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Sapphire
NOT EVEN LOVE COULD STOP HER ...
Despite her privileged life in the sultry paradise of Martinique, the beautiful and daring Sapphire Fabergine will never be satisfied until she claims the honor and legitimacy that has been denied her. Sapphire sails to London to confront the aristocratic family who had disowned her before she was even born --- only to find that her father is dead and that his title has passed to Blake Thixton, an attractive yet loathsome distant American cousin.
Convinced Sapphire is determined to bring about his ruin, Blake kidnaps her and sails back to America, where he presents her with a choice: become his mistress or serve him as a maid in his waterfront mansion. Without means in this unfamiliar land, Sapphire is trapped. But she will not compromise her quest for honor so easily --- not even for the man she has come to desire.
Despite her privileged life in the sultry paradise of Martinique, the beautiful and daring Sapphire Fabergine will never be satisfied until she claims the honor and legitimacy that has been denied her. Sapphire sails to London to confront the aristocratic family who had disowned her before she was even born --- only to find that her father is dead and that his title has passed to Blake Thixton, an attractive yet loathsome distant American cousin.
Convinced Sapphire is determined to bring about his ruin, Blake kidnaps her and sails back to America, where he presents her with a choice: become his mistress or serve him as a maid in his waterfront mansion. Without means in this unfamiliar land, Sapphire is trapped. But she will not compromise her quest for honor so easily --- not even for the man she has come to desire.
473 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
28 people are currently reading
401 people want to read
About the author
Rosemary Rogers
113 books420 followersThere is more than one author with this name
Rosemary Jansz Navaratnam Rogers Kadison
Rosemary Jansz was born on 7 December 1932 in Panadura, British Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka), she was the oldest child of Dutch-Portuguese settlers, Barbara "Allan" and Cyril Jansz. Her father was a wealthy educator who owned three posh private schools. She was raised in colonial splendor: dozens of servants, no work, summers at European spas, a chaperone everywhere she went. A dreamy child, she wrote her first novel at eight, and all through her teens scribbled madly romantic epics in imitation of her favorite writers: Sir Walter Scott, Alexandre Dumas and Rafael Sabatini.
At 17, Rosemary rebelled against a feudal upbringing and went to the University of Ceylon, where she studied three years. She horrified her family by taking a job as a reporter, and two years later marrying with Summa Navaratnam, a Ceylonese track star known as "the fastest man in Asia." The marriage had two daughters. Unhappily, he often sprinted after other women. Disappointed with her husband, in 1960, she moved with her two daughters and took off for London.
In Europe she met her future second husband, Leroy Rogers, an african-american. "He was the first man," she recalls, "who made me feel like a real woman." After getting a divorce from her first husband, she married Rogers in his home town, St. Louis, Missouri. They moved with her family to California, where she had two sons. Six years later, when that marriage broke up, Rosemary was left with four children to support on her $4,200 salary as a typist for the Solano County Parks Department. In 1969, in the face of a socialist takeover of Ceylon, her parents fled the island with only ?100, giving Rosemary two more dependents. At 37, the rich girl from Ceylon was on her uppers in Fairfield.
Every night for a year, Rogers worked to perfect a manuscript that she had written as a child, rewriting it 24 times. When she was satisfied with her work, she sent the manuscript to Avon, which quickly purchased the novel. That novel, ''Sweet Savage Love'', skyrocketed to the top of bestseller lists, and became one of the most popular historical romances of all time. Her second novel, ''Dark Fires'', sold two million copies in its first three months of release. Her first three novels sold a combined 10 million copies. The fourth, ''Wicked Loving Lies'' sold 3 million copies in its first month of publication. Rosemary Rogers became one of the legendaries "Avon Queens of Historical Romance". The difference between she and most of others romance writers is not the violence of her stories, it is the intensity. She says: "My heroines are me", and certainly her life could be one of her novels.
In September of 1984, Rosemary married a third time with Christopher Kadison, but it was a very brief marriage and they soon began to live apart. "I'd like to live with a man," she admits, "but I find men in real life don't come up to my fantasies. I want culture, spirit and sex all rolled up together."
Today single, Rosemary lives quietly in a small dramatic villa perched on a crag above the Pacific near Carmel. Her four children are now away from home and she continues to write.
Rosemary passed away at the age of 87 on November 12, 2019 in Carmel, California where she called home since the early 1970s.
Rosemary Jansz Navaratnam Rogers Kadison
Rosemary Jansz was born on 7 December 1932 in Panadura, British Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka), she was the oldest child of Dutch-Portuguese settlers, Barbara "Allan" and Cyril Jansz. Her father was a wealthy educator who owned three posh private schools. She was raised in colonial splendor: dozens of servants, no work, summers at European spas, a chaperone everywhere she went. A dreamy child, she wrote her first novel at eight, and all through her teens scribbled madly romantic epics in imitation of her favorite writers: Sir Walter Scott, Alexandre Dumas and Rafael Sabatini.
At 17, Rosemary rebelled against a feudal upbringing and went to the University of Ceylon, where she studied three years. She horrified her family by taking a job as a reporter, and two years later marrying with Summa Navaratnam, a Ceylonese track star known as "the fastest man in Asia." The marriage had two daughters. Unhappily, he often sprinted after other women. Disappointed with her husband, in 1960, she moved with her two daughters and took off for London.
In Europe she met her future second husband, Leroy Rogers, an african-american. "He was the first man," she recalls, "who made me feel like a real woman." After getting a divorce from her first husband, she married Rogers in his home town, St. Louis, Missouri. They moved with her family to California, where she had two sons. Six years later, when that marriage broke up, Rosemary was left with four children to support on her $4,200 salary as a typist for the Solano County Parks Department. In 1969, in the face of a socialist takeover of Ceylon, her parents fled the island with only ?100, giving Rosemary two more dependents. At 37, the rich girl from Ceylon was on her uppers in Fairfield.
Every night for a year, Rogers worked to perfect a manuscript that she had written as a child, rewriting it 24 times. When she was satisfied with her work, she sent the manuscript to Avon, which quickly purchased the novel. That novel, ''Sweet Savage Love'', skyrocketed to the top of bestseller lists, and became one of the most popular historical romances of all time. Her second novel, ''Dark Fires'', sold two million copies in its first three months of release. Her first three novels sold a combined 10 million copies. The fourth, ''Wicked Loving Lies'' sold 3 million copies in its first month of publication. Rosemary Rogers became one of the legendaries "Avon Queens of Historical Romance". The difference between she and most of others romance writers is not the violence of her stories, it is the intensity. She says: "My heroines are me", and certainly her life could be one of her novels.
In September of 1984, Rosemary married a third time with Christopher Kadison, but it was a very brief marriage and they soon began to live apart. "I'd like to live with a man," she admits, "but I find men in real life don't come up to my fantasies. I want culture, spirit and sex all rolled up together."
Today single, Rosemary lives quietly in a small dramatic villa perched on a crag above the Pacific near Carmel. Her four children are now away from home and she continues to write.
Rosemary passed away at the age of 87 on November 12, 2019 in Carmel, California where she called home since the early 1970s.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
June 12, 2015
2 stars because it was stupid enough to be slightly amusing.
There were 2 things wrong with this book (well, a lot more, but I don't have all day).
#1 - It should have been written 30 years ago during the height of the bodice ripper era when it could have been done right.
#2 - Zero emotional depth
I've never read a Rosemary Rogers, so perhaps I missed her at her height. Problem is, I can't stomach the idea of reading her previous 35 novels about the adventures of a chronic man-ho (Steve) and his dysfunctional on/off relationship with Ginny. I know some find them great fun, but my tolerance for cheating is almost nil. I say almost, because now and again I get talked into reading one with a "one off" cheat. Usually I'm convinced that I can get past it because the H is SOOOOO sorry and he pays for it dearly, etc etc. In this case I got past it because I just didn't care. Plus, I think he did the required losing weight and getting dark circles under his eyes gig.
This was the shell of a good old-skool bodice ripper. Unfortunately it was written in 2005. There is even (I'm convinced) a nod to the classic The Flame and the Flower. There are a few lines after the H kidnaps Sapphire to be his mistress and keeps her on his ship that totally reminded me of Brandon and the scenes where he assures Heather that she'll get over this silly idea of free will and learn to love being his mistress.
There was promise for some good angst and serious outrage against the H. But, nah, it's the 21st century and you can't write bodice rippers anymore and apparently Rogers couldn't be bothered to summon any emotional depth either. So, despite a good old fashioned BR premise, I got a dud with no emotional depth.
Yeah, dude kidnaps the heroine to force her to become his mistress which she refuses to be, dammit (foot stomp)! But like any good girl of her time, she'll settle for throwing away her virginity and engaging in a casual fling with her kidnapper and his throbbing manhood. After all, they're on a ship and it's either that or play chess.
So, across the sea they sail with lots of exciting adventures and angst. Not really. We're told they screwed a lot and every now and then Sapphire would try to make Blake acknowledge she was or even 'may be' a legit aristocrat. Since he has so many scruples, Blake just wants her to admit she's a gold digging schemer and then he'll shower her in fancy clothes and show her a grand time. However, until she admits she's just a lying little upstart, she'll wear the clothes fitting her station (serving girl, according to Blake) and scrub his floors until she can match his moral standards of honesty.
OR 'supposedly' she can just tell him she doesn't like America and he'll send her right back to England. She sort of mentions that once, but he points out that it's the floor scrubbing that's putting a damper on her vacation and she sort of agrees. Plus, she likes architecture and there are some really cool buildings in Boston that she wants to see before heading back to England. She's going dammit! She really is. Just not today. Today she needs to empty the kitchen scraps.
Okay, let's be fair about our great hero. Blake doesn't actually expect her to be a maid. He expects her to cave immediately, say "Why yes, Blake, you're right. I am a scheming little whore-in-the-making and I just want someone to buy me pretty dresses and take me to the theatre."
Supposedly he's not a snob. He doesn't actually care that Sapphire is an illegitimate gutter snipe, he just cares that she won't admit it (not that he'd marry such a lowly slut). Again, this guy has the highest moral standards (kidnapper) and we're told so by several upstanding characters in the book, so it must be true. A fine fellow. The best! Capital and all that.
But he underestimates his spunky little gal. She is NOT a scheming little gold digger, she's a duchess or baroness or something. She'll show him, she'll wear a maid's uniform and scrub the floors until she's given the respect due her. She's not his mistress! She just happens to fall in bed with him every other page, that's all. But she does it in her mobcap and scratchy wool undies and that's what's important. Like Blake, she has the highest moral standards. He has met his match.
As strong as she is, every few pages she'll think "Oh, I love him" and sniff back a tear then bravely pick up the slop bucket and continue on. That's the angst. Don't blink or you'll miss it.
Blake has his own angst. We're told (again told) that his dad was a mean old bastard and no one ever loved him and deep down he just wants a hug.
Then this married chick he'd been sleeping with before meeting Sapphire comes stomping in with a case of the vapors and he gives her comfort sex. Why not? He's a standup guy. And Sapphire is just being a stubborn vixen making him suffer by pretending to be a maid, never mind the fact that he gets as much sex from her as he wants and doesn't even have to buy one gown.
Well, Sapphire won't have that! She'll show him! She runs away, pretends to be a boy named Sam and ends up a prize winning jockey. She even gets a dog along the way. But, the dog eventually decides that Sapphire is not too bright and hitches himself to the stable owner. That says it all I think.
Blake, we're told, is very sad.
:(
He searches and searches and loses interest in business and just wants his Sapphire back. Maybe he shouldn't have banged another woman right below her nose? Maybe that was a mistake? It's a soul searching question, indeed.
Of course he finally finds her, says he's sorry and that he loves her. She says 'okay' and agrees to marry him since he says he'll take her back to England and allow her to attempt to prove she is who she says she is. Granted, he still thinks she's a gutter snipe but he believes that she honestly believes she's not. That's all Sapphire ever wanted. She's so thrilled to be believed in that she agrees to the marriage and blows off his dickish behavior with the snap of a finger.
In the end, she is a Duchess/Baroness/Countess or something. Proof is found! Blake says he's sorry he ever doubted her. It was deeply touching.
The End.
All that exciting drama aside, I think this novel could have been pared down a bit. I know Blake had these high moral standards and all, but really all he needed to do was say "Sure, Sapphire, you're the Duchess of York or Queen of England or whoever you want to be today, my little jewel. Now wear this pretty dress and have sex with me."
The trick was, Sapphire had pride and standards of a sort, but she wasn't very bright (her own dog picked a new owner!). Apparently Blake wasn't much smarter either, which is why we get 500+ pages of this crap, rather than the 10 pages it would take if Blake just pretended to believe Sapphire - like any normal horny guy who only cares about sex and possesses such spotless moral creds.
There were 2 things wrong with this book (well, a lot more, but I don't have all day).
#1 - It should have been written 30 years ago during the height of the bodice ripper era when it could have been done right.
#2 - Zero emotional depth
I've never read a Rosemary Rogers, so perhaps I missed her at her height. Problem is, I can't stomach the idea of reading her previous 35 novels about the adventures of a chronic man-ho (Steve) and his dysfunctional on/off relationship with Ginny. I know some find them great fun, but my tolerance for cheating is almost nil. I say almost, because now and again I get talked into reading one with a "one off" cheat. Usually I'm convinced that I can get past it because the H is SOOOOO sorry and he pays for it dearly, etc etc. In this case I got past it because I just didn't care. Plus, I think he did the required losing weight and getting dark circles under his eyes gig.
This was the shell of a good old-skool bodice ripper. Unfortunately it was written in 2005. There is even (I'm convinced) a nod to the classic The Flame and the Flower. There are a few lines after the H kidnaps Sapphire to be his mistress and keeps her on his ship that totally reminded me of Brandon and the scenes where he assures Heather that she'll get over this silly idea of free will and learn to love being his mistress.
There was promise for some good angst and serious outrage against the H. But, nah, it's the 21st century and you can't write bodice rippers anymore and apparently Rogers couldn't be bothered to summon any emotional depth either. So, despite a good old fashioned BR premise, I got a dud with no emotional depth.
Yeah, dude kidnaps the heroine to force her to become his mistress which she refuses to be, dammit (foot stomp)! But like any good girl of her time, she'll settle for throwing away her virginity and engaging in a casual fling with her kidnapper and his throbbing manhood. After all, they're on a ship and it's either that or play chess.
So, across the sea they sail with lots of exciting adventures and angst. Not really. We're told they screwed a lot and every now and then Sapphire would try to make Blake acknowledge she was or even 'may be' a legit aristocrat. Since he has so many scruples, Blake just wants her to admit she's a gold digging schemer and then he'll shower her in fancy clothes and show her a grand time. However, until she admits she's just a lying little upstart, she'll wear the clothes fitting her station (serving girl, according to Blake) and scrub his floors until she can match his moral standards of honesty.
OR 'supposedly' she can just tell him she doesn't like America and he'll send her right back to England. She sort of mentions that once, but he points out that it's the floor scrubbing that's putting a damper on her vacation and she sort of agrees. Plus, she likes architecture and there are some really cool buildings in Boston that she wants to see before heading back to England. She's going dammit! She really is. Just not today. Today she needs to empty the kitchen scraps.
Okay, let's be fair about our great hero. Blake doesn't actually expect her to be a maid. He expects her to cave immediately, say "Why yes, Blake, you're right. I am a scheming little whore-in-the-making and I just want someone to buy me pretty dresses and take me to the theatre."
Supposedly he's not a snob. He doesn't actually care that Sapphire is an illegitimate gutter snipe, he just cares that she won't admit it (not that he'd marry such a lowly slut). Again, this guy has the highest moral standards (kidnapper) and we're told so by several upstanding characters in the book, so it must be true. A fine fellow. The best! Capital and all that.
But he underestimates his spunky little gal. She is NOT a scheming little gold digger, she's a duchess or baroness or something. She'll show him, she'll wear a maid's uniform and scrub the floors until she's given the respect due her. She's not his mistress! She just happens to fall in bed with him every other page, that's all. But she does it in her mobcap and scratchy wool undies and that's what's important. Like Blake, she has the highest moral standards. He has met his match.
As strong as she is, every few pages she'll think "Oh, I love him" and sniff back a tear then bravely pick up the slop bucket and continue on. That's the angst. Don't blink or you'll miss it.
Blake has his own angst. We're told (again told) that his dad was a mean old bastard and no one ever loved him and deep down he just wants a hug.
Then this married chick he'd been sleeping with before meeting Sapphire comes stomping in with a case of the vapors and he gives her comfort sex. Why not? He's a standup guy. And Sapphire is just being a stubborn vixen making him suffer by pretending to be a maid, never mind the fact that he gets as much sex from her as he wants and doesn't even have to buy one gown.
Well, Sapphire won't have that! She'll show him! She runs away, pretends to be a boy named Sam and ends up a prize winning jockey. She even gets a dog along the way. But, the dog eventually decides that Sapphire is not too bright and hitches himself to the stable owner. That says it all I think.
Blake, we're told, is very sad.
:(
He searches and searches and loses interest in business and just wants his Sapphire back. Maybe he shouldn't have banged another woman right below her nose? Maybe that was a mistake? It's a soul searching question, indeed.
Of course he finally finds her, says he's sorry and that he loves her. She says 'okay' and agrees to marry him since he says he'll take her back to England and allow her to attempt to prove she is who she says she is. Granted, he still thinks she's a gutter snipe but he believes that she honestly believes she's not. That's all Sapphire ever wanted. She's so thrilled to be believed in that she agrees to the marriage and blows off his dickish behavior with the snap of a finger.
In the end, she is a Duchess/Baroness/Countess or something. Proof is found! Blake says he's sorry he ever doubted her. It was deeply touching.
The End.
All that exciting drama aside, I think this novel could have been pared down a bit. I know Blake had these high moral standards and all, but really all he needed to do was say "Sure, Sapphire, you're the Duchess of York or Queen of England or whoever you want to be today, my little jewel. Now wear this pretty dress and have sex with me."
The trick was, Sapphire had pride and standards of a sort, but she wasn't very bright (her own dog picked a new owner!). Apparently Blake wasn't much smarter either, which is why we get 500+ pages of this crap, rather than the 10 pages it would take if Blake just pretended to believe Sapphire - like any normal horny guy who only cares about sex and possesses such spotless moral creds.
July 8, 2013
hard work does not a heroine make.
for those of you who are "whatthef*ck"-ing right now let me explain:
when i am looking for "romance novels" i want there to be some actual "romance" in them.
not a lot of bullshit about mistresses (who arent the heroine) and scrubbing floors and rough hands and chamber pots that flush.
it does not become a hero to make his heroine his slave (unless we are talking in the bdsm context which this book is most certainly not).
i am getting really sick of these idiot authors who think that hard work gives a person "character".
no it doesnt.
trust me, i know. i have up close and personal experience with "character making hard work" and i have absolutely no character at all.
for those of you who are "whatthef*ck"-ing right now let me explain:
when i am looking for "romance novels" i want there to be some actual "romance" in them.
not a lot of bullshit about mistresses (who arent the heroine) and scrubbing floors and rough hands and chamber pots that flush.
it does not become a hero to make his heroine his slave (unless we are talking in the bdsm context which this book is most certainly not).
i am getting really sick of these idiot authors who think that hard work gives a person "character".
no it doesnt.
trust me, i know. i have up close and personal experience with "character making hard work" and i have absolutely no character at all.
July 28, 2012
My favorite by Rosemary Rogers. i have all her books... and this one is the best so far :)
April 19, 2022
The worst RR book! I hated the H . He kidnaps the the h and forces her to work as a maid. She doesn't take off till he cheats on her. I might have tolerated this book when I was younger but this the boom to avoid if this is your first RR book!!!!
February 26, 2013
God, I just love this book. I started loving historical romances because of this book. I just love Sapphire, but she kind of makes me lose some respect for her when they get to Blake's house. But she also makes me very proud. Honestly, I just don't understand. But, she gets it back later... And I loved Blake at most parts, but at other parts, I was just like, "No.... I don't love you anymore, what does Sapphire see in you?" And other times I wanted Blake to marry me. He's so adorable at some parts, I want to cry... No joke. I loved the ending, the fact that everyone was happily married, or getting married (cause we all knew it was going to happen).
Overall, great read, fast-paced through the entire book, great plot and story line, and great characters. A mix of personalities, and I love that. No one character was alike. The heroine went through much character development from a naive young girl, to a independent, brave, smart woman. I was so happy with the ending, but something sad still hung over us. But, it has to or it wouldn't be a good book, with the author coddling the characters. That bugs me. Someone has to die, or betray someone else, at least. I really enjoyed it, and I would recommend it to any historical romance lover.
Overall, great read, fast-paced through the entire book, great plot and story line, and great characters. A mix of personalities, and I love that. No one character was alike. The heroine went through much character development from a naive young girl, to a independent, brave, smart woman. I was so happy with the ending, but something sad still hung over us. But, it has to or it wouldn't be a good book, with the author coddling the characters. That bugs me. Someone has to die, or betray someone else, at least. I really enjoyed it, and I would recommend it to any historical romance lover.
special-unread-plot
March 17, 2021UGH. Fuc*k, I JUST HATE those FUCKI*G ''Gentlemen'' that seduce virgins and make them their mistresses. I don't care if the h is a maid or a lady, if the h is a virgin the H just HAS to marry her. WHERE is those fucki*g ''gentlemen's'' honour?!?! I can't find it ANYWHERE!!!! I want to say to all those ''GENTLEMEN'', '' DON'T FU*K WITH VIRGINS OR I WILL FU*K YOUR AS*HOLE WITH MY GUN AND GIVE YOU C*MSHOT WITH THE BULLETS''. (I don't mind if the H seduces the h if he decides beforehand to marry her and really marries her, not runs away if there is some obstacle).
Also this book's satanic, disgusting H fucke*d his mistress upstairs in his bedroom while the h worked downstairs. I just wanted to shake her and scream at her ''HOW, JUST HOW THE FUC*K CAN YOU LOVE THAT SWINE? WHERE is you self respect, pride????? WHERE IS IT?????''
After all these types of shitty books I have decided that I won't let a man, if he is my potential love of my life even LOOK at me if he doesn't propose to me the second he sees me. Call me crazy all you want, I don't care. I'm boiling.
Also this book's satanic, disgusting H fucke*d his mistress upstairs in his bedroom while the h worked downstairs. I just wanted to shake her and scream at her ''HOW, JUST HOW THE FUC*K CAN YOU LOVE THAT SWINE? WHERE is you self respect, pride????? WHERE IS IT?????''
After all these types of shitty books I have decided that I won't let a man, if he is my potential love of my life even LOOK at me if he doesn't propose to me the second he sees me. Call me crazy all you want, I don't care. I'm boiling.
September 30, 2007
11/19/05 #203
TITLE/AUTHOR: SAPPHIRE by Rosemary Rogers
RATING: 4/B
GENRE/PUB DATE/# OF PGS: Historical Romance, 2005, 473 pgs
COMMENTS: Sapphire has led a privileged life on the sland of Martinque. Armand's health is failing and he decides to tell his beloved daughter, Sapphire, that he is not her true father. He sends her to London to find her father. Unfortunately, he has passed and his title has gone to a distant American cousin, Blake. Blake will not accept Sapphire's claims, despite the fact that she wants no material gain and only recognition. And so the adventures begin from the London aristocracy to
Boston's wealthy shipping industry, horse racing stables in NY, etc. Good supporting characters.
TITLE/AUTHOR: SAPPHIRE by Rosemary Rogers
RATING: 4/B
GENRE/PUB DATE/# OF PGS: Historical Romance, 2005, 473 pgs
COMMENTS: Sapphire has led a privileged life on the sland of Martinque. Armand's health is failing and he decides to tell his beloved daughter, Sapphire, that he is not her true father. He sends her to London to find her father. Unfortunately, he has passed and his title has gone to a distant American cousin, Blake. Blake will not accept Sapphire's claims, despite the fact that she wants no material gain and only recognition. And so the adventures begin from the London aristocracy to
Boston's wealthy shipping industry, horse racing stables in NY, etc. Good supporting characters.
May 15, 2010
I love the endless chase that never got old. I love the heroine who fights for what she deserves.
January 30, 2021
I personaggi che compaiono in questo romanzo sono vari e sinceramente non mi hanno convinto molto e non li ho trovati tanto simpatici: Sapphire è una ragazza sentimentale (cerca il vero amore), determinata e ha un repentino recupero psicologico (ha appena scoperto che l'uomo che amava la voleva solo per le terre che avrebbe ereditato, scopre che l'uomo che l'ha cresciuta in realtà non era il suo vero padre e per finire scopre che la madre era una diventata una prostituta per vivere. Quando lascia la sua casa già sa che non rivedrà più il suo patrigno quasi fosse una veggente e dopo aver saputo tutto questo arriva a Londra come se niente fosse anzi è tutta presa dal modo per essere riconosciuta legalmente). Blake, essendo un uomo molto ricco e capace di affascinare qualsiasi donna si presenta come un uomo prepotente, freddo e arrogante. E non esita a trattare come un oggetto la povera Sapphire. Non vuole sposarsi ma non riesco a spiegarmene il motivo. Lucia é stata una prostituta ed ora é diventata lo chaperon di Sapphire e pur di aiutarla nel suo intento organizza un piano (quello di far credere che le sue due pupille sono alla ricerca di un protettore). Angel (l'amica/sorella di Sapphire) è praticamente una ninfomane ma viene presentata come una donna sincera (aveva avuto una proposta dal fidanzato della sua amica all'inizio della storia e non ha detto nulla). E per finire Armand questo patrigno che sta per morire ma che ha tempo per avere un amante e un figlio maschio a cui lasciare la piantagione dato che la figliastra ha sposato un uomo ricco.
Tutte le vicende prendono vita nel 1831 mentre l'ambientazione si sposta in varie parti del mondo: dall'esotica e lussuosa Martinica per poi passare alla sofisticata e rigida Inghilterra e per finire negli Stati Uniti.
In alcuni punti l'ho trovato un tantino noioso, la trama è piatta e prevedibile, non mi ha coinvolto nemmeno il livello di sensualità.
La storia principale é chiaramente incentrata soprattutto sul rapporto tra i due protagonisti ma non mancano ulteriori vicende come le storie d'amore di Angel, Lucia e Armand.
Tutte le vicende prendono vita nel 1831 mentre l'ambientazione si sposta in varie parti del mondo: dall'esotica e lussuosa Martinica per poi passare alla sofisticata e rigida Inghilterra e per finire negli Stati Uniti.
In alcuni punti l'ho trovato un tantino noioso, la trama è piatta e prevedibile, non mi ha coinvolto nemmeno il livello di sensualità.
La storia principale é chiaramente incentrata soprattutto sul rapporto tra i due protagonisti ma non mancano ulteriori vicende come le storie d'amore di Angel, Lucia e Armand.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2020
Slow paced historical romance.
Sapphire is a strong, independent young lady. She is trying to be recognized as her blood father's daughter but has no written legal proof. The man who becomes heir to her father doesn't believe her. The attraction he has for her leads him to kidnap her and take her from London to America with him. During their long journey she finds herself attracted to him. However, because he doesn't believe her he forces her to choose between being his mistress or working as his house maid. She is prideful and chooses to work.
Sapphire then decides she can't stand to not be believed and so she leaves on her own.
Slow paced romance develops between these two stubborn, prideful couple. I like that Sapphire stands her ground and doesn't take the easy way. She proves her own independence.
True love finds its way to each other. I enjoyed how the ending tied all lose ends.
Sapphire is a strong, independent young lady. She is trying to be recognized as her blood father's daughter but has no written legal proof. The man who becomes heir to her father doesn't believe her. The attraction he has for her leads him to kidnap her and take her from London to America with him. During their long journey she finds herself attracted to him. However, because he doesn't believe her he forces her to choose between being his mistress or working as his house maid. She is prideful and chooses to work.
Sapphire then decides she can't stand to not be believed and so she leaves on her own.
Slow paced romance develops between these two stubborn, prideful couple. I like that Sapphire stands her ground and doesn't take the easy way. She proves her own independence.
True love finds its way to each other. I enjoyed how the ending tied all lose ends.
August 27, 2017
Ay, estos héroes: ceñudos, crueles, taciturnos, impertérritos, sin sentimientos, promiscuos... Y de repente, sin saber cómo, a mitad de novela son ya casi corderitos enamorados. Poco creíble en la evolución de las emociones.
Lo único que es desgraciadamente posible es que en la vida, a veces, uno tiene que poner pies en polvorosa, haciendo bomba de humo, para que se le/la valore. No es erotizar la ausencia (no! Eso sería algo muy narcisista) sino simplemente autopreservación y hacerse ver a través del vacío que uno deja.
Por lo demás, ni fu ni fa. La hermanastra Angelique y la tía Lucía no aportan nada. Están de relleno y podían no estar. Ni se notaría. Lo que pasa es que yo a esta autora le perdono casi todo.
Lo único que es desgraciadamente posible es que en la vida, a veces, uno tiene que poner pies en polvorosa, haciendo bomba de humo, para que se le/la valore. No es erotizar la ausencia (no! Eso sería algo muy narcisista) sino simplemente autopreservación y hacerse ver a través del vacío que uno deja.
Por lo demás, ni fu ni fa. La hermanastra Angelique y la tía Lucía no aportan nada. Están de relleno y podían no estar. Ni se notaría. Lo que pasa es que yo a esta autora le perdono casi todo.
December 30, 2017
ALWAYS WORTH READING - ROSEMARY ROGERS
I have not been disappointed yet by Ms. Rogers. Her characters are always interesting and I always have trouble putting down her books. A very good read!
I have not been disappointed yet by Ms. Rogers. Her characters are always interesting and I always have trouble putting down her books. A very good read!
February 21, 2018
The story plays in historical London and Boston. I liked, how the Female main Character, Sapphire, is staying true to herself and is always coming out ahead of situations. It was a nice book and I enjoyed reading it.
July 1, 2018
3.5 stars
After learning that the man she thought was her father was not, a strong willed young woman travels to England to prove that she is daughter of an earl who is dead. The new Earl who is an American does not believe her and mayhem insues.
After learning that the man she thought was her father was not, a strong willed young woman travels to England to prove that she is daughter of an earl who is dead. The new Earl who is an American does not believe her and mayhem insues.
September 22, 2022
This book had everything I like in a historical book:
*Bossy, arrogant, aloof hero or anti-hero
*Dialogue that is easy to follow and not overly flowery.
*Brave, adventurous heroine
*Angst, Angst and more Angst
*Twist and turns in the story
*HEA with all the bells and whistles
*Bossy, arrogant, aloof hero or anti-hero
*Dialogue that is easy to follow and not overly flowery.
*Brave, adventurous heroine
*Angst, Angst and more Angst
*Twist and turns in the story
*HEA with all the bells and whistles
April 21, 2025
Changes to life
A good book well written. Two stubborn people who go to great lengths to make a point. Kidnapped from London to Boston. Make a maid out of her .She disappeared and becomes a boy to get money to go home.keeps you reading don't want to put it down
A good book well written. Two stubborn people who go to great lengths to make a point. Kidnapped from London to Boston. Make a maid out of her .She disappeared and becomes a boy to get money to go home.keeps you reading don't want to put it down
January 23, 2021
I actually liked it
March 22, 2023
Wtf did I read?
There wasn’t really romance just drama and ridiculousness. Blake was wholly unlikeable. The whole thing was a miss.
There wasn’t really romance just drama and ridiculousness. Blake was wholly unlikeable. The whole thing was a miss.
September 26, 2024
bridgerton vibes
October 9, 2024
I thought this book was great, and I definitely plan to read more by this author, but the hero deserved a punch in the face. The heroine deserved better.
no-fcking-ways
March 8, 2025Cheater hero.
September 27, 2025
So romantic
In 2025 I feel like there’s no romance like in the 70s. That’s why this is a good read. Amor.🩷
In 2025 I feel like there’s no romance like in the 70s. That’s why this is a good read. Amor.🩷
December 19, 2012
Sapphire Fabergine is a privileged young lady, raised by her loving parents Armand and Sophie on Martinique. About a year after her mother’s death, Sapphire’s godmother Lucia and her father tell her that her mother had a secret. Armand was not her father; instead, her mother had secretly married an English lord, the Earl of Wessex, but had been kidnapped by his wealthy family and put on a ship for America. Forced into prostitution in New Orleans, she met Lucia, and the two were subsequently saved by Armand when he married Sophie and raised Sapphire as his own. It was Sophie's dying wish that Sapphire travel to London to claim her birthright as the Earl of Wessex's daughter, so the dying Armand packs her off on a ship with her stepsister Angelique, who was an orphan when Sapphire’s parents found her, with Lucia as their guardian.
It doesn't take Sapphire long to learn her father is dead, and in his stead as Lord Wessex is a handsome American, Blake Thixton, who won’t listen to her pleas, believing she’s a fortune hunter. Lucia concocts a ridiculous plan to embarrass Wexton into acknowledging Sapphire by making her and Angelique scandalous. After Sapphire is seen kissing Blake at a party and they are tossed from their hosts’ home, Lucia sets them up to appear to be looking for protectors rather than husbands. Sapphire is tiring of the social whirl when Blake, also bored with London’s charms, packs her unwillingly onto a boat bound for Boston, where he plans to make her his mistress.
This is where the story lost me. From this point forward, Blake behaves like an overbearing jerk with nothing but looks and money to recommend him. Sapphire is a doormat. He locks her up in a ship’s cabin and gives her nothing to wear but boy’s clothes so she can’t be seen in public; when they arrive in Boston, because she won’t do as he says, he provides her with worn maid’s clothes and forces her to work as a servant in his house. Instead of leaving immediately, she sticks around for the abuse and sleeps with Blake whenever he wants her, not finally waking up and leaving until he blatantly sleeps with another woman, practically right in front of her.
She finally embarks on an adventure then, and builds a new life for herself. The moment Blake finds her, he demands to have his way again and threatens to ruin her life if she doesn’t do what he says. Naturally, she goes along with him, sleeps with him, and then makes a quickly aborted attempt to leave. Not once does Blake ever treat her with an ounce of decency or respect, and she’s so happy to be his sex object, she blows off the dying Armand, the man who lovingly raised her and gave her everything. Apparently, when she found out her real father was more important, a Caribbean planter ceased to matter. Meanwhile, her morally bankrupt stepsister and godmother Lucia, candidate for worst chaperone ever, are having their own little romances in London.
This was a good story ruined by a completely unlikeable hero and a sweet but spineless heroine who often seemed fickle. Had Sapphire left Blake immediately upon her arrival in Boston and embarked on the same adventure with more time spent on that than letting Blake use her, and if he had ever been made to suffer and work to get her back, this could have been a wonderful story. As it was, I was left with a bad taste in my mouth and an intense desire to pound the crap out of both the hero and heroine. Rosemary Rogers isn’t writing like she used to, but her books are mostly engaging and readable. Not this one. Rogers has written a lot of books, not all of them good, and this one unfortunately goes near the bottom of the pile. Avoid it.
It doesn't take Sapphire long to learn her father is dead, and in his stead as Lord Wessex is a handsome American, Blake Thixton, who won’t listen to her pleas, believing she’s a fortune hunter. Lucia concocts a ridiculous plan to embarrass Wexton into acknowledging Sapphire by making her and Angelique scandalous. After Sapphire is seen kissing Blake at a party and they are tossed from their hosts’ home, Lucia sets them up to appear to be looking for protectors rather than husbands. Sapphire is tiring of the social whirl when Blake, also bored with London’s charms, packs her unwillingly onto a boat bound for Boston, where he plans to make her his mistress.
This is where the story lost me. From this point forward, Blake behaves like an overbearing jerk with nothing but looks and money to recommend him. Sapphire is a doormat. He locks her up in a ship’s cabin and gives her nothing to wear but boy’s clothes so she can’t be seen in public; when they arrive in Boston, because she won’t do as he says, he provides her with worn maid’s clothes and forces her to work as a servant in his house. Instead of leaving immediately, she sticks around for the abuse and sleeps with Blake whenever he wants her, not finally waking up and leaving until he blatantly sleeps with another woman, practically right in front of her.
She finally embarks on an adventure then, and builds a new life for herself. The moment Blake finds her, he demands to have his way again and threatens to ruin her life if she doesn’t do what he says. Naturally, she goes along with him, sleeps with him, and then makes a quickly aborted attempt to leave. Not once does Blake ever treat her with an ounce of decency or respect, and she’s so happy to be his sex object, she blows off the dying Armand, the man who lovingly raised her and gave her everything. Apparently, when she found out her real father was more important, a Caribbean planter ceased to matter. Meanwhile, her morally bankrupt stepsister and godmother Lucia, candidate for worst chaperone ever, are having their own little romances in London.
This was a good story ruined by a completely unlikeable hero and a sweet but spineless heroine who often seemed fickle. Had Sapphire left Blake immediately upon her arrival in Boston and embarked on the same adventure with more time spent on that than letting Blake use her, and if he had ever been made to suffer and work to get her back, this could have been a wonderful story. As it was, I was left with a bad taste in my mouth and an intense desire to pound the crap out of both the hero and heroine. Rosemary Rogers isn’t writing like she used to, but her books are mostly engaging and readable. Not this one. Rogers has written a lot of books, not all of them good, and this one unfortunately goes near the bottom of the pile. Avoid it.
January 15, 2020
Good book!
December 13, 2022
I really liked this. It's a mild bodice ripper and if I didn't know better I'd have thought it was from thirty-five years ago, and that's meant as a compliment. The time span is about a year, maybe a little more.
Sapphire is living with her father Armand, adopted sister Angelique (a true tramp who's one year older than Sapphire), and her dead mother's friend Lucia in the French West Indies. Sapphire is twenty, with auburn hair and one blue and one green eye. She learns of her true parentage, including her mother Sophie's shady past, so she sets sail for England with Angelique and Lucia to claim what's hers.
Blake is a very successful merchant. He's ten or so years older than her (his age isn't given but Sapphire thinks he's 10-12 years older than herself) with dark hair. He's from Boston, USA, and went to Harvard. Blake had an abusive father and I wanted to know more about him. I don't think his mother was mentioned so I'd have liked more background on his childhood and parents. He has no desire to be in England and wants to settle his dead relative's estate as soon as possible. Enter Sapphire. He thinks she's lying about her parentage and wants nothing to do with her at first. He's arrogant and irritable and won't hear her out. He comes to her rescue in England then ruins it by kidnapping her. She won't give in to his request of her becoming his mistress yet sleeps with him anyway while forced to be his hired help.
I like when Sapphire runs away, disguising herself as a boy, but don't like how she ends up making her living. It's farfetched and uninteresting. Her reunion with Blake during that time is too coincidental so I wish the author had put more thought into how to reunite them.
While not the fasting moving story, I enjoyed it. Like most books, this one is longer than it needed to be. The only thing this book lacked was a villain. There are two other new relationships in the story, Angelique and Henry, Lucia and Jessup, and that's two too many.
This book has an incredibly high amount of typos and missing words.
The author died in California in November 2019.
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August 27, 2011Un romanzo dal ritmo serrato con due protagonisti che si innamorano, litigando... Sapphire, infatti, insiste nel voler essere riconosciuta come figlia legittima di lord Wessex, ma Blake che ha ereditato titolo, debiti e proprietà dallo zio è convinto che sia solo un'avventuriera, anche se si sente attratto da lei... molto simpatici i comprimari, soprattutto la zia Lucia e l'avvocato di Blake... l'unica cosa che mi ha lasciata perplessa è stata la fuga di Sapphire dalla casa di Blake e la sua capacità non solo di travestirsi da uomo senza farsi riconoscere, ma anche di diventare un apprezzato fantino...
August 28, 2016
Well finished the book it was really good. It is a book about finding the truth about self, love, having a connection with someone and hard to admit. It will make wonder what is going to happen next, like the old saying waiting for the next shoe to fall kind of thing. It is worth reading.
November 25, 2016
Disappointing.
February 5, 2016
Okay story.
July 8, 2013
This book was fantastic!! Everything I wanted in a book. Loved it!!
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