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American Dream #1
Moon Dreams
Alyson Hampton was a scorned love child... until a vast legacy made her the fabulously wealthy Lady Hampton, pursued by the most rapacious fortune hunters in the realm. This exquisite innocent was in desperate need of rescue—and it came from a startling source.
Handsome and bold Lord Rory Maclean was an adventurer whom the world called a rogue and worse. It was on his sleek smuggler's ship that she fled and England of danger... and in his arms found a paradise of passion on a voyage to a new world of love...
Handsome and bold Lord Rory Maclean was an adventurer whom the world called a rogue and worse. It was on his sleek smuggler's ship that she fled and England of danger... and in his arms found a paradise of passion on a voyage to a new world of love...
411 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 18, 1991
About the author
Patricia Rice
162 books515 followersWith several million books in print and New York Times and USA Today's bestseller lists under her belt, former CPA Patricia Rice writes emotionally-charged contemporary and historical romances which have won numerous awards, including the RT Book Reviews Reviewers Choice and Career Achievement Awards.
Her books have also been honored as Romance Writers of America RITA® finalists in the historical, regency and contemporary categories.
A firm believer in happily-ever-after for good reason, Patricia Rice is married to her high school sweetheart and has two children. A native of Kentucky and New York, a past resident of North Carolina and Missouri, she currently resides in Southern California, and now does accounting only for herself.
She also writes under the pen name Jamie Quaid
Her books have also been honored as Romance Writers of America RITA® finalists in the historical, regency and contemporary categories.
A firm believer in happily-ever-after for good reason, Patricia Rice is married to her high school sweetheart and has two children. A native of Kentucky and New York, a past resident of North Carolina and Missouri, she currently resides in Southern California, and now does accounting only for herself.
She also writes under the pen name Jamie Quaid
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 26, 2015
“But I’m the heir! The money should be mine, not some half-witted bastard female’s.”
Alyson Hampton was raised by her grandfather in isolation on his Cornwall estate, and believed by all to be illegitimate (her father's dead, but there's more to the story I can't divulge). Upon her grandfather's passing, she's pretty much alone in the world, but in for a shock - the estate is entailed and goes to a distant cousin, but all that money goes to Alyson. Now the man who wouldn't marry her, but was willing to make her his mistress, wants to marry the rich heiress. The cousin who thought he'd inherited the money (which he desperately needs to pay off his gambling debts), only has the big old house in the middle of nowhere Cornwall and he's hot to marry the rich heiress.
What's a girl to do? Why...
Enter Rory, Laird Maclean, notorious rebel and privateer.
"Beneath the coarse wool of his decrepit coat, his stained leather jerkin and threadbare homespun shirt stank from hard use and no washing."
Probably not what you were expecting, but Rory cleans up pretty good and is one very dishy hero with just about the right mix of sexy charm, angst and hot temper. Alyson was just about right as a heroine, spunky without going overboard into foot-stomping territory. I love her simple nature, that fooled a lot of people into thinking she was a simpleton (Rory was too smart for that). I won't spoil, but events take our pair from London to Charleston, to the tropics (Bermuda I think it was) and then to Scotland for a big show down with the evil baddie who stole Rory's rightful inheritance.
"“If the moon is what leads a man to madness, I’ll be certain to lead all my suitors down the garden path in its light. Then they shall be as mad as they think I am, and I can choose the one who kisses me best.”
I really enjoyed this, just a nice blend of angsty hero, heroine in constant peril, pirates and privateers and a return from just in the nick of time. Rory and Alyson do have a lot of sexual chemistry, and there might be more sex than some readers care for, but I thought it well done and not eye-rolling silly. There is a sequel, and from the blurb it appears to be based on a character in this book, a character who was a bit of a villain at the first, only to get white-washed at the end, probably so he was 'good' enough to be a hero in the next book. I didn't buy into his change in attitude, and don't plan to read the sequel.
Kindle copy obtained via library loan.
Alyson Hampton was raised by her grandfather in isolation on his Cornwall estate, and believed by all to be illegitimate (her father's dead, but there's more to the story I can't divulge). Upon her grandfather's passing, she's pretty much alone in the world, but in for a shock - the estate is entailed and goes to a distant cousin, but all that money goes to Alyson. Now the man who wouldn't marry her, but was willing to make her his mistress, wants to marry the rich heiress. The cousin who thought he'd inherited the money (which he desperately needs to pay off his gambling debts), only has the big old house in the middle of nowhere Cornwall and he's hot to marry the rich heiress.
What's a girl to do? Why...
Enter Rory, Laird Maclean, notorious rebel and privateer.
"Beneath the coarse wool of his decrepit coat, his stained leather jerkin and threadbare homespun shirt stank from hard use and no washing."
Probably not what you were expecting, but Rory cleans up pretty good and is one very dishy hero with just about the right mix of sexy charm, angst and hot temper. Alyson was just about right as a heroine, spunky without going overboard into foot-stomping territory. I love her simple nature, that fooled a lot of people into thinking she was a simpleton (Rory was too smart for that). I won't spoil, but events take our pair from London to Charleston, to the tropics (Bermuda I think it was) and then to Scotland for a big show down with the evil baddie who stole Rory's rightful inheritance.
"“If the moon is what leads a man to madness, I’ll be certain to lead all my suitors down the garden path in its light. Then they shall be as mad as they think I am, and I can choose the one who kisses me best.”
I really enjoyed this, just a nice blend of angsty hero, heroine in constant peril, pirates and privateers and a return from just in the nick of time. Rory and Alyson do have a lot of sexual chemistry, and there might be more sex than some readers care for, but I thought it well done and not eye-rolling silly. There is a sequel, and from the blurb it appears to be based on a character in this book, a character who was a bit of a villain at the first, only to get white-washed at the end, probably so he was 'good' enough to be a hero in the next book. I didn't buy into his change in attitude, and don't plan to read the sequel.
Kindle copy obtained via library loan.
August 21, 2016
The heroine runs away. A lot. Like twice every chapter.
Full-snark TBR Challenge review:
https://instalove.wordpress.com/2016/08/17/old-school-patricia-rice/
Full-snark TBR Challenge review:
https://instalove.wordpress.com/2016/08/17/old-school-patricia-rice/
March 22, 2024
I wasn't sure whether I liked this or not-- I'm glad Rice became more clear in description about how her lead female character process the world and deals with people. The clarity came from the lead male character and I'm grateful she gave those two that connection otherwise the plots twists were getting a bit redundant and questionable.
October 16, 2023
WOW!
That was a page turner, stay up late to finish book! Read for yourself, I went thru so many emotions that this book brought out. I gladly give it 5 stars.
That was a page turner, stay up late to finish book! Read for yourself, I went thru so many emotions that this book brought out. I gladly give it 5 stars.
June 18, 2026
This book sets up the American Dream series though all the settings and characters are in England.
January 1, 2016
The writing in the book in exceptional and the characters have depth. The problem I had with the story is that it was really slow in the first half of the book. Normally Patricia's books have a faster pace and so this caught be me by surprise. In addition, I'm not a huge fan of the whole "privateer" time period - mainly because there was so much unrest and a lot of the laws in place did not make sense for the people. If you can get past those two points, the book is enjoyable; you just need to be willing to stick through some of the twists and turns that happen.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews