While Passion Sleeps

Louisiana #8

by Shirlee Busbee

When Beth becomes dissatisfied with her marriage to Nathan Ridgeway, she struggles to find love with the arrogant Texan, Rafael Santana

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Westerns, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Native American

486 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

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 have now finished "While Passion Sleeps",the last book in the "Louisiana" series and oh Shirlee Busbee how you made my day!I have always wanted to read this book and when i now have i am overwhelmed with strange emotions of heartwrenching happiness and so satisfied with this 5-star worthy novel!

Busbee writes so beautifully,and i just couldn`t keep my eyes off her words written throughout this love-story.We get to meet the fiery but innocent beauty Beth Ridgeway who marries without love to a man who actually prefers men over woman...and the once upon a time savage comanche,who is now a rogue,dark-looking handsome Rafael Santana who also are married,but to a woman he hates the sight of.The attraction and longing is clear from the start,but through a violent misunderstanding they part,and after many years once again gets inslaved in love together and this time they certainly know they cannot live without each other.

Rafael Santana was a really intriguing hero,and when i got to know more about him,i simply couldn`t keep myself from loving him.In his youth he had been a blood-thirsty comanche who raped woman and killed men without any regret.He had been wild but a free boy until his grand-father kidnapped him and forced him to change into a civilized person.Rafael is a cold-hearted and dangerous man who have never felt any tenderness or love,but when it came to Beth,he was a slave to her.He couldn`t deny her and he always strived for her affection and couldn`t bear her showing any affection to another man.He was a real Alpha-man and such a byronic hero and his love for Beth was so passionate and so beautiful.Beth herself was a admirable heroine and my heart broke for her when she lost her and Rafaels child at the end.Her stubborness and defiance towards the hero was just WOW and i know why Rafael was smitten with her,she is everything you could ask for in a heroine.(just wish she had been more smarter in not trusting Rafael`s wife that easily)

A important supporting character we got to meet here is Sebastian Savage,Jason and Catherines son (hero and heroine from "Gypsy Lady") and how glad i was to meet him!!!
I truly fell in love with that young man,but i knew that Beth wasn`t his soulmate.His friendship with both Rafael and Beth were truly interesting.There are many favourite scenes of mine in this book,but the one i certainly love the most are when Beth and Rafael meet again after many years in his fathers home.That scene were so beautiful and romantic.I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK!Shirlee Busbee are one of the best authors out there...!

[Cat The Curious · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. This had all the elements of a good old bodice ripper. The hero is an alpha bad ass. There is some actual dress ripping. I like how the heroine is no shrinking violet. Beth the heroine, has claws. Also, I like how Shirlee gets into the hero's head a bit as he fights his attraction and feelings for Beth. I think Shirlee Busbee really does her homework when writing her historicals. She writes well-developed characters and great story lines. There were a few things that happened I consider implausible. I enjoyed this book so much however, I give this a 5. Maybe I'll feel like writing a longer review later. This one was hard to put down for me. There's some infidelity here and this novel is not politically correct. I just love it when I find a novel that is not politically correct (snicker) (snicker).
The slut word is thrown around, there is bodice ripping hotness, and some pretty violent scenes. Add some Comanches, villains and there you have it. I get so tired of authors being so scared to offend, that they water down their stories. So when I find one like this even though parts are cheesy, trashy, I just eat it up.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

The story begins in England with young 17 year old Elizabeth Selby, the h. She is a shy, timid, lonely girl. Just reading the few pages of the intro, my emotions were immediately sucked into the plot. Her father, Lord Selby, is one despicable SOB.

In her meeting with her father, she is informed that he and her step-mother have chosen a husband for her and she is to be married, pronto, and leave his house - forever. Bastard. Well, the husband they have chosen for her comes from America with some unsavory shadows on his character. But what the hell do they care? They just want her gone and out of their lives along with the reminder she presents of daddy's 1st mismatched marriage.

So, off to America, 1st stop Louisiana, she goes with her new young husband. What Busbee has done with the characters of Elizabeth and Nathan are so well written (as with all the characters in this story), that they became living breathing people to this reader resulting in immediate emotional involvement.

Enters the H, Renegade Rafael Santana, the Spanish aristo who has been raised by the Comanche...blue black hair, tall, bronze, with dead cold silver eyes...dangerous and oh so sexy. It only takes a moment for Rafael to spot Elizabeth and the fire in this story is ignited.

5 Star
England
Lousiana
Republic of Texas taking place 3 or 4 years after the defeat at the Alamo
Early 1840's
Comanche
Violence
Rape
Heroine Drugged
massacre
murder
same sex

[Wendy, Lady Evelyn Quince · Rating 4 out of 5]

"While Passion Sleeps" made me feel really old. It wasn't the plot or the characters, it was the actual book itself. This just-under-500-pages of an epic is printed in a tiny font on yellowed-paper (my edition is 38 years old) and reading it strained my eyes something awful. I've been nearsighted all my life, but now things up close are getting blurry. I'll be going to the eye doctor this week for a new Rx because I need bifocals. *Sigh* Damn you, passage of time!

Speaking of the passage of time, WPS features a macho hero who would be booed out of Romancelandia if he were to appear in a romance novel today. Rafael Santana, who's one tough Texan (1/4 American, 1/4 Comanche, and 1/2 Spanish), was kidnapped by the Comanches as a child, living with them for years before being rescued by his Spanish relatives. He is a savage man, torn between two worlds, as he never fully adjusted to polite society. A forced marriage to a cold-hearted woman and several fleeting sexual affairs have jaded Rafael's perspective about females.

"Women were such deceptive little bitches, [Rafael] thought viciously as he kicked his horse into a gallop. They had faces like angels and bodies to drive men wild, and yet they lie, cheated, and would merrily rip a man's heart from his body for the sheer joy of watching him writhe."

Besides being a founding member of "The He-Man Women's Hater Club," he's capable of and has committed extreme violence:

"I was 12 the first time I went on a raid & yes, I did enjoy it," Rafael interrupted coolly. "I was 13 when I stole my first horse and scalped my first white man and a year later I raped my first woman and took my first captive. By the time I was 17, I was raiding w/ the warriors for over five years, I owned fifty horses, had my own buffalo skin teepee, three slaves of my own & several scalps taken by my hand decorated my lance."

(I can just hear the clacking sound of myriad strings of pearls being clutched by the "How dare you!" crowd.)

On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean is the heroine Beth. A beautiful violet-eyed, platinum-haired Englishwoman (are there really women who naturally look like that in real life? I've yet to see one.), she is made to marry a profligate gambler who drinks too much, as her father has no use for her now that he has a new wife and son. Nathan Ridgeway is handsome and, despite his errant ways, not that bad of a guy. The problem is Nathan has "teh ghey" and try and try as he might, he just can't get a chubby for his sweet 16-year-old bride. Only hot, young twinks will do it for him and Beth ain't that.

Dismayed at first by the inability to consummate their marriage, he and Beth fall into a contented, platonic arrangement, where Beth capably mages the household affairs while Nathan not-so-discreetly enjoys the company of his paramours. A whiff of potential scandal hits the air, so the pair hightail it off to the United States to make a new life for themselves. They move to Louisiana, then later to Mississippi, where eventually Beth, the super-perfect woman, manages a huge plantation that turns a tidy profit, while Nathan again not-so-discreetly enjoys the company of his paramours.

Let's rewind a bit back to their time in Louisiana. There at a ball, Beth's shimmering violet eyes met the passionate smoky-gray gaze of Rafael Santana. The attraction was instantaneous, leading Rafael to make a crude proposition. Beth wanted nothing to do with the married Rafael, being an honorable married woman herself, even if her marriage was not quite a "marriage."

Jealous of the pair, Rafael's wife then arranged for Rafael's cousin to rape a drugged Beth, then have Rafael come upon the scene. Moments before the cousin could do the deed, an enraged Rafael enters the room, catching what he believes are two lovers in flagrante delicto. Furious that another man had his way with Beth, yet enchanted by her naked body, Rafael becomes maddened with lust. Under the influence of intoxicants, Beth's only sensation is desire. She begs Rafael to take her, which he eagerly does. Thinking he's having sloppy seconds and in a state of anger, somehow Rafael fails to notice that Beth's a virgin, even though her hymen is still intact. (I always question when this sort of thing happens in romances: how can a man who's been around the entire neighborhood not notice the major resistance a hymen makes upon entry? These heroes just plow through like it's made of wet tissue paper.)

After their one night of passion, Beth flees in shame. She and Rafael don't see each other until four years later when Beth decides to travel through Texas to visit an old friend. When they meet again, their lust can't be controlled and they go at it again. And again. And again!

Rafael's wife is now dead and he thinks Beth is a shameless adulteress, beguiling innocent men with her beauty. I've never read Gypsy Lady, but for those of you who have, it's interesting to note that Sebastian, the son of that book's protagonists, is featured in WPS as Rafael's cousin. He, too, is mad about the lovely Beth. Sebastian is the only one who knows the true nature of Beth's marriage, having witnessed Nathan in bed in the arms of another man. He vows to save Beth from her phony marriage and make her his bride.

In a powerful scene, Sebastian's illusions are shattered after he catches Beth and Rafael in an embrace. Sebastian and Rafael, who are good friends, almost come to blows until Rafael claims Beth is his mistress. Sebastian leaves the field to his cousin, his heart broken.

Never having felt such deep emotion for a woman before, Rafael is conflicted. Not only is his cousin in love with her, but there is also the matter of her husband to contend with. In the end, he decides to make Beth his and his alone. Passion will find a way.

My thoughts about this one? Except for my eyes squinting in vain to read the words, WPS was an enjoyable ride. It is a bodice ripper that spans continents and years, has lots of steamy love scenes and plenty of violence. That's enough for me to like it.

I did have an issue with the bad Spanish in this book. Rafael's wife is named Consuela; it should be Consuelo. Rafael refers to Beth as "mi cara" which means "my face." It should be "querida" as "cara" is Italian for "my beloved." I've seen that mistake so many times in older romances when the hero speaks Spanish, especially in Harlequins. Fortunately, Rafael doesn't call her that too often, preferring to call Beth his "English."

Permit me to go over this for a moment. Any romance reader worth their salt should know how to say this to a woman in multiple languages. There are many ways to say "my beloved," "my dear," or "my love" in various languages, but here in random order are the ones I know off the top of my head:

Cariad - Welsh
Querida - Spanish & Portuguese
Cara - Italian
Chère - French
Habibti (or Habibi) - Arabic
Stór - Irish
Liebling - German
Agápi - Greek
Elsket - Norweigian

Okay, language lesson over.

There are times when this book lags, especially during the first half when Beth and Rafael don't spend much time with each other. For some reason, Busbee went into extreme detail over the most unimportant things, like Beth and her husband traveling from New Orleans to Texas or about Comanche & Texas history. If these parts were removed, the book would feel crisper, moving at a more rapid pace.

Beth and Rafael had crazy, intense chemistry. You feel the heat coming off the pages whenever they are together and the love scenes, while a bit lavender, were sexy as hell. But... that's all they have. They don't really converse, don't go through shared experiences (except for towards the end), they don't really even argue that much. They have sex every chance they get when they're alone. I would have preferred more time spent together bonding in a way that was more than physical.

Also, for some reason, I imagined Rafael with a mustache. Busbee makes no mention of one. Yet after reading this scene:

"Let me," he muttered, roughly. "You are as beautiful there as anywhere, and I want the taste of you on my mouth, the scent of you in my nostrils. Let me!"

I couldn't picture him without a flavor-saver on his face! Usually, mustaches are a turn-off, but imagining Rafael as Mexican actor Mauricio Islas, one of the few men who can pull it off, made it all good. Until I pictured another face. With the show "The Mandalorian" in the news lately, for some reason, Mauricio's image kept morphing into actor Pedro Pascal's face. Nothing against Pedro, he just looks exactly like my cousin Felix! Nice-looking enough, he is, but he's not my idea of a brutal lover and killer, whose cold, pale eyes barely hide the passions which simmer beneath the surface.

Mauricio:


Pedro:


That's just my baggage. I've got to stop imagining actors as heroes. When the cover (sadly) fell off this book, I had no guy to look at and did some head casting.

This is the third Shirlee Busbee I've read, and definitely the best of the bunch. "While Passion Sleeps" has a hero you either love or hate, and I loved him in all his pigheaded, dark alpha-ness. Beth grows as a character, transforming from a naive, biddable housewife stuck in a loveless union to a fiery spitfire who endures trauma and hardship. As I said, if Busbee had tightened the manuscript a bit more by reducing the filler and added more emotionally intimate scenes between Beth and Rafael, this would have been so amazing. As it is, it's still a very gripping read, even if at times I did skim a page or two.

3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4

[Lynsey A · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great bodice ripper book. I love these old Shirlee Busbee books. This one has it all. The hero rapes the heroine who is married (though has never consummated the marriage as her husband is gay) because he thinks he is betrayed by her. He doesn't find out until the very end of the book that she was a virgin and that night he makes love to her so gently, as he should have the first time they made love.

This is definitely a non-pc read but I really liked it. Rafael can be quite cruel to Beth but at times he could be quite sweet.

If you are looking for an old bodice ripper this is the one to read. The adultery is committed by the hero and heroine with each other. They are married to others. They don't cheat on each other. The hero's wife is a witch and the heroine's husband is gay. It's been awhile since I read this one but I loved it.

[kimberly grider · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a pretty good BR ...I actually took about three days to finish it !

[Regan Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweeping Saga From the Old West and Good Love Story

This was Busbee's third novel, and followed LADY VIXEN, to which I gave 5 stars. While this was equally well researched, an absorbing story and very well told for the most part, there were just a few issues that kept me from giving it full marks. But I understand the author is going to release a new, updated edition that will be superb.

Set in England (the beginning), New Orleans, Natchez and the Southwest (including the Republic of Texas) during the years 1836-1840, it tells the story of Elizabeth, daughter of British Lord Selby who decided to be rid of her by marrying her off to Nathan Ridgeway, a young American. Unfortunately, Nathan, though a truly nice guy, desires only men. So kind, sweet barely 17-year-old Elizabeth went from a loveless home to a passionless, unconsummated marriage. One night, soon after she and Nathan arrive in New Orleans, Elizabeth meets Raphael Santana, heir to a wealthy Spanish family. Raphael is a powerfully handsome, though dangerous man, part Comanche and for most of his youth lived as a Comanche warrior. He is married to a witch of a woman who instantly hates Elizabeth for the desire Raphael has for the young beauty.

It's a fascinating tale of the old West at a time when Texas was fighting to stand on its own, apart from Mexico and not yet a state; and the Indians were pivotal to that fight. Elizabeth was an interesting character, but one who was sometimes hard to fix. At times she was strong and feisty, and at other times, a bit weak. Raphael was a worthy alpha male hero (though he clearly had a cruel side). The dialog is rich and gives you a sense for the era. Busbee took careful attention to include details that made the story more complete.

The last 1/3rd of the book might be the best. There's lots of action and finally Raphael comes to terms with his growing feelings for Elizabeth. I liked the twists and turns and Busbee's writing is splendid. The ending was wonderful and worth the wait.

If you'd like to read more in Busbee's Louisiana Series (stand alones with some characters overlapping), here they are:

* Gypsy Lady
* Lady Vixen
* While Passion Sleeps
* Deceive Not My Heart
* The Tiger Lily
* Midnight Masquerade
* Whisper to Me of Love (re-released 2012)
* Each Time We Love

[Shellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 - 5 stars! I really really liked this one. You know it’s good when you’re away from home and you can’t wait to get home to pick up your book! This is my 3rd Busbee and all 3 so far have been keepers! This is an angsty read and the heat and tension between the H & h was great. It’s definitely old school and maybe that’s why it’s so good? I read the kindle edition for .99, but wish I had the pulp edition the cover is so lovely. Not sure if SB changed anything from the original book? If she did it’s still great. I own many more of SB’S books and if any of the others are as good as this I’m in for a treat!

[Naksed · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just read several pages of dialogue where a secondary character warns the heroine repeatedly about a half-crazed, vindictive, evil, OW, and next thing you know, the heroine is acquiescing to a mysterious invitation by this same OW that she knows has it in for her, and happily skips into a part of town she knows nothing about and without a chaperone. I know it's a silly bodice-ripper but this heroine is just too stupid to live. I'm out!

[S · Rating 1 out of 5]

No, no, no and no.
I loved the earlier chapters, I liked the heroine ... initially, but then the story itself did not turn in her favor, making her character weak and without backbone. As for the Hero - I hated him immensely. He's not only rude, he doesn't have any appealing character, nothing at all. I detested the fact that he behaved atrociously towards the heroine.
Anyways, I couldn't continue as I have lost all interest in both main characters.

[RomLibrary · Rating 5 out of 5]

The married daughter of an English aristocrat, Beth Ridgeway believes Rafael Santana cruel and insensitive; a man who uses women only for selfish pleasure.
The arrogant son of a wealthy Texas family, Rafael thinks Beth flirtatious and unfaithful; a woman who takes pride in breaking men's hearts.
But when Beth and Rafael chance to meet again at a dazzling New Orleans ball, something happens. Something neither the years nor the violent misunderstandings between them can diminish: an awakening to the magnificent passions of love, no matter how forbidden.

[Serena Miles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esperaba mucho de este libro cuando lo lei porque los anteriores de la autora son d emis favoritos, este me decepcionó

[Dendera · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Artemissia G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shirlee Busbee fait partie de ces auteures de romance historique que j’ai découverte très jeune avec L’Appel de la Passion. Ce titre est une des suites de cette série (La Louisiane), d’ailleurs on retrouve l’un des fils des héros en personnage secondaire dedans.

Une nouvelle fois ce titre se démarque par un début difficile avec une jeune héroïne naïve et sans expérience qui va rencontrer le héros de manière brutale et malsaine. D’ailleurs leur relation débute et se poursuit sur un affreux quiproquo qui donne le ton à leur histoire et… ce n’est pas très joli.
J’avoue qu’avec le temps, avec les mœurs qui ont bien évolué depuis les années 80, j’ai eu beaucoup de mal à apprécier Rafael Santana qui est têtu, souvent brutal et qui ne voit pas plus loin que le bout de son nez (pour ne pas parler d’une autre partie de son anatomie). Pour lui, les femmes sont perfides et ne servent à rien d’autre qu’à prendre un peu de plaisir dans leur bras. Sa relation avec Beth n’est pas sur un même pied d’égalité. Il la malmène sans jamais se remettre en cause. Quant à elle, elle découvre la luxure en y étant forcée la plupart du temps. Je pense d’ailleurs qu’il est important de se souvenir, lors de sa lecture, du contexte historique du récit, mais aussi de celui dans lequel l’auteure l’a écrit.

Aujourd’hui, avouons-le, ça ne passe pas du tout.

En plus de cela, le climat dans lequel ils évoluent est tout aussi violent et dangereux. La guerre des blancs américains contre les comanches.

Je pense que ce titre peut ne pas plaire voire rebuter celles qui ont l’habitude de lire et d’aimer des héros moins sauvages et obtus. Des héros qui ressemblent moins à des « violeurs ». Car oui, Rafael est dur, violent, et si l’amour finit par adoucir certains traits de sa personnalité ombrageuse j’admets volontiers avoir eu beaucoup de mal avec certains passages. J’ai été également été déçue que le quiproquo mette autant de temps à se résoudre.

Voilà un titre que j’étais curieuse de découvrir et que j’ai pris plaisir à lire malgré tout, mais… je l’ai lu en toute connaissance de cause.

Une romance historique à ne pas mettre entre toutes les mains et à lire en sachant où l’on met ses yeux.

[Nessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A SOLID 4.5 STARS!

This is my final Busbee book and I am glad to end the challenge with a satisfying story!

OUR HERO is a proud man of the Commanche way, having killed his first human, raped his first woman and participated in the dark rituals even before manhood. Having never loved anyone, he was brilliantly struck when he met 'English' as he calls Beth but during that moment he was married to a shrew of a woman Consuela. Bombarded by emotions he has never experienced before, he misunderstood when he found Beth in a naked state with Lorenzo, Consuela's cousin. What he didnt know was Beth had been drugged and eventually he rapes her and enlighten her of her virginity. Fast forward 4 years later. they meet again and the volatile emotions are still lingering, flaring to life. Unable to keep his emotions in check, fighting them, he is determined to have her under his hacienda and forbids her to leave him despite her married status. Not that it stops them for having an affair with or without Beth's consent. Although his words can be knives at time, when he loves he is passionate, warm and caring albeit in an awkward way.

OUR HEROINE was forced to marry Nathan at the tender age of 17 by her father and stepmother who wants to be rid of her. She leaves for New Orleans with her new husband thus meeting Rafael for the first time and was raped by him before they parted ways miserably. 4 years later, she is blissfully wedded however the secret of her husband's true nature is well hidden (he is a sodomite) and they form a harmonious camaraderie. Events happen where she wishes to take a trip and the couple found their way into the hands of Sebastian Savage who crushes upon Beth and discovered the truth about her husband's preference for men. He invited them to his home and there Rafael and Beth reunited in abusive ways. She is a rather meek character at times with an explosive temper when the situation warrants for it though she could never best Rafael in an argument. I am just glad that she is not a virago but a poor misunderstood young woman who was forced to early into a marriage she didnt want, forcefully introduced to passions she wasn't aware of and wrongfully condemned as a whore. Pity the poor woman!

OVERALL it was a very mildly dramatic story with an average plot. The best parts would be seeing Rafael and Beth's interactions. The chemistry and sexual tension was there, the sex was hot I couldn't complain. They were basically combustible together which can prove toxic at times but when they finally set aside their differences and accept their true feelings and forgive, it was worth every second of it. The ending was great too, I am glad they had a little bambino at the end.

[Isabel Luna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lo que siempre se aprecia de los libros de Busbee son sus descripciones de los lugares y costumbres donde los protagonistas pasan sus vidas. Pero además este libro tiene el aditivo porque te plantea situaciones q para la epoca en que fue escrito no han sido usuales. Ahi tenemos a Nathan, q para antagonista le sale muy bien por toda la amargura q acarrea. Se las hace pasar negras a Beth pero se entiende q no puede permitir q la niña viva feliz para siempre xq se le cae el teatro. No lo justifico pero si doscientos años después seguimos lidiando con el tema de la homosexualidad y el rechazo q genera, en la epoca de la historia no me imagino cómo debió ser. Y aunq suena muy bonito q Beth tenía derecho a vivir una vida plena, eso es más fácil decirlo q hacerlo cuando estas en el lugar de Natha. El altruismo no les calza a todos y si tu no eres feliz xq tendrían q serlo los demás.
También me han gustado mucho como se han desarrollado los personajes principales. Beth puede parecer frívola pero realmente no es así, simplemente es una mujer de su epoca que busca en el matrimonio la seguridad y estabilidad, como se esperaba en esos tiempos pero obviamente a los 17 años no te imaginas q andando el tiempo vas a terminar x echar algo en falta y si encima te tropiezas con un macho alfa como Santana...ya fuiste.
De Rafael Santana no hay mucho más q decir. Macho alfa lo define a la perfección. Si bien es de buena familia tiene un pasado oscuro y siempre me han gustado los personajes masculinos q pasaron su buen tiempo haciendo salvajadas.
Es un libro típico de la autora y con las caracterísiticas propias de la época en la que se escribió.

[Shabby Girl ~ aka Lady Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I had written a review about this book and I know it was in my top 100 books ever, but it seems to have dropped out. *big sigh* So here we go again.

Shirlee Busbee books were my first adult books I read as a teenager, and I think I loved them too because they were the first books I ever read that had *gasp* sex, which to a teenager back then was pretty damn good! I first read Lady Vixen and found that this writer not only writes a good book (and has steamy sex scenes) but she also interweaves a lot of history into her stories. Her characters are placed in real events and it is wonderful to read not only a great story but you learn a bit about history as well. Loved that then and I still do now.

I think this is my favourite of Shirlee's books, with Lady Vixen my second. The books do suffer a little in time because of the bodice ripper style, however, I liked them well and truly above other bodice rippers at the time because most of the heros in other books were quite vicious, but Shirlee's heros were not so much (not including the shit of a hero in Lady Gypsy, he was a mean, rapist bastard) and also because the wonderful amount of history interwoven in the stories which definitely stands up. It doesn't hurt the hero in this book is part American Indian - bonus!

These books have a place in my heart as I read all of the ones I could lay my hands on when I was a teen, and I loved them so much. I reread them all about for or five years ago and still loved them, so I was pretty pleased about that.

[Judith Sherrod · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I haven't forgotten.

I waited, waited and waited some more for this particular book to arrive on Kindle. All hope was not lost. I read this book many years ago and loved it. Being in the habit of sharing my books, I lent it. So I had to be patient for it to appear in ebook form. The story of Beth and Rafael stayed with me through the years. Rereading it now, I discovered that it was still the enthralling, entertaining volume that I had remembered. Beth, virgin that she was, was too inexperienced of the treachery of others. Immediately attached to Rafael, she didn't know how to handle the desire she felt. Rafael, believing what he was supposed to see, never trusted her. Their journey to love was filled with deceit and misunderstandings. The story told against the history of the fight for entrance to the United States by The Republic of Texas was very touching. Way the Indians have been treated by our government, past and present is shameful. However, we must take each day as it comes and do our best to do better.

[Lynn Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this Shirlee Busbee story part of her Louisiana Reluctant Brides Series.

SYNOPSIS:
The married daughter of an English aristocrat, Beth Ridgeway believes Rafael Santana cruel and insensitive; a man who uses women only for selfish pleasure.

The arrogant son of a wealthy Texas family, Rafael thinks Beth flirtatious and unfaithful; a woman who takes pride in breaking men's hearts.

But when Beth and Rafael chance to meet again at a dazzling New Orleans ball, something happens. Something neither the years nor the violent misunderstandings between them can diminish: an awakening to the magnificent passions of love, no matter how forbidden.

[Tina Denson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first grown up romance circa 1983 and oh how I loved it! That being said I re-read about 20 years later and was horrified....he was a brute!!!!!! He didn't care that she was married he treated her like a tramp, he was married YUK!!!!! This book was how romance garnered the name Bodice rippers hahaha. Romance has come a long way, but I own this gem, and even though I haven't been able to read any other books written by Ms. Busbee hopefully like me she has matured. :)

[Jena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re read 2021

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

Naive young English heiress Beth Selby is pushed by her distant father into an arranged marriage with American planter Nathan Ridgeway, a handsome young man who seems like the hero of a schoolgirl fantasy. Soon after their wedding night, Beth will discover that Nathan is gay. Nevertheless, she decides to stay married, a decision complicated by her encounter with dangerous Rafael Santana at a New Orleans ball. In short order, Rafael shows her what has been missing from her marriage. He also, unfortunately, thinks she's an untrustworthy, unfaithful wife. While they manage to avoid each other for four years, a fateful visit to San Antonio brings them back into each other's orbits. Will they find their way to each other, despite marriages, the Council House Massacre, Comanche reprisals, and untrustworthy relatives? Shirlee Busbee's third novel shows an increasing command of her narrative and an admirable move away from forced seductions. It also shows her ability to synthesize historical events with her fictional narrative, to a much more accomplished extent than some of her contemporaries (for example, her Avon stablemate Johanna Lindsey). However, like her two previous novels, Busbee strings out the misunderstandings a lot longer than they need to be—largely because Rafael, like the protagonists of her two previous novels, is pretty much a stubborn jerk—and, like those two novels, the lovers' realizations that they love each other comes pretty close to the end of the book. When Busbee released the novel in 1983, it was daring to feature a gay supporting character. While the friendship and affection between Nathan and Beth is nicely drawn, Busbee can't avoid caricaturing Nathan as a fop, a sour note that sounds pretty strong forty years later.

[Margerm, Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars This book was originally published in 1983. It had the feel of books by Kathleen Woodiwiss and Virginia Henley in that there are social and cultural references that are no longer as accepted in more recently published books. The h meets the H at a soiree. They are both married. The h's husband has not been able to consumate the marriage because he is gay. The H and his wife were forced into marriage by his grandfather and hate each other. The H's wife sees the h as a different attraction for her husband from his usual conquests and stages a seduction for her husband to see to take away the h's impression of a beautiful innocent by drugging the h and paying her husband's cousin to be in bed with her. She tells her husband where to find them. When he does he unknowingly takes the h's virginity. This establishes the h and H's beliefs about each other. He sees her as a betraying adulteress. She sees him as a cruel and controlling man. Their story is told against the historical backdrop of Texas' becoming part of the United States and the conflict between the settlers, the Mexicans and the Commanche tribes. With Commanche blood the H straddles the line between groups. The passionate encounters between the H and h interfere with their ability to know who each other really are.

[Lolo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was ok, worth only 3 stars because the book didn't reach higher in my opinion. It was sweet in a way but in others, it was more of a disaster.

Like the beginning. Who cares about the situation explained in DETAIL how she was forced into a marriage she didn't want while her father told her over and over again how much he despised the sight of her? I nearly dropped it right there and then. It would had been better if the book had begun with the wedding and some mentioning of how her father forced her hand.

Or the long story about Rafael not believing her to be a "good" woman until the bitter end when he decides that it doesn't matter. He was so stubborn, that Rafael! So thickheaded. It was not at all nice to read that even though he was falling in love with her, he thought her no better than a whore.

In other words the book didn't need to be so damn long, a shorter story would have gotten a better rating, trust me. Sometimes you need to know when you are writing just for writing and when you write just to fill as many pages as you can.

Warning: Skip no whole chapters, only a few pages here and there because otherwise you will miss too much.

[Marina P · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you like a hero, who is arrogant, high-handed, chauvinistic, forces himself on the heroine more than once, in short: a jerk then go for this historical romance.

The heroine also wasn’t exactly my cup of tea: weak & meek, falls more in love with the disgusting hero, whenever he forces himself on her. The author makes her highly fuming with anger but all her ire bursts like a balloon as soon as the jerky hero kisses her....so yes, she never stood up for herself, was always a victim of circumstances.

Waste of time

[Raven Lee Iannini · Rating 5 out of 5]

My goodness.. I thought Morgan Slade from ‘Deceive Not My Heart’ had my very soul.. but Rafael?! It’s either a very very close tie!! Or they will both just have to fight to the death for me.. because I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THEM BOTH ♥️ and Beth?!! Can we freaking decide here, is there a more brave heroine around? I think not!! Especially toward the end of the book.. how amazing this story was - and how FIERCE these two loved.. 5 stars will never do this justice. EVER! And if you don’t feel the same way then I feel very very sorry for you, and will just keep Rafael all to myself 😚

[2Winters · Rating 5 out of 5]

5- rating. Wow, what an intense book! The first time I read it I couldn't put the book down. I just finished it for the second time and it was again hard to put down but this I skipped through parts of it because the hatred, cruelty, passion in this dark story made me a little uncomfortable. Plus the story is longer than I like and definitely not a light read which I usually prefer. I did read At Long Last and thought it pretty good. I'm a little hesitant to try other books in this series.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in 83, myfirst romance. To this day it is still the best I have ever read, loved the characters and the storyline was so fast and engrossing that I read it in one sitting ( the first time) and have read it a dozen times over the last 40 years, this lady introduced me to a new genre for me whick has kept me reading every day since. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED this book. P.S. loved the end.

[Becky.U · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wondering if others read the same book I did. This practically gave me a headache from the constant excessive inner turmoil of each character..

...yet I couldn't put it down, the story had so much potential and the MCs had good chemistry..

In all it was not a bad read, just unnecessarily long-winded to me

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This COULD HAVE been a great story but the author BOTCHED it!! Rafael was so awful to Beth and got it so wrong all the time but Beth just melted ANY and EVERY time he put his hands on her - idiot! Beth was spineless and apparently liked being treated like a doormat - she was too pathetic and it was awful to see her treated so awfully over and over and over again! What a nitwit!