Princess Christina of Zeiss is an anomaly for a woman of her class in 1892. Although her husband, Prince Hans, is flagrant with his many affairs, she refuses to have any herself. But enough is enough. After Prince Hans openly consorts with his latest mistress, Christina listens when her friend Lulu encourages her to sample Lulu's latest lover, Max, the marquis of Vale. At first Max vows to leave the innocent Christina alone, but he finds her irresistible, and they quickly fall in a passionate love that makes Christina realize all that she has missed in her miserable marriage. But an outraged Prince Hans threatens to take away her children, then sends her back to Germany. Max follows and puts all his resources into getting Christina a divorce that enables her to retain custody of her two young sons, while Christina deals with Hans' cruel machinations.
And it all began rather serendipitously. Long ago, as they say, in another time, when fast food hadn't reached our area and the only shopping was what the feed mill offered, I was reading a book that annoyed me .
My husband was lying beside me in bed, watching TV. Turning to him, I sort of petulantly said, "How the hell did this book get published?"
"If you think you're so smart," he replied, with one eye still on the TV, "why don't you write a book?"
So I did. And very badly.
I've since learned how to do, he said, she said, and a great variety of other adverb heavy, sometimes lengthy explanations of why my characters are saying what they're saying, along with finally coming to an understanding of what things like POV means. Point of View for you non-writers}.
Although, I still don't fully comprehend why it matters if you switch POV and I cavalierly disregard it as much as possible. So while my technical skills have hopefully improved, what hasn't changed is my great joy in writing. There's as much pleasure today in listening to my characters talk while I type as fast as I can, as there was the first time I put dialogue to paper--in long-hand, then, in my leather bound sketch-book.
Un livre qui a été réédité chez Passion Intense car ça dégaine super vite pour un A&P mdr ! D'où peut être le manque de crédibilité pour pas mal de choses, et beaucoup de facilités. Après, ça fait aussi plaisir de lire des old school !
Enjoyed this, sometimes living in that time really sucked for women, you were just property and men could do as they wished, so glad she had someone to love and fight for her.
Un bon 4,5/5 pour cette histoire assez surprenante je dirais. C'est le premier Susan Johnson que je lis et j'avoue avoir été bluffée ! La rencontre entre Christina et Max est tout de suite passionnée et addictive . Pour rendre la pareil à son mari volage , la princesse Christina de Silésie décide elle aussi de prendre un amant . C'est sur l'américain Max Falconer, dont la réputation sulfureuse n'est plus à faire, qu'elle porte son choix. Choix ou destin...? Je me suis laissée totalement emportée par leur histoire, même s'il faut mettre de côté le fait que les 2 personnages tombent amoureux un peu trop rapidement. Christina va découvrir dans les bras de son amant des sensations quelle n'aurait jamais cru possibles , et va libérer entièrement sa part de féminité cachée par 12 années de mariage malheureux. Max, lui c'est tout autre chose qu'il découvre dans les bras de cette femme, des sentiments qu'il n'avait jamais ressentis et un bouleversement au plus profond de son coeur et son âme. Le début du roman nous invite donc à découvrir cette naissance de sensations et de sentiments entre eux, PI oblige , mais là où l'auteure nous surprend c'est qu'une vraie intrigue vient se mettre en place, et on va s'apercevoir que leur histoire est pratiquement vouée à l'échec .... Comme frappés par une addiction , ils n'arriveront pas à renoncer l'un à l'autre, et la force de l'amour de Max vous rempli le ventre de papillons et le coeur de soupirs d'extase . C'est une très très belle histoire , et qui a la particularité de développer le point de vue des sentiments du héros plus en profondeur que ceux de l'héroïne. On accompagne Max dans la montée de ses sentiments est c'est assez plaisant . Et cerise sur le gâteau, nous avons affaire à un mâle dominant, expert et usant d'objets sexuels! Autre chose étonnante, la contraception de l'époque est abordée sans tabou et très surprenante... Une auteure à découvrir
I'm glad I didn't shelf this author as I have already read a few of her books and at best found them to be "only ok". This one didn't start very well for me either with (our heroine) Christina walking in on the man she's to eventually live happily ever after with having sex with her friend! I hate that kind of premise...I did continue on though and am extremely happy I did as it provided me with much entertainment. Much more verbally graphic than most historical romance's...which is probably why I had a hard time putting it down, lol. If you don't mind steamy graphic sex from the beginning of a book until practically the end, then this may be just what you're looking for
Well. I hadn't read a Susan Johnson in ages. I know I used to enjoy her books, so I don't know if I have changed or if this one is particularly poor. The plot's not too terrible I suppose, but it's like watching a British period piece with one of the actors drawling away with a strong American accent, while chewing gum and checking a wrist watch. The language is so out of place, anachronistic and unconvincing, and the likelihood of the match between the lothario and the put-upon wife is stretched... Whatever. Win some lose some.
I was a bit mixed on this book. In the beginning I wanted to read to see what was going to happen, but quickly it became a bit hard to believe and therefore hard to get into. By a little over halfway through it picked back up for me.
An okay story in that the time and place were an easy read. Regency England set during a garden party. Quick love story but I didn't buy the feelings they had because there was no time to develop.
A lire absolument ! C'est chaud ! J'ai adoré le livre ! C'est l'un des rares A&P où l'auteur ose parler de jouets sexuels ! Quant l'infidélité mène à la fidélité ! ;)