What do you think?
Rate this book
Fauna Trilogy #1-3
Fauna
Which is sweeter—tender, yearned-for love, or revenge that has waited a lifetime? In her veins mingled the blood of noble African chiefs and fiery Irish poets. Sold into cruel slavery, beaten by a harsh mistress, she escaped into a dazzling world of elegance, wealth and power. All London would praise her intelligence and unmatched beauty ...all men would crave to possess her. But nothing could ease the searing pain in her heart—nothing but vengeance on the only man she had ever loved!
The 1978 Avon imprint is a 3 in 1 compilation volume of 3 novels: Gold for the Gay Masters, Bride of Doom, and The Flame and the Frost.
The 1978 Avon imprint is a 3 in 1 compilation volume of 3 novels: Gold for the Gay Masters, Bride of Doom, and The Flame and the Frost.
856 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1957
5 people are currently reading
206 people want to read
About the author
Denise Robins
256 books29 followersDenise Naomi Klein was born on 1 February 1897 in London, England, daughter of Herman Klein (1856-1934) and Kathleen Clarice Louise Cornwell (1872-1954). Her parents married on 19 February 1890 at the West London Synagogue, her father was a English music critic, author and teacher of singing and her mother was a Australian-born heiress, 16 years younger than him. Denise had a half-sister, Sibyl Klein, who became an actress. She also had two older brothers, Adrian Bernard L. Klein (1892-1969), who later changed his name to Adrian Cornwell-Clyne and wrote books on photography and cinematography, and Daryl Kleyn (b. 1894). During her parents marriage, her mother began an affair with a young Worcestershire Regiment officer, Herbert Arthur Berkeley Dealtry (b. 1878). When her father became aware of it, he filed a petition for divorce, which was granted in December 1901. After the divorce, her mother married Dealtry in 1902, but they were going through financial difficulties. They had to declare bankruptcy in 1905. The same year her father remarried with Helene Fox, a Christian Science practitioner of Boston, Massachusetts.
As Kit Dealtry, her mother began to publish her own writings, first short stories in magazines an later gothic novels. Years later, and single again her mother returned to London. In 1918, and remarried for a third time with Sydney H. Groom, and started to sign her novels as C. Groom, Mrs Sydney Groom, Kathleen Clarice Groom and Clarice Groom. After Naomi left school, she decided follow in her mother's footsteps, and to publish her writings. She went to work as a journalist for the D.C. Thomson Press, then became a freelance writer. Denise married Arthur Robins, a corn broker on the Baltic Exchange, but the marriage ended in divorce, after she met O'Neill Pearson in Egypt, who later became her second husband. She was the mother of three daughters, Patricia Robins (also know as Claire Lorrimer) who became another best-selling romance author, Anne, and Eve.
As a writer of fiction, Denise wrote short stories, plays and about 200 gothic romance novels under a variety of pseudonyms, including: Denise Chesterton, Hervey Hamilton, Francesca Wright, Ashley French, Harriet Gray, and Julia Kane, she also used to sign the books her first married name, Denise Robins, and some of her books were reedited under this pen-name. In 1927, over ten years after she began to publish, Denise meet Charles Boon, of Mills & Boon, and she signed her first contract with his firm the same year. In a short time, she became the best paid Mills & Boon's writer, and one of the most prolific, but in 1935 she changed to a new publisher, Nicholson & Watson, that made her a better offer, and later with Hodder & Stoughton.
In 1960, she founded with other romance writers the "Romantic Novelists' Association" (R.N.A.), and she was its first president until 1966. Denise passed away 1 May 1985 in her native England.
As Kit Dealtry, her mother began to publish her own writings, first short stories in magazines an later gothic novels. Years later, and single again her mother returned to London. In 1918, and remarried for a third time with Sydney H. Groom, and started to sign her novels as C. Groom, Mrs Sydney Groom, Kathleen Clarice Groom and Clarice Groom. After Naomi left school, she decided follow in her mother's footsteps, and to publish her writings. She went to work as a journalist for the D.C. Thomson Press, then became a freelance writer. Denise married Arthur Robins, a corn broker on the Baltic Exchange, but the marriage ended in divorce, after she met O'Neill Pearson in Egypt, who later became her second husband. She was the mother of three daughters, Patricia Robins (also know as Claire Lorrimer) who became another best-selling romance author, Anne, and Eve.
As a writer of fiction, Denise wrote short stories, plays and about 200 gothic romance novels under a variety of pseudonyms, including: Denise Chesterton, Hervey Hamilton, Francesca Wright, Ashley French, Harriet Gray, and Julia Kane, she also used to sign the books her first married name, Denise Robins, and some of her books were reedited under this pen-name. In 1927, over ten years after she began to publish, Denise meet Charles Boon, of Mills & Boon, and she signed her first contract with his firm the same year. In a short time, she became the best paid Mills & Boon's writer, and one of the most prolific, but in 1935 she changed to a new publisher, Nicholson & Watson, that made her a better offer, and later with Hodder & Stoughton.
In 1960, she founded with other romance writers the "Romantic Novelists' Association" (R.N.A.), and she was its first president until 1966. Denise passed away 1 May 1985 in her native England.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 7, 2025
This weighty paperback contains the traumas & triumphs of three generations throughout the 19th century. Originally published in the 1950s, the prose is that of a vintage bodice-ripper. I'm sure it was considered torrid female reading back in the day, though by today's standards -- or even the 1970s -- the violence & sex is veiled.
Book 1 (circa 1800) opens with young light-skinned Fauna discovered below-deck in an African slave trader. She is immediately sold to a clueless (though not unkind) master, whose bitchy wife abuses Fauna for several years. Our teenaged heroine finally manages to escape, begging protection from a young rake named Harry. They fall in love, but disaster tosses Fauna back to the selling block & nearly kills Harry in the process. Meanwhile, Fauna is purchased by a bored nobleman known as The Satyr, who for reasons of his own agrees to help her take revenge. He carefully educates her in the arts of learning & etiquette, molding her into his idea of perfection. But as she begins to triumph over her enemies (including Harry), Fauna has second thoughts & must decide which man is her true benefactor.
Book 2 (circa 1840) is the story of Fauna'a daughter Fleur. Unlike the first installment, this one has somewhat gothic flavors of innocence in peril & isolated misery in a sprawling estate. Taking advantage of Fleur's unprotected social status, vile villain St Cheviot rapes our young heroine & forces her to become his wife. Fleur's marriage sucks, & only gets worse when she gives birth to a dark-skinned child. Oh noes! The child dies moments after birth, but Fleur is kept prisoner by her nasty husband & evil housekeeper until the long-suffering hero sets her free.
Book 3 (circa 1870) switches to an orphan named Charlotte. This section is somewhat reminiscent of Victorian sensation novels in that Charlotte, the sweet-and-beautiful ward of a rich lady, is seduced by Vivian, the lady's randy young son. Charlotte becomes pregnant & her benefactor forces Vivian to reap the fruits of his seduction -- that is, to marry the poor girl. But though well-intentioned, Charlotte & Vivian's marriage is pure hell, & the heroine's rescue is nothing more than accidentally merciful murder.
Overall, this is a book where good characters are GOOD & bad characters are BAD. That doesn't mean they're flat, per se, but in the last section we're not treated to the same depth. Instead we spend pages & pages watching Charlotte repeatedly fall for the same crap, then wail & moan when her life sucks -- this *after* allowing her benefactor to force the marriage to begin with. Whereas Fauna had the gumption to flee her shackles & Fleur maintained her icy pride no matter what St Cheviot dragged her though, Charlotte is a wuss. She stupidly believes in reconciliation time after time, only to be shocked & disappointed time after time. If she'd had the courage to raise the child as a bastard (with appropriate recompense, natch), she'd not have lived such a miserable life. But she lacks a spine, so her angst is constant & unrelenting. Compensations are few; beta Dominic is little better than a cipher, & there's not even a token attempt to make Vivian anything more than an insane whackjob. (At one point he shows up with a mustache, a gun, & a monocle. I LOL'd.)
As you can tell, I didn't particularly enjoy the third section. By that point the patterns in DR's plotting had became somewhat evident, & until Fleur appears (this time as an elder society matron) I wasn't sure why it was included. Having three separate generations worth of misery lumped into one tome was emotionally draining to this reader, especially combined with Vivian's loony-tunes villainy. That said, the first two stories are fun if you like pulled-from-the-fire HEAs. But if you must read the third installment, take my advice & don’t read them straight through. A break will help cleanse your brain & prepare for the wearying onslaught. (But tbh, I'd recommend skipping Book 3 entirely.)
Averaged to 4 stars. (Book 1: 4 stars. Book 2: 5 stars. Book 3: 3 stars.)
Book 1 (circa 1800) opens with young light-skinned Fauna discovered below-deck in an African slave trader. She is immediately sold to a clueless (though not unkind) master, whose bitchy wife abuses Fauna for several years. Our teenaged heroine finally manages to escape, begging protection from a young rake named Harry. They fall in love, but disaster tosses Fauna back to the selling block & nearly kills Harry in the process. Meanwhile, Fauna is purchased by a bored nobleman known as The Satyr, who for reasons of his own agrees to help her take revenge. He carefully educates her in the arts of learning & etiquette, molding her into his idea of perfection. But as she begins to triumph over her enemies (including Harry), Fauna has second thoughts & must decide which man is her true benefactor.
Book 2 (circa 1840) is the story of Fauna'a daughter Fleur. Unlike the first installment, this one has somewhat gothic flavors of innocence in peril & isolated misery in a sprawling estate. Taking advantage of Fleur's unprotected social status, vile villain St Cheviot rapes our young heroine & forces her to become his wife. Fleur's marriage sucks, & only gets worse when she gives birth to a dark-skinned child. Oh noes! The child dies moments after birth, but Fleur is kept prisoner by her nasty husband & evil housekeeper until the long-suffering hero sets her free.
Book 3 (circa 1870) switches to an orphan named Charlotte. This section is somewhat reminiscent of Victorian sensation novels in that Charlotte, the sweet-and-beautiful ward of a rich lady, is seduced by Vivian, the lady's randy young son. Charlotte becomes pregnant & her benefactor forces Vivian to reap the fruits of his seduction -- that is, to marry the poor girl. But though well-intentioned, Charlotte & Vivian's marriage is pure hell, & the heroine's rescue is nothing more than accidentally merciful murder.
Overall, this is a book where good characters are GOOD & bad characters are BAD. That doesn't mean they're flat, per se, but in the last section we're not treated to the same depth. Instead we spend pages & pages watching Charlotte repeatedly fall for the same crap, then wail & moan when her life sucks -- this *after* allowing her benefactor to force the marriage to begin with. Whereas Fauna had the gumption to flee her shackles & Fleur maintained her icy pride no matter what St Cheviot dragged her though, Charlotte is a wuss. She stupidly believes in reconciliation time after time, only to be shocked & disappointed time after time. If she'd had the courage to raise the child as a bastard (with appropriate recompense, natch), she'd not have lived such a miserable life. But she lacks a spine, so her angst is constant & unrelenting. Compensations are few; beta Dominic is little better than a cipher, & there's not even a token attempt to make Vivian anything more than an insane whackjob. (At one point he shows up with a mustache, a gun, & a monocle. I LOL'd.)
As you can tell, I didn't particularly enjoy the third section. By that point the patterns in DR's plotting had became somewhat evident, & until Fleur appears (this time as an elder society matron) I wasn't sure why it was included. Having three separate generations worth of misery lumped into one tome was emotionally draining to this reader, especially combined with Vivian's loony-tunes villainy. That said, the first two stories are fun if you like pulled-from-the-fire HEAs. But if you must read the third installment, take my advice & don’t read them straight through. A break will help cleanse your brain & prepare for the wearying onslaught. (But tbh, I'd recommend skipping Book 3 entirely.)
Averaged to 4 stars. (Book 1: 4 stars. Book 2: 5 stars. Book 3: 3 stars.)
March 1, 2025
Fauna is stolen away from her village in Africa and enslaved at twelve – but her mixed blood offers her a greater chance of a happy life in England, even though it comes with its own specific dangers too.
This is a bit of a hodgepodge review, because this is the omnibus edition of a trio of books following Fauna and her descendants. Originally published in the 1950s, the books have a for-their-time sympathetic treatment of the mixed-race Fauna and her descendants, even if that Black blood dogs their steps as a fatal flaw in a tragically old-fashioned way.
Set over about a century, we move over the course of the books from the late 1700s to the late 1800s and cover the remarkably dramatic and hard-earned happily-ever-afters of three generations. Taking the advice of other reviewers I took break between each volume, because Robins covers similar themes in each, and the stories would have blended together otherwise. The prose is moderately purple, the heroes are unconventional, and the world the characters inhabit well-sketched.
Gold for the Gay Masters – 4 stars
The story of Fauna, the eponymous young enslaved girl. This was my favorite volume of the three, more focused on how Fauna works to claw a place for herself in a white supremacist world and less on the romance. Her mentor the marquis is a fascinating character, and I found myself very amused by the inclusion of the amnesia trope.
Bride of Doom – 4 stars
This is the story of Fleur, Fauna’s daughter, and a victim of godawful luck. This volume has a strong gothic flavor, the sense that the characters cannot escape their fate no matter how hard I hoped otherwise, and the characters are really put through the wringer before they’re finally relieved. I enjoyed the romance, which has a much more understated, delicate quality to it to contrast the highly-colored tone of the rest of the story.
The Flame and the Frost – 3 stars
This was my least favorite of the volumes, because the characters frustrated me again and again. A single indiscretion on the part of Charlotte, the low-born ward of a countess, sentences her to a lifetime of misery with the countess’s son, an abusive one-note villain who is surely not right in the head. The conflict is sadly realistic, but the hero is distant and the resolution too transparently deus ex machina.
This is a bit of a hodgepodge review, because this is the omnibus edition of a trio of books following Fauna and her descendants. Originally published in the 1950s, the books have a for-their-time sympathetic treatment of the mixed-race Fauna and her descendants, even if that Black blood dogs their steps as a fatal flaw in a tragically old-fashioned way.
Set over about a century, we move over the course of the books from the late 1700s to the late 1800s and cover the remarkably dramatic and hard-earned happily-ever-afters of three generations. Taking the advice of other reviewers I took break between each volume, because Robins covers similar themes in each, and the stories would have blended together otherwise. The prose is moderately purple, the heroes are unconventional, and the world the characters inhabit well-sketched.
Gold for the Gay Masters – 4 stars
The story of Fauna, the eponymous young enslaved girl. This was my favorite volume of the three, more focused on how Fauna works to claw a place for herself in a white supremacist world and less on the romance. Her mentor the marquis is a fascinating character, and I found myself very amused by the inclusion of the amnesia trope.
Bride of Doom – 4 stars
This is the story of Fleur, Fauna’s daughter, and a victim of godawful luck. This volume has a strong gothic flavor, the sense that the characters cannot escape their fate no matter how hard I hoped otherwise, and the characters are really put through the wringer before they’re finally relieved. I enjoyed the romance, which has a much more understated, delicate quality to it to contrast the highly-colored tone of the rest of the story.
The Flame and the Frost – 3 stars
This was my least favorite of the volumes, because the characters frustrated me again and again. A single indiscretion on the part of Charlotte, the low-born ward of a countess, sentences her to a lifetime of misery with the countess’s son, an abusive one-note villain who is surely not right in the head. The conflict is sadly realistic, but the hero is distant and the resolution too transparently deus ex machina.
March 11, 2020
Fantàstica la primera parte. Fauna es un personaje lleno de matices e interés. Harry està màs estereotipado y parece màs niño que ella, sin serlo. En conjunto muy bien escrita y una lectura apasionante. Fantàstica la descripción de esos secundarios espeluznantes. Lo mejor.
September 19, 2012
Pretty awesome book. Keeps you turning pages.
July 24, 2025
Fauna by Denise Robins is absolutely in my top 5 favorite books of all time. I’ve read it at least four times—and I know without a doubt I’ll read it again. I loved it that much.
Fauna is a truly unforgettable character—mixed with the blood of noble African chiefs and fiery Irish poets, she was sold into cruel slavery and beaten by a harsh mistress. But her spirit remained unbroken. She escaped into a world of elegance, wealth, and power, where all of London eventually praised her intelligence and unmatched beauty. Men were drawn to her—craving to possess her—but none could ease the searing pain in her heart. Only vengeance could, vengeance on the only man she had ever loved.
The 1978 Avon imprint of Fauna is a 3-in-1 compilation volume that includes Gold for the Gay Masters, Bride of Doom, and The Flame and the Frost—three powerful novels that together tell an epic and emotionally charged story. Denise Robins’ writing is sweeping, passionate, and full of depth. Each time I read it, I’m transported, and I feel just as captivated as the first time.
This book is a treasured gem in my collection—one I’ll never tire of revisiting.
Fauna is a truly unforgettable character—mixed with the blood of noble African chiefs and fiery Irish poets, she was sold into cruel slavery and beaten by a harsh mistress. But her spirit remained unbroken. She escaped into a world of elegance, wealth, and power, where all of London eventually praised her intelligence and unmatched beauty. Men were drawn to her—craving to possess her—but none could ease the searing pain in her heart. Only vengeance could, vengeance on the only man she had ever loved.
The 1978 Avon imprint of Fauna is a 3-in-1 compilation volume that includes Gold for the Gay Masters, Bride of Doom, and The Flame and the Frost—three powerful novels that together tell an epic and emotionally charged story. Denise Robins’ writing is sweeping, passionate, and full of depth. Each time I read it, I’m transported, and I feel just as captivated as the first time.
This book is a treasured gem in my collection—one I’ll never tire of revisiting.
December 1, 2024
Riveting and incredibly moving. I borrowed it from my cousin a lifetime ago and actually read it multiple times. I want to read it again but can’t find it anywhere.
January 25, 2017
if you like historical romances (and i don't usually) you'll love this saga....it had its moments and a variety of emotions went through me from humorous, horrifying, crying from both sad and happy, shocked and more...she alludes to sexual acts without going into detail but it is put in a way that you know exactly what is happening....racism runs throughout the book so be prepared for that...you have to understand that it starts in the late 1700's and slavery was running rampant...snobbery of the rich is also throughout the book.....there is a lot of content hear that i could go on and on but i am not going to do that because sooner or later i would spoil something unintentionally.....go get this book...
June 11, 2021
I read this as a Black kid growing up in Georgia in the 1980s and I did not understand the racism interwoven into this plot (that scourge of Black heritage that was the white heroine's tragic flaw). It should be recommended for race theory majors to understand how white supremacy is romanticized and internalized esp. when BIPOC esp. children) who love to read haven't any representation in literature and read what is recommended.
August 24, 2011
My favorite book hands down. I love the writer's style with her twists of love and revenge; it was a definite page turner for me.
August 30, 2015
From start to finish this book keeps you captivated and involved. This was one of my all time favorite reads.
December 21, 2015
It's lovely
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews