What do you think?
Rate this book
Dare to Love
Who dared to love Elena Lopez? Who was willing to risk reputation and wealth to win the Spanish dancer who was the scandal of Europe? Kings, princes, great composers and writers...the famous and wealthy men of the 19th century vied for her affection, fought duels for her. She was the queen of desire and the slave of passion, traveling the world - London, Paris, San Francisco - and taking her love where she found it. Elena Lopez - the tantalizing, beautiful moth dancing out of the shadows, warmed, lured and consumed by the heart's devouring flame.
558 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1978
10 people are currently reading
148 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Wilde
45 books95 followersJennifer Wilde is a pseudonym of T. E. Huff (Thomas Elmer Huff). He also wrote under the names Edwina Marlow and Beatrice Parker.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 30, 2015
Dare to Love...an epic snooze.
I wish I could say otherwise, but there it is. This book disappointed me greatly, & now I'm finding it difficult to summon enough interest to discuss the experience.
...Yup.
There was a plot, I guess. Whatever. It wandered from Point A to Point B to Point Y to to Point F, & none of the stops inspired any interest. It was simply THERE, thrown across the pages in a drab sort of narrative. There were no highs or lows -- it just plodded along without any real oomph. And since the plot didn't hold my attention, I was forced to torment myself by noting descriptions & phrases that appeared on a regular basis. Without further ado, I present Dare To Love: The Greatest Hits.
-male dress: [__color__] breeches/suit + [__color__] waistcoat with [__color__] embroidery + [__color__] silk neckcloth.
-female dress: [__number__] of petticoats + off-the-shoulder sleeves (or) puffed sleeves + low-cut bodice (or) a bodice that "slipped perilously low" during manhandling.
-our heroine's hair: French roll.
-our heroine's makeup: [__color__] eyeshadow, rouge on the cheekbones.
-our heroine's hats: [__color__] plumes over one ear.
-masculine stance: legs apart + hands along his hips/sides.
-masculine arousal: eyes hooded (or) eyes heavy-lidded.
-our heroine's reaction during sex: "shredded" senses at every kiss/climax of peen.
-our heroine's uber-dramatic dancing routines: copy & paste every uber-dramatic dancing routine earlier in the book.
I just don't care, y'all.
:D
I didn't care about the characters, I didn't care about what was happening to them, I didn't care what might happen in future, & I didn't care that I didn't care.
I wish I could say otherwise, but there it is. This book disappointed me greatly, & now I'm finding it difficult to summon enough interest to discuss the experience.
...Yup.
There was a plot, I guess. Whatever. It wandered from Point A to Point B to Point Y to to Point F, & none of the stops inspired any interest. It was simply THERE, thrown across the pages in a drab sort of narrative. There were no highs or lows -- it just plodded along without any real oomph. And since the plot didn't hold my attention, I was forced to torment myself by noting descriptions & phrases that appeared on a regular basis. Without further ado, I present Dare To Love: The Greatest Hits.
-male dress: [__color__] breeches/suit + [__color__] waistcoat with [__color__] embroidery + [__color__] silk neckcloth.
-female dress: [__number__] of petticoats + off-the-shoulder sleeves (or) puffed sleeves + low-cut bodice (or) a bodice that "slipped perilously low" during manhandling.
-our heroine's hair: French roll.
-our heroine's makeup: [__color__] eyeshadow, rouge on the cheekbones.
-our heroine's hats: [__color__] plumes over one ear.
-masculine stance: legs apart + hands along his hips/sides.
-masculine arousal: eyes hooded (or) eyes heavy-lidded.
-our heroine's reaction during sex: "shredded" senses at every kiss/climax of peen.
-our heroine's uber-dramatic dancing routines: copy & paste every uber-dramatic dancing routine earlier in the book.
I just don't care, y'all.
:D
I didn't care about the characters, I didn't care about what was happening to them, I didn't care what might happen in future, & I didn't care that I didn't care.
August 2, 2015
I'm leaving the 4 stars NOT BECAUSE THE BOOK IS GOOD but because my 15 year old self thought so. I loved this Jennifer Wilde book so much that I wrote a book report for my American Lit class including the research I gleaned on Lola Montez--the real life woman on whom the heroine was based. And turned it in. Don't get me wrong, I knew it was tacky writing and over the top story line, but it was the night before it was due and I spent so much time reading bodice rippers that I couldn't get around to the recommended reading list. I didn't expect an A, I just wanted points.
Imagine my surprise when my silver-haired, van dyke-bearded, oh-so-intellectual literature instructor with his pipe and belted-sweater that had leather elbow patches gave me an A, AND pulled me aside to ask me more about the novel. He peppered me with genuine questions about the history, the characters and the plot. I was so flustered and embarrassed because I knew the book was pulp fiction. I told my instructor as much, and Mr. Penn (because he even had an English teacher name) waived all of that aside and asked me for my copy so he could read it over the weekend. A man who could match Hal Holbrook in his Mark Twain impersonation, who could hold all the girls (and probably a few of the boys) rapt with his mad read aloud skills, borrowed a bodice ripper from one of his juniors. I hope that Mr. Penn went on to be an authoress with an equally romantic pseudonym. If Tom E. Huff could do it, I'm sure Mr. Penn would have blown him out of the water.
This last read though? We can sum it up in one word: Sumptuous. I wish I had the energy to go back and do a word count for how many times the word sumptuous appears in the novel. There were sumptuous gowns, sumptuous dinners, sumptuous frames, sumptuous rooms, sumptuous music, sumptuous undergarments, sumptuous cracks in the pavement, sumptuous chamber pots, sumptuous nose picking, sumptuous______ <--fill in blank here.
Clue that Wilde is a man writing as a woman: Elena Lopez fucks her way across the Continent and up the coast of California without ever worrying, wondering, fretting, or falling pregnant.
Lola Montez didn't have children because she died of syphilis at 42. I'm not how Elena got that lucky.
Imagine my surprise when my silver-haired, van dyke-bearded, oh-so-intellectual literature instructor with his pipe and belted-sweater that had leather elbow patches gave me an A, AND pulled me aside to ask me more about the novel. He peppered me with genuine questions about the history, the characters and the plot. I was so flustered and embarrassed because I knew the book was pulp fiction. I told my instructor as much, and Mr. Penn (because he even had an English teacher name) waived all of that aside and asked me for my copy so he could read it over the weekend. A man who could match Hal Holbrook in his Mark Twain impersonation, who could hold all the girls (and probably a few of the boys) rapt with his mad read aloud skills, borrowed a bodice ripper from one of his juniors. I hope that Mr. Penn went on to be an authoress with an equally romantic pseudonym. If Tom E. Huff could do it, I'm sure Mr. Penn would have blown him out of the water.
This last read though? We can sum it up in one word: Sumptuous. I wish I had the energy to go back and do a word count for how many times the word sumptuous appears in the novel. There were sumptuous gowns, sumptuous dinners, sumptuous frames, sumptuous rooms, sumptuous music, sumptuous undergarments, sumptuous cracks in the pavement, sumptuous chamber pots, sumptuous nose picking, sumptuous______ <--fill in blank here.
Clue that Wilde is a man writing as a woman: Elena Lopez fucks her way across the Continent and up the coast of California without ever worrying, wondering, fretting, or falling pregnant.
Lola Montez didn't have children because she died of syphilis at 42. I'm not how Elena got that lucky.
May 25, 2022
Mary Ellen is a girl from Cornwall, deserted by her lover. Elena Lopez is a dancer, glamorous and wild, the mistress of musicians and kings. Dare to Love tells the story of her journey from one to the other.
Jennifer Wilde is the pseudonym of T.E. Huff, who wrote under this name during the 1980s. Though I’ve some Wilde books on my TBR, this is the first I’ve read, and I think the one that was most ripped from history, for Elena is clearly based on Lola Montez, and the novel is littered with historical figures who Lola Montez was associated with.
The story is rather outrageous in how lavish it is – all kings and jewels and revolutions, theatre and intrigues and murders. Elena has all sorts of interesting experiences and meets all sorts of people. I enjoy the writing (when it was not fawning over the clothing, at least!) and thought the scenes involving dancing where especially well done.
However, Brence – Brence! I hated him. What a lily-livered knave, an absolute asshole. He certainly does not deserve to be the person that Elena pines for the whole book, but I did not like him even at his introduction. Is a romance any good if you despise the object of affection? The mere fact of her love for him reflects terribly on Elena’s personality and judgment, though I rather liked her otherwise.
Ultimately a decent read, but really just a book to pass the time.
Jennifer Wilde is the pseudonym of T.E. Huff, who wrote under this name during the 1980s. Though I’ve some Wilde books on my TBR, this is the first I’ve read, and I think the one that was most ripped from history, for Elena is clearly based on Lola Montez, and the novel is littered with historical figures who Lola Montez was associated with.
The story is rather outrageous in how lavish it is – all kings and jewels and revolutions, theatre and intrigues and murders. Elena has all sorts of interesting experiences and meets all sorts of people. I enjoy the writing (when it was not fawning over the clothing, at least!) and thought the scenes involving dancing where especially well done.
However, Brence – Brence! I hated him. What a lily-livered knave, an absolute asshole. He certainly does not deserve to be the person that Elena pines for the whole book, but I did not like him even at his introduction. Is a romance any good if you despise the object of affection? The mere fact of her love for him reflects terribly on Elena’s personality and judgment, though I rather liked her otherwise.
Ultimately a decent read, but really just a book to pass the time.
July 5, 2012
-- I couldn't put it down once I started .you're drawn in from the very beginning
-- perfectly portrayed the times
-- The plot moves quickly, the story is exciting
-- descriptions of the women's clothes and the scenes are a BİT long
-- there is a happy end but the ending isn't 100% satisfying.
-- 1st-person-pov
-- perfectly portrayed the times
-- The plot moves quickly, the story is exciting
-- descriptions of the women's clothes and the scenes are a BİT long
-- there is a happy end but the ending isn't 100% satisfying.
-- 1st-person-pov
March 18, 2021
Simply put, this book was just not very exciting. I loved "Love's Tender Fury" and the formula here is a bit similar, but not nearly as entertaining. I found I didn't care much for the heroine at all.
One thing that I was happy about - this book contained a listing in the back for "This Loving Torment" by Valerie Sherwood and that was actually the book I was thinking of when I picked up a copy of "Love's Tender Fury". So I guess something good came out of it after all, but I'm probably done with Jennifer Wilde.
One thing that I was happy about - this book contained a listing in the back for "This Loving Torment" by Valerie Sherwood and that was actually the book I was thinking of when I picked up a copy of "Love's Tender Fury". So I guess something good came out of it after all, but I'm probably done with Jennifer Wilde.
August 17, 2021
I feel like it would’ve made a more interesting read if it had been in 3rd person and not 1st person. There was a lot in the story of Elena that could’ve been cut in my opinion but the ending was pretty entertaining.
October 2, 2019
No me gustó nada.
March 7, 2020
An author I came across when I was much younger (and really enjoyed), and whom I recently learned was actually a man.
November 26, 2022
I loved it
December 8, 2015
A book that is entwine with rich of history and music! The author has described each scenes on point. After reading this, i had a book hangover.
If you love history, i reccommend you this novel. A masterpiece indeed! :)
If you love history, i reccommend you this novel. A masterpiece indeed! :)
July 10, 2016
Good but drawn out
It was to long and a bit boring for my taste. The attire,makeup,hair and so forth became to much in another word cut to the chase and get on with the story. I do like her other book's like Love's Tender Fury. Just not my style of reading.
It was to long and a bit boring for my taste. The attire,makeup,hair and so forth became to much in another word cut to the chase and get on with the story. I do like her other book's like Love's Tender Fury. Just not my style of reading.
April 4, 2011
The stories by this author are so detailed in the fashion of the times. The adventure and romance combination is a winner
March 6, 2013
I read this back in the 70s during my "bodice ripper" phase.
April 28, 2013
the first novel i ever read, i was 15 perhaps. and just fell inlove with this author (Tom E Huff)
creative story and characters, amazing detailed descriptions
creative story and characters, amazing detailed descriptions
October 17, 2014
ok nothing very exciting
October 16, 2015
i have read this book 15 years ago and gave that book to my friend..it was such a nice and a challenging story of a woman... i want to read it again.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews