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Satan's Angel
FROM WILD CHILD TO WAYWARD BEAUTY-- HER WILL KNEW NO MASTER, HER HEART BUT ONE...
Raised in the wild, the unwanted child of a noblewoman, silver-haired Angel is found by two wayfaring scoundrels who rename her Jackie, train her in the roguish ways of the road, and safeguard her evermore-tempting beauty by disguising her as a boy.
But one night on London's fog-shrouded streets, Jackie chooses the wrong victim to rob--the dashing "Satan" Blade, duke of Avalon, rumored by many to be the devil's own. To avoid jail, Jackie becomes Avalon's partner in court intrigue. Yet her choice of freedom merely enslaves her, for the duke knows her only as a boy, while Jackie comes to love him with a woman's fierce desire...
Raised in the wild, the unwanted child of a noblewoman, silver-haired Angel is found by two wayfaring scoundrels who rename her Jackie, train her in the roguish ways of the road, and safeguard her evermore-tempting beauty by disguising her as a boy.
But one night on London's fog-shrouded streets, Jackie chooses the wrong victim to rob--the dashing "Satan" Blade, duke of Avalon, rumored by many to be the devil's own. To avoid jail, Jackie becomes Avalon's partner in court intrigue. Yet her choice of freedom merely enslaves her, for the duke knows her only as a boy, while Jackie comes to love him with a woman's fierce desire...
345 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 1981
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100 people want to read
About the author
Kathryn Atwood
6 books1 followeraka Les Simons, Anne Mayfield, Kathleen Maxwell, Kathryn Ptacek, Kathryn Grant
Kathryn Anne Ptacek was born on 12 September 1952 in Omaha, Nebraska, USA, but was raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She received her B. A. in Journalism, with a minor in history, from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, where she was graduated with distinction in 1974. While attending the university, she was a student of award-winning mystery writer Tony Hillerman and well-known YA writer Lois Duncan. Afterward, she worked briefly for a political party best left unnamed, was a telephone solicitor for the New Mexico Assn. of Retarded People, and spent two years as an advertising lay-out artist for a regional grocery warehouse co-op, and then worked for the University of New Mexico first as a secretary in the Dept. of Speech and Hearing, then for the University's Computing Center as their only technical writer and editor.
After the sale of her first novel, an historical romance, in July 1979, she quit to become a full-time novelist. As Les Simons, Kathryn Atwood, Anne Mayfield, Kathleen Maxwell, Kathryn Ptacek, and Kathryn Grant, she has written an historical fantasy series, numerous historical romances, and five horror novels. Her dark fantasy have won the Silver Medal and Gold Medal awards given by the West Coast Review of Books. She has also edited three anthologies, the critically acclaimed Women of Darkness and its companion Women of Darkness II (both Tor), and Women of the West (Doubleday). Editions of her books have appeared in England, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Germany. Her short stories have appeared in Greystone Bay, Doom City (Greystone Bay II), Fantasy Tales, the Post Mortem anthology, Pulphouse 5, The Horror Show, Freak Show (HWA anthology), A Confederacy of Horrors, Into The Fog, The Ultimate Witch, and Phobias. She is a member of Horror Writers Association, Mystery Writers of America, the International Women Writers Guild, and the Police Writers Club. She also prepares a market report for Hellnotes, is the editor of the Horror Writers Association's monthly newsletter, and publishes a market newsletter, The Gila Queen's Guide to Markets, which goes to writers and artists around the world.
On 1982, she married to dark fantasy novelist Charles L. Grant, who died in 2006. She shares a 116-year-old Victorian clapboard house with five cats in Newton, New Jersey. Her hobbies include gardening, jewelry making, and various needlework. She also has a large collection of gila monster memorabilia, and collects unusual teapots and cat whiskers.
Kathryn Anne Ptacek was born on 12 September 1952 in Omaha, Nebraska, USA, but was raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She received her B. A. in Journalism, with a minor in history, from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, where she was graduated with distinction in 1974. While attending the university, she was a student of award-winning mystery writer Tony Hillerman and well-known YA writer Lois Duncan. Afterward, she worked briefly for a political party best left unnamed, was a telephone solicitor for the New Mexico Assn. of Retarded People, and spent two years as an advertising lay-out artist for a regional grocery warehouse co-op, and then worked for the University of New Mexico first as a secretary in the Dept. of Speech and Hearing, then for the University's Computing Center as their only technical writer and editor.
After the sale of her first novel, an historical romance, in July 1979, she quit to become a full-time novelist. As Les Simons, Kathryn Atwood, Anne Mayfield, Kathleen Maxwell, Kathryn Ptacek, and Kathryn Grant, she has written an historical fantasy series, numerous historical romances, and five horror novels. Her dark fantasy have won the Silver Medal and Gold Medal awards given by the West Coast Review of Books. She has also edited three anthologies, the critically acclaimed Women of Darkness and its companion Women of Darkness II (both Tor), and Women of the West (Doubleday). Editions of her books have appeared in England, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Germany. Her short stories have appeared in Greystone Bay, Doom City (Greystone Bay II), Fantasy Tales, the Post Mortem anthology, Pulphouse 5, The Horror Show, Freak Show (HWA anthology), A Confederacy of Horrors, Into The Fog, The Ultimate Witch, and Phobias. She is a member of Horror Writers Association, Mystery Writers of America, the International Women Writers Guild, and the Police Writers Club. She also prepares a market report for Hellnotes, is the editor of the Horror Writers Association's monthly newsletter, and publishes a market newsletter, The Gila Queen's Guide to Markets, which goes to writers and artists around the world.
On 1982, she married to dark fantasy novelist Charles L. Grant, who died in 2006. She shares a 116-year-old Victorian clapboard house with five cats in Newton, New Jersey. Her hobbies include gardening, jewelry making, and various needlework. She also has a large collection of gila monster memorabilia, and collects unusual teapots and cat whiskers.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 11, 2022
Don't let the cover fool you, more of a adventure type story, very little romance.
October 14, 2011
Warning spoilers:
This certainly opens with high drama to say the least.
We have the impetuous Jack O'Connell, thief, gambler, soldier of fortune, found in bed with an amoral French aristocrat, Victoree, by her vicious father, the Comte de Saint Martin. The enraged papa takes a whip to Jack and he is chased from the premises. He is rescued by his friend Father Liam, a drunken Irish Priest. Papa has good reason to be disenchanted with his 16 year old daughter, who we learn has already had two abortions. When she falls pregnant, he decides he cannot risk her having another abortion as he has plans for her to make a political marriage and insists the baby be born only to be killed. Victoree is not a young lady who seems to have a better nature and upon giving birth is demanding that the mad witch to whom they are giving the baby over, confirms her death within the hour.
In fact Ulrica plans to keep the baby as she is a devil worshipper and has dreamt that the child is Lucifer's daughter. She convinces the family that she has killed the child and eaten the remains ( as you do?)
in any event Angel spends her first 7 years under the tender care of the mad Ulrica, being taught that she is the devils child.
Father Liam happens to be riding by the swamp one day and comes across Angel and seeing her circumstances with Ulrica, he knocks the witch out and carries the child away to meet up with Jack, if only he could remember where..
He gets to Paris and Jack, who fails to recognise Angel as his off spring. They decide that they will keep her but dress her as a boy for safety, and call her Jackie after her 'father'. The first third of the book is spent detailing their adventures through her adulthood and the fact that they con, trick and thieve their way through much of France and Spain and Europe. On one occasion at versailles, Jackie is spotted by the evil Victoree but she gets away in time. that night Jack finally beds the wrong married woman and is fatally wounded.
Liam and Jackie go on further travels and eventually come to England.
They get caught whilst trying to rob the Duke of Avalon, known as Satan, and he threatens them with the watch unless they deliver a letter to Prince William of Orange at the Hague. They encounter the Lord Churchill on their way and Jackie becomes an Aide to Prince William as she and Liam assist in the Glorious Revolution.
They come to court in England and there continues to be tension between Jackie and Avalon. Emma Chruchill discovers her sex and arranges for her to come to Court as a distant cousin Jasmine Jennings. Avalon falls for Jasmine but fails to propose in time before Jackie has to resume her role as a boy, and this makes her even more put out with him.
The villain of the piece is the bisexual Michael Random, Earl of Malvern who is also an aide to Prince William. It turns out that Victoree is back on the scene in London acting as a spy of Louis xiv and remains unrepentantly conscienceless. She and Random are having an affair. Victoree spots Jasmine/Jackie and realises that they are the same person and likely to be her illegitimate child. Victoree makes up some bizarre story about Jackie blackmailing her and asks Random to dispose of him for her.
At the same time Random also fancies Jackie, who had managed to avoid him for some time. He gets her drunk and overpowers her and rapes her, discovering her secret. he then goes back to Victoree to blackmail her and she offers him money and position if he will help her kill Prince William on orders from the Sun KIng. (uncertain as to why he would think this a good idea or good outcome from the blackmail)
Avalon sees jackie stumble away after the rape but does not help her. Jackie is distraught at events and is withdrawn for over a month but then decides that she must get on with her life..
an initial attempt on William's life fails, and the plotters decide to blackmail Jackie and then dispose of her. They kidnap Liam and torture him in front of Jackie, threatening his life if she will not kill the King. She goes to court in the company of Random. One of the side characters Simon Martin, spots that something is wrong and discovers the plot. He sends a message to Avanlon , which gets garbled in translation and Avalon believes that Jackie is also a conspirator. When Simon confronts Random, he is stabbed and then Random, saying if thats what she wants, he will treat her like a man, attacks Jackie either raping/sodomising her (its not clear).
Avalon interrupts and thinks they have killed Simon and stopped to shag - and is pretty appalled ( he's not the most perceptive man about town!) .
He knocks Jackie down and then fights Random. Jackie realises she loves Avalon no matter what he thinks of her and stabs Random, killing him. There is a final denouement in the Kings chamber as the evil Victoree makes a last attempt to kill the King and Jackie is shot whilst saving his life.
The king brings everyone together and everything comes out. Avalon proposes and they all live hea...
Well this was rollicking good fun.
It reminded me a bit of one of the Georgette Heyer books (the Masqueraders & these Old Shades ) but camped up with a really nasty villianness, devil worship, rampant bi sexuality and dodgy sex , all be it there was none of this between the h & h. The hero was a distant character throughout the novel and this was very much Jackie's book but nonetheless it worked well.
This certainly opens with high drama to say the least.
We have the impetuous Jack O'Connell, thief, gambler, soldier of fortune, found in bed with an amoral French aristocrat, Victoree, by her vicious father, the Comte de Saint Martin. The enraged papa takes a whip to Jack and he is chased from the premises. He is rescued by his friend Father Liam, a drunken Irish Priest. Papa has good reason to be disenchanted with his 16 year old daughter, who we learn has already had two abortions. When she falls pregnant, he decides he cannot risk her having another abortion as he has plans for her to make a political marriage and insists the baby be born only to be killed. Victoree is not a young lady who seems to have a better nature and upon giving birth is demanding that the mad witch to whom they are giving the baby over, confirms her death within the hour.
In fact Ulrica plans to keep the baby as she is a devil worshipper and has dreamt that the child is Lucifer's daughter. She convinces the family that she has killed the child and eaten the remains ( as you do?)
in any event Angel spends her first 7 years under the tender care of the mad Ulrica, being taught that she is the devils child.
Father Liam happens to be riding by the swamp one day and comes across Angel and seeing her circumstances with Ulrica, he knocks the witch out and carries the child away to meet up with Jack, if only he could remember where..
He gets to Paris and Jack, who fails to recognise Angel as his off spring. They decide that they will keep her but dress her as a boy for safety, and call her Jackie after her 'father'. The first third of the book is spent detailing their adventures through her adulthood and the fact that they con, trick and thieve their way through much of France and Spain and Europe. On one occasion at versailles, Jackie is spotted by the evil Victoree but she gets away in time. that night Jack finally beds the wrong married woman and is fatally wounded.
Liam and Jackie go on further travels and eventually come to England.
They get caught whilst trying to rob the Duke of Avalon, known as Satan, and he threatens them with the watch unless they deliver a letter to Prince William of Orange at the Hague. They encounter the Lord Churchill on their way and Jackie becomes an Aide to Prince William as she and Liam assist in the Glorious Revolution.
They come to court in England and there continues to be tension between Jackie and Avalon. Emma Chruchill discovers her sex and arranges for her to come to Court as a distant cousin Jasmine Jennings. Avalon falls for Jasmine but fails to propose in time before Jackie has to resume her role as a boy, and this makes her even more put out with him.
The villain of the piece is the bisexual Michael Random, Earl of Malvern who is also an aide to Prince William. It turns out that Victoree is back on the scene in London acting as a spy of Louis xiv and remains unrepentantly conscienceless. She and Random are having an affair. Victoree spots Jasmine/Jackie and realises that they are the same person and likely to be her illegitimate child. Victoree makes up some bizarre story about Jackie blackmailing her and asks Random to dispose of him for her.
At the same time Random also fancies Jackie, who had managed to avoid him for some time. He gets her drunk and overpowers her and rapes her, discovering her secret. he then goes back to Victoree to blackmail her and she offers him money and position if he will help her kill Prince William on orders from the Sun KIng. (uncertain as to why he would think this a good idea or good outcome from the blackmail)
Avalon sees jackie stumble away after the rape but does not help her. Jackie is distraught at events and is withdrawn for over a month but then decides that she must get on with her life..
an initial attempt on William's life fails, and the plotters decide to blackmail Jackie and then dispose of her. They kidnap Liam and torture him in front of Jackie, threatening his life if she will not kill the King. She goes to court in the company of Random. One of the side characters Simon Martin, spots that something is wrong and discovers the plot. He sends a message to Avanlon , which gets garbled in translation and Avalon believes that Jackie is also a conspirator. When Simon confronts Random, he is stabbed and then Random, saying if thats what she wants, he will treat her like a man, attacks Jackie either raping/sodomising her (its not clear).
Avalon interrupts and thinks they have killed Simon and stopped to shag - and is pretty appalled ( he's not the most perceptive man about town!) .
He knocks Jackie down and then fights Random. Jackie realises she loves Avalon no matter what he thinks of her and stabs Random, killing him. There is a final denouement in the Kings chamber as the evil Victoree makes a last attempt to kill the King and Jackie is shot whilst saving his life.
The king brings everyone together and everything comes out. Avalon proposes and they all live hea...
Well this was rollicking good fun.
It reminded me a bit of one of the Georgette Heyer books (the Masqueraders & these Old Shades ) but camped up with a really nasty villianness, devil worship, rampant bi sexuality and dodgy sex , all be it there was none of this between the h & h. The hero was a distant character throughout the novel and this was very much Jackie's book but nonetheless it worked well.
November 21, 2018
This was an odd book to review. There wasn't much romance between the two characters; I don't even think they ever kissed. She was raped twice by the antagonist. It begins with her mother and father having a tryst, then proceeds to tell the story of Angel's pitiful life.... from living in secrecy with the old witch who was supposed to kill her; to meeting her father and his friend, a priest; completely by chance and embarking on a life of crime.... an interesting tale; but definitely not very romantic. I did enjoy the book because it was gritty and more realistic than most "romance" novels.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 9, 2024
I really enjoyed reading this book. Although it had little romance, as the cover would suggest, and contained rape, the plot was amazing. I thought the plot was very creative and I loved Jackie. I loved that she was a smart and independent woman and that’s what the book was mostly about. There was little to no romance in this book which I didn’t mind because I was so awestruck by the twits and turns. I felt great comfort when I finished the book because it ended in a happy ending with everyone safe and Jackie and Avalon together which is whatever I GUESS considering that they talked maybe 50 times and most of those times, they said insults to each other…? Highly recommend, not as a romance book, but as an adventure book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to read
September 21, 2013Library sale find, picked it up because it looked a good naughty bodice ripper. Upon reading the reviews, I see it's not, but I might give it a try still one of these days.
January 8, 2018
Oh man was this boring and tedious! It was a struggle to finish it. I don’t know how this can be considered a romance. There was none. At all.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews