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The Demon Lover
When Kate Collison, to help her ailing father, completes his portrait of the powerful Baron de Centeville, her only thought is to be a dutiful daughter. But when the Baron presents her to Parisian society as the painter, Kate finds herself basking in the recognition . . . until she discovers that the Baron has plans for her — shocking plans that will change her life unless she can fight the Baron with his own weapons . . .
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First published January 1, 1982
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About the author
Victoria Holt
371 books1,375 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Eleanor Alice Burford, Mrs. George Percival Hibbert was a British author of about 200 historical novels, most of them under the pen name Jean Plaidy which had sold 14 million copies by the time of her death. She chose to use various names because of the differences in subject matter between her books; the best-known, apart from Plaidy, are Victoria Holt (56 million) and Philippa Carr (3 million). Lesser known were the novels Hibbert published under her maiden name Eleanor Burford, or the pseudonyms of Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow and Ellalice Tate. Many of her readers under one penname never suspected her other identities.
-Wikipedia
Eleanor Alice Burford, Mrs. George Percival Hibbert was a British author of about 200 historical novels, most of them under the pen name Jean Plaidy which had sold 14 million copies by the time of her death. She chose to use various names because of the differences in subject matter between her books; the best-known, apart from Plaidy, are Victoria Holt (56 million) and Philippa Carr (3 million). Lesser known were the novels Hibbert published under her maiden name Eleanor Burford, or the pseudonyms of Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow and Ellalice Tate. Many of her readers under one penname never suspected her other identities.
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 178 reviews
December 3, 2024
-"It's not exactly a handsome face, is it? Not exactly a kind face. There's cruelty in it... and all those unpleasant characteristics which alas you have discovered."
-"It's a portrait of you, Baron, not of Prince Charming."
-"As this is to go to my fiancee, I think I shall call it 'The Demon Lover.' Do you think that appropriate?"
-"Perhaps," I said as coolly as I could. "But you would know best about that."
The Demon Lover, by Victoria Holt.
Victoria Holt's The Demon Lover is a true bodice-ripper. The anti-hero is a French aristocrat who identifies with his Viking ancestors and their habit of descending upon Normandy in the Middle-Ages to rape, pillage, and plunder at will. Ensconced in his Norman fortress like the King of his own kingdom, even though it is the late 19th century and the state of the French monarchy is wobbly at best, he decides, upon meeting our English heroine, a young, talented, and ambitious, miniature painter, that he will have her, at any cost.
Painting of Pontefract Castle, a structure built in the Norman style in the eleventh century, much like Centeville, the Baron's estate.
If you enjoyed unrepentant, arrogant, powerful, promiscuous, oppressive, charismatic, gothic monsters like the ones in Christine Monson's Stormfire, Teresa Denys'The Silver Devil, or Marilyn Harris' This Other Eden, you will find that Holt's Baron is of the same ilk, if not worse.
Edgar Degas, The Rape (1868-69)
He is not a static character though, and neither is she. I thought the way Holt turned the tables from one end of the book to the other in our perception of the loathsome Rollo and the, at-first-glance, victimized Kate, was very compelling. Kate is not a doormat, weak, martyr, Victorian heroine. She is made of granite. She despises weakness, the people who she calls "lame ducks." This is why she is fascinated by the Baron's strength, even as she hates him for it. Her hatred is always tinged with admiration. She could never fall for an “nice guy.” Nor is she interested in finding a mate. Kate is single-minded in her pursuit of a career as a famous artist.
All the talk about the miniature painting history, techniques, and the family legacy of being heir to a long line of reknown artists was fascinating to me. The miniature painting she makes of the Baron, the miniature of her own ancestor who is part of the Baron's collection, the Baron's own thwarted desire and love for art (he is passionate about it, has incredible taste and instinct, and he has encyclopedic knowledge of it but he lacks the talent that seems to be Kate's divine gift), and the tragedy of her father's blindness that put an end to his career, were all a poignant part of the narrative.
Miniature portrait of the 19th century
I also enjoyed the description of the siege of Paris in 1870 by the Prussian Army.
A bombed out Champs Elysees shortly before the Prussians triumphantly marched into the capital.
I had attempted a couple of Victoria Holt books in the past and disliked them but I am so happy that I did not give up on her because this book was excellent, one of those unputdownable stories that you gobble up in one sitting.
-"It's a portrait of you, Baron, not of Prince Charming."
-"As this is to go to my fiancee, I think I shall call it 'The Demon Lover.' Do you think that appropriate?"
-"Perhaps," I said as coolly as I could. "But you would know best about that."
The Demon Lover, by Victoria Holt.
Victoria Holt's The Demon Lover is a true bodice-ripper. The anti-hero is a French aristocrat who identifies with his Viking ancestors and their habit of descending upon Normandy in the Middle-Ages to rape, pillage, and plunder at will. Ensconced in his Norman fortress like the King of his own kingdom, even though it is the late 19th century and the state of the French monarchy is wobbly at best, he decides, upon meeting our English heroine, a young, talented, and ambitious, miniature painter, that he will have her, at any cost.
Painting of Pontefract Castle, a structure built in the Norman style in the eleventh century, much like Centeville, the Baron's estate.
If you enjoyed unrepentant, arrogant, powerful, promiscuous, oppressive, charismatic, gothic monsters like the ones in Christine Monson's Stormfire, Teresa Denys'The Silver Devil, or Marilyn Harris' This Other Eden, you will find that Holt's Baron is of the same ilk, if not worse.
Edgar Degas, The Rape (1868-69)
He is not a static character though, and neither is she. I thought the way Holt turned the tables from one end of the book to the other in our perception of the loathsome Rollo and the, at-first-glance, victimized Kate, was very compelling. Kate is not a doormat, weak, martyr, Victorian heroine. She is made of granite. She despises weakness, the people who she calls "lame ducks." This is why she is fascinated by the Baron's strength, even as she hates him for it. Her hatred is always tinged with admiration. She could never fall for an “nice guy.” Nor is she interested in finding a mate. Kate is single-minded in her pursuit of a career as a famous artist.
All the talk about the miniature painting history, techniques, and the family legacy of being heir to a long line of reknown artists was fascinating to me. The miniature painting she makes of the Baron, the miniature of her own ancestor who is part of the Baron's collection, the Baron's own thwarted desire and love for art (he is passionate about it, has incredible taste and instinct, and he has encyclopedic knowledge of it but he lacks the talent that seems to be Kate's divine gift), and the tragedy of her father's blindness that put an end to his career, were all a poignant part of the narrative.
Miniature portrait of the 19th century
I also enjoyed the description of the siege of Paris in 1870 by the Prussian Army.
A bombed out Champs Elysees shortly before the Prussians triumphantly marched into the capital.
I had attempted a couple of Victoria Holt books in the past and disliked them but I am so happy that I did not give up on her because this book was excellent, one of those unputdownable stories that you gobble up in one sitting.
December 17, 2012
Victoria Holt (aka the amazing Eleanor Alice Burford) mostly wrote gothic mysteries. Her books usually have an intrepid heroine, a mysterious murder, and dark lover. The heroine falls in love and solves the murder, usually in that order.
This book is a little different though. Holt strays from her usual gothic formula into bodice ripper territory here, which made me do a happy dance. You should have seen me while I was reading the first half. I was grinning from ear to ear. Other Holt fans weren't so happy though. Yet what’s funny is, all those one star reviews is what attracted me to the book in the first place. :)
The story is simple. A young artist goes with her father to paint a wealthy, powerful and arrogant French-Norman Baron. He’s rather attracted to her, but she dislikes him. But later when her father goes home and she’s working on another commission, he abducts her and does dastardly things to her.
I don’t want to give too much away. But I will say the build-up and execution of the first two thirds of this book were so well done, I was riveted. And I believed the characters. I understood their actions.
Kate Collison is a great heroine. She’s a proper Victorian miss, polite and feminine (which I think gets a bad rap nowadays) but she also has a driving desire to be a successful artist and see the world like her father has. I loved the close relationship between Kate and her father. There is so much love and tenderness between them. I completely understand Kate’s outrage at what has happened to her and understand her loathing for the Baron.
The Baron is a villain. He’s totally ruthless and uses people like pawns to get what he wants. (I liked him a lot…sad I know. LOLOL) I think he’s one of Holt’s darkest heros. Toward the middle of the book, he redeems himself, but never completely. That’s probably what has other reviewers so upset. He doesn’t completely change. But then I think Holt was aware of human nature enough to know that he could never change completely. He may be on his best behavior for Kate, but there will always be a part of him that is a ruthless bastard. Even Kate knows that. She understands him. But unlike some bodice rippers I've read, I believe these two will be happy with each other. It’s not a perfect, happy ending with a bow on top, but a flawed, messy, happy ending, which always seems more realistic to me.
So yes, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I almost knocked a star because in the last third of the book, the Baron pesters Kate over and over into becoming his lover and she keeps telling him she’s going back to England (which we know she doesn’t want to do.) I could handle one conversation like this, but there were several. It got tiresome. I started thinking of the Baron (whom I liked in the beginning) as a big pest and Kate as annoyingly coy. Holt changed my mind though with a surprise ending that pulled the rug out from under my feet. Consequently, I ended up not removing the star. I would give this book **** ½ if I could.
Anyhoo, I think you would enjoy this book if you like well written bodice rippers. But if you hoping for Victoria Holt’s usual gothic storyline, you may be disappointed.
This book is a little different though. Holt strays from her usual gothic formula into bodice ripper territory here, which made me do a happy dance. You should have seen me while I was reading the first half. I was grinning from ear to ear. Other Holt fans weren't so happy though. Yet what’s funny is, all those one star reviews is what attracted me to the book in the first place. :)
The story is simple. A young artist goes with her father to paint a wealthy, powerful and arrogant French-Norman Baron. He’s rather attracted to her, but she dislikes him. But later when her father goes home and she’s working on another commission, he abducts her and does dastardly things to her.
I don’t want to give too much away. But I will say the build-up and execution of the first two thirds of this book were so well done, I was riveted. And I believed the characters. I understood their actions.
Kate Collison is a great heroine. She’s a proper Victorian miss, polite and feminine (which I think gets a bad rap nowadays) but she also has a driving desire to be a successful artist and see the world like her father has. I loved the close relationship between Kate and her father. There is so much love and tenderness between them. I completely understand Kate’s outrage at what has happened to her and understand her loathing for the Baron.
The Baron is a villain. He’s totally ruthless and uses people like pawns to get what he wants. (I liked him a lot…sad I know. LOLOL) I think he’s one of Holt’s darkest heros. Toward the middle of the book, he redeems himself, but never completely. That’s probably what has other reviewers so upset. He doesn’t completely change. But then I think Holt was aware of human nature enough to know that he could never change completely. He may be on his best behavior for Kate, but there will always be a part of him that is a ruthless bastard. Even Kate knows that. She understands him. But unlike some bodice rippers I've read, I believe these two will be happy with each other. It’s not a perfect, happy ending with a bow on top, but a flawed, messy, happy ending, which always seems more realistic to me.
So yes, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I almost knocked a star because in the last third of the book, the Baron pesters Kate over and over into becoming his lover and she keeps telling him she’s going back to England (which we know she doesn’t want to do.) I could handle one conversation like this, but there were several. It got tiresome. I started thinking of the Baron (whom I liked in the beginning) as a big pest and Kate as annoyingly coy. Holt changed my mind though with a surprise ending that pulled the rug out from under my feet. Consequently, I ended up not removing the star. I would give this book **** ½ if I could.
Anyhoo, I think you would enjoy this book if you like well written bodice rippers. But if you hoping for Victoria Holt’s usual gothic storyline, you may be disappointed.
December 27, 2018
I probably should have read this back when I was a teenage girl.
January 7, 2014
Eta: I had to go from 3 to 4 stars because I've found myself rereading parts of this and it has really made an impression. Still full of rage inducing wtf'ery and not exactly romance.
The writing was good/engaging and I liked the heroine, but I never really bought that the Baron wanted her / loved her. I was really torn on the rating, because it did keep me reading and I loved the heroine.
*****************************spoilers*********************************
Kate was engaged to the Baron's cousin, but the Baron had wanted the cousin to marry his ex-mistress instead. When the cousin tells the Baron he doesn't want his castoff, that's when he decides to abduct and rape Kate - that way his naughty, defiant cousin will not be defying him after all, as Kate will then be one of his castoffs as well.
After he holds her captive for 3 days in his castle and rapes/forcibly seduces her repeatedly, he just lets her go. No goodbye, no f* you very much, nada! He not only lets her go, but he demands that his cousin go ahead and marry her as well. Apparently, he doesn't care if another man has her. I prefer my bodice ripper H's to be far more possessive than that.
Unfortunately for the Baron, the rape drives a wedge between Kate and his cousin and they never marry, so his petty revenge fails.
Of course, Kate turns up pregnant and she's terrified about what to do with morals/times being as they are. Unbeknownst to her, the Baron sends his ex-mistress to befriend her and take her into her home in Paris (which he owns and pays all the bills for).
So, granted, he does take care of her, but I wasn't impressed. I think it was sort of a code of honor with these men to make a good settlement on an ex-mistress (which is what he considered her) and pay for the upkeep of their bastards when they are done with their mothers. He was basically doing the same thing for Nicole(the ex-mistress he sent to befriend Kate).
IMHO, if he'd truly given a crap, he wouldn't have disappeared for 5 years. Granted, if he had stayed away because of guilt and a desire to do what was best for the h, I'd have been able to deal with that. The sort of thing where he pines away for her and sneaks around trying to catch a glimpse of her now and then, but I have no indication he did that. And guilt was not in this man's vocabulary, so he does not stay away to spare her his presence.
Nope, dude just secretly paid all the bills and then out of the blue decides to appear 5 yrs later for reasons I am yet to understand. He first befriends the little boy when he goes to the park with his nanny and never even sees Kate until she happens to come to the park one day herself. Then he's all, "I think about you all the time, my life is miserable, I hate my wife.... blah, blah, blah. Our time together was so wonderful. I want you and my son."
Kate is terrified, but tells him in her own polite English way to go f himself and makes sure the boy only goes to the park when the Baron won't be around. Again, he doesn't come after her. No OTT stalker behavior and again, I refuse to believe it was for honorable reasons.
Soon after, the Franco-Prussian war comes along and Paris is about to be placed under siege. The Baron comes to Paris to take Kate, Nicole, his son, and the nanny back to his rural castle - a place that the very idea of traumatizes Kate. She refuses and he just shrugs (literally) and leaves. This guy is not above abduction and this time there's an actual reason for it (Nicole ends up dying in the siege after Kate refuses to leave) but this time he just shrugs.
He does turn up a few weeks later to take them out of Paris and is more forceful about it, so that gave him a point or two, I suppose.
The thing is, I never bought his undying love for her due to the 5 FRICKING YEAR thing. I think he was more interested in the boy (since the one he had with his wife was not actually his). He does claim that Kate is the most important to him and that even without the child he'd want her and he loves her more than anything, but again I wasn't impressed. He expects her become his mistress and he will legitimize the child. Kate refuses. But they do end up together in the end when the wife dies. Unfortunately we don't get to see them actually together, which was something I needed to believe in their HEA.
The writing was good/engaging and I liked the heroine, but I never really bought that the Baron wanted her / loved her. I was really torn on the rating, because it did keep me reading and I loved the heroine.
*****************************spoilers*********************************
Kate was engaged to the Baron's cousin, but the Baron had wanted the cousin to marry his ex-mistress instead. When the cousin tells the Baron he doesn't want his castoff, that's when he decides to abduct and rape Kate - that way his naughty, defiant cousin will not be defying him after all, as Kate will then be one of his castoffs as well.
After he holds her captive for 3 days in his castle and rapes/forcibly seduces her repeatedly, he just lets her go. No goodbye, no f* you very much, nada! He not only lets her go, but he demands that his cousin go ahead and marry her as well. Apparently, he doesn't care if another man has her. I prefer my bodice ripper H's to be far more possessive than that.
Unfortunately for the Baron, the rape drives a wedge between Kate and his cousin and they never marry, so his petty revenge fails.
Of course, Kate turns up pregnant and she's terrified about what to do with morals/times being as they are. Unbeknownst to her, the Baron sends his ex-mistress to befriend her and take her into her home in Paris (which he owns and pays all the bills for).
So, granted, he does take care of her, but I wasn't impressed. I think it was sort of a code of honor with these men to make a good settlement on an ex-mistress (which is what he considered her) and pay for the upkeep of their bastards when they are done with their mothers. He was basically doing the same thing for Nicole(the ex-mistress he sent to befriend Kate).
IMHO, if he'd truly given a crap, he wouldn't have disappeared for 5 years. Granted, if he had stayed away because of guilt and a desire to do what was best for the h, I'd have been able to deal with that. The sort of thing where he pines away for her and sneaks around trying to catch a glimpse of her now and then, but I have no indication he did that. And guilt was not in this man's vocabulary, so he does not stay away to spare her his presence.
Nope, dude just secretly paid all the bills and then out of the blue decides to appear 5 yrs later for reasons I am yet to understand. He first befriends the little boy when he goes to the park with his nanny and never even sees Kate until she happens to come to the park one day herself. Then he's all, "I think about you all the time, my life is miserable, I hate my wife.... blah, blah, blah. Our time together was so wonderful. I want you and my son."
Kate is terrified, but tells him in her own polite English way to go f himself and makes sure the boy only goes to the park when the Baron won't be around. Again, he doesn't come after her. No OTT stalker behavior and again, I refuse to believe it was for honorable reasons.
Soon after, the Franco-Prussian war comes along and Paris is about to be placed under siege. The Baron comes to Paris to take Kate, Nicole, his son, and the nanny back to his rural castle - a place that the very idea of traumatizes Kate. She refuses and he just shrugs (literally) and leaves. This guy is not above abduction and this time there's an actual reason for it (Nicole ends up dying in the siege after Kate refuses to leave) but this time he just shrugs.
He does turn up a few weeks later to take them out of Paris and is more forceful about it, so that gave him a point or two, I suppose.
The thing is, I never bought his undying love for her due to the 5 FRICKING YEAR thing. I think he was more interested in the boy (since the one he had with his wife was not actually his). He does claim that Kate is the most important to him and that even without the child he'd want her and he loves her more than anything, but again I wasn't impressed. He expects her become his mistress and he will legitimize the child. Kate refuses. But they do end up together in the end when the wife dies. Unfortunately we don't get to see them actually together, which was something I needed to believe in their HEA.
February 3, 2022
This is a perfect example of wasted chance.
The book has so much potential but the result is very disappointing. It has some angst and it needed revenge and redemption but it all went wasted.
The heroine is a young artist that paints miniature and she goes to France with her father to paint the miniatures of the hero and his fiancee. She falls in love with his cousin and when he proposes, she accepts.
The hero disagree, not because he's jealous of the heroine and wants her for himself, but because he wants his cousin to marry his discarted mistress.
The hero's discarted mistress... yes, it is so gross.
The cousin refuses and tells him he will never marry one of his discarted mistresses.
Meanwhile the heroine is painting the hero's fiancee, a teenager who's very unhappy and doesn't want to marry the man. She's been chosen because of her bloodline (she's a princess).
The girl has also an affair with another man.
The hero asks the heroine to show him the miniature of his fiancee, but when the heroine gets to his house she's drugged and raped for three night by the hero.
He wants revenge on his cousin, who told him he would never marry one of his discarted mistress, but neither the heroine or the cousin are willing to get married anymore.
The heroine is traumatized and decides to become an artist. The hero's discarted mistress helps her and hosts her in a beautiful house in Paris.
The heroine is pregnant, the hero married his fiancee.
5 years later turns up again like a bad penny, he wants to know his son and tries to win the heroine back.
Of course she hates him and asks him never to come back, but Paris is burning and he's back to save them and take them to his castle.
Ex-mistress is killed during a bombing, the hero is hurt to save his son.
The heroine goes with him to his castle and we find out that the princess his wife had a son who is not the hero's son but her lover's and she can't have any more children.
The heroine is happy, so I am.
The hero, now that he knows he has a strong and fine son and the heroine is very fertile, tries to divorce his wife but she's not willing and the heroine wants to go back to England with her son.
Of course, as it always happens in these situations, the princess dies and the hero is free to marry the heroine.
Oh, and there's a mistery part that I don't want to talk about because it was really unnecessary.
The plot, as it is, should be the basis for a very very good book. There's a lot of angst when the heroine is kidnapped and raped, but there should be more.
The first person narrative lacks emotions and is not able to convey any depth to the characters' feelings.
The hero sould be an interesting character but he results a childish and shallow man, whose feelings lacks of any depth and steadiness.
The prose is very poor.
There are many dialogues but it's all very mechanical and superficial.
The hero should be a character who grows and changes because he suffered and understood the hurt he inflicted on the heroine and because he was deceived by his wife.
There's nothing of this. He is a one-dimensional character, he admits he made mistakes but the writers fails to convey his feelings and emotions.
Dialogues are not enough. There should have been other descriptions of his behaviour that are not there. For instance: when the hero says I love you there's not a description of his body language: his expression, the tone of his voice, his moves: nothing. Whe the hero says things like that, that are different from the things he said before he raped the heroine, we must have some proof that he really is a changed man, otherwise it could be all a ruse, a shallow declaration of a man who - again- wants something without any care for other people's feelings and does everything in his power to get it (as in this case, his son and a fertile wife).
-He didn't love the heroine and he didn't really regrets his awful treatment of her.
-He basically raped her, impregnated her and married another woman.
-He paid his ex mistress to take care of the heroine but he never got in touch with her.
-Why did he wait 5 years to get in touch with them? Very probably because his cheating wife could not produce children any more, so she became useless.
-And the heroine, who was traumatized by the rape, fell in love with her rapist??
No, this is never believable, especially when he raped her because he wanted to get a revenge on his cousin.
-The revenge itself is not believable.
The cousin is a younger and poorer man who refuses to marry a woman who was for years the hero's mistress. I don't find an adequate reason for the hero to act as he did: he could have starved his cousin, since it was him who provided financially for the cousin and all his family.
I love revenge plot, but the reason for revenge must be a believable one, even a traumatic one, this one seems to be a spite of a 6 yo child.
-I didn't like the ex-mistress part, it was tacky.
-And I didn't like that he married another woman after seducing (raping) the heroine. It was very very tacky. The hero deserved to suffer more. I don't think he suffered, he was only disappointed that things didn't go as he planned. At least this is what I understood and the writer is not able to give other meaning to his behaviour.
So, very very good material but wasted in a poor narrative who lacks the necessary focus on both characters' feelings and their development.
I appreciated the angst but it was not enough.
The book has so much potential but the result is very disappointing. It has some angst and it needed revenge and redemption but it all went wasted.
The heroine is a young artist that paints miniature and she goes to France with her father to paint the miniatures of the hero and his fiancee. She falls in love with his cousin and when he proposes, she accepts.
The hero disagree, not because he's jealous of the heroine and wants her for himself, but because he wants his cousin to marry his discarted mistress.
The hero's discarted mistress... yes, it is so gross.
The cousin refuses and tells him he will never marry one of his discarted mistresses.
Meanwhile the heroine is painting the hero's fiancee, a teenager who's very unhappy and doesn't want to marry the man. She's been chosen because of her bloodline (she's a princess).
The girl has also an affair with another man.
The hero asks the heroine to show him the miniature of his fiancee, but when the heroine gets to his house she's drugged and raped for three night by the hero.
He wants revenge on his cousin, who told him he would never marry one of his discarted mistress, but neither the heroine or the cousin are willing to get married anymore.
The heroine is traumatized and decides to become an artist. The hero's discarted mistress helps her and hosts her in a beautiful house in Paris.
The heroine is pregnant, the hero married his fiancee.
5 years later turns up again like a bad penny, he wants to know his son and tries to win the heroine back.
Of course she hates him and asks him never to come back, but Paris is burning and he's back to save them and take them to his castle.
Ex-mistress is killed during a bombing, the hero is hurt to save his son.
The heroine goes with him to his castle and we find out that the princess his wife had a son who is not the hero's son but her lover's and she can't have any more children.
The heroine is happy, so I am.
The hero, now that he knows he has a strong and fine son and the heroine is very fertile, tries to divorce his wife but she's not willing and the heroine wants to go back to England with her son.
Of course, as it always happens in these situations, the princess dies and the hero is free to marry the heroine.
Oh, and there's a mistery part that I don't want to talk about because it was really unnecessary.
The plot, as it is, should be the basis for a very very good book. There's a lot of angst when the heroine is kidnapped and raped, but there should be more.
The first person narrative lacks emotions and is not able to convey any depth to the characters' feelings.
The hero sould be an interesting character but he results a childish and shallow man, whose feelings lacks of any depth and steadiness.
The prose is very poor.
There are many dialogues but it's all very mechanical and superficial.
The hero should be a character who grows and changes because he suffered and understood the hurt he inflicted on the heroine and because he was deceived by his wife.
There's nothing of this. He is a one-dimensional character, he admits he made mistakes but the writers fails to convey his feelings and emotions.
Dialogues are not enough. There should have been other descriptions of his behaviour that are not there. For instance: when the hero says I love you there's not a description of his body language: his expression, the tone of his voice, his moves: nothing. Whe the hero says things like that, that are different from the things he said before he raped the heroine, we must have some proof that he really is a changed man, otherwise it could be all a ruse, a shallow declaration of a man who - again- wants something without any care for other people's feelings and does everything in his power to get it (as in this case, his son and a fertile wife).
-He didn't love the heroine and he didn't really regrets his awful treatment of her.
-He basically raped her, impregnated her and married another woman.
-He paid his ex mistress to take care of the heroine but he never got in touch with her.
-Why did he wait 5 years to get in touch with them? Very probably because his cheating wife could not produce children any more, so she became useless.
-And the heroine, who was traumatized by the rape, fell in love with her rapist??
No, this is never believable, especially when he raped her because he wanted to get a revenge on his cousin.
-The revenge itself is not believable.
The cousin is a younger and poorer man who refuses to marry a woman who was for years the hero's mistress. I don't find an adequate reason for the hero to act as he did: he could have starved his cousin, since it was him who provided financially for the cousin and all his family.
I love revenge plot, but the reason for revenge must be a believable one, even a traumatic one, this one seems to be a spite of a 6 yo child.
-I didn't like the ex-mistress part, it was tacky.
-And I didn't like that he married another woman after seducing (raping) the heroine. It was very very tacky. The hero deserved to suffer more. I don't think he suffered, he was only disappointed that things didn't go as he planned. At least this is what I understood and the writer is not able to give other meaning to his behaviour.
So, very very good material but wasted in a poor narrative who lacks the necessary focus on both characters' feelings and their development.
I appreciated the angst but it was not enough.
January 13, 2013
4.5 rounded up
Victoria Holt absolutely owns me these days and this book is a clincher. This one steps out of her usual mode and takes the path of the bodice ripper. Hell, this guy just did away with the bodice altogether and made her stay naked for three days. But I’m getting ahead of myself…
This is a story about a talented artist who clandestinely fills in for her father who is losing his eyesight. They travel together to do a painting of the Baron, pretending it’s her father doing the work when it’s actually her. They go down this route because, as you know, vaginas negated all talent in those days. They think they have the Baron hoodwinked but he’s no fool. But he thinks the heroine is a nice package so he lets her and her father get away with it and even helps launch her career. A real progressive kind of guy, wouldn’t you say. *cough* Sure.
The H is an egomaniac baron who is getting ready to marry a princess. However, he has this mistress problem and is trying to pawn her off on a cousin, but the h ruins the Baron’s plans by being so delectable that the cousin wants to marry her instead. The cousin dooms himself and the h, though, by defiantly stating that he would never marry a mistress of the Baron. Um um um.
To teach cuz a lesson, the Baron drugs and kidnaps the h and locks her in a tower where he proceeds to rape her, complete with fighting and scratching, repeatedly for three days (though much later, she reminisces fondly. Uh, right). VH is usually such a beat-around-the-bush kind of girl. I totally wasn’t expecting her to bust out with WTFery like that. Very surprising to say the least. Unlike so many stories, there were no last minute saves, no changing his mind about who to marry, no prettying it up, whatsoever (though he was lovey dovey with the heroine...as he assaulted her). When he drags the cousin in for the showdown, the Baron’s all gleeful when he tells him that the h fought him like a tiger (or some animal/action like that) and to enjoy his leavings. What a nice guy.
Of course, the h decides she could never marry the cousin now and goes off to live her life. Just when you think that she might be able to recover and move on we find out she’s pregnant. But it’s all good and she gets help and has a success of it.
Five years go by before the Baron makes a reappearance in the story. There’s a bunch of other stuff, mixed in before and after: mistress friends, father stuff, wars, and then they end up back at the castle...where his wife and other son live. You know there’ll be trouble.
There’s a bunch of stuff that goes on at the castle with the wife and sons, mixed in with a ton of ambivalence on the h’s part, though she luvs him, while the H continues to pressure the h to ignore that wife person upstairs and be his lady love.
The ending totally wiped the rug out from under me. I have purposely not talked about anything that could give it away, because it’s just too much fun to be floored like that to ruin it.
I definitely recommend this but recognize that there's a lot in this one that would turn some people off. I have to admit that I love this book probably for reasons that a lot of people hate it. It doesn’t sugar coat anything or make nice. It didn’t try to fix everything and make it fit into a little feel-good box. The hero is ruthless and had little time for anything but his own desires and those he loves. Many people we care about get the shaft and we never get to see how it turns out. Or maybe we know in our hearts and are in denial (if you read it, you’ll know who I mean.) If you need everything tied up in a neat little PC bow, then this one will sorely disappoint. If you like stories that depict people realistically in their baser element, then you’ll probably like this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2017
This is tough one for me to rate or describe. First, it did not feel like Victoria Holt to me - can't quite put my finger on why. The tone was a bit different and it just didn't pull me in at first. A lot of telling instead of showing to begin with. And then I was shocked by the major incident in the first third of the book primarily because I assumed all her books were squeaky clean for the most part. Although explicit details were left out it was thematically explicit. I was so upset by what happened I almost threw this book aside. And there were little details here and there to imply that the heroine almost enjoyed what happened to her - just a tiny doubt here and there. I found that repulsive. I persevered though. As the story progressed it became more interesting. Holt does weave a good story incorporating, art, war, mysterious deaths all cloaked in rich atmosphere. As usual, the characters come to life and evolve. I really enjoy her use of dialogue. She reveals so much through the voices of the characters. (better than the beginning) I am not sure I bought the heroine's change of attitude toward her oppressor but the details of the story support it I suppose. But overall well done.
June 11, 2017
One of the best examples of that rare breed -- the elusive, enticing, & utterly flamboyant Gothic Bodice Ripper, an unholy hybrid of two badass bygone genres. Read at your own risk, because it pulls no punches. >:)
(N.B.: It's also one of Holt's best novels, regardless.)
(N.B.: It's also one of Holt's best novels, regardless.)
April 7, 2016
Gripping Story of a Tumultuous Love, a Bodice-Ripper set in England and France in the late 1800s
Set mostly in France in the late Victorian period, this tells the story of Kate Collison, of the famous (fictional) Collison family of brilliant painters of miniatures, each artist signing the portraits “KC.” In each generation, the next son had taken up the art to astound patrons in England and in Europe. Unfortunately, Kate’s mother, the daughter of a duke, gave Kate’s father, Kendal Collison, only a daughter. But Kate was determined to become better than any son of the family who had gone before her.
When her father develops cataracts and his ability to paint the fine strokes diminishes, she becomes his eyes. Signing the portraits “KC,” as all in her family have, no one would know a woman had painted them. A new commission arrives from a baron in Normandy who wants miniatures of himself and his fiancée, a princess. So, Kate and her father travel to France intending to do the miniatures together. At the baron’s castle, before he arrives, Kate begins to fall in love with the baron’s cousin Bertrand de Mortemer. And then she meets the Baron, Rollo de Centeville, who by his own description is “arrogant, overbearing, impatient and self-willed.” And he was clever, soon figuring out that the miniature he comes to admire is being painted by Kate and not her father. He also will have his way with Kate, no matter the cost to her.
An ingenious, intricately woven plot that had me turning pages, it tells the story of a selfish man who, like his Viking forbearers, thought nothing of raping a woman to get what he wanted. And so he drugs and rapes Kate and then holds her prisoner for the purpose of reminding Bertrand that he, the baron, is in control. I must say that I had a bit of trouble understanding how Kate, having gone home to England, could return to France after what happened to her, or how she could keep from those who loved her that she’d been brutally raped by the man they thought to admire. Nor could I understand how the Baron’s mistress, Nicole, would, after being cast aside by the Baron, try to convince Kate she should be more understanding of him. Ah, well, such are the twists and turns in this story.
I loved Kate’s spirit, her determination and her strength. And I thought the way Holt showed how the artist gleaned the nuances of the subject’s personality while painting was masterful.
There is a certain satisfaction in seeing the Baron have his comeuppance, though even then, one can certainly agree with the hatred Kate feels for the man who ruined, as well as benefited, her life. Unlike some of her stories, Holt brought the heroine’s feelings about the “hero” (sometimes the baron seemed more the villain) to the fore early on, and that was good.
Holt does a brilliant job of showing us what the people of Paris lived through in the 1870 siege of the city by the Prussians when the people were starved into submission.
Like her other novels, it is told in the first person. A well-written bodice ripper, it does contain rape; and while there are no details or vivid descriptions, the fact of it is no less horrible.
There’s a surprise ending awaiting you. The story is a keeper. I recommend it.
Set mostly in France in the late Victorian period, this tells the story of Kate Collison, of the famous (fictional) Collison family of brilliant painters of miniatures, each artist signing the portraits “KC.” In each generation, the next son had taken up the art to astound patrons in England and in Europe. Unfortunately, Kate’s mother, the daughter of a duke, gave Kate’s father, Kendal Collison, only a daughter. But Kate was determined to become better than any son of the family who had gone before her.
When her father develops cataracts and his ability to paint the fine strokes diminishes, she becomes his eyes. Signing the portraits “KC,” as all in her family have, no one would know a woman had painted them. A new commission arrives from a baron in Normandy who wants miniatures of himself and his fiancée, a princess. So, Kate and her father travel to France intending to do the miniatures together. At the baron’s castle, before he arrives, Kate begins to fall in love with the baron’s cousin Bertrand de Mortemer. And then she meets the Baron, Rollo de Centeville, who by his own description is “arrogant, overbearing, impatient and self-willed.” And he was clever, soon figuring out that the miniature he comes to admire is being painted by Kate and not her father. He also will have his way with Kate, no matter the cost to her.
An ingenious, intricately woven plot that had me turning pages, it tells the story of a selfish man who, like his Viking forbearers, thought nothing of raping a woman to get what he wanted. And so he drugs and rapes Kate and then holds her prisoner for the purpose of reminding Bertrand that he, the baron, is in control. I must say that I had a bit of trouble understanding how Kate, having gone home to England, could return to France after what happened to her, or how she could keep from those who loved her that she’d been brutally raped by the man they thought to admire. Nor could I understand how the Baron’s mistress, Nicole, would, after being cast aside by the Baron, try to convince Kate she should be more understanding of him. Ah, well, such are the twists and turns in this story.
I loved Kate’s spirit, her determination and her strength. And I thought the way Holt showed how the artist gleaned the nuances of the subject’s personality while painting was masterful.
There is a certain satisfaction in seeing the Baron have his comeuppance, though even then, one can certainly agree with the hatred Kate feels for the man who ruined, as well as benefited, her life. Unlike some of her stories, Holt brought the heroine’s feelings about the “hero” (sometimes the baron seemed more the villain) to the fore early on, and that was good.
Holt does a brilliant job of showing us what the people of Paris lived through in the 1870 siege of the city by the Prussians when the people were starved into submission.
Like her other novels, it is told in the first person. A well-written bodice ripper, it does contain rape; and while there are no details or vivid descriptions, the fact of it is no less horrible.
There’s a surprise ending awaiting you. The story is a keeper. I recommend it.
June 11, 2013
I went searching for something along the same lines as The Silver Devil when I stumbled across this old gothic romance. I thought what the heck I'll give it a try.
I finished it, but barely, and I'll explain why.
Now like I said I went searching for this type of book with the alpha male who is ruthless and slightly sadistic so I didn't mind the beginning and what the Baron did to Kate so much as what I'm sure some reviewers would have.
But I didn't like how things turned out for either of them. I wanted the Baron to suffer more, and to truly hate his actions, and to grovel. It was obvious he didn't mean a word he said to Kate when apologizing to her for his mistreatment of her. It drove me crazy.
I could tell just from his tone that he could care less that he hurt her, and was still only worried about achieving what he wanted which was Kate in his bed and his son in his life. It was nauseating that Kate would every day say "I must get away from him quickly" and then do nothing at all.
At first I liked her strength and resolve but she quickly wilted and became rather pathetic. I'm not saying she had to be this super strong independent heroine that needed no man, because I know during that time period that would have been unrealistic of a woman to act that way. But there's such a thing as self control, and quiet strength and she seemed to have neither.
I finished it, but barely, and I'll explain why.
Now like I said I went searching for this type of book with the alpha male who is ruthless and slightly sadistic so I didn't mind the beginning and what the Baron did to Kate so much as what I'm sure some reviewers would have.
But I didn't like how things turned out for either of them. I wanted the Baron to suffer more, and to truly hate his actions, and to grovel. It was obvious he didn't mean a word he said to Kate when apologizing to her for his mistreatment of her. It drove me crazy.
I could tell just from his tone that he could care less that he hurt her, and was still only worried about achieving what he wanted which was Kate in his bed and his son in his life. It was nauseating that Kate would every day say "I must get away from him quickly" and then do nothing at all.
At first I liked her strength and resolve but she quickly wilted and became rather pathetic. I'm not saying she had to be this super strong independent heroine that needed no man, because I know during that time period that would have been unrealistic of a woman to act that way. But there's such a thing as self control, and quiet strength and she seemed to have neither.
July 31, 2019
¿A quién podría ocurrírsele una trama como la de esta novela si no a Victoria Holt, la novelista británica de romántica por excelencia? Más de doscientas novelas históricas a su espalda, más de ocho pseudónimos conocidos y un sin fin de personajes que nos robaron el aliento.
September 6, 2017
Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Oh, Rollo, how much do I hate thee? Let me count the ways...
It's been a long time since I despised a character. Rollo gets brownie points and pie for my hatred of him. He is no hero. The fact that he is Kate's love interest is disgusting and incomprehensible. Ms. Holt did a fantastic job of character development. For him, at least.
As for Kate, the way she was depicted, there is NO way she would have ever fallen in love with this scumbag. She would have used him for his help, NEVER told him her plans, and vanished. Sometimes Kate is written as stupid, foolishly honest--when omission would be best--overly trusting and far too naive. Her strong-will and gifts place her beyond the reach of a man like Rollo.
The ending spurts out like a flickering candle after the bonfire of revelation. The revelation was dark. It worked in all its insanity, gothic splendor and quagmire moors. Old skool melodrama at its finest.
The narrative voice of Kate is entrancing. I lived for her arguments with Rollo, and her constant set-downs. But in the end, the author insisted on forcing Kate into a box. I wanted her to meet someone new and find true HEA. Not settle for the familiar devil who turned her life upside and gloated. Kate deserved far, far better than what she got which was Rollo. I enjoyed the plot twist but the ending wasn't so happy for Kate, only Rollo. He got everything he wanted. The ruthless bastard.
Oh, Rollo, how much do I hate thee? Let me count the ways...
It's been a long time since I despised a character. Rollo gets brownie points and pie for my hatred of him. He is no hero. The fact that he is Kate's love interest is disgusting and incomprehensible. Ms. Holt did a fantastic job of character development. For him, at least.
As for Kate, the way she was depicted, there is NO way she would have ever fallen in love with this scumbag. She would have used him for his help, NEVER told him her plans, and vanished. Sometimes Kate is written as stupid, foolishly honest--when omission would be best--overly trusting and far too naive. Her strong-will and gifts place her beyond the reach of a man like Rollo.
The ending spurts out like a flickering candle after the bonfire of revelation. The revelation was dark. It worked in all its insanity, gothic splendor and quagmire moors. Old skool melodrama at its finest.
The narrative voice of Kate is entrancing. I lived for her arguments with Rollo, and her constant set-downs. But in the end, the author insisted on forcing Kate into a box. I wanted her to meet someone new and find true HEA. Not settle for the familiar devil who turned her life upside and gloated. Kate deserved far, far better than what she got which was Rollo. I enjoyed the plot twist but the ending wasn't so happy for Kate, only Rollo. He got everything he wanted. The ruthless bastard.
August 11, 2025
Read: 8/10/25
Setting: 1865-1870 England and France
Trope: Revenge, enemies to lovers (sort of), surprise pregnancy, villian H
This was a Gothic Bodice-ripper without the explicit sex. Thanks to other reviews, I was prepared for how cruel and ruthless this H was going to be. That said, it wasn't even close to as dark as I thought it would be. The rape part was bad, but the book doesn't go into detail. The rest of the story was pretty tame in that respect. There aren't even any other sex scenes.
plot: That would just take too long, and other reviewers have gone into very detailed accounts.
kate:
This book works because of Kate! She was resilient, strong, brave, and had strong ethics. Instead of falling apart after what happens to her, she comes back stronger than ever. Kate gets her own studio, becomes a famous painter, and raises a great son. The whole story is told through her POV, which was perfect for this type of book. The reader takes this journey with her, and we are well awarded for it.
The Baron: He was a villain, not an antihero, but an unapologetic villain. He's beyond ruthless yet mysterious, and he always gets what he wants! Though Karma does get him! Later, his new wife, a sad princess, gives him a bastard. Don't expect him to change too much in the story!
romance: If you want a romance, this is definitely not the book for you! I don't think i ever wanted this couple to be together. Luckily, Kate was never under the Baron's influence. She always stood up to him and wasn't ever in love with him (except for the last 30 pages). She knows she was raped and she will not forgive easily (TG)! So don't expect a big, tender love scene at the end.
dislike: The ending had a great, unexpected twist. Didn't see it coming, then the book just suddenly ended. What the hell! I needed them to have at least a conversation about these shocking revelations. Of course, I also didn't want the book to end.
Conclusion: To write all my thoughts down would take forever. There was so much to devour and take away from this book. I read it all in practically one sitting.
Setting: 1865-1870 England and France
Trope: Revenge, enemies to lovers (sort of), surprise pregnancy, villian H
This was a Gothic Bodice-ripper without the explicit sex. Thanks to other reviews, I was prepared for how cruel and ruthless this H was going to be. That said, it wasn't even close to as dark as I thought it would be. The rape part was bad, but the book doesn't go into detail. The rest of the story was pretty tame in that respect. There aren't even any other sex scenes.
plot: That would just take too long, and other reviewers have gone into very detailed accounts.
kate:
This book works because of Kate! She was resilient, strong, brave, and had strong ethics. Instead of falling apart after what happens to her, she comes back stronger than ever. Kate gets her own studio, becomes a famous painter, and raises a great son. The whole story is told through her POV, which was perfect for this type of book. The reader takes this journey with her, and we are well awarded for it.
The Baron: He was a villain, not an antihero, but an unapologetic villain. He's beyond ruthless yet mysterious, and he always gets what he wants! Though Karma does get him! Later, his new wife, a sad princess, gives him a bastard. Don't expect him to change too much in the story!
romance: If you want a romance, this is definitely not the book for you! I don't think i ever wanted this couple to be together. Luckily, Kate was never under the Baron's influence. She always stood up to him and wasn't ever in love with him (except for the last 30 pages). She knows she was raped and she will not forgive easily (TG)! So don't expect a big, tender love scene at the end.
dislike: The ending had a great, unexpected twist. Didn't see it coming, then the book just suddenly ended. What the hell! I needed them to have at least a conversation about these shocking revelations. Of course, I also didn't want the book to end.
Conclusion: To write all my thoughts down would take forever. There was so much to devour and take away from this book. I read it all in practically one sitting.
October 5, 2022
If sam Marian wrote historicals she will definitely write this one. ☠
Dark Romance but make it historical ☠
-2 stars 💫 for the lack of epilogue, damn you ms holt 😿
Dark Romance but make it historical ☠
-2 stars 💫 for the lack of epilogue, damn you ms holt 😿
May 3, 2022
This was definitely an interesting read. It's more of a fiction compared to a romance as the hero, Rollo, and the heroine, Kate were hardly together (I think they're only together for 25% of the book). This book would be for those who liked/loved the heroes in The Silver Devil and This Other Eden and Anne Stuart anti-heroes. The writing isn't as lush as 'The Silver Devil'. Ms Holt's writing would be more matter-of-fact and monotonous. However, the pacing is just right.
And there's rape, and make no mistake, it is rape. It happened off the page, so nothing graphic.
Rollo was quite a complex character. What he did to Kate was terrible and heinous, but we also got to find out that he was the one who asked his ex-mistress to look after her, set up the house and sent those clients to her for all these years. His character wasn't precisely irredeemable. He was brought up like a feudal lord, and he also came from Norman stock, so pillaging and raping were in his blood, or so to speak. I loved how Ms Holt wrote about Kate's confusion about her feelings towards Rollo. Her emotions were mixed up because she hated him for raping her. On the other hand, Rollo was the one who launched her career as a female painter, which was unheard of at that time, and she also had her son, whom she wouldn't trade for anything else in the world. He was also quite tender and careful in his treatment of Kate later in the book. It's utterly believable for Kate to experience a tumult of confusion.
Unfortunately, the book ended abruptly. I would have preferred if there was an epilogue on how they were settled. It was still a damn fine read.
And there's rape, and make no mistake, it is rape. It happened off the page, so nothing graphic.
Rollo was quite a complex character. What he did to Kate was terrible and heinous, but we also got to find out that he was the one who asked his ex-mistress to look after her, set up the house and sent those clients to her for all these years. His character wasn't precisely irredeemable. He was brought up like a feudal lord, and he also came from Norman stock, so pillaging and raping were in his blood, or so to speak. I loved how Ms Holt wrote about Kate's confusion about her feelings towards Rollo. Her emotions were mixed up because she hated him for raping her. On the other hand, Rollo was the one who launched her career as a female painter, which was unheard of at that time, and she also had her son, whom she wouldn't trade for anything else in the world. He was also quite tender and careful in his treatment of Kate later in the book. It's utterly believable for Kate to experience a tumult of confusion.
Unfortunately, the book ended abruptly. I would have preferred if there was an epilogue on how they were settled. It was still a damn fine read.
April 12, 2010
Kate Collison’s father, a famous miniaturist, is slowly losing his sight, so his daughter agrees to paint the portrait of Baron de Ceteville for him. All hush-hush, of course, because of course women don’t possess the same talent as men.
But the Baron discovers the ruse and, lover of art as he is, agrees to pay their fee, and arranges for Kate to paint his fiancée’s portrait as well, presenting her to the Parisian society, cementing Kate’s reputation as a miniaturist. But the Baron has other plans for the lovely Kate as well…Much more sinister plans, that will change both their lives…
I’ve been a big fan of Victoria Holt for years and this is by far my favorite book by her. Nicely written, very-well crafted and paced, and though the conflict between hero and heroine starts with rape, which some deemed severely inappropriate (thus giving the book very low ratings), I find it — though I don’t condone the deed — refreshing and a fascinating twist to what could otherwise be just another template novel, plunging the reader into the vortex of mixed and opposing feelings. On one hand you cannot understand how Kate could actually continue to find the baron fascinating, how she could continue to be attracted to him after what he did to her, while on the other you cannot help but root for her to find happiness with the man she was never able to forget, despite what he did to her.
Yes, rape is rape, and no "respectable" romance novel will feature it between hero and heroine, but it’s what makes this story that more realistic. That scene is the heart of the story and its turning point, and there are many nuances in it that become evident after a re-read or two. Trust me, not everything is as it seems in that scene, especially on the baron’s part.
Yep. This book could be fodder for many a debate. I lLove it.
But the Baron discovers the ruse and, lover of art as he is, agrees to pay their fee, and arranges for Kate to paint his fiancée’s portrait as well, presenting her to the Parisian society, cementing Kate’s reputation as a miniaturist. But the Baron has other plans for the lovely Kate as well…Much more sinister plans, that will change both their lives…
I’ve been a big fan of Victoria Holt for years and this is by far my favorite book by her. Nicely written, very-well crafted and paced, and though the conflict between hero and heroine starts with rape, which some deemed severely inappropriate (thus giving the book very low ratings), I find it — though I don’t condone the deed — refreshing and a fascinating twist to what could otherwise be just another template novel, plunging the reader into the vortex of mixed and opposing feelings. On one hand you cannot understand how Kate could actually continue to find the baron fascinating, how she could continue to be attracted to him after what he did to her, while on the other you cannot help but root for her to find happiness with the man she was never able to forget, despite what he did to her.
Yes, rape is rape, and no "respectable" romance novel will feature it between hero and heroine, but it’s what makes this story that more realistic. That scene is the heart of the story and its turning point, and there are many nuances in it that become evident after a re-read or two. Trust me, not everything is as it seems in that scene, especially on the baron’s part.
Yep. This book could be fodder for many a debate. I lLove it.
February 26, 2024
I've been trying to read this book for two years, and I finally finished it. It's clear from the title that this is a "Bluebeard romance," which is why I felt I had to read it. But it's also why I avoided it, feared it, and struggled so much with it. In the end, it was quite a good book of the genre, and I could vividly imagine it as a romantic film of the classic era. It's also got a smashing twist at the end, and the female relationships in it are really interesting; it's essentially a network of women on one side, and a Monster on the other.
Kate Collison accompanies her father to a baron's castle, where he has been commissioned to paint the baron's miniature in preparation for his wedding. As her father's eyes are failing, Kate secretly paints the portrait herself, having been excellently trained by her father. As she paints him, she grows increasingly obsessed with him. He is imperious, demanding, domineering, willful, and cruel, just like his Norman ancestors, and these qualities fascinate her.
In the meantime she develops a friendship with a cousin of the baron's in his service, a handsome, courteous man named Bertrand, and they become engaged, although the man who occupies her thoughts at all times is the baron. The baron is also obsessed with Kate and her fiery spirit. He will stop her marriage to Bertrand by the most dastardly means, and she will hate him passionately for it. But she will continue to obsessively think about him, and of course hate is the other side of the coin from love.
Like most romance novels, this is a story about a woman who loves a dominant man almost against her will. Kate Collison is strong, determined, virtuous, independent, and eventually a celebrated and sought-after artist, but she can't break her attraction to and obsession with this odious man. The hero is more odious than most other romantic heroes, and Kate is more virtuous and independent than most heroines, so this leads to great tension in the story. Unlike Gone with the Wind, in which Rhett redeems himself over time and worms his way into Scarlett's heart, the baron's initial cruelty is so great that we as readers can never forgive him; and Kate, possessing none of Scarlett's selfishness and sexual aplomb, is clearly a victim, and not a willing participant in the baron's schemes.
This power imbalance makes the novel into something more than a straight romance novel; it becomes something almost akin to Clarissa, where a woman fights a man to the death for her honor (although in this case she flees rather than fights). And at the same time it's a capitulation to the time in which it was published (1982). Victoria Holt (a pen name for Eleanor Alice Burford), who started the neo-romance craze in 1960 with her smash hit Mistress of Mellyn, may have found her chaste plots falling out of fashion after bodice rippers became all the rage with the publication in 1972 of the sexually explicit romance The Flame and the Flower. Both in this book and in Flame, the heroine's first experience of sex is a nightmare; there's no pleasure involved, only terror. And yet because the hero grows as a person, and because the heroine grows into womanhood and her sexual feelings, a union becomes possible.
Historical romance novels of this time, in order to keep their heroines chaste, started with the heroine being violently raped, and ended with her forgiving and loving her rapist. Although this development is repulsive to the modern reader, it parallels the experience many women had through the 1960s and '70s, and up to today in some cultures: that of being a virgin who marries a near-stranger, is shocked by his brutality on her wedding night, and slowly grows to love him. But it also parallels a young woman's acclimatization to men and sex in general, and interprets a woman's desire for a dominant man as the desire for an equal—someone who can match her in strength, and if she can inspire him to be his best self, also in integrity.
It seems that a lot of the appeal of these bodice rippers was women trying to come to terms with the fact that they liked sex; novels such as this portray the heroine as initially being maidenly and pure, and growing to have sexual feelings only after the man proves his worth. It makes one's head spin to think about what a number men pulled on women: in 1960, when Burford/Holt wrote Mistress of Mellyn (essentially a rewrite of Jane Eyre), men had enforced a strict mother/whore binary on women, so that "good girls" were not supposed to like sex. A decade later, the sexual revolution pushed the narrative that women who didn't like sex were dried-up prudes, and women had to adjust themselves accordingly. Wives found themselves wanting to read about sex, to learn to like what their husbands were doing to them, and to fantasize about being taken by a handsome stranger.
The requirement in this era for romance novels to contain explicit sex (rape) became obligatory, and a writer such as Burford, born in 1906, had to tailor her narrative to fit the fashion. She did so here with intelligence and grace, but the disturbing reconciliation of rape and love remains, and the hero/demon has committed a sin against the heroine that can never fully be washed away. In our modern era, the problem of male force in romance novels is resolved by the issue of consent; anything the heroine consents to is on the table, no matter how brutal. But consent is obviously complicated, as we are often conditioned to consent to things we may not actually want to do, and as there are also often problems of power imbalance, manipulation, and mal-intent. I examine these issues in my own novel, Bluebeard's Castle.
Kate Collison accompanies her father to a baron's castle, where he has been commissioned to paint the baron's miniature in preparation for his wedding. As her father's eyes are failing, Kate secretly paints the portrait herself, having been excellently trained by her father. As she paints him, she grows increasingly obsessed with him. He is imperious, demanding, domineering, willful, and cruel, just like his Norman ancestors, and these qualities fascinate her.
In the meantime she develops a friendship with a cousin of the baron's in his service, a handsome, courteous man named Bertrand, and they become engaged, although the man who occupies her thoughts at all times is the baron. The baron is also obsessed with Kate and her fiery spirit. He will stop her marriage to Bertrand by the most dastardly means, and she will hate him passionately for it. But she will continue to obsessively think about him, and of course hate is the other side of the coin from love.
Like most romance novels, this is a story about a woman who loves a dominant man almost against her will. Kate Collison is strong, determined, virtuous, independent, and eventually a celebrated and sought-after artist, but she can't break her attraction to and obsession with this odious man. The hero is more odious than most other romantic heroes, and Kate is more virtuous and independent than most heroines, so this leads to great tension in the story. Unlike Gone with the Wind, in which Rhett redeems himself over time and worms his way into Scarlett's heart, the baron's initial cruelty is so great that we as readers can never forgive him; and Kate, possessing none of Scarlett's selfishness and sexual aplomb, is clearly a victim, and not a willing participant in the baron's schemes.
This power imbalance makes the novel into something more than a straight romance novel; it becomes something almost akin to Clarissa, where a woman fights a man to the death for her honor (although in this case she flees rather than fights). And at the same time it's a capitulation to the time in which it was published (1982). Victoria Holt (a pen name for Eleanor Alice Burford), who started the neo-romance craze in 1960 with her smash hit Mistress of Mellyn, may have found her chaste plots falling out of fashion after bodice rippers became all the rage with the publication in 1972 of the sexually explicit romance The Flame and the Flower. Both in this book and in Flame, the heroine's first experience of sex is a nightmare; there's no pleasure involved, only terror. And yet because the hero grows as a person, and because the heroine grows into womanhood and her sexual feelings, a union becomes possible.
Historical romance novels of this time, in order to keep their heroines chaste, started with the heroine being violently raped, and ended with her forgiving and loving her rapist. Although this development is repulsive to the modern reader, it parallels the experience many women had through the 1960s and '70s, and up to today in some cultures: that of being a virgin who marries a near-stranger, is shocked by his brutality on her wedding night, and slowly grows to love him. But it also parallels a young woman's acclimatization to men and sex in general, and interprets a woman's desire for a dominant man as the desire for an equal—someone who can match her in strength, and if she can inspire him to be his best self, also in integrity.
It seems that a lot of the appeal of these bodice rippers was women trying to come to terms with the fact that they liked sex; novels such as this portray the heroine as initially being maidenly and pure, and growing to have sexual feelings only after the man proves his worth. It makes one's head spin to think about what a number men pulled on women: in 1960, when Burford/Holt wrote Mistress of Mellyn (essentially a rewrite of Jane Eyre), men had enforced a strict mother/whore binary on women, so that "good girls" were not supposed to like sex. A decade later, the sexual revolution pushed the narrative that women who didn't like sex were dried-up prudes, and women had to adjust themselves accordingly. Wives found themselves wanting to read about sex, to learn to like what their husbands were doing to them, and to fantasize about being taken by a handsome stranger.
The requirement in this era for romance novels to contain explicit sex (rape) became obligatory, and a writer such as Burford, born in 1906, had to tailor her narrative to fit the fashion. She did so here with intelligence and grace, but the disturbing reconciliation of rape and love remains, and the hero/demon has committed a sin against the heroine that can never fully be washed away. In our modern era, the problem of male force in romance novels is resolved by the issue of consent; anything the heroine consents to is on the table, no matter how brutal. But consent is obviously complicated, as we are often conditioned to consent to things we may not actually want to do, and as there are also often problems of power imbalance, manipulation, and mal-intent. I examine these issues in my own novel, Bluebeard's Castle.
February 9, 2021
4.5 stars.
I loved everything about this book except for the rather abrupt ending, which left me kind of dissatisfied. The romance between Rollo and Kate was very angsty, and I could have used another twenty pages or so where they were happily together after their relationship resolved itself. All I got was, "He was there and I threw myself into his arms." Not enough for me. I wanted more.
However, the dark and shocking turn the story took in the last ten pages was still very fantastic and reminded me a lot of a Daphne du Maurier novel. I hope this isn't Victoria Holt's only bodice ripper, because she writes them very well. I remember not being too entertained by The India Fan, the only other book I've read by this author, but The Demon Lover makes me want to read more of her work.
I, much like the heroine Kate, originally was not a big fan of the hero, Rollo, but by the end of the novel I'd fallen completely in love with him. The way they both interacted gave me Jane Eyre vibes and I was so invested. When Rollo comes back to Paris during the war... sigh. It was so romantic.
TW: Non-con but it's not explicit at all
I loved everything about this book except for the rather abrupt ending, which left me kind of dissatisfied. The romance between Rollo and Kate was very angsty, and I could have used another twenty pages or so where they were happily together after their relationship resolved itself. All I got was, "He was there and I threw myself into his arms." Not enough for me. I wanted more.
However, the dark and shocking turn the story took in the last ten pages was still very fantastic and reminded me a lot of a Daphne du Maurier novel. I hope this isn't Victoria Holt's only bodice ripper, because she writes them very well. I remember not being too entertained by The India Fan, the only other book I've read by this author, but The Demon Lover makes me want to read more of her work.
I, much like the heroine Kate, originally was not a big fan of the hero, Rollo, but by the end of the novel I'd fallen completely in love with him. The way they both interacted gave me Jane Eyre vibes and I was so invested. When Rollo comes back to Paris during the war... sigh. It was so romantic.
TW: Non-con but it's not explicit at all
March 20, 2013
Edited: March 20th 2013
I did enjoy this book - its goth ambiance and subtle hues explodes an imaginative mind with great, intangible delectability. However, approximately 100 pages from the end I felt Vickie just gave up and wanted this one wrapped up and done with. It felt as if Rollo & Kate did their lil' round & and around lovers confrontation, with few tidbits of action therein to keep the story from repeating the same sequence of caterwauling up until the end. The ending was sooo uneventful and disappointing, and left you hanging. It failed on the delivery there for such a high, energy packed novel. I bumped the rating half of a star because of the turret situation and how the story took a 360 out of nowhere, with little or no clues to have you suspect it was even coming. All in all, it was a good read and I'd recommend this one. What was written before the last 100 pages is definitely enough to make it a must-read. :D
I did enjoy this book - its goth ambiance and subtle hues explodes an imaginative mind with great, intangible delectability. However, approximately 100 pages from the end I felt Vickie just gave up and wanted this one wrapped up and done with. It felt as if Rollo & Kate did their lil' round & and around lovers confrontation, with few tidbits of action therein to keep the story from repeating the same sequence of caterwauling up until the end. The ending was sooo uneventful and disappointing, and left you hanging. It failed on the delivery there for such a high, energy packed novel. I bumped the rating half of a star because of the turret situation and how the story took a 360 out of nowhere, with little or no clues to have you suspect it was even coming. All in all, it was a good read and I'd recommend this one. What was written before the last 100 pages is definitely enough to make it a must-read. :D
July 20, 2018
Meh....that's about all I got! For real though---- I was major disappointed. Not sure what I was expecting. Actually...yes, I do. I saw reviews throwing around the word "Gothic" and "romance"....and I found none of that in this read. Characters were bland and I felt zero love anywhere in the book. Sorry.... :( Maybe I set my standard too high with this one.
May 12, 2013
I wanted to give this book three stars but had to upgrade it because of the end. THE END! What was Miss Holt thinking? I've seen others saying it was too unexpected and abrupt for them but isn't that how live is supposed to be sometimes? I think it was one of the best book endings I've ever seen.
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November 6, 2016Horrible. El protagonista es un violador. Un despropósito.
September 26, 2020
I've been revisiting some old "comfort reads" over the past few months and just re-read this book, which I bought in 1983 and still own (amazing considering all my moves!)
I recall being shocked to bits when I read this as a younger woman. The Baron's behavior is still just as shocking today, but I love him just as much. He is a hyper-masculine pig! He is the sort of selfish, obnoxious, dictatorial fictional creation I'm happy to know on the page, but wouldn't care to meet outside the covers of a book.
Not only did I find Kate to be a strong character, but her reactions seem believable and reasonable for women of the time period (and which is currently unpopular) Holt probably wouldn't have made it as a romance superstar today as she explores friendship between the other characters almost more than she does the romance, which is played out in tantalizing scenes that are judiciously sprinkled throughout the book. In that way, her books are a lot like Georgette Heyer's, where oftentimes the romance seems almost secondary.
While rape/abduction fantasies have never been on my top 10 fantasy list (and I think this might be the only one I've read), I don't see the need to shame women who enjoy them. After all, this is a romance novel and does not purport to be either a philosophical tract, ethical treatise, or history book.
All in all, this was a fun, escapist romance that stands out from the crowd, even after all these years.
I recall being shocked to bits when I read this as a younger woman. The Baron's behavior is still just as shocking today, but I love him just as much. He is a hyper-masculine pig! He is the sort of selfish, obnoxious, dictatorial fictional creation I'm happy to know on the page, but wouldn't care to meet outside the covers of a book.
Not only did I find Kate to be a strong character, but her reactions seem believable and reasonable for women of the time period (and which is currently unpopular) Holt probably wouldn't have made it as a romance superstar today as she explores friendship between the other characters almost more than she does the romance, which is played out in tantalizing scenes that are judiciously sprinkled throughout the book. In that way, her books are a lot like Georgette Heyer's, where oftentimes the romance seems almost secondary.
While rape/abduction fantasies have never been on my top 10 fantasy list (and I think this might be the only one I've read), I don't see the need to shame women who enjoy them. After all, this is a romance novel and does not purport to be either a philosophical tract, ethical treatise, or history book.
All in all, this was a fun, escapist romance that stands out from the crowd, even after all these years.
May 22, 2008
consider this a spoiler of sorts--I don't remember the plot very clearly, other than that the main character was an artist, and that the "hero" of the piece kidnapped her and raped her repeatedly over a period of several days to keep her from marrying someone else, so he could have her as his mistress. it's hard to find that romantic. Even back in my gothic romance heyday, I found it troublesome. Now I doubt I could read the book again. very irresponsible and unappealing writing. it negated much of what is good about Victoria Holt's writing style in this book.
September 13, 2013
Years ago I had a Holt Thang and set about reading all her books. This is my least favorite for the reasons already pointed out in other reviews. The "hero" is a complete *$$, does terrible things to the heroine, and yet she still goes to him in the end. I so wanted to reach into the pages and shake some sense into her, then I wanted to shake Victoria Holt.
March 5, 2019
I read this book young and it left a mark. I laugh at it, but I don’t forget. I don’t forget that I had nightmares about the tower room, even though I tell myself it’s silly, that I’m an intelligent adult woman, but this book had a visceral effect on me that I can only pretend I’ve forgotten. Reading it as an adult, gently snarking at its flaws, attempting analysis with my adult brain, it doesn’t replace the fact that once upon a time this book fascinated me, but it wasn’t kind.
September 6, 2014
I can't quite give this a 5. Although the book is very good and held my attention. The first half to middle part are the very best parts of this book. I did like the twist at the end. The hero here is more of the flawed type which I prefer rather than the cookie cutter super sweet type. He can be a bit of a villain which reminds me a little of The Silver Devil. Give me more like that. I don't know why I like the flawed love interests. I guess they make it more exciting.
August 26, 2013
So different from other Holt books I have read. It is hard for me to summarize without giving away some of the story. In short, Kate Collison accompanies her father, famous miniature painter Kendal Collison, to France. He has been summoned by the Baron de Centeville to paint a miniature of himself and one of his fiancee, the Princesse de Crespigny. Well one thing leads to another and Kate ends up doing the painting. What starts as a little trickery leads to much more.
There is a big event that happens in the 4th chapter which has many consequences. How Kate deals with the fallout was so interesting to me. I loved the castle, the siege of Paris, Notre Dame Cathedral and those dastardly gargoyles, and the information on miniature painting. There is a twist at the end and while I did see it coming, I still enjoyed reading how it all played out.
One thing I didn't like so much was some of the repetition that happened in the second half of the book. How many times did I have to hear Kate say, We heard these comments over and over.
Overall, I really did enjoy this book. It may not be for the faint of heart, which I usually am, but I still enjoyed it. I even liked in the end.
There is a big event that happens in the 4th chapter which has many consequences. How Kate deals with the fallout was so interesting to me. I loved the castle, the siege of Paris, Notre Dame Cathedral and those dastardly gargoyles, and the information on miniature painting. There is a twist at the end and while I did see it coming, I still enjoyed reading how it all played out.
One thing I didn't like so much was some of the repetition that happened in the second half of the book. How many times did I have to hear Kate say, We heard these comments over and over.
Overall, I really did enjoy this book. It may not be for the faint of heart, which I usually am, but I still enjoyed it. I even liked in the end.
October 11, 2024
Oh wow I just finished this book and I don't know what to say. That ending was a twist. I really like this book. At first I wasn't fond of the first person point of view. Usually the style of book is done in third person which I prefer. Because then we get both peoples point of view but by the end of this I did like her narration/ reminiscence style.
The main character is mostly unrepentant except when it comes to kate, not necessarily in terms of what he's done to her but he does kind of want to make things better for her. He's a pretty ruthless guy especially when he does what he did to her and her fiance.
There's a rich cast of characters and no one is black and white. Did you wish the end had been a little different. That maybe she had left and gotten the letter after she left and he had come after her. But I do Envision a bright future for all of them and I'm glad that life will be better for william. The setting of this book in France at the end of the 19th century is quite interesting.
Did you feel the Romantic tension between these two and I think that was well done. It has been compared to the silver devil and I can see many of the similarities. The silver devil in my opinion was a little more sensual. Good read and I recommend it if you like the silver devil or similar books.
The main character is mostly unrepentant except when it comes to kate, not necessarily in terms of what he's done to her but he does kind of want to make things better for her. He's a pretty ruthless guy especially when he does what he did to her and her fiance.
There's a rich cast of characters and no one is black and white. Did you wish the end had been a little different. That maybe she had left and gotten the letter after she left and he had come after her. But I do Envision a bright future for all of them and I'm glad that life will be better for william. The setting of this book in France at the end of the 19th century is quite interesting.
Did you feel the Romantic tension between these two and I think that was well done. It has been compared to the silver devil and I can see many of the similarities. The silver devil in my opinion was a little more sensual. Good read and I recommend it if you like the silver devil or similar books.
September 25, 2020
Quite enjoyed this gothic read about Kate Collision, a female miniaturist painter, and her demon lover, Rollo, a Norman Baron. I found it extremely easy and fun to read, due in part to the first-person narration and the passion Kate had for her craft. oh and of course Kate's feistiness to Rollo. I wanted a bit more bodice ripping as I felt after the tower scene, there wasn't any moments of demon loving, if you get my drift. One thing that made me eye-roll was how every major female character was romantically linked to Rollo in some way, whether it was his mistress or his wife. Things are feeling just a little claustrophobic in this seven degrees of Rollo game.
With regard to gothic atmosphere and painting and art being the subject matter, it reminds me a bit of Anastasia Cleaver's Summerstorm, so if you are wanting to read more gothic reads about artists, give that a shout.
With regard to gothic atmosphere and painting and art being the subject matter, it reminds me a bit of Anastasia Cleaver's Summerstorm, so if you are wanting to read more gothic reads about artists, give that a shout.
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