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Heroes of the Sea #5
Wicked at Heart
The Beauty
Lady Gwyneth Evans Simms, a fiery and independent young widow, is renowned for her campaigns to aid the unfortunate and the oppressed. Fearlessly determined, she turns her passionate energy upon the prison hulks anchored in England's harbors...unwittingly throwing herself into the most perilous fight of her life...
The Beast
Damon de Wolfe, the rude and arrogant Marquess of Morninghall, is a lone wolf of a man with devil's eyes and a temper blacker than hell. Tall, dark, and very dangerous, he is driven by revenge...until his life is turned upside-down by the sensuous virago with the power to exorcise the personal demons which haunt his soul - and teach him the meaning of love....
Lady Gwyneth Evans Simms, a fiery and independent young widow, is renowned for her campaigns to aid the unfortunate and the oppressed. Fearlessly determined, she turns her passionate energy upon the prison hulks anchored in England's harbors...unwittingly throwing herself into the most perilous fight of her life...
The Beast
Damon de Wolfe, the rude and arrogant Marquess of Morninghall, is a lone wolf of a man with devil's eyes and a temper blacker than hell. Tall, dark, and very dangerous, he is driven by revenge...until his life is turned upside-down by the sensuous virago with the power to exorcise the personal demons which haunt his soul - and teach him the meaning of love....
381 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 1996
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559 people want to read
About the author
Danelle Harmon
41 books472 followersNew York Times and USA Today bestselling author Danelle Harmon has written seventeen critically acclaimed and award-winning books, with many being published all over the world. A Massachusetts native, she has lived in Great Britain, though these days she and her English husband make their home in New England with their daughter Emma and numerous animals including five dogs, an Egyptian Arabian horse, and a flock of pet chickens. Danelle enjoys reading, spending time with family, friends and her animals, dog showing, plane-spotting, and sailing her reproduction 19th century skiff, Kestrel II. She welcomes email from her readers and can be reached at Danelle@danelleharmon.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
October 12, 2024
While this author knows her way around an expressive sentence, this is a messy compilation of preposterous, melodramatic nonsense. The MMC is supposed to be heartless, brooding, and hard. A devil, hyperbole intended. He’s actually self-pitying, resentful, and mentally ill. The FMC is supposed to be a champion of social causes, in this case, an advocate for the abysmally treated captives on prison hulks. In addition, she’s foolhardy, arrogant, and silly. The book lost me completely when she pulled a pistol on the MMC, who was the officer in charge of the prison hulk, and demanded a tour of the ship. Ummm, yeah, right.
It got more ridiculous after that.
I read this author’s de Montforte Brothers series a few years ago and rated four of the five books highly, although all my reviews mention “melodrama” and I don’t remember them very well. After reading this book, I strongly fear they would hold up to a reread poorly.
It got more ridiculous after that.
I read this author’s de Montforte Brothers series a few years ago and rated four of the five books highly, although all my reviews mention “melodrama” and I don’t remember them very well. After reading this book, I strongly fear they would hold up to a reread poorly.
January 9, 2013
I will honestly say this is my favorite romance novel. I had never heard of her before, and I resisted reading the de Montforte brothers because I didn't think I would like Georgian romances. (Boy was I wrong and more about that later.)
I LOVED the hero, Damon deWolfe, the Marquess of Morninghall. Since childhood he had been beated, verbally abused and tossed aside by his mother. He had never felt loved and that resulted in not only acting like a devil, but panic attacks that made him feel as if he was dying.
He joined the Navy to become a hero and instead killed his admiral's son in a duel which knocked him down to being in charge of a prison hulk from which prisoners are constantly escaping. He resents it and lashes out at the world.
Enter Lady Gyneth who is championing for prison reform. She bravely requests a tour of the bowels of the ship and Damon feels a grudging respect for her, although he is loahe to show it.
The interplay between the two is wonderful and as they begin to fall in love, you can feel the emotion in Damon. Ms. Harmon writes so beautifully that you feel connected to her characters.
I won't give away the story but this remains my favorite re-read story.
As for those deMontforte brothers, after reding this I read each and every one of them and loved them.
I LOVED the hero, Damon deWolfe, the Marquess of Morninghall. Since childhood he had been beated, verbally abused and tossed aside by his mother. He had never felt loved and that resulted in not only acting like a devil, but panic attacks that made him feel as if he was dying.
He joined the Navy to become a hero and instead killed his admiral's son in a duel which knocked him down to being in charge of a prison hulk from which prisoners are constantly escaping. He resents it and lashes out at the world.
Enter Lady Gyneth who is championing for prison reform. She bravely requests a tour of the bowels of the ship and Damon feels a grudging respect for her, although he is loahe to show it.
The interplay between the two is wonderful and as they begin to fall in love, you can feel the emotion in Damon. Ms. Harmon writes so beautifully that you feel connected to her characters.
I won't give away the story but this remains my favorite re-read story.
As for those deMontforte brothers, after reding this I read each and every one of them and loved them.
April 29, 2018
I've got to stop trusting the GR ratings. This has the tortured hero and do gooder heroine. Neither done well enough to have the reader sympathizing. I really disliked Gwyneth, she showed Damon no understanding and had terrible judgement one example is going out to a dangerous prison boat by herself. Damon was the hero who you started to like but then he regressed and improved like a yo yo.
Can't say I'd recommend this one.
Can't say I'd recommend this one.
June 19, 2016
3.75 to 4 stars
I loved the characters in this story.
The hero, Damon, was wicked and not very likeable at first. He used intimidation as a weapon, but you soon discover that he also hides behind it, shielding the real Damon from being exposed for the tortured, abused and unloved little boy he'd been who'd grown into a lonely man.
The heroine Gwyneth was feisty and determined,and wasn't afraid to go toe to toe with Damon for the sake of her cause, even if it meant getting her hands dirty. She was compassionate and kind, and she saw Damon for who he really was and loved him despite his attempts to push her away. When he finally admitted his love for her and accepted her love in return, it was beautiful and sweet and brought a tear to my eye. *Sigh* I've said it many times before, and I'll say it again: I LOVE a story where a tortured hero finds healing and peace in the arms of a good woman who loves and accepts him for who he is.
I found the storyline to be very interesting, as it takes place mainly aboard a prison ship that Damon is the Captain of. So the theme is different than the norm and I quite enjoyed it. The author really sucked me into the world and with her creative writing, had me smelling the stench and imagining the horror of the prison ship and its unfortunate inhabitants. The vivid descriptions had me cringing and holding my breath, so kudos to the author for breathing such life and realism into the story.
There were a few things that bugged me, such as numerous POV; also overuse of certain words in certain chapters, but certainly nothing that kept me from ultimately enjoying the story.
"Wicked at Heart" is also light on steam. There is one love scene at the very beginning that occurs between the hero and another woman, one failed love scene between the H/h that is interrupted, and then one full love scene between the H/h. I prefer my stories to contain a much higher steam level, so that did knock my rating down some.
When I purchased, the kindle version was only 99 cents, and well worth the read at that price! Recommend, especially if you enjoy your stories more on the tamer side as far as steam level.
I loved the characters in this story.
The hero, Damon, was wicked and not very likeable at first. He used intimidation as a weapon, but you soon discover that he also hides behind it, shielding the real Damon from being exposed for the tortured, abused and unloved little boy he'd been who'd grown into a lonely man.
The heroine Gwyneth was feisty and determined,and wasn't afraid to go toe to toe with Damon for the sake of her cause, even if it meant getting her hands dirty. She was compassionate and kind, and she saw Damon for who he really was and loved him despite his attempts to push her away. When he finally admitted his love for her and accepted her love in return, it was beautiful and sweet and brought a tear to my eye. *Sigh* I've said it many times before, and I'll say it again: I LOVE a story where a tortured hero finds healing and peace in the arms of a good woman who loves and accepts him for who he is.
I found the storyline to be very interesting, as it takes place mainly aboard a prison ship that Damon is the Captain of. So the theme is different than the norm and I quite enjoyed it. The author really sucked me into the world and with her creative writing, had me smelling the stench and imagining the horror of the prison ship and its unfortunate inhabitants. The vivid descriptions had me cringing and holding my breath, so kudos to the author for breathing such life and realism into the story.
There were a few things that bugged me, such as numerous POV; also overuse of certain words in certain chapters, but certainly nothing that kept me from ultimately enjoying the story.
"Wicked at Heart" is also light on steam. There is one love scene at the very beginning that occurs between the hero and another woman, one failed love scene between the H/h that is interrupted, and then one full love scene between the H/h. I prefer my stories to contain a much higher steam level, so that did knock my rating down some.
When I purchased, the kindle version was only 99 cents, and well worth the read at that price! Recommend, especially if you enjoy your stories more on the tamer side as far as steam level.
August 12, 2016
Wicked at Heart by Danelle Harmon
I enjoyed this story.
The description of the book I am listing below is from the back jacket of the book. I'm adding it because I believe the one on the Goodreads page does not depict this story.
The Beauty
Lady Gwyneth Evans Simms, a fiery and independent young widow, is renowned for her campaigns to aid the unfortunate and the oppressed. Fearlessly determined, she turns her passionate energy upon the prison hulks anchored in England's harbors...unwittingly throwing herself into the most perilous fight of her life...
The Beast
Damon de Wolfe, the rude and arrogant Marquess of Morninghall, is a lone wolf of a man with devil's eyes and a temper blacker than hell. Tall, dark, and very dangerous, he is driven by revenge...until his life is turned upside-down by the sensuous virago with the power to exorcise the personal demons which haunt his soul - and teach him the meaning of love....
I enjoyed this story.
The description of the book I am listing below is from the back jacket of the book. I'm adding it because I believe the one on the Goodreads page does not depict this story.
The Beauty
Lady Gwyneth Evans Simms, a fiery and independent young widow, is renowned for her campaigns to aid the unfortunate and the oppressed. Fearlessly determined, she turns her passionate energy upon the prison hulks anchored in England's harbors...unwittingly throwing herself into the most perilous fight of her life...
The Beast
Damon de Wolfe, the rude and arrogant Marquess of Morninghall, is a lone wolf of a man with devil's eyes and a temper blacker than hell. Tall, dark, and very dangerous, he is driven by revenge...until his life is turned upside-down by the sensuous virago with the power to exorcise the personal demons which haunt his soul - and teach him the meaning of love....
December 22, 2020
Opening His 👀Eyes💘
ADULT Historical Regency Romance 💕 , British Naval Adventure ⛵🔪💥💣and Betrayal.
Damon🐺🍆⛲, the young Marquess of Morninghall, is the bane of his mother's existence. In her insanity, She is cruel to him and tells him he is the Devil's Spawn. It turns him into an unfeeling and dangerous man, a selfish and wolfish predator.
Sent down from Oxford for dallying with the dean's niece, Damon🐺🍆⛲ enlists in the Navy⛵ rather than going back to his hated estate and crazed mother.
Eventually Damon🐺🍆⛲🔪 is given command of his own ship⛵, but it's a prison hulk, forever at anchor in the harbor at Portsmouth, after he kills an Admiral's son in a duel.
Conditions are atrocious for the prisoners, much of it caused by greed and graft by the guards and the former captain, all of them on the take. The former captain falsifies records, and meanwhile the prisoners are filthy, sick, and starving.
Much of the book is about the prison ship⛵ and the hopelessness of the prisoners, so it is depressing.
Politics and the corruption of Naval officers of the highest rank are deeply involved in this book .
The book is quite long but the story is fascinatingly told by Author Harmon📚. I could not put it down, even though much of it is a horrifying tale of terrible neglect and abuse of human beings.
There is a very happy ending, though!
ADULT Historical Regency Romance 💕 , British Naval Adventure ⛵🔪💥💣and Betrayal.
Damon🐺🍆⛲, the young Marquess of Morninghall, is the bane of his mother's existence. In her insanity, She is cruel to him and tells him he is the Devil's Spawn. It turns him into an unfeeling and dangerous man, a selfish and wolfish predator.
Sent down from Oxford for dallying with the dean's niece, Damon🐺🍆⛲ enlists in the Navy⛵ rather than going back to his hated estate and crazed mother.
Eventually Damon🐺🍆⛲🔪 is given command of his own ship⛵, but it's a prison hulk, forever at anchor in the harbor at Portsmouth, after he kills an Admiral's son in a duel.
Conditions are atrocious for the prisoners, much of it caused by greed and graft by the guards and the former captain, all of them on the take. The former captain falsifies records, and meanwhile the prisoners are filthy, sick, and starving.
Much of the book is about the prison ship⛵ and the hopelessness of the prisoners, so it is depressing.
Politics and the corruption of Naval officers of the highest rank are deeply involved in this book .
The book is quite long but the story is fascinatingly told by Author Harmon📚. I could not put it down, even though much of it is a horrifying tale of terrible neglect and abuse of human beings.
There is a very happy ending, though!
March 15, 2013
3.5 stars
In the final analysis, I quite enjoyed Lord Morninghall and Lady Simms' story, even if it meandered all over the place and took me a good while to finish reading.
I did feel the plot was a bit too detailed on life aboard the prison hulk and all the military duty it entailed. I understand that it was important for building up the story, but while it wasn't superfluous, it took up too much time and so consequently didn't focus on our main characters as much as I'd have liked.
And they were good, strong protagonists too, especially Lady Simms. I enjoyed them, which is the least one can demand of any story- and it delivered.
In the final analysis, I quite enjoyed Lord Morninghall and Lady Simms' story, even if it meandered all over the place and took me a good while to finish reading.
I did feel the plot was a bit too detailed on life aboard the prison hulk and all the military duty it entailed. I understand that it was important for building up the story, but while it wasn't superfluous, it took up too much time and so consequently didn't focus on our main characters as much as I'd have liked.
And they were good, strong protagonists too, especially Lady Simms. I enjoyed them, which is the least one can demand of any story- and it delivered.
February 23, 2021
There are good things about this book. Emotionally, it hits a lot of notes, it's decently written, there's genuine character growth, and I'm interested in the underlying social issues.
Unfortunately, that doesn't get me past:
1. The fact that the side characters who were clearly the H/h of the previous book are Royal Navy colonizers in the West Indies, and this is just a thing that isn't problematized at all.
2. A money grubbing character who's ONLY characteristic is that he's a cheat shows up and has the name Rothschild, which is one of the most amazing anti-Semitic dog whistles I think I've ever seen in a book.
This author is going firmly on the DNR shelf.
Unfortunately, that doesn't get me past:
1. The fact that the side characters who were clearly the H/h of the previous book are Royal Navy colonizers in the West Indies, and this is just a thing that isn't problematized at all.
2. A money grubbing character who's ONLY characteristic is that he's a cheat shows up and has the name Rothschild, which is one of the most amazing anti-Semitic dog whistles I think I've ever seen in a book.
This author is going firmly on the DNR shelf.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 20, 2023
WOW!!!!!!! What a BOOK!!!! Remember the potential love triangle??? It was NOT!!! SHE WAS KISSING LORD MORNINGHALL BUT HE HAD A CLOAK ON. HE WAS DISGUISED!!!!!!!!!! Amazing side stories, amazing everything. and guess what???? EPILOGUE!!!! THE BEST PART OF BOOKS!!! EPILOGUES!!!!!!!! SHE SOFTENED HIS HEART!! SHE NURSED HIM TO HEALTH!!!!! HE SLOWLY OPENED HIS HEART TO HER AND WHEN HE FINALLY LET HER IN IT WAS PURE LOVE AND PASSION!!! He RESCUED AMERICAN PRISONERS AT THE RISK OF HIS OWN LIFE!!! THE SLOW BURN!!!!!!! THE SPICY SCENES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The one single thing I did not like is that there was no follow up on the scared 13 year old boy that he rescued (and ended up getting caught for). we’ve followed along this boys story since almost the beginning of the book. Just slightly sad, but it’s not the biggest deal bc it’s implied that he is okay and good with him family again but I don’t like IMPLICATIONS!!! I WANT DEEP DESCRIPTION!!!!!! Also the similes in this book were amazing and sometimes just made me sit there like what 😃 Emily I am have to going to talk to you about this in person because I cannot pour my heart out into this review or it would be way too long. I have not read a book this good in a long time. I’ve had a path of mid books. this is the rainbow after the storm. Overall an amazing book that I could not put down. I will never let go of this book because I want to reread it in the future. Literally a wattpad fanfiction. 100/10
November 2, 2020
This books are just incredible! That’s it
August 9, 2024
This is a terrible book with little redeeming value. That is an extraordinarily harsh statement. And I say it in defiance of all its 4- and 5-star ratings. The book moves from the despicable to the ridiculous to the horrible to the unbelievable. I am at a complete loss, and totally gobsmacked, over its high ratings. Here’s why…
The hero is an anti-hero. This can work in some books; here, it does not. He is “Damon Andrew Phillip deWolfe, the sixth Marquess of Morninghall, fourth earl of DeWolfe, and heir to one of the richest estates in England.” Yes, all that. And yet he is a dark, depraved, indifferent to others, degrading blackguard and an all-around cad (in today’s terms, a real jerk). He is a man who never outgrew his adolescent inability to take responsibility for his own actions, to accept his part in the misfortunes heaped upon him.
The heroine is Lady Gwyneth Simms, a parading do-gooder (actually, for a very good cause) who blindly places herself in danger without a thought in the world. She’s a perfectly ripe peach (the writer’s description, not mine) and foolish beyond measure. The writer switches back and forth between a crusader for the rights of prisoners of war to a simpering miss who sees sexual assault as swoon-worthy. She has a strong Carrie Nation sort of stance—without Ms. Nation’s sense of humor—and then she is a weak and missish woman pining after said blackguard. She vacillates so much, one could get whiplash following along.
The book opens to our hero having sex with an Oxford dean’s niece on a lawn in the open. When they are inevitably caught, the niece cries rape and Morninghall is expelled. Not for a moment does he consider his own culpability: he participated in the sex. Yes, it was unfair and the niece lied. He is fifteen, but the writer tells us he is incredibly intelligent. Teenage hormones and all, if not at the moment, surely as an adult male, he could use that intelligence to discern his own actions that led to the high probability of getting caught. But he never does: it is the fault of the classmates who egged him on, the girl, the dean. He never considers that he could have walked away from the girl, could have found a hidden spot for the act. He takes no responsibility. This opening incident sets the tone for the book.
One bad thing after another happens to our hero, never his own fault of course. His mother and father are to blame—and in fairness to the young child, they were among the worst parents in all of Britain—then the Navy, then an admiral, and so on. Circumstances, bad luck, others are all at fault, never him. For example, he allows his temper to explode and he forces a duel with an admiral’s son (who is himself intolerable) and kills him. The admiral punishes him with a court martial and while Morninghall was acquitted of out-and-out murder, he was demoted to serving on a prison ship in Portsmouth harbor. He blames the dead son, the admiral, the navy for all of it. His vast intelligence skips over the fact that he was the one who instigated the duel and can he really be surprised, as a naval officer, that an admiral might be a bit put out over the pointless death of his son? Argh.
The writer gives us pages and pages of the lives of prisoners of war on a prison ship. It’s awful and the writer spares us no gentle feelings, but shows us the dregs of human life, and the lengths that men locked up in a floating box of filth and stench and despair will go to in order to make others’ lives more miserable than their own. It is truly terrible, and a strong reminder of the dreadful cost of war. It is a window into the degeneracy and corruption that men can stoop to. It makes a reader think…and wonder what we can do to keep such vileness from happening again.
Next, the writer introduces Lady Simms to Morninghall. She is on a mission to improve conditions for prisoners of war. While truly laudable, she goes about it in an unrealistic fashion. The reader must ignore this fact in order to keep reading, because no lady would ever go aboard a prison ship unescorted in Regency times. Hello? Regency times! And yet, that is what the lady does. What a surprise that the men behave dishonorably. What a shock that Morninghall wants nothing to do with her. Morninghall accosts her, touches her, and kisses her…all against her wishes. It is a sexual assault. And although she does the right thing by kneeing him in the groin to get away from him, she cannot forget that kiss.
This is where I became truly appalled. That kiss was not romance. It was a powerplay for control by a dominant male over a smaller female victim. How could the writer twist it into something romantic? There are so many other, better ways for this to have been played, without the assault. Lady Simms’ sister, Rhiannon (shades of Fleetwood Mac) finds it wonderfully romantic in the retelling and encourages Gwyneth’s attraction to the “prince of darkness,” as Morninghall is called. Here is the end of the sisters’ conversation regarding Morninghall:
“If anyone can drive a man mad, Gwyneth, you can.”
“You don’t do so badly yourself, Sis.”
It is as if this has been a tea party and one of the gentlemen has expressed an interest in Gwyneth. It was anything but. What is the writer thinking…?”
Lady Simms returns to the prison ship, of course, not for the prisoners, but to see Morninghall, to bedevil him. She demands he take her on a tour of the ship and he initially refuses. She pulls a gun on him which he easily takes away and she places it back into her reticule. A few sentences later, the writer tells us that Lady Simms wishes she hadn’t put the gun away “but there was no way to retrieve it without losing face.” That’s just silly. First, how would she lose face and why would she care? And second, she wouldn’t use it on him anyway, as she’s already demonstrated. It is an odd passage. A couple pages later she has the gun back in her hand, apparently having removed it from her reticule after all. Morninghall tells her to leave it on his desk before their tour, and she does. What…? On…? Earth…? There follows a deal of verbal jousting and he tells her that he would toss her on his bed and have his way with her. Instead she wants a tour of the ship. He gives her the tour for reasons unspecified. There is no logic here.
When they return from the tour, which was a glimpse into the hell war prisoners were subjected to, they are at odds with each other. Morninghall forces her into a sexual position. The writer has Lady Simms’ nipple pop out (insert eyeroll here) and he continues his assault on her senses. She has told him in plain English that she does not want him. That doesn’t stop him, and this becomes sexual assault. He overpowers her—and this is indeed all about control, not romance—and he gave her “a hard kiss, full of passion, anger, and raw, unrequited male hunger, a kiss that pinned her head, her spine, against the bedpost behind her and left her nowhere to go.” And that is sexual assault, bordering on rape.
Now…adding to this unjustifiable behavior, the writer tells us, “Gwyneth felt her defenses falling away, one by one.” There are two ways to take this and the writer is not clear about which she is endorsing. First, is the writer telling us that Gwyneth no longer wants to defend herself? Or is the writer saying that Gwyneth has reached the end of her ability to defend herself. We don’t know. And the next sentence seems to indicate that it is the latter explanation, that Gwyneth is at the end of her strength: “Sudden fear shot through her.” And that means assault. Ultimately, she throws a brass telescope at Morninghall and catches him in the head. He falls and she makes her escape.
However…the writer isn’t done with her poor heroine. Lady Simms literally runs into the cruel guards who attempt to rape her. The writer treats us to the details of the brutality, complete with other guards joining in, and her poor nipple gets abused all over again. It is brutal. The entire book is brutal, and keep in mind this is only chapter 8 out of 30 (including the prologue and epilogue). Sexual assaults and rape, what a way to begin a romantic novel. Morninghall recovers and rescues Lady Simms before actual penetration, but the act of rape is still clear.
At this point, I had to stop in wonder. What was going on? This really is a novel of brutality and depravity. Over and over, scene after scene. How is this romance? The evil and senseless cruelty continues throughout the book until Lady Simms actually does break through the marquess’ harsh exterior. That is commendable and yet even this goodness is mired in rage and fury on the part of Morninghall. He is definitely gentling, but in odd bits and spurts. It is when Morninghall is wounded and near death that he comes to need Lady Simms. His recovery at her hands—she refuses to let him die—is admirable and they grow closer, into a friendship and finally a romance.
Towards the end of the book, the writer has Morninghall asking a question of the Reverend Peter Milford, “What sort of man do you think I am?” and it made me laugh. The writer has spent the entire book showing and telling us exactly the sort of man he is: dark, evil, corrupt and corrupting, uncaring, apathetic…the list goes on. Although Morninghall’s character arc is at a 180-degree mark, for most of the book he has been a blackguard and has prided himself on it.
There are many problems in the book with odd punctuation and sentences that begin but do not end. Sometimes, it appears that scenes are missing, although it may just be that a firm edit is needed.
Sentences break oddly, ending abruptly only to begin again on another line. It is disruptive to a reader. Here’s an example:
“Come with me,” Clayton growled, retriev— “ing Toby’s spectacles…
And another example:
Dread coursed through him, “My brother
-- that’s the end of the line; another paragraph begins on the next line. No idea what “My brother” is all about.
Quotation marks are problematic. When a speech ends at the end of a line, often the ending double quotation marks appear on the next line. It pauses a reader to wonder if something is missing.
Commas are similarly distracting. For example, “…circling something in the ledger,, [he] continued on.” One comma would suffice.
During a memorial service for dead prisoners, the writer tells us, “Morninghall had not allowed the poor souls to have candles.” Yet, a few paragraphs later we read, “The sailor had come to the last mourner and was lighting his taper.” So…what was it? Candles are allowed? Or not?
There are typos present, for instance, “Ad now a great whooshing…” should read “And now a great whooshing…”
A possessive “s” is missing: “Toby sense of foreboding was reflected in the tense faces…” This should read “Toby’s sense of foreboding…”
There are some odd disconnects with realism. For instance:
In one scene, the writer tells us that Morninghall’s former cabin boy complained to the admiral about Morninghall and was removed to another ship. Uh…no. Unless the cabin boy had sone inroads into the British Royal Navy, an admiral would not have entertained a missive from a cabin boy.
While the exact month is not given, one can infer that it is early summer since Lady Simms is gardening and spring flowers have bloomed. In one scene, the writer tells us that it was “ten o’clock and nearly dark.” In Portsmouth, on May 1st, the sun would set at 8:26 p.m. On June 1st, it sets at 9:07 p.m. It would not be light at 10:00. In another scene, it is 10:30 when darkness descends and we have the same problem.
Morninghall has no family left. He has been in the Royal Navy for ten years, yet we are told that the wealth and opulence of his home is obvious. Who has maintained it in his absence? There is no mention of a man of business or attorney or anyone in charge of the money it would take to maintain his estate and vast wealth. He has turned his back on it all. Yet, there it is gloriously ready and waiting for him and his return.
The plot, minus all the melodrama, is a bit thin but serviceable. A navy man is in charge of a prison ship against his will and hates it. Escapes from the ship imply a hole in the navy’s defenses. War prisoners are kept in abject despair, without clothing or decent food. Reforms are in order and a gentlewoman enters the scene, ready to take on that reform. A privateer, The Black Wolf, presumed to be an escaped American prisoner, is at large helping other prisoners escape. That’s the plot. The melodrama is shiveringly awful. I rated this book zero stars and rounded up to 1 star. The book had a message, the abysmal treatment of prisoners of war, but the message was lost in the terrible actions and conduct of the players, particularly the hero. Sexual assault and rape are not romantic and showing us otherwise is a lie of colossal magnitude.
The hero is an anti-hero. This can work in some books; here, it does not. He is “Damon Andrew Phillip deWolfe, the sixth Marquess of Morninghall, fourth earl of DeWolfe, and heir to one of the richest estates in England.” Yes, all that. And yet he is a dark, depraved, indifferent to others, degrading blackguard and an all-around cad (in today’s terms, a real jerk). He is a man who never outgrew his adolescent inability to take responsibility for his own actions, to accept his part in the misfortunes heaped upon him.
The heroine is Lady Gwyneth Simms, a parading do-gooder (actually, for a very good cause) who blindly places herself in danger without a thought in the world. She’s a perfectly ripe peach (the writer’s description, not mine) and foolish beyond measure. The writer switches back and forth between a crusader for the rights of prisoners of war to a simpering miss who sees sexual assault as swoon-worthy. She has a strong Carrie Nation sort of stance—without Ms. Nation’s sense of humor—and then she is a weak and missish woman pining after said blackguard. She vacillates so much, one could get whiplash following along.
The book opens to our hero having sex with an Oxford dean’s niece on a lawn in the open. When they are inevitably caught, the niece cries rape and Morninghall is expelled. Not for a moment does he consider his own culpability: he participated in the sex. Yes, it was unfair and the niece lied. He is fifteen, but the writer tells us he is incredibly intelligent. Teenage hormones and all, if not at the moment, surely as an adult male, he could use that intelligence to discern his own actions that led to the high probability of getting caught. But he never does: it is the fault of the classmates who egged him on, the girl, the dean. He never considers that he could have walked away from the girl, could have found a hidden spot for the act. He takes no responsibility. This opening incident sets the tone for the book.
One bad thing after another happens to our hero, never his own fault of course. His mother and father are to blame—and in fairness to the young child, they were among the worst parents in all of Britain—then the Navy, then an admiral, and so on. Circumstances, bad luck, others are all at fault, never him. For example, he allows his temper to explode and he forces a duel with an admiral’s son (who is himself intolerable) and kills him. The admiral punishes him with a court martial and while Morninghall was acquitted of out-and-out murder, he was demoted to serving on a prison ship in Portsmouth harbor. He blames the dead son, the admiral, the navy for all of it. His vast intelligence skips over the fact that he was the one who instigated the duel and can he really be surprised, as a naval officer, that an admiral might be a bit put out over the pointless death of his son? Argh.
The writer gives us pages and pages of the lives of prisoners of war on a prison ship. It’s awful and the writer spares us no gentle feelings, but shows us the dregs of human life, and the lengths that men locked up in a floating box of filth and stench and despair will go to in order to make others’ lives more miserable than their own. It is truly terrible, and a strong reminder of the dreadful cost of war. It is a window into the degeneracy and corruption that men can stoop to. It makes a reader think…and wonder what we can do to keep such vileness from happening again.
Next, the writer introduces Lady Simms to Morninghall. She is on a mission to improve conditions for prisoners of war. While truly laudable, she goes about it in an unrealistic fashion. The reader must ignore this fact in order to keep reading, because no lady would ever go aboard a prison ship unescorted in Regency times. Hello? Regency times! And yet, that is what the lady does. What a surprise that the men behave dishonorably. What a shock that Morninghall wants nothing to do with her. Morninghall accosts her, touches her, and kisses her…all against her wishes. It is a sexual assault. And although she does the right thing by kneeing him in the groin to get away from him, she cannot forget that kiss.
This is where I became truly appalled. That kiss was not romance. It was a powerplay for control by a dominant male over a smaller female victim. How could the writer twist it into something romantic? There are so many other, better ways for this to have been played, without the assault. Lady Simms’ sister, Rhiannon (shades of Fleetwood Mac) finds it wonderfully romantic in the retelling and encourages Gwyneth’s attraction to the “prince of darkness,” as Morninghall is called. Here is the end of the sisters’ conversation regarding Morninghall:
“If anyone can drive a man mad, Gwyneth, you can.”
“You don’t do so badly yourself, Sis.”
It is as if this has been a tea party and one of the gentlemen has expressed an interest in Gwyneth. It was anything but. What is the writer thinking…?”
Lady Simms returns to the prison ship, of course, not for the prisoners, but to see Morninghall, to bedevil him. She demands he take her on a tour of the ship and he initially refuses. She pulls a gun on him which he easily takes away and she places it back into her reticule. A few sentences later, the writer tells us that Lady Simms wishes she hadn’t put the gun away “but there was no way to retrieve it without losing face.” That’s just silly. First, how would she lose face and why would she care? And second, she wouldn’t use it on him anyway, as she’s already demonstrated. It is an odd passage. A couple pages later she has the gun back in her hand, apparently having removed it from her reticule after all. Morninghall tells her to leave it on his desk before their tour, and she does. What…? On…? Earth…? There follows a deal of verbal jousting and he tells her that he would toss her on his bed and have his way with her. Instead she wants a tour of the ship. He gives her the tour for reasons unspecified. There is no logic here.
When they return from the tour, which was a glimpse into the hell war prisoners were subjected to, they are at odds with each other. Morninghall forces her into a sexual position. The writer has Lady Simms’ nipple pop out (insert eyeroll here) and he continues his assault on her senses. She has told him in plain English that she does not want him. That doesn’t stop him, and this becomes sexual assault. He overpowers her—and this is indeed all about control, not romance—and he gave her “a hard kiss, full of passion, anger, and raw, unrequited male hunger, a kiss that pinned her head, her spine, against the bedpost behind her and left her nowhere to go.” And that is sexual assault, bordering on rape.
Now…adding to this unjustifiable behavior, the writer tells us, “Gwyneth felt her defenses falling away, one by one.” There are two ways to take this and the writer is not clear about which she is endorsing. First, is the writer telling us that Gwyneth no longer wants to defend herself? Or is the writer saying that Gwyneth has reached the end of her ability to defend herself. We don’t know. And the next sentence seems to indicate that it is the latter explanation, that Gwyneth is at the end of her strength: “Sudden fear shot through her.” And that means assault. Ultimately, she throws a brass telescope at Morninghall and catches him in the head. He falls and she makes her escape.
However…the writer isn’t done with her poor heroine. Lady Simms literally runs into the cruel guards who attempt to rape her. The writer treats us to the details of the brutality, complete with other guards joining in, and her poor nipple gets abused all over again. It is brutal. The entire book is brutal, and keep in mind this is only chapter 8 out of 30 (including the prologue and epilogue). Sexual assaults and rape, what a way to begin a romantic novel. Morninghall recovers and rescues Lady Simms before actual penetration, but the act of rape is still clear.
At this point, I had to stop in wonder. What was going on? This really is a novel of brutality and depravity. Over and over, scene after scene. How is this romance? The evil and senseless cruelty continues throughout the book until Lady Simms actually does break through the marquess’ harsh exterior. That is commendable and yet even this goodness is mired in rage and fury on the part of Morninghall. He is definitely gentling, but in odd bits and spurts. It is when Morninghall is wounded and near death that he comes to need Lady Simms. His recovery at her hands—she refuses to let him die—is admirable and they grow closer, into a friendship and finally a romance.
Towards the end of the book, the writer has Morninghall asking a question of the Reverend Peter Milford, “What sort of man do you think I am?” and it made me laugh. The writer has spent the entire book showing and telling us exactly the sort of man he is: dark, evil, corrupt and corrupting, uncaring, apathetic…the list goes on. Although Morninghall’s character arc is at a 180-degree mark, for most of the book he has been a blackguard and has prided himself on it.
There are many problems in the book with odd punctuation and sentences that begin but do not end. Sometimes, it appears that scenes are missing, although it may just be that a firm edit is needed.
Sentences break oddly, ending abruptly only to begin again on another line. It is disruptive to a reader. Here’s an example:
“Come with me,” Clayton growled, retriev— “ing Toby’s spectacles…
And another example:
Dread coursed through him, “My brother
-- that’s the end of the line; another paragraph begins on the next line. No idea what “My brother” is all about.
Quotation marks are problematic. When a speech ends at the end of a line, often the ending double quotation marks appear on the next line. It pauses a reader to wonder if something is missing.
Commas are similarly distracting. For example, “…circling something in the ledger,, [he] continued on.” One comma would suffice.
During a memorial service for dead prisoners, the writer tells us, “Morninghall had not allowed the poor souls to have candles.” Yet, a few paragraphs later we read, “The sailor had come to the last mourner and was lighting his taper.” So…what was it? Candles are allowed? Or not?
There are typos present, for instance, “Ad now a great whooshing…” should read “And now a great whooshing…”
A possessive “s” is missing: “Toby sense of foreboding was reflected in the tense faces…” This should read “Toby’s sense of foreboding…”
There are some odd disconnects with realism. For instance:
In one scene, the writer tells us that Morninghall’s former cabin boy complained to the admiral about Morninghall and was removed to another ship. Uh…no. Unless the cabin boy had sone inroads into the British Royal Navy, an admiral would not have entertained a missive from a cabin boy.
While the exact month is not given, one can infer that it is early summer since Lady Simms is gardening and spring flowers have bloomed. In one scene, the writer tells us that it was “ten o’clock and nearly dark.” In Portsmouth, on May 1st, the sun would set at 8:26 p.m. On June 1st, it sets at 9:07 p.m. It would not be light at 10:00. In another scene, it is 10:30 when darkness descends and we have the same problem.
Morninghall has no family left. He has been in the Royal Navy for ten years, yet we are told that the wealth and opulence of his home is obvious. Who has maintained it in his absence? There is no mention of a man of business or attorney or anyone in charge of the money it would take to maintain his estate and vast wealth. He has turned his back on it all. Yet, there it is gloriously ready and waiting for him and his return.
The plot, minus all the melodrama, is a bit thin but serviceable. A navy man is in charge of a prison ship against his will and hates it. Escapes from the ship imply a hole in the navy’s defenses. War prisoners are kept in abject despair, without clothing or decent food. Reforms are in order and a gentlewoman enters the scene, ready to take on that reform. A privateer, The Black Wolf, presumed to be an escaped American prisoner, is at large helping other prisoners escape. That’s the plot. The melodrama is shiveringly awful. I rated this book zero stars and rounded up to 1 star. The book had a message, the abysmal treatment of prisoners of war, but the message was lost in the terrible actions and conduct of the players, particularly the hero. Sexual assault and rape are not romantic and showing us otherwise is a lie of colossal magnitude.
January 20, 2016
Audiobook Review:
Where do I begin when I talk about this talented author and narrator? All senses are called to arms! A stunning, captivating listen. I loved it all...
"Arguably one of the best novels starring a tortured hero... Just for the hero, this book deserves to be discovered, but the novel goes far beyond. Passionate and very sensual ... full of fury and passion in the great tradition of traditional romance!" -- Editor, Blue Moon (translated from the French)
My, oh my! Danelle Harmon NEVER fails to charm me in all the books she’s penned. Her stories hold suspense, wit, passion, fear and always a happy ever after ending, even when events seem to be bad and can’t get worse, then it looks like all is well until she sinks you beyond the worst possible happening. Brilliant!
She does a stunning job, no, even more than stunning when it comes to description and squeezing every last ounce of emotion out of a scene she painstakingly describes. You hang on every word. Narrator Wayne Farrell tells the story with such aptitude, it couldn’t be more perfect.
Her depiction and thorough description of unfolding events held me as captive as the prisoners--unbelievably beautiful and riveting. Even after a listen of over 12 hours, I wasn’t ready to let go.
Ms. Harmon empties the canvas and focuses on each detail painting such a vivid picture I could step into it. She describes the deplorable living accommodations of the prisoners of war on the prison ship our ill-fated hero captains, with its maggots, weevils and air so foul and fetid one is close to retching. She describes the descent into the living quarters of the prisoners until you are face to face with a child of thirteen, close to starving. It is only the encouragement of his older brother Nathan who keeps him from giving in. You descend behind Lady Gwyneth who demands and threatens the captain by gun (yes, she’s some feisty woman) to get what she wants.
Lady Gwyneth’s mission is to improve the lot of the prisoners and chose this particular prison ship to start her campaign. She is a force to be reckoned with. She is a marvelously strong, opinionated, and touchingly loving heroine. Her temper and independence don’t always have good results. She’ll jump from the frying pan into the fire!
Damon de Wolf was also a force; angry, steely, hated himself most of all, and clearly needed to face his past. Once Gwyneth saw some good in Damon, she badgered him hoping he would change his ways. She also opened his eyes to the deplorable condition of the prisoners. He had never seen any of it, sulking in his cabin most times until she dragged him down.
Wayne Farrell has a unique voice--lilting and soft-spoken. He really showed what he’s capable of in this story; Damon was a very complex man, ill-humored one moment, sarcastic the next and in another second seductive. His voiceover was brilliant. He speaks French well and does a fine job of speaking English with a French accent. He strikingly brought to life the scene where Toby, the 13 year-old, was taunted and abused by the French prisoners.
Where do I begin when I talk about this talented author and narrator? All senses are called to arms! A stunning, captivating listen. I loved it all...
"Arguably one of the best novels starring a tortured hero... Just for the hero, this book deserves to be discovered, but the novel goes far beyond. Passionate and very sensual ... full of fury and passion in the great tradition of traditional romance!" -- Editor, Blue Moon (translated from the French)
My, oh my! Danelle Harmon NEVER fails to charm me in all the books she’s penned. Her stories hold suspense, wit, passion, fear and always a happy ever after ending, even when events seem to be bad and can’t get worse, then it looks like all is well until she sinks you beyond the worst possible happening. Brilliant!
She does a stunning job, no, even more than stunning when it comes to description and squeezing every last ounce of emotion out of a scene she painstakingly describes. You hang on every word. Narrator Wayne Farrell tells the story with such aptitude, it couldn’t be more perfect.
Her depiction and thorough description of unfolding events held me as captive as the prisoners--unbelievably beautiful and riveting. Even after a listen of over 12 hours, I wasn’t ready to let go.
Ms. Harmon empties the canvas and focuses on each detail painting such a vivid picture I could step into it. She describes the deplorable living accommodations of the prisoners of war on the prison ship our ill-fated hero captains, with its maggots, weevils and air so foul and fetid one is close to retching. She describes the descent into the living quarters of the prisoners until you are face to face with a child of thirteen, close to starving. It is only the encouragement of his older brother Nathan who keeps him from giving in. You descend behind Lady Gwyneth who demands and threatens the captain by gun (yes, she’s some feisty woman) to get what she wants.
Lady Gwyneth’s mission is to improve the lot of the prisoners and chose this particular prison ship to start her campaign. She is a force to be reckoned with. She is a marvelously strong, opinionated, and touchingly loving heroine. Her temper and independence don’t always have good results. She’ll jump from the frying pan into the fire!
Damon de Wolf was also a force; angry, steely, hated himself most of all, and clearly needed to face his past. Once Gwyneth saw some good in Damon, she badgered him hoping he would change his ways. She also opened his eyes to the deplorable condition of the prisoners. He had never seen any of it, sulking in his cabin most times until she dragged him down.
Wayne Farrell has a unique voice--lilting and soft-spoken. He really showed what he’s capable of in this story; Damon was a very complex man, ill-humored one moment, sarcastic the next and in another second seductive. His voiceover was brilliant. He speaks French well and does a fine job of speaking English with a French accent. He strikingly brought to life the scene where Toby, the 13 year-old, was taunted and abused by the French prisoners.
August 6, 2012
As this story opens, our young hero is only fifteen years old and we witness his first sexual encounter with an `older' woman. This, combined with his childhood abuse, will turn him into a man who is in constant state of rage, anger and physical pain.
Damon de Wolfe, the sixth Marquess of Morninghall did everything he could to disengage himself from humanity. He embraced and fed his rage keeping it close for so long, that IT was the only thing that kept him going. He treated everyone around him with disdain and contempt and our heroine needed to be one strong female in order to see through all that pain and stand up to IT and him, to save this man's broken heart.
Lady Gwyneth Evans Simms is a very likable heroine, but not to our hero. He sees her as an interfering and troublesome woman who he would like nothing more than to physically posses and humiliate. He is in for a rude awakening as this particular woman is not easily manipulated. She is on a mission to help mistreated prisoners who are on his ship. To say that the sparks fly when these two strong-minded people clash, is an understatement!
The above blurb adequately summarizes the story and it's not necessary for me to elaborate more on it, however I will tell you of my reasons why I liked the story, and disliked the hero (well, through almost half the story).
Ms. Harmon, through her previous four books I've read from her, has proven to me that she's a great story-teller. Through her writing she can engage a range of my emotions and that's a sign of a good author. This story made me angry, smile and cry. And then, at the very end, it left me confused and I felt let down. Our hero and heroine have their well deserved happy ever after and in the end, that's what counts, yet the ending might have been just a tad clearer.
Despite it, I really enjoyed this highly emotional story. Its pace was fast and characters interesting, so it kept me engaged all the way through the end. This is not your cookie cutter story and its hero is someone you'll need to have patience with. His journey from deep darkness was worth taking and I was glad to have saw it.
Melanie for b2b
Damon de Wolfe, the sixth Marquess of Morninghall did everything he could to disengage himself from humanity. He embraced and fed his rage keeping it close for so long, that IT was the only thing that kept him going. He treated everyone around him with disdain and contempt and our heroine needed to be one strong female in order to see through all that pain and stand up to IT and him, to save this man's broken heart.
Lady Gwyneth Evans Simms is a very likable heroine, but not to our hero. He sees her as an interfering and troublesome woman who he would like nothing more than to physically posses and humiliate. He is in for a rude awakening as this particular woman is not easily manipulated. She is on a mission to help mistreated prisoners who are on his ship. To say that the sparks fly when these two strong-minded people clash, is an understatement!
The above blurb adequately summarizes the story and it's not necessary for me to elaborate more on it, however I will tell you of my reasons why I liked the story, and disliked the hero (well, through almost half the story).
Ms. Harmon, through her previous four books I've read from her, has proven to me that she's a great story-teller. Through her writing she can engage a range of my emotions and that's a sign of a good author. This story made me angry, smile and cry. And then, at the very end, it left me confused and I felt let down. Our hero and heroine have their well deserved happy ever after and in the end, that's what counts, yet the ending might have been just a tad clearer.
Despite it, I really enjoyed this highly emotional story. Its pace was fast and characters interesting, so it kept me engaged all the way through the end. This is not your cookie cutter story and its hero is someone you'll need to have patience with. His journey from deep darkness was worth taking and I was glad to have saw it.
Melanie for b2b
August 16, 2012
This book grabbed from the prologue, but when the author introduced Damon as an adult, I did not like him at all. I could find no redeeming characteristic in him for most of the first half of the book. Gwyneth, on the other hand, I fell in love with. There's a scene that turned my dislike about half way through, when I realized what a tortured soul Damon truly was and how Gwyneth would be his saving grace. Some of the scenes were so moving they brought tears to my eyes. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. I'll be looking for more from this very talented author.
March 20, 2013
WOW! This book is a book that keeps you guessing to the very last minute. This is the first book I've read by Danelle Harmon. Wicked At Heart will have you go through every emotion. There are many twist and turns that you honestly don't see coming. Love the story between Damon and Gwyneth is one for the times. I don't have words to describe how wonderful this book really is.
Wonderful Read!
Wonderful Read!
February 5, 2013
Danelle Harmon is now my favorite author!! This novel was amazing!! I love it!! I love the characters. Anything to do with Beauty and Beast plot is incredible because it shows that loves can conquer all!! <3
Read
May 22, 2013This book was way too long. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it. Very fun historical.
May 24, 2013
Stupid, cruel, probably abusive. And that's the falling-in-love part. DNF 62%
Want to read
April 20, 2025🎁 FREE on Amazon today (2/18/2021)! 🎁
July 9, 2022
Damon, Marquess of Morninghall, had more enemies than most, and in the beginning, Gwyneth Evans was among them. Appalled by the conditions on board the prison ship, Surrey, she set about to improve the lives of its inhabitants. If that meant doing battle with its commander, Lord Morninghall, and forcing him to be accountable then she would do just that! Damon did a superb job of distancing himself from everyone until Gwyneth showed up demanding answers from him. If his usual tactics of intimidation and avoidance didn’t drive her away, she might learn of his madness!
It’s always interesting to see how authors work with this storyline of damaged character made whole through love. Danelle Harmon always crafts richly emotional and detailed stories, but she outdid herself with Wicked At Heart. I could feel all the emotions throughout the story, especially the build-up to Damon’s crippling panic attacks.
Although I’d read this story some years ago, this time I wanted to listen to the audio version. The character of Gwyneth is Welsh and I wanted to hear how Wayne Farrell would voice her character. As usual, I wasn’t disappointed. Mr. Farrell is truly talented. He does a great job with the voices and accents, but even better, he gets the emotions right! I will definitely be listening to this one again.
It’s always interesting to see how authors work with this storyline of damaged character made whole through love. Danelle Harmon always crafts richly emotional and detailed stories, but she outdid herself with Wicked At Heart. I could feel all the emotions throughout the story, especially the build-up to Damon’s crippling panic attacks.
Although I’d read this story some years ago, this time I wanted to listen to the audio version. The character of Gwyneth is Welsh and I wanted to hear how Wayne Farrell would voice her character. As usual, I wasn’t disappointed. Mr. Farrell is truly talented. He does a great job with the voices and accents, but even better, he gets the emotions right! I will definitely be listening to this one again.
October 23, 2021
I think this is my favourite book in my love for Regency romance!
The heroine is fiesty & the hero so blighted with his childhood is redeemed by her relentless goodness.
The description of the conditions aboard the prison hulks is almost graphic in its detail & the pityless behaviour of most of the prsioners is abhorent. She comes along making it her business to reform the dreadful lot of the prisoners & he fights her all the way as his hatred of the Navy is at this early stage all encompassing. The change in him is dramatic but really quite wonderful due to her loving manner.
Danelle Harmon has crafted a beautiful novel which is very belieavable. I couldn't put it down & had to read it completely in one go.
The heroine is fiesty & the hero so blighted with his childhood is redeemed by her relentless goodness.
The description of the conditions aboard the prison hulks is almost graphic in its detail & the pityless behaviour of most of the prsioners is abhorent. She comes along making it her business to reform the dreadful lot of the prisoners & he fights her all the way as his hatred of the Navy is at this early stage all encompassing. The change in him is dramatic but really quite wonderful due to her loving manner.
Danelle Harmon has crafted a beautiful novel which is very belieavable. I couldn't put it down & had to read it completely in one go.
August 27, 2022
Gwyneth
Lord Damon Morninghall
Gwyneth and Damon meet when she goes aboard his prison ship to see how the prisoners are being treated and to see what she can do to make conditions better. Damon and Gwyneth have immediate chemistry despite trying to put it aside. Then prisoners start escaping from Damon’s ship and everyone said it’s the Black Wolf getting them off. Damon despite his hard heart begins to come around after seeing the plight of the prisoners he had previously been ignoring. This is a very good book. Gwyneth and Damon are both characters you can like and get behind. The scenes that share conditions of the prisoners may upset some people. I would definitely read more books in the series and by this author.
Lord Damon Morninghall
Gwyneth and Damon meet when she goes aboard his prison ship to see how the prisoners are being treated and to see what she can do to make conditions better. Damon and Gwyneth have immediate chemistry despite trying to put it aside. Then prisoners start escaping from Damon’s ship and everyone said it’s the Black Wolf getting them off. Damon despite his hard heart begins to come around after seeing the plight of the prisoners he had previously been ignoring. This is a very good book. Gwyneth and Damon are both characters you can like and get behind. The scenes that share conditions of the prisoners may upset some people. I would definitely read more books in the series and by this author.
April 1, 2021
Delightful story about redemption
The Marchess of Morninghall is reputed to be an evil man, as his late mother maintained even when he was a little child. He was unfortunate in having unusually iridescent eyes that she and most others proclaimed "devil eyes." Abused by his mother and the priests who tried to excorsize him, he had gone through life unloved and betrayed until one young woman who starts as an adversary, becomes his champion. This is a moving, insightful tale about the redeeming power of love set amidst the ugliness of the War of 1812.
The Marchess of Morninghall is reputed to be an evil man, as his late mother maintained even when he was a little child. He was unfortunate in having unusually iridescent eyes that she and most others proclaimed "devil eyes." Abused by his mother and the priests who tried to excorsize him, he had gone through life unloved and betrayed until one young woman who starts as an adversary, becomes his champion. This is a moving, insightful tale about the redeeming power of love set amidst the ugliness of the War of 1812.
February 23, 2021
I have read many of Danelle Harmons books. The first half of this book was depressing, the main character was not a likeable fellow even though he had many issues. The heroine she saw something in Damon that no else could see. Second half of the book turned the depressing story on a dime. The it took another twist and I had to wonder if Damon was going to come out of it alive. I could not read fast enough to see what would happen on the next page.
October 23, 2023
I really enjoyed this book, in fact I thought that the book was outstanding.
It has believable characters and a great story, it all worked for me from cover to cover. It was a completely addictive read that was just brilliant.
It moved along at a great pace and I thought it was a real page turner – it had action, romance, suspense – it had all I look for in a book in this genre – I loved it
A really, really good and exciting read.
It is 5 stars from me – very highly recommended!
It has believable characters and a great story, it all worked for me from cover to cover. It was a completely addictive read that was just brilliant.
It moved along at a great pace and I thought it was a real page turner – it had action, romance, suspense – it had all I look for in a book in this genre – I loved it
A really, really good and exciting read.
It is 5 stars from me – very highly recommended!
March 4, 2021
Wow, Beauty tames the Beast in this intense romance.
The Beauty - Gwyn is fiery, independent, passionate and becomes captivated by the beast.
The Beast - Damon is tortured, rude and arrogant.
They clash at every turn, but their desire for each other becomes irresistible. A powerful story of redemption and love and highly recommended if you enjoy the Beauty and the Beast theme.
The Beauty - Gwyn is fiery, independent, passionate and becomes captivated by the beast.
The Beast - Damon is tortured, rude and arrogant.
They clash at every turn, but their desire for each other becomes irresistible. A powerful story of redemption and love and highly recommended if you enjoy the Beauty and the Beast theme.
March 6, 2021
Wow! I absolutely loved this. Not just the way their attraction made their arguments sizzle, but the very real issues that he was facing and that she made him pay attention to. Couldn't put it down, read all night! The characters were impeccably crafted, developed in interesting ways, and of course it was ridiculously hot.
November 28, 2025
good read
The character of Lord Morninghill was a masterful portrayal of someone who struggled with panic attacks from childhood trauma, and the love and dedication of Gwinneth he found himself healing from a life threatening beating as well as the trauma that caused his attacks. 👍💜
The character of Lord Morninghill was a masterful portrayal of someone who struggled with panic attacks from childhood trauma, and the love and dedication of Gwinneth he found himself healing from a life threatening beating as well as the trauma that caused his attacks. 👍💜
February 22, 2018
Damon - A Hero's Heart
I have read this book twice. It was great both times. The adventures, the romance, the awful antagonist, and the solution will meet the requirements of a sea lover too.
I have read this book twice. It was great both times. The adventures, the romance, the awful antagonist, and the solution will meet the requirements of a sea lover too.
February 16, 2021
WICKED AT HEART : I have been reading romance novels for 40 years, this one was written in 1996. I’m taking a mini break from the read at 66% because the emotion is so real. Wonderfully written, raw descriptions, I don’t want it to end.
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