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Luce d'Apollo
Theola farebbe di tutto per lasciare l'Inghilterra, ma la fuga si sta rivelando più torbida e pericolosa della prigione da cui è scappata.
Per tutta la sua vita non è stata altro che una Cenerentola tirata a lucido, la povera cuginetta al servizio della bella ed elegante Lady Catherine Bourne. Ora Lady Catherine ha lasciato l'Inghilterra per sposare il re di Kavonia, dall'altra parte dell'Adriatico: Theola è stata incaricata di accompagnarla in quanto sua servitrice, un'opportunità in cui intravede finalmente una via di uscita dalla sua sfortunata situazione.
Ma quando la nave attracca nel porto di Kavonia, i sogni e le speranze di Theola svaniscono nel giro di un attimo: il piccolo regno un tempo pacifico è adesso sotto assedio, e il re è stato rovesciato dal suo stesso popolo. Prima di avere anche solo il tempo di disfare le valigie di Lady Catherine, Theola si ritrova prigioniera in un palazzo vuoto, custodito dall'uomo scaltro e affascinante che ha guidato la rivoluzione, l'ardente conquistatore di Kavonia.
Per tutta la sua vita non è stata altro che una Cenerentola tirata a lucido, la povera cuginetta al servizio della bella ed elegante Lady Catherine Bourne. Ora Lady Catherine ha lasciato l'Inghilterra per sposare il re di Kavonia, dall'altra parte dell'Adriatico: Theola è stata incaricata di accompagnarla in quanto sua servitrice, un'opportunità in cui intravede finalmente una via di uscita dalla sua sfortunata situazione.
Ma quando la nave attracca nel porto di Kavonia, i sogni e le speranze di Theola svaniscono nel giro di un attimo: il piccolo regno un tempo pacifico è adesso sotto assedio, e il re è stato rovesciato dal suo stesso popolo. Prima di avere anche solo il tempo di disfare le valigie di Lady Catherine, Theola si ritrova prigioniera in un palazzo vuoto, custodito dall'uomo scaltro e affascinante che ha guidato la rivoluzione, l'ardente conquistatore di Kavonia.
152 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 28, 2021
6 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Cartland
1,592 books834 followersBorn in 1901, Barbara Cartland started her writing career in journalism and completed her first book, Jigsaw, when she was just 24. An immediate success, it was the start of her journey to becoming the world’s most famous and most read romantic novelist of all time. Inspiring a whole generation of readers around the globe with her exciting tales of adventure, love and intrigue, she became synonymous with the Romance genre. And she still is to this day, having written over 644 romantic fiction books.
As well as romantic novels, she wrote historical biographies, 6 autobiographies, plays, music, poetry and several advice books on life, love, health and cookery – totalling an incredible 723 books in all, with over 1 billion in sales.
Awarded the DBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 in honour of her literary, political and social contributions, she was President of the Hertfordshire branch of the Royal College of Midwives as well as a Dame of Grace of the Order of St John of Jerusalem and Deputy President of the St John Ambulance Brigade.
Always a passionate advocate of woman’s health and beauty, she was dubbed ‘the true Queen of Romance’ by Vogue magazine in her lifetime. Her legend continues today through her wonderfully vivid romantic tales, stories that help you escape from the day to day into the dramatic adventures of strong, beautiful women who battle, often against the odds, eventually to find that love conquers all.
Find out more about the incredible life and works of Dame Barbara Cartland at www.barbaracartland.com
As well as romantic novels, she wrote historical biographies, 6 autobiographies, plays, music, poetry and several advice books on life, love, health and cookery – totalling an incredible 723 books in all, with over 1 billion in sales.
Awarded the DBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 in honour of her literary, political and social contributions, she was President of the Hertfordshire branch of the Royal College of Midwives as well as a Dame of Grace of the Order of St John of Jerusalem and Deputy President of the St John Ambulance Brigade.
Always a passionate advocate of woman’s health and beauty, she was dubbed ‘the true Queen of Romance’ by Vogue magazine in her lifetime. Her legend continues today through her wonderfully vivid romantic tales, stories that help you escape from the day to day into the dramatic adventures of strong, beautiful women who battle, often against the odds, eventually to find that love conquers all.
Find out more about the incredible life and works of Dame Barbara Cartland at www.barbaracartland.com
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 2, 2022
Es ist nicht unbedingt logisch, kitschig und fliegt nur so durch eine Story, die eigentlich interessant sein könnte.
Ich habe mich trotzdem bestens amüsiert.
Ich habe mich trotzdem bestens amüsiert.
March 9, 2014
I had a bunch of Barbara Carolan novels on my shelves from days of old, and decided I need to read and pass on because they have been there forever. they are sweet, innocent love stories. Full on romance and very darling. I enjoy them in the tub or just before bed--when I want to relax completely and NOT get to wrapped up in a story to sleep.
October 29, 2023
The poor abused heroine is quite the cinderella. Her uncle, the Duke and his family are constantly abusing her because of their perceived misalliance of her mother, the Duke’s sister who ran away with a tutor. 😱 As the uncle puts it, its like she married a servant, ergo now, he will never allow the orphaned heroine to marry and pass the “bad blood” 😳
Well anyway, the Duke’s daughter is set to marry the King of some (fictional) balkan country. Unfortunately, none of the other aristocratic families want to send their daughters to be ladies in waiting. So the Duke has no choice, and commands his niece to go with her cousin and attend to her. She will practically be a slave for life.
The situation of the heroine mirrors the circumstances in the country they are traveling to. The king is actually an Austrian Noble who was chosen as king several years ago. Just like the heroine, the people of the country have been abused and taken advantage of. All the officials appointed are Austrian and none of the local people even have positions in government.
There is a coup d’ etat and the Duke and his daughter flee but leave the heroine. The Hero finds her alone in the palace. To protect her, he suggests that they get married. Also, it fulfills a certain local legend where a princess from a distant land, will come and bring peace to their country.
The heroine is of course, totally sympathetic to the plight of the locals and agrees with the Hero. She even acts as an inspiration to the troops.
Long story short, of course the Hero and heroine fall in love, she is the perfect wife for the hereditary ruler of that Kingdom, and everybody already loves her since she fulfilled the prophecy 😁
❤️❤️❤️
Well anyway, the Duke’s daughter is set to marry the King of some (fictional) balkan country. Unfortunately, none of the other aristocratic families want to send their daughters to be ladies in waiting. So the Duke has no choice, and commands his niece to go with her cousin and attend to her. She will practically be a slave for life.
The situation of the heroine mirrors the circumstances in the country they are traveling to. The king is actually an Austrian Noble who was chosen as king several years ago. Just like the heroine, the people of the country have been abused and taken advantage of. All the officials appointed are Austrian and none of the local people even have positions in government.
There is a coup d’ etat and the Duke and his daughter flee but leave the heroine. The Hero finds her alone in the palace. To protect her, he suggests that they get married. Also, it fulfills a certain local legend where a princess from a distant land, will come and bring peace to their country.
The heroine is of course, totally sympathetic to the plight of the locals and agrees with the Hero. She even acts as an inspiration to the troops.
Long story short, of course the Hero and heroine fall in love, she is the perfect wife for the hereditary ruler of that Kingdom, and everybody already loves her since she fulfilled the prophecy 😁
❤️❤️❤️
November 14, 2025
3.5
"Mentre scivolava nel sonno le tornarono alla mente le parole della leggenda.
“La ninfa avrebbe salvato la luce dalle tenebre.”
Se lei era la ninfa, Alexius Vasilas era la luce della Kavonia, che lei aveva salvato dalle tenebre della morte."
Altra storia della Cartland piena di miti greci, pensieri eterei...e un colpo di stato coi fiocchi XD Come spesso avviene nei suoi romanzi, il tenebroso eroe di turno di accorge della nostra bellissima ma dimessa eroina solo quando si rende utile alla causa, aiutandolo nella sua ricerca della giustizia (prima era invisibile, anzi quasi un nemico diciamolo XD).
"Mentre scivolava nel sonno le tornarono alla mente le parole della leggenda.
“La ninfa avrebbe salvato la luce dalle tenebre.”
Se lei era la ninfa, Alexius Vasilas era la luce della Kavonia, che lei aveva salvato dalle tenebre della morte."
Altra storia della Cartland piena di miti greci, pensieri eterei...e un colpo di stato coi fiocchi XD Come spesso avviene nei suoi romanzi, il tenebroso eroe di turno di accorge della nostra bellissima ma dimessa eroina solo quando si rende utile alla causa, aiutandolo nella sua ricerca della giustizia (prima era invisibile, anzi quasi un nemico diciamolo XD).
June 22, 2011
I remember it being nice
October 28, 2012
As usual
March 24, 2022
Caruccio considerando quando è stato pubblicato.
July 4, 2012
a sweet love story.
July 23, 2025
I had no idea what to expect and I made sure going into this book to expect it to be a book of its time. But I was surprised how invested in the story I became about a third of the way through.
Does that say something about the book or myself? Who knows? I will read another Cartland romance, that’s for sure. What fun.
Does that say something about the book or myself? Who knows? I will read another Cartland romance, that’s for sure. What fun.
January 21, 2018
entretenida historia, aunque me hubiera gustado que tuviera mas desarrollo el final.
May 11, 2022
Una storia dolce, romantica e innocente dove il bene si contrappone al male uscendone ovviamente vincitore.
Una lettura molto gradevole e rilassante.
Una lettura molto gradevole e rilassante.
June 29, 2024
I know this author isn't to everyone's taste but for before sleep is good. No nightmares from reading her. I like her.
April 21, 2025
One of my favourite romances by Dame Barbara, also my most expensive one, worth every cent - a sweet, romantic story :)
September 28, 2024
Cliché, but cute! I really enjoyed this lecture! Feels like something easy to turn into a movie 🤭 And the hopeless romantic side of me would die to watch it!
March 13, 2023
Theola would have done anything to get out of England, but escape was proving more confining, more dangerous than her former prison.
She had always been nothing more than a glorified Cinderella - a poor little cousin who waited hand-and-foot on the elegant young Lady Catherine Bourne.
But now Lady Catherine had left England and was sailing through the Adriatic on her way to marry the king of Kavonia. And Theola was sailing with her! She was free at last!
But when the ship docked in the Kavonian harbor, Theola's new-found freedom vanished as quickly as the morning mist. The peaceful little kingdom was under seige, its imperious monarch overthrown by his own people.
And before she had time to unpack Lady Catherine's bags, Theola found herself in an empty palace guarded by the fiery, handsome man who had led the revolution - the passionate and unpredictable conqueror of Kavonia
She had always been nothing more than a glorified Cinderella - a poor little cousin who waited hand-and-foot on the elegant young Lady Catherine Bourne.
But now Lady Catherine had left England and was sailing through the Adriatic on her way to marry the king of Kavonia. And Theola was sailing with her! She was free at last!
But when the ship docked in the Kavonian harbor, Theola's new-found freedom vanished as quickly as the morning mist. The peaceful little kingdom was under seige, its imperious monarch overthrown by his own people.
And before she had time to unpack Lady Catherine's bags, Theola found herself in an empty palace guarded by the fiery, handsome man who had led the revolution - the passionate and unpredictable conqueror of Kavonia
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews