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Bewitched
BEWITCHED
The handsome Marquis of Ruckley was in a fit of temper. He raced his horses up the drive to his country estate with such speed he couldn't swerve to avoid the girl in the path of his carriage.
Greatly relieved she was still alive, the Marquis carried the beautiful girl up to one of his guest bedrooms. When she recovered consciousness the next morning, Ruckley discovered that his emergency houseguest was a gypsy.
His unfortunate accident could turn out to be a stroke of luck: only the day before at his London club, the Marquis had bet he could pass off a common girl as a lady of quality.
The enchanting, intelligent gypsy was perfect for the impersonation. What an easy way to win a thousand pounds! But the Marquis hadn't wagered on falling madly in love with his pretty imposter.
The handsome Marquis of Ruckley was in a fit of temper. He raced his horses up the drive to his country estate with such speed he couldn't swerve to avoid the girl in the path of his carriage.
Greatly relieved she was still alive, the Marquis carried the beautiful girl up to one of his guest bedrooms. When she recovered consciousness the next morning, Ruckley discovered that his emergency houseguest was a gypsy.
His unfortunate accident could turn out to be a stroke of luck: only the day before at his London club, the Marquis had bet he could pass off a common girl as a lady of quality.
The enchanting, intelligent gypsy was perfect for the impersonation. What an easy way to win a thousand pounds! But the Marquis hadn't wagered on falling madly in love with his pretty imposter.
184 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published March 1, 1975
2 people are currently reading
196 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Cartland
1,531 books831 followersBorn in 1901, Barbara Cartland started her writing career in journalism and completed her first book, Jigsaw, when she was just 24. An immediate success, it was the start of her journey to becoming the world’s most famous and most read romantic novelist of all time. Inspiring a whole generation of readers around the globe with her exciting tales of adventure, love and intrigue, she became synonymous with the Romance genre. And she still is to this day, having written over 644 romantic fiction books.
As well as romantic novels, she wrote historical biographies, 6 autobiographies, plays, music, poetry and several advice books on life, love, health and cookery – totalling an incredible 723 books in all, with over 1 billion in sales.
Awarded the DBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 in honour of her literary, political and social contributions, she was President of the Hertfordshire branch of the Royal College of Midwives as well as a Dame of Grace of the Order of St John of Jerusalem and Deputy President of the St John Ambulance Brigade.
Always a passionate advocate of woman’s health and beauty, she was dubbed ‘the true Queen of Romance’ by Vogue magazine in her lifetime. Her legend continues today through her wonderfully vivid romantic tales, stories that help you escape from the day to day into the dramatic adventures of strong, beautiful women who battle, often against the odds, eventually to find that love conquers all.
Find out more about the incredible life and works of Dame Barbara Cartland at www.barbaracartland.com
As well as romantic novels, she wrote historical biographies, 6 autobiographies, plays, music, poetry and several advice books on life, love, health and cookery – totalling an incredible 723 books in all, with over 1 billion in sales.
Awarded the DBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 in honour of her literary, political and social contributions, she was President of the Hertfordshire branch of the Royal College of Midwives as well as a Dame of Grace of the Order of St John of Jerusalem and Deputy President of the St John Ambulance Brigade.
Always a passionate advocate of woman’s health and beauty, she was dubbed ‘the true Queen of Romance’ by Vogue magazine in her lifetime. Her legend continues today through her wonderfully vivid romantic tales, stories that help you escape from the day to day into the dramatic adventures of strong, beautiful women who battle, often against the odds, eventually to find that love conquers all.
Find out more about the incredible life and works of Dame Barbara Cartland at www.barbaracartland.com
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 7, 2018
“Look at this, Fabius.” He passed the book to the Marquis and, following the direction of his finger, the Marquis read:
“Mr. Jethro Ruck bets Sir James Copley that he will be in possession of a fortune and a title by the end of the year 1818.”
The Marquis read it slowly then he turned to look at his friend.
“That gives you exactly eight months,” Charles Collington said quietly.
“Do you really think—you cannot believe—” the Marquis began.
“Do not be a fool, Fabius. It is quite obvious. I told you Jethro has been praying for your death, and I am quite certain that tonight he was doing something a little more active than pray!”
“I have a feeling you are right,” the Marquis agreed.
Barbara Cartland. Bewitched (Bantam Series No. 16) (Kindle Locations 283-292). Kindle Edition.
Well, that's what Fabius, the Marquis of Ruckland ( and the hero ) is thinking at the start of this novel. He's got no younger brothers and his cousin Jethro, who's next in line to inherit his title and wealth, is an avaricious villain who is conspiring to murder him. Fabius decides that he can only solve this problem by getting married and siring a son who will be his new heir. There aren't any women that he's in love with but he is fond of his neighbour Eurydice ( she's not the heroine ), who is his childhood best friend and also a recent widow. The H decides to propose to her since she's the only woman he respects and with whom he gets along. Eurydice is in love with another man so she tells him she can't marry him; she also scoffs at him for his sudden proposal because they've only been platonic friends all their life and she is surprised that he wants to marry her.
Afterwards, he's so preoccupied worrying about his cousin Jethro's evil plans that he knocks down a young woman who's walking on the carriage way that leads to his mansion. She's unconscious but he's smitten with her beauty even though her clothing suggests that she's a gypsy girl. His butler and housekeeper are very snobbish and think that a gypsy girl should not be brought inside the mansion, but the chivalrous H ignores them and installs her in the best guest bedroom and arranges for the best medical care. Saviya, the heroine, is a gypsy whose father is the leader of her specific gypsy tribe/camp and she soon also starts to fall in love with the H. Fabius is one of Barbara Cartland's nicer heroes because he's not involved with any other woman and he is clearly besotted with Saviya. The author provides much interesting information about gypsies and gypsy folklore in this story; in fact, Saviya is quite depressed because the customs of her people dictate that she will be banished from her tribe forever if she decides to cohabite or to marry a foreign man or gadjo.
Cartland also adds another interesting storyline which revolves around a bet that the H had made with some of his friends. Sir Algernon, one of the H's friends, made a bet that hinged on his opinion that a commoner could never be disguised to be passed off as a noblewoman. When the H meets Saviya and sees how regal and beautiful she appears, he decides to ask her to help him win the bet. This part of the story is fun filled and fabulous because the heroine helps the H to win the bet, by fooling Sir Algernon into believing that she's a Russian noblewoman. The author also includes a sexy dance gypsy dance scene where Saviya dances for the H and of course makes him become even more fixated with her. They're both in love but she doesn't want to be exiled from her tribe and he thinks that he can't make a gypsy woman his marchioness. He acts like a selfish asshole when he asks her to be his mistress but he then regrets it after he realizes that he's insulted her since she's not a woman of ill repute. Their forbidden love story is complicated by the attempts that Jethro keeps making on Fabius' life; he sends a cobra as a gift to the H but Saviya saves her love when she prevents him from opening the basket containing the snake. The second attempt is even more dangerous since Fabius is stabbed by one of his cousin's henchmen. Saviya manages to save the H and hide him away in a hidden cottage on the estate, but Jethro capitalizes on this and declares the H dead ! The murderous cousin also tells the authorities that the H's killer is Saviya.
This part of the story filled me with nervous tension because the MC's are hiding from Jethro and his henchmen while the villain has moved into Ruckland Hall as the new marquis ! I was quite pissed off at this point since the authorities didn't question Jethro's right to succession; after all, the H's dead body was not provided as proof that he's dead. While they're in seclusion, they come up with a plan to deal with Jethro. The H's butler and a few other trusted friends are able to assist and the villain is killed. Saviya is the one who murdered Jethro by using her spectacularly awesome Gyspy knife throwing skills ! Jethro had been about to shoot Fabius when the heroine threw her dagger and imbedded it right in his villainous neck. Fabius tells the authorities that he was the one who killed Jethro in self defense. Then the author provides a dramatic deus ex machina that enables the lovers to marry each other: it's revealed that she's not a gypsy by birth but that she's actually the daughter of the Scottish Earl of Glencairn.
The heroine meets her biological dad who is ecstatic to discover that his firstborn child is alive. The author provided proof of the heroine's birth and there was also the famous Glencairn birth mark that she has on her arm. The MC's have 2 weddings: a colourful Gypsy ceremony and a romantic traditional English wedding that befits her new position as the Marchioness of Ruckland. This was a cute story with stock characters and OTT drama that was a bit cheesy but I did enjoy it a lot, especially all the information about gypsies. The sex that occurs is done in fade to black scenes and takes places after the MC's first wedding ceremony is conducted by the heroine's Gyspy foster dad. There's no cheating in this story.
This is the H, Fabius:
This is the heroine, Saviya ( aka Lady Conchita, since her biological mother was a Spanish noblewoman )
This is the heroine doing her seductive dancing for the H:
“Mr. Jethro Ruck bets Sir James Copley that he will be in possession of a fortune and a title by the end of the year 1818.”
The Marquis read it slowly then he turned to look at his friend.
“That gives you exactly eight months,” Charles Collington said quietly.
“Do you really think—you cannot believe—” the Marquis began.
“Do not be a fool, Fabius. It is quite obvious. I told you Jethro has been praying for your death, and I am quite certain that tonight he was doing something a little more active than pray!”
“I have a feeling you are right,” the Marquis agreed.
Barbara Cartland. Bewitched (Bantam Series No. 16) (Kindle Locations 283-292). Kindle Edition.
Well, that's what Fabius, the Marquis of Ruckland ( and the hero ) is thinking at the start of this novel. He's got no younger brothers and his cousin Jethro, who's next in line to inherit his title and wealth, is an avaricious villain who is conspiring to murder him. Fabius decides that he can only solve this problem by getting married and siring a son who will be his new heir. There aren't any women that he's in love with but he is fond of his neighbour Eurydice ( she's not the heroine ), who is his childhood best friend and also a recent widow. The H decides to propose to her since she's the only woman he respects and with whom he gets along. Eurydice is in love with another man so she tells him she can't marry him; she also scoffs at him for his sudden proposal because they've only been platonic friends all their life and she is surprised that he wants to marry her.
Afterwards, he's so preoccupied worrying about his cousin Jethro's evil plans that he knocks down a young woman who's walking on the carriage way that leads to his mansion. She's unconscious but he's smitten with her beauty even though her clothing suggests that she's a gypsy girl. His butler and housekeeper are very snobbish and think that a gypsy girl should not be brought inside the mansion, but the chivalrous H ignores them and installs her in the best guest bedroom and arranges for the best medical care. Saviya, the heroine, is a gypsy whose father is the leader of her specific gypsy tribe/camp and she soon also starts to fall in love with the H. Fabius is one of Barbara Cartland's nicer heroes because he's not involved with any other woman and he is clearly besotted with Saviya. The author provides much interesting information about gypsies and gypsy folklore in this story; in fact, Saviya is quite depressed because the customs of her people dictate that she will be banished from her tribe forever if she decides to cohabite or to marry a foreign man or gadjo.
Cartland also adds another interesting storyline which revolves around a bet that the H had made with some of his friends. Sir Algernon, one of the H's friends, made a bet that hinged on his opinion that a commoner could never be disguised to be passed off as a noblewoman. When the H meets Saviya and sees how regal and beautiful she appears, he decides to ask her to help him win the bet. This part of the story is fun filled and fabulous because the heroine helps the H to win the bet, by fooling Sir Algernon into believing that she's a Russian noblewoman. The author also includes a sexy dance gypsy dance scene where Saviya dances for the H and of course makes him become even more fixated with her. They're both in love but she doesn't want to be exiled from her tribe and he thinks that he can't make a gypsy woman his marchioness. He acts like a selfish asshole when he asks her to be his mistress but he then regrets it after he realizes that he's insulted her since she's not a woman of ill repute. Their forbidden love story is complicated by the attempts that Jethro keeps making on Fabius' life; he sends a cobra as a gift to the H but Saviya saves her love when she prevents him from opening the basket containing the snake. The second attempt is even more dangerous since Fabius is stabbed by one of his cousin's henchmen. Saviya manages to save the H and hide him away in a hidden cottage on the estate, but Jethro capitalizes on this and declares the H dead ! The murderous cousin also tells the authorities that the H's killer is Saviya.
This part of the story filled me with nervous tension because the MC's are hiding from Jethro and his henchmen while the villain has moved into Ruckland Hall as the new marquis ! I was quite pissed off at this point since the authorities didn't question Jethro's right to succession; after all, the H's dead body was not provided as proof that he's dead. While they're in seclusion, they come up with a plan to deal with Jethro. The H's butler and a few other trusted friends are able to assist and the villain is killed. Saviya is the one who murdered Jethro by using her spectacularly awesome Gyspy knife throwing skills ! Jethro had been about to shoot Fabius when the heroine threw her dagger and imbedded it right in his villainous neck. Fabius tells the authorities that he was the one who killed Jethro in self defense. Then the author provides a dramatic deus ex machina that enables the lovers to marry each other: it's revealed that she's not a gypsy by birth but that she's actually the daughter of the Scottish Earl of Glencairn.
The heroine meets her biological dad who is ecstatic to discover that his firstborn child is alive. The author provided proof of the heroine's birth and there was also the famous Glencairn birth mark that she has on her arm. The MC's have 2 weddings: a colourful Gypsy ceremony and a romantic traditional English wedding that befits her new position as the Marchioness of Ruckland. This was a cute story with stock characters and OTT drama that was a bit cheesy but I did enjoy it a lot, especially all the information about gypsies. The sex that occurs is done in fade to black scenes and takes places after the MC's first wedding ceremony is conducted by the heroine's Gyspy foster dad. There's no cheating in this story.
This is the H, Fabius:
This is the heroine, Saviya ( aka Lady Conchita, since her biological mother was a Spanish noblewoman )
This is the heroine doing her seductive dancing for the H:
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 6, 2012
Waktu jalan-jalan ke East Coast Center, Pakuwon City Surabaya, tiba-tiba mata saya tertumbuk pada novel Barbara Cartland (second hand, but okay) yang dijual seharga 8.800 perak. Oke, sebenernya sih karena ada tulisan KOMIK Rp500 makanya saya ndeketin rak yang dimaksud, haha.. *maniakdiskondankronikroninya*
Jadilah saya membeli Journey of Star alias Perjalanan Menuju Bintang dan bukannya Paradise in Penang alias Surga di Penang. Itung-itung nostalgila-lah. Salahkan Perpusda Tulungagung yang nyediain novel roman macam ini ke anak SMP yang masih polos macam saya dulu~!! :|
Saya suka 'romance', sungguh, tapi ohmaaaiiiigaaaddddd. Novel ini ngegombalnya bener-bener overdoverdosissshh, arrgggh. Selesei baca novel ini, langsung deh rasanya jari-jari tangan dan kaki seperti habis di-keriting.. Ngggak, nggak, nggak kuaaatttttt~~~
Ceritanya, Vivien, Marquis of Oakenshaw, COWOK, dimintai tolong oleh Lord Rosebery, Menteri Luar Negeri, untuk bertemu dengan Raja Chulalongkorn ke Siam (nama Thailand sebelum 23 Juni 1939) dan meredakan kekhawatirannya tentang pengaruh perjanjian Inggris-Perancis bagi kemerdekaan negaranya. Kenapa? Karena terdapat koloni Inggris di Birma (Burma? Myanmar?) dan koloni Prancis di Laos. Jelas gawat kalau Siam sampai diserang dua-duanya sekaligus.
Nah, jelaslah Vivien malesz bangetz buat berlayar jauh-jauh buat hal yang nggak menarik macam itu. Tapi, karena dia sedang berusaha menarik perhatian Lady Bradwell (biasalah, playboy..), jadi, dengan iming-iming perjalanan romantis di kapal pesiar, akhirnya dia berangkat juga..
Sementara itu, karena pelayan pribadi Lady Bradwell sedang cedera kaki waktu angkat-angkat koper, jadi dia menawari sepupunya, Tarina, yang sedang mencari pekerjaan untuk sementara menggantikannya. Dan ternyata, getar-getar *huek* itu muncul malah antara Vivien dan Tarina..
Sebenarnya, yang saya sayangkan adalah fakta-fakta sejarah yang menjadi latar cuma diselipkan di sana-sini tanpa berpengaruh pada cerita. Misalnya tentang Raja Chulalongkorn yang merupakan raja pertama dari Asia yang dapat berbicara dalam bahasa Inggris tanpa bantuan penerjemah dengan tuan rumahnya di Rusia, Italia, Swedia, Belgia, dan tentu saja, Inggris. Cuma ditaruh depan, di catatan pengarang, grrr.. Padahal sungguh, saya mengharapkan kemunculan tokoh ini dalam ceritaargggghh... Juga tentang mural Jatakas yang dalam cerita ini sepertinya jadi semacam "penyambung", sungguh rasanya sayang kalau juga jadi selipan..
Buku Pertama 2012, yay! :D
Jadilah saya membeli Journey of Star alias Perjalanan Menuju Bintang dan bukannya Paradise in Penang alias Surga di Penang. Itung-itung nostalgila-lah. Salahkan Perpusda Tulungagung yang nyediain novel roman macam ini ke anak SMP yang masih polos macam saya dulu~!! :|
Saya suka 'romance', sungguh, tapi ohmaaaiiiigaaaddddd. Novel ini ngegombalnya bener-bener overdoverdosissshh, arrgggh. Selesei baca novel ini, langsung deh rasanya jari-jari tangan dan kaki seperti habis di-keriting.. Ngggak, nggak, nggak kuaaatttttt~~~
Ceritanya, Vivien, Marquis of Oakenshaw, COWOK, dimintai tolong oleh Lord Rosebery, Menteri Luar Negeri, untuk bertemu dengan Raja Chulalongkorn ke Siam (nama Thailand sebelum 23 Juni 1939) dan meredakan kekhawatirannya tentang pengaruh perjanjian Inggris-Perancis bagi kemerdekaan negaranya. Kenapa? Karena terdapat koloni Inggris di Birma (Burma? Myanmar?) dan koloni Prancis di Laos. Jelas gawat kalau Siam sampai diserang dua-duanya sekaligus.
Nah, jelaslah Vivien malesz bangetz buat berlayar jauh-jauh buat hal yang nggak menarik macam itu. Tapi, karena dia sedang berusaha menarik perhatian Lady Bradwell (biasalah, playboy..), jadi, dengan iming-iming perjalanan romantis di kapal pesiar, akhirnya dia berangkat juga..
Sementara itu, karena pelayan pribadi Lady Bradwell sedang cedera kaki waktu angkat-angkat koper, jadi dia menawari sepupunya, Tarina, yang sedang mencari pekerjaan untuk sementara menggantikannya. Dan ternyata, getar-getar *huek* itu muncul malah antara Vivien dan Tarina..
Sebenarnya, yang saya sayangkan adalah fakta-fakta sejarah yang menjadi latar cuma diselipkan di sana-sini tanpa berpengaruh pada cerita. Misalnya tentang Raja Chulalongkorn yang merupakan raja pertama dari Asia yang dapat berbicara dalam bahasa Inggris tanpa bantuan penerjemah dengan tuan rumahnya di Rusia, Italia, Swedia, Belgia, dan tentu saja, Inggris. Cuma ditaruh depan, di catatan pengarang, grrr.. Padahal sungguh, saya mengharapkan kemunculan tokoh ini dalam ceritaargggghh... Juga tentang mural Jatakas yang dalam cerita ini sepertinya jadi semacam "penyambung", sungguh rasanya sayang kalau juga jadi selipan..
Buku Pertama 2012, yay! :D
November 9, 2014
Awalnya tertarik karena judulnya, Perjalanan Menuju Bintang, mungkin bisa seperti Star Wars (?). Dan aku salah, ini romance. Pas baca, jadi inget sinetron Indonesia. Rencananya pedekate sama seseorang yang wah, tapi malah kepincut sama teman/bawahannya. Tapi meskipun seperti sinetron, anehnya aku ga bisa tidur sebelum selesai baca. Pasti karena gaya penulisan dan cara bercerita Barbara cartland yang enak.
Apa ini?! Keliatan banget yang ga pernah mereview buku! XD
Apa ini?! Keliatan banget yang ga pernah mereview buku! XD
October 25, 2010
Betty heads out to the Orient with her cousin Tarina as her stand in maid. Is the Marquis going to fall in love with Betty or Tarina? Allows the Dame to indulge in her love of the Far East.
March 14, 2013
The rich and the poor rub elbows. We can't choose our family, but sometimes it is a good thing. Interesting reading.
April 3, 2024
Wont bother to make a review since Ivy did a truly fabulous one.
The heroine in this one was quite kick-@ss! She saves the Hero no less than 3x and kills the villain in the end with her magnificent knife skills.
Extremely apt title, the Hero was truly bewitched by the heroine. I almost thought that for once, Dame Cartland would stray from being her class conscious self… but no, she does it again.🤦🏻♀️
Heaven forbid a Marquis would actually marry a gypsy girl, so as it turns out, the heroine is the long lost daughter of an Earl. So convenient that they can resolve that by the end. 😜
The heroine in this one was quite kick-@ss! She saves the Hero no less than 3x and kills the villain in the end with her magnificent knife skills.
Extremely apt title, the Hero was truly bewitched by the heroine. I almost thought that for once, Dame Cartland would stray from being her class conscious self… but no, she does it again.🤦🏻♀️
Heaven forbid a Marquis would actually marry a gypsy girl, so as it turns out, the heroine is the long lost daughter of an Earl. So convenient that they can resolve that by the end. 😜
August 10, 2024
Really good.
Having read this book a lot of years ago, I have a new feeling about it.
Apart of some dribblings along the story that made me remember other plots in other novels by Dame Cartland, the path to the finish was absolutely lovely.
Having read this book a lot of years ago, I have a new feeling about it.
Apart of some dribblings along the story that made me remember other plots in other novels by Dame Cartland, the path to the finish was absolutely lovely.
June 24, 2021
was is racist? it felt racist.... and bland... but if you really long for romance, then its ok.
October 6, 2019
One of her favorite tropes- outcast h turns out to be an aristocrat, though in this case, the H "marries" her before her true identity is revealed. This one was done pretty well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 14, 2023
The dashing Marquis of Oakenshaw is asked by the Foreign Secretary to visit Siam to reassure the King who has been upset by Britain and France quarrelling over the frontiers.
Wealthy, handsome and a confirmed bachelor, the Marquis asks several friends to accompany him on his yacht to stave off the boredom of the long journey, including the latest Social Beauty – the recently widowed Lady Bradwell.
At the last moment, Lady Bradwell, having accepted excitedly, finds herself without a lady’s maid. Her cousin Tarina, also very beautiful but extremely poor, agrees to come with her under a disguised name.
How Tarina learns for the first time of the intrigues and temptations of Society but how she also lifts her eyes to the stars.
Wealthy, handsome and a confirmed bachelor, the Marquis asks several friends to accompany him on his yacht to stave off the boredom of the long journey, including the latest Social Beauty – the recently widowed Lady Bradwell.
At the last moment, Lady Bradwell, having accepted excitedly, finds herself without a lady’s maid. Her cousin Tarina, also very beautiful but extremely poor, agrees to come with her under a disguised name.
How Tarina learns for the first time of the intrigues and temptations of Society but how she also lifts her eyes to the stars.
September 20, 2019
I liked how the main characters talk about paintings and books and topics which appeal to them both. It turned really well when the other two supporting characters fell in love with each other. Otherwise that would have been a problem. I specially like the talk of the vibrations, the calling of the two souls to each other and how they were both aware of it even before they realized they were in love. Overall a good read. Another classic Barbara Cartland.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews