Loveswept

by Lynn Lowery

Ravishing dark-eyed, her face framed in swirl of rich black hair, she pulsed with anger and desire. Innocent of the secret of her birth, she cursed her wealthy father for sending her to the barbarous Alaska coast. She was alone. She was afraid. Then, in a tempestuous sea crossing, fate hurled her into the arm of a blue-eyed Yankee sailor. He was the dashing second mate of the Freedom. Tasha's beauty awoke in him a passion he'd never dreamed of, a love so ecstatic it made him ache with pleasure. When they parted, he could not stop searching for Tasha, only Tasha. From Alaska to San Francisco to the glittering drawing rooms of Washington's diplomatic world, he journeyed in feverish pursuit, yearning to possess her.

Genres: Historical Romance

464 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1978

About the author

Lynn Lowery was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. As a student of Northwestern University she combined a major in Russian with a major in journalism. She learned to read, write, and speak Russian fluently and developed a special love for Russian history, so that nineteenth-century Russia was a logical choice in setting for her first two romantic novels, Sweet Rush of Passion and Loveswept. With her husband, James Hahn, she has published several articles and books on sociological subjects and community affairs and has written several juvenile books.

Reviews

[Olnega · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, the cover doesn’t do it justice. It’s well written, thoroughly researched, and at times transcends its genre, bordering on historical fiction.

In short, it’s the story of a young girl, beginning with her unfortunate birth and unhappy childhood and her journey from Moscow to Siberia in search of a different life, all set during the era when Alaska was still part of the Russian Empire.

I especially loved the first part of the novel: the vivid descriptions of her long and arduous journey through Russia to Siberia, her growing friendship with Nikolay, the time she spent aboard an American whaling ship, her meeting with Jared and most of all, Tasha herself, she was great heroine.

Ultimately, this is a love story marked by a long separation, almost three years. Tasha and Jared meet when she is still very young. They fall in love, but Jared has little to offer and leaves with the promise to return once he’s made his fortune. As expected, a great deal of heartache and hardship follows…
I really wanted to give this book a five star rating, but unfortunately, the second half was a bit of a letdown. Tasha undergoes a sudden and jarring personality shift, it’s as if her traitorous body took over her better judgment and all thinking abilities, and she ends up sleeping with other men seemingly just because she feels like it. 🤦‍♀️
That said, the book was overall a great read. I was completely immersed from the very beginning and found it hard to put down. I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from Lynn Lowry.

[Chrisangel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was okay with this book for a while, and had sympathy for things the h went through, like being coerced into a miserable marriage, due to a pregnancy resulting from rape, forced to have sex with a creepy ship's captain, having a father with incestuous feelings, and thinking the love of her life was dead. I was on her side, until she finds out the H may be alive after all, and she determines to find him and discover whether or not he deliberately kept her in the dark about his being alive, and if he really cares for her or not. I couldn't agree more. But then, she takes an attractive man along on her search for her "true love" and has sex with him along the way! Her reason: it's been a long time since she had a good F---! She couldn't wait until she found out the truth about the H?
If he really was unworthy, then okay, have a fling with another guy if you want to, but at least find the man first and give him a chance to explain before you open your legs for another man!
Unbelievable! I stopped reading at that point, as I didn't think she deserved a HEA!

It's not just the men in these early Bod Rips who act like creeps and jerks, and ass-----, etc. The women sure do their fair share of reprehensible behavior, and deserve to be called on it equally.