raper and her is going to make love... are you blind?
the worst is if this girl is myself and the man who was trying to rape me come and want to apologize to me. do i for give him? my answer is no. go to hell

[Mel Teshco · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars
With Lady Vixen being my all time fav historical romance, I finally got around to reading The Tiger Lily. Lots of angst and pain, lots of lies and secrets. This story kept me turning the pages and wanting to learn more. I did really want to shout and them to just 'talk' and discuss their feelings and work through all the lies... but then there wouldn't have been a story lol!! Recommend this one.

[Tifa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first historical romance novel I read, hehe

[ANGELINA · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started out liking this one (especially the historical detail, which I always like in a novel), but then I changed my mind a bit. The beginning was good, with the h, Sabrina, only a child, with a crush on teenage H, Brett. It jumps ahead to ten years later, when they meet again, she in her late teens, he in his late 20's, and the romantic sparks ignite. Sad to say, the flame bursts bright, then is forced to die when both are victims of their own doubts and insecurities (she's too inexperienced in the ways of men, while he's too cynical about the ways of women) as well as the machinations of the conniving OM, Carlos (with some help from the OW, Constanza.) Sabrina's goodhearted matchmaking father, Alejandro is no match those two heartless villains.

For two people who are supposed to be above average in intelligence, Sabrina and Brett act like a couple of fools, as he chooses to believe the lies Carlos tells about Sabrina's relationship with him, as well as her motivation for wanting a marriage with Brett, while Sabrina takes the phony story Constanza tells her about Brett at face value. The next thing you know, it's all over between them and six years have gone by! That's way too long a stretch for them not to see each other, and then for Alejandro (who was the supposed victim of a robbery by a bandit) to state in his will that Brett should be Sabrina's guardian was just silly. Instead of watching them both make a mistake back then, he should have sat them both down and told them to both stop being so stubborn and foolish, admit their love and fess up to whatever is causing them to mistrust each other. Just acting annoyed and disappointed wasn't nearly enough.

And are we really supposed to believe that amoral, self-centered Constanza, a woman whose main hobby was collecting men to share her bed and who had not one ounce of guilt over deceiving Sabrina and maligning Brett, has turned into a virtuous, devoted wife and mother, now suffering s of guilt galore and longing to confess? I think NOT.

At least Carlos believably remained the horrible excuse for a person he always was, and I'm happy to say eventually paid for his crimes.

I liked the character of Ollie, Brett's cockney valet, who was once a thief that picked his pocket. Ms. Busbee should have written a book about him.

This was a good story, that was weakened by the foolishness of its main characters and the too long separation. Not one of Ms. Busbee's best, and if it were possible, (unless there's something I don't know) I'd have given it two and a half stars.

[EllenF · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the way Busbee’s series are currently labeled on Amazon (inexplicably making this the first in a series), this is the third in a loosely connected series, following GYPSY LADY and DECEIVE NOT MY HEART. I just finished DECEIVE, and it was a fairly well-constructed romance, with one central issue standing between the main characters and keeping them apart for the entire book. It’s a solid Big Misunderstanding romance.

TIGER LILY, on the other hand, takes the Big Misunderstanding trope and turns it into dozens of Tiny Silly Misunderstandings, all fed to our absurdly credulous main characters by one very unimpressive villain. If Brett and Sabrina had ever had a single sensible conversation, the book could have been over in half the time. Instead, the story suffers from bipolar plotting as the characters swing wildly back and forth from madly loving one another to regarding each other with cold suspicion, often in the space of mere paragraphs. I spent much of the book wanting to slap sense into their heads. There is also an attempted rape (not by the hero), and the hero’s reaction to it is absolutely infuriating.

The plot does pick up about two-thirds of the way through, and the characters become less exhaustingly erratic in their behavior. This makes the last hundred pages or so feel somewhat worthwhile. But like most older romances, there are far too many details (we do not need to have every piece of furniture in a room described to us, nor every bit of lace on a gown), and the book is overly wordy in general. Furthermore, the totally unnecessary historical subplot about Burr and Wilkinson, which appears to run as a thread through all three of the novels mentioned above, never really does anything for the story and is eventually resolved more or less offstage.

In short, even by “classic” romance standards, this one has problems. Two and a half stars.

[Violette · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the author can write well I had a difficult time with this one.
It is very long ( not in a good way) and I had to skim a lot to make myself finish. I agree with other reviews that the unending amount of misunderstandings and miscommunications that kept this story dragging on where annoying, unrealistic and made the main characters look unintelligent.

It wasn’t worth the price I paid. Maybe if it had been .99 cents I wouldn’t have been irritated.

Too bad as the actual writing was good. Just needed major editing.

If you have triggers- the H does sleep with other women when not in a relationship with the h. And there is an attempted rape by the antagonist. All probable realistic for the time and situation. I also hate when a H called the h a slut when he thinks she slept with the villain. Double standard thinking was probably true for the time though. Also a 6 year separation was too long - I think one or both would have married someone else in reality. But at least it did just skip right over the 6 years rather than make us read about it.

Fabulous old BR cover though.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did like the second book of the series. I didn't quite find it as attention grabbing as the first book, but it was still enjoyable. I did, however, feel a little disturbed in the first chapter or 2 that a 17 year old would be almost tempted to kiss a 7 year old and feel feelings for a child. Then in the last chapter declaring he had loved her since that point. For me it was a WTF moment and it disturbed me. It took some of the enjoyment away.
There are some adventures but not near enough moments that kept me on my toes and wanting more.

[Suzy Vero · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just finished reading The Tiger Lily by Shirlee Busbee (1985) and I have mixed thoughts about the book. For almost the entire story the hero, Brett and the heroine, Sabrina, suffered under total miscommunication issues. She believed her despicable cousin, Carlos who was a total bad guy, instead of Brett. Descriptions of east Texas, New Orleans etc in the early 1800s were nice. Are all Shirlee Busbee’s books like this …the MCs lack of communication?

[Isle Scarlett · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was good

I’m dinging it because there were like some serious side stories and history lessons. And also because I was ready to slap everybody in this book 2x! My god talk it out people!

[Dua Lambarki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Depuis sa tendre enfance, Sabrina aime son cousin Brett dangermond . lorsqu'il la rencontre après 10 ans il répond enfin a son amour mais Carlos un autre cousin de Sabrina devient un obstacle pour les deux amoureux.

[Nino · Rating 4 out of 5]

ჯერ ვიფიქრე, 3 ვარსკვლავს დაუწერ-მეთქი, მაგრამ მერე, ეპილოგზე ამეტირა, ჩიკა და 4 დავუწერე. სერიას, რასაკვირველია, ვაგრძელებთ!

[Abena Ampomah Nuako · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful read

[Dendera · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well this book was quite a disappointment! First of all, it's my second Busbee novel after WHISPER TO ME OF LOVE, which I had thought to be kinda dull but now it seems so exciting compared to THE TIGER LILY! Second of all, I really disliked all of the characters in this one, hero & heroine especially included. The heroine was utterly annoying and lacked any type of charisma that would allow readers to be attracted to her. The hero... oh! what can I say?! Let me say this: THE MOST AWEFUL & MOST STUPID JERK OF A HERO I have EVER encountered in any romance novel!! When the story starts off, the hero was 17 years old and was already having "feelings" for a 7 year old girl!! Eeewww, sorry but that did seem disturbing. Then, Busbee claims he was a "man of the world" and that he was used to taking up prostitutes! Then he goes lusting after his 7 year old cousin! I was disgusted. Later he turns into a misogynist who HATES ALL women but "realizes" they are useful for only one purpose! As if it doesn't get worse, after 10 years he tries to seduce the heroine & bed her right under her father's nose, only to blame it on her and "realize" that it must've been a plan devised by the heroine & her father to "snatch a husband"! How stupid can you get??????????????


Seriously, Busbee what on earth were she thinking when she wrote this aweful story? Third of all, it was utterly CLICHE in a way that makes you cringe. Almost as if Busbee stole themes from several bodice rippers and combined them into one disaster. It was definitely not original. And that lame line the hero always called the heroine by "Sweet cuz" was SOOO LAME!!!!!

[Cindy Woods]

Way tooo long!

If ever there was a book that needed editing to shorten it, it is this one. By the halfway mark, I was so bored and so sick of the stupidity of H and h...all their misconceptions and all the angst was nauseating. This is a story that is so over the top with the misunderstandings and feelings of unrequited love...ugh! The female is gorgeous, young, highly spirited and innocent, of course...nothing new here. The male is so over the top macho, of course another overused description, you wanna puke. There is absolutely nothing original in this plot....it is redundant....of course, the male is a woman-hater due to his one bad experience...ugh. Do not bother reading this one.

[Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I give this a 5. Probably to high but the story left me breathless. It dragged on and on and may be a bit too long for others. Also, the trust and misunderstanding issues between the characters will bore you. They love each other but let's the misunderstanding guide the better part of their judgement. I'll still give a high rating because at the end, you'll feel that you've known them all your life. Still a very good read.