What do you think?
Rate this book
Tender Passions
NO MAN'S WOMAN
At nineteen, Katherine Rafferty was ravishing, alluring, and ripe for marriage. But as countless men professed their love, the spirited beauty tossed her lustrous hair and flashed her violet eyes in fierce rejection. Since no man she met in England stirred the inferno of passion that raged beneath her alabaster skin, she set sail for the New World.
ONE MAN'S WOMAN
When lean and virile Marco Radford pirated the Good Hope, the most precious treasure he saw was the voluptuous girl. Swept away by a maelstrom of lust, he knew he alone could force the glow of love to Katherine's flesh and urge the cry of ecstasy to her voice. For Marco saw no sweet, innocent girl, but a woman born to love, a goddess created for ONE MAN'S DESIRE.
At nineteen, Katherine Rafferty was ravishing, alluring, and ripe for marriage. But as countless men professed their love, the spirited beauty tossed her lustrous hair and flashed her violet eyes in fierce rejection. Since no man she met in England stirred the inferno of passion that raged beneath her alabaster skin, she set sail for the New World.
ONE MAN'S WOMAN
When lean and virile Marco Radford pirated the Good Hope, the most precious treasure he saw was the voluptuous girl. Swept away by a maelstrom of lust, he knew he alone could force the glow of love to Katherine's flesh and urge the cry of ecstasy to her voice. For Marco saw no sweet, innocent girl, but a woman born to love, a goddess created for ONE MAN'S DESIRE.
- GenresHistorical Romance
398 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1982
26 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 17, 2017
This review is of “Tender Passions” by Kathleen Drymon.
The Story: “Tender Passions” begins with an introduction to the heroine of the book, Katherine Rafferty. Katherine, 18, lives in London with her father, Lord John Vern Rafferty, her evil stepmother, Joann, and Joann’s equally spiteful niece, Rachel Profane. As the book begins, Katherine learns she is being forced to marry a man, Bradly Deveraux, the "hero" of the book. To make matters worse, she’s never seen her betrothed, and, he lives in America.
Katherine is sent to America to meet Bradly, with Rachel as her unwilling, and unpleasant, companion. On the trip to America, their ship is waylaid by pirate Marco Radford, who has bad blood with Bradly. Katherine eventually marries Bradly, but neither are overly happy at the beginning.
However, Katherine and Bradly eventually fall in love and soon become expectant parents. Katherine later gives birth to a son, Charles.
Life takes a turn for the worst for the Deverauxs when Marco-assisted by Rachel, who is obsessed with him-kidnaps Katherine and Charles and takes them to Jean Lafitte’s infamous island hideaway, Grand Terre. Bradly tracks them to the island, kills Marco, and Bradly and Katherine add to their family and have their Happily Ever After.
Upside: Katherine is a lovely heroine, both physically and as a character.
Downside: Of the main characters in the book, only Marco is really fleshed out. Neither Bradly nor Katherine is a fully developed character. Ms. Drymon’s writing sits heavily on the surface, never really allowing me, as a reader, to truly get to know or feel good about the characters the way I wished to. Bradly rapes Katherine, which was a big turn-off for me. Ms. Drymon never really explains why Marco and Bradly are at odds with each other.
Sex: As mentioned, the first sex scene in the book is Bradly raping Katherine. This isn’t repeated, as the other encounters between them are consensual, but once is enough to leave me with a bad taste.
Violence: Rachel is also a rape victim, by Marco and his crew. Bradly and Marco have a sword fight, which ends in Bradly killing Marco, who, while dying, kills Rachel by accident.
Bottom Line: I really wanted to like “Tender Passions”, but the rape scenes and lack of character development override the positive of a wonderful heroine.
The Story: “Tender Passions” begins with an introduction to the heroine of the book, Katherine Rafferty. Katherine, 18, lives in London with her father, Lord John Vern Rafferty, her evil stepmother, Joann, and Joann’s equally spiteful niece, Rachel Profane. As the book begins, Katherine learns she is being forced to marry a man, Bradly Deveraux, the "hero" of the book. To make matters worse, she’s never seen her betrothed, and, he lives in America.
Katherine is sent to America to meet Bradly, with Rachel as her unwilling, and unpleasant, companion. On the trip to America, their ship is waylaid by pirate Marco Radford, who has bad blood with Bradly. Katherine eventually marries Bradly, but neither are overly happy at the beginning.
However, Katherine and Bradly eventually fall in love and soon become expectant parents. Katherine later gives birth to a son, Charles.
Life takes a turn for the worst for the Deverauxs when Marco-assisted by Rachel, who is obsessed with him-kidnaps Katherine and Charles and takes them to Jean Lafitte’s infamous island hideaway, Grand Terre. Bradly tracks them to the island, kills Marco, and Bradly and Katherine add to their family and have their Happily Ever After.
Upside: Katherine is a lovely heroine, both physically and as a character.
Downside: Of the main characters in the book, only Marco is really fleshed out. Neither Bradly nor Katherine is a fully developed character. Ms. Drymon’s writing sits heavily on the surface, never really allowing me, as a reader, to truly get to know or feel good about the characters the way I wished to. Bradly rapes Katherine, which was a big turn-off for me. Ms. Drymon never really explains why Marco and Bradly are at odds with each other.
Sex: As mentioned, the first sex scene in the book is Bradly raping Katherine. This isn’t repeated, as the other encounters between them are consensual, but once is enough to leave me with a bad taste.
Violence: Rachel is also a rape victim, by Marco and his crew. Bradly and Marco have a sword fight, which ends in Bradly killing Marco, who, while dying, kills Rachel by accident.
Bottom Line: I really wanted to like “Tender Passions”, but the rape scenes and lack of character development override the positive of a wonderful heroine.
January 6, 2026
This was a satisfying, one-time read overall, though the blurb is quite misleading. The male character highlighted in the blurb is not the hero but actually the villain—an obsessed pirate who kidnaps the heroine. He is genuinely evil and also the enemy of the real hero, which initially made me think this would be a pirate captive romance, but that’s only partially true. The heroine is a plantation owner.
The heroine herself is good and likable. The actual hero is described as having a bad temper, but when it comes to the heroine, he is completely smitten and treats her kindly. He is loyal, devoted, and ultimately goes to great lengths to rescue her when she is kidnapped by the evil pirate.
The first half of the book focuses heavily on the hero and heroine’s marriage—how they fall in love, enjoy their honeymoon phase, and build a life together. This part also includes the birth of their baby boy, which adds a domestic and emotional depth to the story.
Overall, despite the misleading blurb, it’s an enjoyable read and worth picking up if you’re in the mood for a straightforward, engaging romance with a clear good-versus-evil dynamic.
The heroine herself is good and likable. The actual hero is described as having a bad temper, but when it comes to the heroine, he is completely smitten and treats her kindly. He is loyal, devoted, and ultimately goes to great lengths to rescue her when she is kidnapped by the evil pirate.
The first half of the book focuses heavily on the hero and heroine’s marriage—how they fall in love, enjoy their honeymoon phase, and build a life together. This part also includes the birth of their baby boy, which adds a domestic and emotional depth to the story.
Overall, despite the misleading blurb, it’s an enjoyable read and worth picking up if you’re in the mood for a straightforward, engaging romance with a clear good-versus-evil dynamic.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews