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Dust Devil
In the fierce and untamed Territory of New Mexico, the most fierce and most untamed made love and history.
~ Rosemary, the willful Irish lass who harbored a forbidden love and claimed the Cambria empire as hers forever
~ Lario, the handsome Navajo, who claimed revenge on Rosemary and then claimed her for his own
~ Grant, who wielded the Territory’s political power and who would bind Rosemary’s fate with his
~ Stephanie, beautiful heiress of the Cambria empire, who loved wildly and paid for that love wildly
~ and lastly, decades later and bloodlines later, Chase the Wind, destined to rule the white man’s world and every woman’s heart.
~ Rosemary, the willful Irish lass who harbored a forbidden love and claimed the Cambria empire as hers forever
~ Lario, the handsome Navajo, who claimed revenge on Rosemary and then claimed her for his own
~ Grant, who wielded the Territory’s political power and who would bind Rosemary’s fate with his
~ Stephanie, beautiful heiress of the Cambria empire, who loved wildly and paid for that love wildly
~ and lastly, decades later and bloodlines later, Chase the Wind, destined to rule the white man’s world and every woman’s heart.
ebook
First published August 1, 1981
About the author
Parris Afton Bonds
82 books52 followersI am dancing on sunshine that you are visiting my little part of Parris's paradise here on Goodreads.
I write for the reckless at heart Not surprisingly, I identify with my novels' characters, both the protagonists AND antagonists. I suffer with their angsts and bewilderments and rejoice in their joys and triumphs.
And I believe that if we heroically hold fast to our own vision for ourselves in our journey’s confrontations and challenges, Life WILL surely manifest our dreams and goals and visions, as it does for my characters in my novels.
***
Parris Afton Bonds is mother of five sons and author of nearly fifty published novels. She is co-founder and first vice president of Romance Writers of America, as well as, co-founder of Southwest Writers Workshop,
The Parris Award was established in her name by the Southwest Writers Workshop to honor a published writer who has given outstandingly of time and talent to other writers. Prestigious recipients of the Parris Award include Tony Hillerman and the Pulitzer nominee Norman Zollinger.
Declared by ABC's Nightline as one of the three-best-selling authors of romantic fiction, the award winning Parris Afton Bonds has been featured in major newspapers and magazines as well as published in more than a dozen languages. A New York Times best seller, she donates her time to teaching creative writing to both grade school children and female inmates ~ both of which are captive audiences.
I write for the reckless at heart Not surprisingly, I identify with my novels' characters, both the protagonists AND antagonists. I suffer with their angsts and bewilderments and rejoice in their joys and triumphs.
And I believe that if we heroically hold fast to our own vision for ourselves in our journey’s confrontations and challenges, Life WILL surely manifest our dreams and goals and visions, as it does for my characters in my novels.
***
Parris Afton Bonds is mother of five sons and author of nearly fifty published novels. She is co-founder and first vice president of Romance Writers of America, as well as, co-founder of Southwest Writers Workshop,
The Parris Award was established in her name by the Southwest Writers Workshop to honor a published writer who has given outstandingly of time and talent to other writers. Prestigious recipients of the Parris Award include Tony Hillerman and the Pulitzer nominee Norman Zollinger.
Declared by ABC's Nightline as one of the three-best-selling authors of romantic fiction, the award winning Parris Afton Bonds has been featured in major newspapers and magazines as well as published in more than a dozen languages. A New York Times best seller, she donates her time to teaching creative writing to both grade school children and female inmates ~ both of which are captive audiences.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 30, 2015
Strange combination of bodice-ripper and family saga, marketed as romance. Features three generations of Lario & his descendants.
The first generation interracial romance between Lario & Rosemary was heartwrenching and takes up the majority of the book.
It's the second generation (Stephanie's story) that is depressing and leads to the One Star rating.
The first generation interracial romance between Lario & Rosemary was heartwrenching and takes up the majority of the book.
It's the second generation (Stephanie's story) that is depressing and leads to the One Star rating.
June 25, 2026
3.5 stars
I loved Part 1, but I hated some of the choices the author made later on, especially in Part 2. I discovered this book from my Goodreads friend Nenia's review. Unfortunately, she got hate for her negative reviews, so she deleted them all, including one on this book.
This is a family saga that covers three generations of Rosemary Rhodes' family. Rosemary is 15 when she travels to New Mexico from Ireland to marry Stephen Rhodes, a big landowner of a place called Cambria. Rosemary falls in love with Cambria, but not Stephen. I found their age gap gross (he's 31 to her 15), but he's not the love interest. (It also turns out that Stephen is a pedophile. Gross.) The romance takes a while because Rosemary is prejudiced against the Native Americans after witnessing Indians go wild in the Sepoy Rebellion, but she has a forbidden romance with the Native American man, Lario, who works for Stephen.
Part 2 covers their daughter Stephanie. I wasn't sure who Stephanie would end up with, but the end was shocking.
Again, in Part 3, I wasn't sure who Chase, Rosemary's grandson, would end up with. I was relieved when he out of all the pairs got a happy ending.
It was a gritty family saga that I enjoyed, though a few things had me cringing. Hopefully, I'll get to read more of Parris's books in the future because I think her plots and the choices she makes with the characters are very interesting. Her books are definitely not comfort reads, but sometimes I like reading books with romance that are a little crazy; the drama is good when I don't know what crazy plot twist the book is going to take.
I loved Part 1, but I hated some of the choices the author made later on, especially in Part 2. I discovered this book from my Goodreads friend Nenia's review. Unfortunately, she got hate for her negative reviews, so she deleted them all, including one on this book.
This is a family saga that covers three generations of Rosemary Rhodes' family. Rosemary is 15 when she travels to New Mexico from Ireland to marry Stephen Rhodes, a big landowner of a place called Cambria. Rosemary falls in love with Cambria, but not Stephen. I found their age gap gross (he's 31 to her 15), but he's not the love interest. (It also turns out that Stephen is a pedophile. Gross.) The romance takes a while because Rosemary is prejudiced against the Native Americans after witnessing Indians go wild in the Sepoy Rebellion, but she has a forbidden romance with the Native American man, Lario, who works for Stephen.
Part 2 covers their daughter Stephanie. I wasn't sure who Stephanie would end up with, but the end was shocking.
Again, in Part 3, I wasn't sure who Chase, Rosemary's grandson, would end up with. I was relieved when he out of all the pairs got a happy ending.
It was a gritty family saga that I enjoyed, though a few things had me cringing. Hopefully, I'll get to read more of Parris's books in the future because I think her plots and the choices she makes with the characters are very interesting. Her books are definitely not comfort reads, but sometimes I like reading books with romance that are a little crazy; the drama is good when I don't know what crazy plot twist the book is going to take.
July 11, 2014
Really enjoyed this one. Rosemary is a pretty cool heroine. Lario was not a wuss, but he understood there was not anything he could to change the inevitable & obvious fate of his people. I adored his character in particular. Don't let the cover fool you, this is not your average romance, and the HEA only comes two generations later, for the H & h's grandchild.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2020
Worth 20 stars
If you enjoy sagas such as Gone with the Wind, you will love this one. Very glad she didn't make it into 3 books but did 3 parts instead. Hate books that make me search for the next in the series. This story is passion, power, love, hate, and history all rolled into one. Not too much sex, just a great story. I'm going to look for more. She is my new favorite author.
If you enjoy sagas such as Gone with the Wind, you will love this one. Very glad she didn't make it into 3 books but did 3 parts instead. Hate books that make me search for the next in the series. This story is passion, power, love, hate, and history all rolled into one. Not too much sex, just a great story. I'm going to look for more. She is my new favorite author.
May 28, 2017
Overwhelmed
By this breathtaking novel. Dust Devil is an American Classic written by Parrish Afton Bonds who continues to write in the tradition of James Michner and James Clavell . Brilliant simply Brilliant.
By this breathtaking novel. Dust Devil is an American Classic written by Parrish Afton Bonds who continues to write in the tradition of James Michner and James Clavell . Brilliant simply Brilliant.
July 9, 2024
Excellent Storytelling
Absolutely loved this step though generations of Rosemary's loves and loses. How her initial arrival at Cambria changed her over the years. A very well written tale which should not be overlooked. Highly recommend.
Absolutely loved this step though generations of Rosemary's loves and loses. How her initial arrival at Cambria changed her over the years. A very well written tale which should not be overlooked. Highly recommend.
Read
March 1, 2021Good book
I liked most of the characters a few I did not.great story.I always enjoy your books.keep up the great work you are doing
I liked most of the characters a few I did not.great story.I always enjoy your books.keep up the great work you are doing
February 9, 2024
Not for everyone, some parts of it are brutal and hard to bear….its almost ani romance.
July 22, 2024
I found the story good, but some smaller parts are a bit boring to me. I would not mind to read more.
February 19, 2019
Another good book by Parris
Parris Afton Bonds is a truly gifted writer. This book is another example of Bonds' ability to write an exciting and romantic historic fiction using historical facts. Many of the facts she employs in her books are not readily known and, unfortunately, not taught in schools. This book, in particular, goes a long ways in describing the abuse and destruction of this contintent's Indian population. She writes here of three generations of a family and its interracial relationships and the mixed raced children resulting from these relationships. It is stark reality and unpleasant history to consume.
I found this an eye opener to the early machinations of politics in the Arizona and New Mexico territories.
I would highly recommend this very heartfelt and intelligent book.
Parris Afton Bonds is a truly gifted writer. This book is another example of Bonds' ability to write an exciting and romantic historic fiction using historical facts. Many of the facts she employs in her books are not readily known and, unfortunately, not taught in schools. This book, in particular, goes a long ways in describing the abuse and destruction of this contintent's Indian population. She writes here of three generations of a family and its interracial relationships and the mixed raced children resulting from these relationships. It is stark reality and unpleasant history to consume.
I found this an eye opener to the early machinations of politics in the Arizona and New Mexico territories.
I would highly recommend this very heartfelt and intelligent book.
September 4, 2015
In-depth western romance, covering three generations
Very well done. Love, conflicts, interesting history snapshots, resulting consequences of life decisions are all included in this action packed novel. Some indian history was touched on that added significantly to the whole story. The author was sensitive to the different life situations that were presented. The way the main characters dealt with good and bad quite realistically portrayed real life. The ending was very good. The language was appropriate.
Very well done. Love, conflicts, interesting history snapshots, resulting consequences of life decisions are all included in this action packed novel. Some indian history was touched on that added significantly to the whole story. The author was sensitive to the different life situations that were presented. The way the main characters dealt with good and bad quite realistically portrayed real life. The ending was very good. The language was appropriate.
Read
June 23, 2016I Love Ms Bonds books. She transports you to another world. Dust Devil is a wonderful historical trip covering three generations of New Mexicans--be forewarned, however, the story isn't always easy to read. You will remember Lario and Stephenie long after finishing this book. (less)
August 25, 2013
(review to come)
September 8, 2015
Great read
Once I started reading this book I couldn't wait to read to the end of the story. There was a lot of hardship throughout the whole story and the ending was fantastic.
Once I started reading this book I couldn't wait to read to the end of the story. There was a lot of hardship throughout the whole story and the ending was fantastic.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews