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Μαύρο Τριαντάφυλλο - Άρλεκιν Συλλογή #72
Η Μαργκό είχε αγαπήσει τον Μισέλ Κασσαλίς, μα η αγάπη της είχε προκαλέσει μόνο πόνο.
Τώρα, πέντε χρόνια αργότερα, ο Μισέλ ήταν νεκρός και η Μαργκό βρισκόταν στον πύργο των Κασσαλίς, στη Νότια Γαλλία σαν γκουβερνάντα του μικρού γιου του.
Δεν ήθελε πια να έχει καμία σχέση με άντρες και ιδιαίτερα με τον αλαζονικό αδερφό του Μισέλ, τον Πολ Κασσαλίς.
Αλλά ο αφέντης του Σατανκούρ είχε μάθει να πραγματοποιηθεί κάθε του επιθυμία ...
Τώρα, πέντε χρόνια αργότερα, ο Μισέλ ήταν νεκρός και η Μαργκό βρισκόταν στον πύργο των Κασσαλίς, στη Νότια Γαλλία σαν γκουβερνάντα του μικρού γιου του.
Δεν ήθελε πια να έχει καμία σχέση με άντρες και ιδιαίτερα με τον αλαζονικό αδερφό του Μισέλ, τον Πολ Κασσαλίς.
Αλλά ο αφέντης του Σατανκούρ είχε μάθει να πραγματοποιηθεί κάθε του επιθυμία ...
160 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1973
92 people want to read
About the author
Violet Winspear
175 books142 followersViolet Winspear was a British author renowned for her prolific output of romance novels, publishing seventy titles with Mills & Boon between 1961 and 1987. In 1973, she became a launch author for the Mills & Boon-Harlequin Presents line, known for its more sexually explicit content, alongside Anne Mather and Anne Hampson, two of the most popular and prolific British romance writers of the time. Winspear began writing while working in a factory and became a full-time novelist in 1963, producing her works from her home in South East England, researching exotic settings at her local library. She famously described her heroes as lean, strong, and captivating, “in need of love but capable of breathtaking passion and potency,” a characterization that provoked controversy in 1970 when she stated that her male protagonists were “capable of rape,” leading to considerable public backlash. Her novels are celebrated for their vivid, globe-spanning settings and dramatic tension, often employing sexual antagonism to heighten conflict between the alpha male hero and the heroine, who is frequently portrayed as naïve or overwhelmed by his dominance. Winspear never married or had children, and she passed away in January 1989 after a long battle with cancer, leaving a lasting influence on the romance genre.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 29, 2022
Violet Winspear certainly had sympathy for the Devil. Several of her book titles contain the words Demon, Lucifer, Satan, or Devil–including Harlequin Presents #5, Devil in a Silver Room.
It also features another male main character named Paul, like the hero from The Honey is Bitter. This Paul is French, however, not Greek. And also, like The Honey Is Bitter, Devil in a Silver Room was reprinted many times over, proving that Winspear was a powerhouse writer for series romance.
There’s good reason this book had so many reprints: it’s an enthralling, hypnotic love story that pulls you in from the moment the hero enters the story. And oh, what a hero he is!
Five years before the Devil in a Silver Room opens, a teenaged Margo Jones fell in love with the wealthy, handsome, and carefree Michel Cassalis. Michel only toyed with Margo’s heart, as she was a brief fling to discard. Margo was a simple English au pair with no family, and Michel eventually married a French lady from his own social class.
Now Michel is dead, leaving behind a young son. His widow is confined to a wheelchair.
Because Margo still loves Michel, she cannot bear the thought of his child alone and abandoned. When she hears he requires an English nanny, she offers the Cassalis family her services. First, Margo meets Michel’s haughty mother, Madame Cassalis. Then Margo heads to the Cassilis family home, ominously named Satancourt.
As prickly as Madame is, she is nothing compared to Michel’s older brother, Paul. Margo meets the domineering Paul Cassalis upon her arrival, and sparks fly. Soon Michel will be a faint memory.
Paul is like night to Michel’s day. Margo wonders how two men so different could have possibly been brothers. Paul’s dark looks and menacing nature paradoxically both intimidates and intrigues her.
Margo forms a strong bond with Desi, Michels son. In due time he becomes attached to the loving nanny.
But not all is well at Satancourt. People whisper rumors about Paul causing a girl’s death years ago. They say her ghost haunts the castle. Perhaps there are more deaths for which Paul is responsible?
And just what is Paul’s position at Satancourt? All the workers and residents treat Paul as their lord. But despite being the oldest male Cassalis, it is his young nephew who will rule the chateau one day.
“I work the terraces, Miss Jones. I bring forth the champagne and the wine. I ensure that the chateau remains a perfect example of French architecture. I pay the wages of the workers. I give the orders and flourish the phantom whip, but I am only the caretaker of Satancourt and its cellar.”
Although Paul is just a steward, he resonates with an aura of authority and power. He is a man who commands respect, no matter how low his station is. He reminded me of Felipe Tristan, the sigma-male hero from Teresa Denys' other masterpiece, The Flesh and the Devil (which I will review soon), although Paul is more of a leader than a lone-wolf type.
Margo is drawn to Paul’s demonic allure, even as she fights her desire. Her infatuation with Michel is supplanted with a more tremendous passion for his brother.
In the end, Paul reveals to Margo that his servile role at Satancourt is because he is not a true Cassalis. His mother was pregnant with another man’s child when she got married. So Monsieur Cassalis excluded Paul from his will. But still, Paul’s heart belongs to Satancourt.
Ultimately, he remains a humble vintner. Paul does not get the castle, but he does get the girl.
"Suddenly all the loneliness was gone and she could surrender herself, her life, all her future, into the keeping of this man…not quite an angel, but not altogether a devil."
For me, Devil in a Silver Room is one of the best examples of an early Harlequin romance novel that is erotic despite the lack of sex. There are plenty of passionate kisses but no consummation.
The tone is deeply Gothic, from the chateau’s name to the dark, brooding hero to the heroine who flees from him even as she longs to submit to his embrace.
It’s incredibly old-school in style and representative of its time.
Paul is autocratic and proud; Margo is dignified and strong-willed and a perfect match for him.
Devil in a Silver Room may be my favorite Violet Winspear yet.
5 stars
It also features another male main character named Paul, like the hero from The Honey is Bitter. This Paul is French, however, not Greek. And also, like The Honey Is Bitter, Devil in a Silver Room was reprinted many times over, proving that Winspear was a powerhouse writer for series romance.
There’s good reason this book had so many reprints: it’s an enthralling, hypnotic love story that pulls you in from the moment the hero enters the story. And oh, what a hero he is!
Five years before the Devil in a Silver Room opens, a teenaged Margo Jones fell in love with the wealthy, handsome, and carefree Michel Cassalis. Michel only toyed with Margo’s heart, as she was a brief fling to discard. Margo was a simple English au pair with no family, and Michel eventually married a French lady from his own social class.
Now Michel is dead, leaving behind a young son. His widow is confined to a wheelchair.
Because Margo still loves Michel, she cannot bear the thought of his child alone and abandoned. When she hears he requires an English nanny, she offers the Cassalis family her services. First, Margo meets Michel’s haughty mother, Madame Cassalis. Then Margo heads to the Cassilis family home, ominously named Satancourt.
As prickly as Madame is, she is nothing compared to Michel’s older brother, Paul. Margo meets the domineering Paul Cassalis upon her arrival, and sparks fly. Soon Michel will be a faint memory.
Paul is like night to Michel’s day. Margo wonders how two men so different could have possibly been brothers. Paul’s dark looks and menacing nature paradoxically both intimidates and intrigues her.
Margo forms a strong bond with Desi, Michels son. In due time he becomes attached to the loving nanny.
But not all is well at Satancourt. People whisper rumors about Paul causing a girl’s death years ago. They say her ghost haunts the castle. Perhaps there are more deaths for which Paul is responsible?
And just what is Paul’s position at Satancourt? All the workers and residents treat Paul as their lord. But despite being the oldest male Cassalis, it is his young nephew who will rule the chateau one day.
“I work the terraces, Miss Jones. I bring forth the champagne and the wine. I ensure that the chateau remains a perfect example of French architecture. I pay the wages of the workers. I give the orders and flourish the phantom whip, but I am only the caretaker of Satancourt and its cellar.”
Although Paul is just a steward, he resonates with an aura of authority and power. He is a man who commands respect, no matter how low his station is. He reminded me of Felipe Tristan, the sigma-male hero from Teresa Denys' other masterpiece, The Flesh and the Devil (which I will review soon), although Paul is more of a leader than a lone-wolf type.
Margo is drawn to Paul’s demonic allure, even as she fights her desire. Her infatuation with Michel is supplanted with a more tremendous passion for his brother.
In the end, Paul reveals to Margo that his servile role at Satancourt is because he is not a true Cassalis. His mother was pregnant with another man’s child when she got married. So Monsieur Cassalis excluded Paul from his will. But still, Paul’s heart belongs to Satancourt.
Ultimately, he remains a humble vintner. Paul does not get the castle, but he does get the girl.
"Suddenly all the loneliness was gone and she could surrender herself, her life, all her future, into the keeping of this man…not quite an angel, but not altogether a devil."
For me, Devil in a Silver Room is one of the best examples of an early Harlequin romance novel that is erotic despite the lack of sex. There are plenty of passionate kisses but no consummation.
The tone is deeply Gothic, from the chateau’s name to the dark, brooding hero to the heroine who flees from him even as she longs to submit to his embrace.
It’s incredibly old-school in style and representative of its time.
Paul is autocratic and proud; Margo is dignified and strong-willed and a perfect match for him.
Devil in a Silver Room may be my favorite Violet Winspear yet.
5 stars
August 2, 2021
Margo Jones had loved Michel dearly, although in the end he married someone else.
Now, five years later, after his death, she found herself in the lovely French chateau of Satancourt looking after his young son. But there, also, was Paul Cassalis, Michel's charming and inscrutable brother to whom a woman was just a plaything.
And that, Margo Jones was firmly determined, she would not be!
Now, five years later, after his death, she found herself in the lovely French chateau of Satancourt looking after his young son. But there, also, was Paul Cassalis, Michel's charming and inscrutable brother to whom a woman was just a plaything.
And that, Margo Jones was firmly determined, she would not be!
May 10, 2015
this was so very very boring! i did not even finish it. margo was absolutely immature and stupid to think michel had loved her and been forced to marry another. she was really very immature in her experience wid men while she was mature in other ways. i thought maxine and raoul wud have made better main protagonists in the story than margo and paul. ders was a plot der wid maxine and raoul, which was much more interesting!and wud have created more angst!
October 30, 2016
Paul Cassalis, master of the remote French Chateau of Satancourt , Desired the quiet, reserved Margo. But love had brought Margo pain once before. Now Paul stands accused of murder. And Margo discovers to her horror that she loves him...
April 13, 2025
The angst of mystery in this was poorly done. Not many clues are dropped until the very end and we are supposed to be intrigued? Also, strange that #4 in first 100 HPs had almost same governess trope. You’d think Anne Mather and Violet Winspear would consult each other or their editors so this would happen.
March 8, 2023
A nice standart Violet Winspear...
A young girl is offered a post of a nanny to a son of her deceased beloved to be confronted by his older step-brother.
The most interesting part - the hero is a bastard and doesn't inherit anything.
A young girl is offered a post of a nanny to a son of her deceased beloved to be confronted by his older step-brother.
The most interesting part - the hero is a bastard and doesn't inherit anything.
May 5, 2016
Here's what you need to know about Violet Winspear books:
- If you have read one, you've read them all, but will probably come back for more.
- The "hero" epitomizes a misogynistic cave man bordering (and sometimes crossing the line) of being abusive.
- The heroine thinks she is a modern woman with a spine ... she isn't. She is a simpering brainless, confidentless archetype pigeon holed into thinking that being a trophy slave to the "hero" is her only option.
- The dub con and non con elements fulfill rape kinks.
- Everything about the relationships these books depict is toxic and unhealthy and these are the types of books that impressionable young ladies should avoid at all costs.
- When these first came on the market or so in the 1970's they were probably a dirty little guilty pleasure. Today you can much better dirty little guilty pleasures.
- If you are looking for modernized bodice rippers ... these will satisfy.
- If you have read one, you've read them all, but will probably come back for more.
- The "hero" epitomizes a misogynistic cave man bordering (and sometimes crossing the line) of being abusive.
- The heroine thinks she is a modern woman with a spine ... she isn't. She is a simpering brainless, confidentless archetype pigeon holed into thinking that being a trophy slave to the "hero" is her only option.
- The dub con and non con elements fulfill rape kinks.
- Everything about the relationships these books depict is toxic and unhealthy and these are the types of books that impressionable young ladies should avoid at all costs.
- When these first came on the market or so in the 1970's they were probably a dirty little guilty pleasure. Today you can much better dirty little guilty pleasures.
- If you are looking for modernized bodice rippers ... these will satisfy.
March 16, 2017
Margo is the new nanny at Chateau of Satancourt, but she has ulterior motives. She is the ex of deceased heir, Michael, and she wants to see what her life would have been like if Michael had not left her. I found this ridiculous, why torture yourself? She meets Paul, Michael's half brother and current owner. Paul is rude, verbally combative and a possible murderer but Margo is attracted to him. Why they fell in love I'm not sure. Margo was silly and childish, but very beautiful and a good nanny. Quick, mindless read.
August 17, 2012
Overall the book was alright and likable. I was going to write my ow description of it but the truth is, I'm too darn lazy. The characters were likable, they all had faults that made them 'real'. I thought the ending was too short, it needed an epilogue or at least another chapter to solidify everything accordingly. Other than that, no complaints.
September 13, 2022
Всьо, це моя улюблена авторка любовного вінтажу, ггг. Тільки з поправкою - вона в цілому писала готику всяку, а тоді вже пристрасті додавала, щоб в category romance потрапити, так бачу. Бо як ще можна сприймати роман, де замок називається Satancourt?
Власне, про що - як завжди, юна англійська троянда любила французького графа, а він її кинув, пішов женитись як мама сказала, а потім через кілька років утопився на власному озері, бо безпека руху - це життя. Дружина графа в розпачі і з шрамом сумує в мезонині, і головна героїня вирішує приїхати гувернанткою до сина коханого покійника, щоб хоч так допомогти і не знаю навіть ще чому. Тут назустріч з веслом у дужій руці виходить головний герой, він же брат покійника, весь похмурий, готичний, романтичний, і сорочка в нього на грудях розхристана. Жінкам він не довіряє, зла і закохана секретарка ще пускає чутки, що через нього в озеро шубовснула якась служниця, а замок страшенно середньовічний, пишний, трохи тьмавий, але з купою шикарних трояндових заростей (дуже схвалюю). В героя життєва травма, бо мама його народила від справжнього кохання, а не від чоловіка, то тепер він не граф, а простий винороб, але всі його однаково поважають. Отак потинявшись серед троянд і під місячним світлом та погиркавшись для годиться, наші герої знаходять щастя серед сполохів від пожежі на млині, бо скільки можна тільки пристрасно цілуватися між сварками.
Нагнітати і описувати пишноту авторка вміє і любить, і якраз ця частина дуже й зараз заходить, а от стосунки якраз добре застаріли. Бо головний герой, наприклад, накинувся з поцілунками на героїню в перший день, щоб вона не витримала і втекла світ за очі, оригінальний спосіб. Потім вже розібралися, але читачкам цього не розбачити, а от готичних замків давайте ще.
Власне, про що - як завжди, юна англійська троянда любила французького графа, а він її кинув, пішов женитись як мама сказала, а потім через кілька років утопився на власному озері, бо безпека руху - це життя. Дружина графа в розпачі і з шрамом сумує в мезонині, і головна героїня вирішує приїхати гувернанткою до сина коханого покійника, щоб хоч так допомогти і не знаю навіть ще чому. Тут назустріч з веслом у дужій руці виходить головний герой, він же брат покійника, весь похмурий, готичний, романтичний, і сорочка в нього на грудях розхристана. Жінкам він не довіряє, зла і закохана секретарка ще пускає чутки, що через нього в озеро шубовснула якась служниця, а замок страшенно середньовічний, пишний, трохи тьмавий, але з купою шикарних трояндових заростей (дуже схвалюю). В героя життєва травма, бо мама його народила від справжнього кохання, а не від чоловіка, то тепер він не граф, а простий винороб, але всі його однаково поважають. Отак потинявшись серед троянд і під місячним світлом та погиркавшись для годиться, наші герої знаходять щастя серед сполохів від пожежі на млині, бо скільки можна тільки пристрасно цілуватися між сварками.
Нагнітати і описувати пишноту авторка вміє і любить, і якраз ця частина дуже й зараз заходить, а от стосунки якраз добре застаріли. Бо головний герой, наприклад, накинувся з поцілунками на героїню в перший день, щоб вона не витримала і втекла світ за очі, оригінальний спосіб. Потім вже розібралися, але читачкам цього не розбачити, а от готичних замків давайте ще.
July 20, 2024
I love this book
November 25, 2024
Didn't like it. Np.
March 10, 2017
A diversion!!!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews