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Passion's Rapture
Book by Neri, Penelope
- GenresHistorical Romance
Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 24, 2020
DNF, pg 200-something, because whatever. It's a typical early Zeeb, bloated & draggy with plodding kitchen sink obstacles & thin characters. Bonus points: the heroine is an idiot & the exclamation points are out of control. What a waste of a Spanish hero.
This is my second Neri & neither has impressed me. I've got 3 more, though, so hopefully they're better. >___>
This is my second Neri & neither has impressed me. I've got 3 more, though, so hopefully they're better. >___>
February 26, 2017
Another "hero rapes the heroine" book.
One of the worst things about 70's/80's romance novels is the tendency among some novels of the "hero" of the book raping the heroine, and, even worse, the heroine falling in love with the cretin. Sadly, this scenario plays itself out-twice-in Penelope Neri's debut "Passion's Rapture."
The Story: Be prepared, lots of spoilers coming. This very long-nearly 600 pages long-book begins with the heroine of the book, Amanda Sommers, 19, being evicted from her home. (Her father, Robert, after the death of his wife, Amanda's mother, Jessica, drank and gambled the Sommers' family fortune away, and he ended up dying in Newgate debtors prison.) Thankfully for Amanda, some old family friends give her a position as a governess for their daughter. On the way to the job, she is accosted by an individual named Paul Blake, whose behaviour toward her is obnoxious and boorish. They have several other encounters-including one where he tries to rape her, yet despite this-and the warnings of other licentious actions by Blake-Amanda agrees to marry him.
On the day of their wedding, the ceremony is interrupted by Miguel de Villarin, a man who claims Blake dishonored his sister, which Blake did. Blake tries to shoot de Villarin and misses. Miguel's answering shot doesn't, hitting Blake in the kneecap, and, because this book was set in the 1700's when medical technology wasn't what it is today, Blake's leg is amputated from the knee down. Blake vows revenge on de Villarin and the wedding is obviously called off.
Later, Amanda goes to see Blake to tell him she still loves him and will marry him. Blake coldly informs her that he never loved her, and was only marrying her to have sex with her and to use her family to assist him financially. Stupidly, Amanda tries later to convince Blake she loves him when she is abducted by two members of the Gypsy Princess. They have abducted Amanda thinking she's a doxie, and have brought her to the ship as a sexual plaything for the ship's captain, James Mallory, who rapes her. He does feel guilty about it later, big whoop. As the ship voyage continues, Amanda begins falling in love with James! This is interrupted by two events. One, a massive deadly storm that kills over half of the ship's crew, and the second occurs when the damaged Gypsy Princess comes upon what they believe is an abandoned ship and they try to commandeer it. What they don't realize until it's too late, is that the "abandoned ship" is a trap set by pirates. More of the Gypsy Princess' crew is killed and Amanda, James and a few other survivors are taken hostage. Amanda and James eventually free themselves and destroy the ship by blowing it up. The subsequent explosion tosses Amanda overboard into the ocean. She is rescued by a fisherman named Fernando. What she finds out later is that Fernando's surname is...de Villarin! Miguel's brother.
Amanda is taken later to the de Villarin family hacienda, where Miguel is. He is just as obsessed with killing Blake as Blake is to kill him, and when Amanda shows up, Miguel erroneously believes that she and Blake are conspiring to kill him. Miguel rapes Amanda, then feels guilty about it; notice a pattern here? Despite being raped-again-Amanda develops loving feelings for Miguel and they do have several consenting sexual encounters.
As the book goes on, Blake tries to kill both Amanda and Miguel, and eventually captures both of them tries to kill them. Amanda is then put on a ship headed to New Orleans. On the ship, Amanda meets a prostitute named Nellie Flagg, who befriends Amanda. Together, they stage Amanda's death by claiming she jumped off the ship to her death to try to avoid being captured again by Blake's henchmen. Amanda also finds out during this trip that she is pregnant from Miguel's rape of her.
When the ship arrives in New Orleans, Amanda and Nellie get jobs at a coffeehouse owned by Henri and Solange Robineau. Madame Robineau treats them like dirt, while Monsieur Robineau wants to have sex with Amanda. (Every man that sees Amanda wants to have sex with her.) Amanda gives birth to a son named Michael-the anglo version of Miguel-and for a while is content. Unfortunately, Amanda can't outrun Blake, who arrives in New Orleans with his lover/accomplice, Yvette, a madam of a house of ill repute. They kidnap Amanda and blackmail her by claiming that they have Michael and force her to work in Yvette's brothel or they will kill him. Amanda's first customer has sex with her-and she enjoys it-but that man also turns out to be a friend of James Mallory-who Amanda believed was dead-and they help her get out of the brothel.
Later, Yvette shows up with proof that she and Blake really do have Michael and she tells Amanda to bring Miguel to a house to make an exchange of lives. Amanda tracks down Miguel, whom she earlier told she loved him, and together, they finally put and end to Blake and Yvette's reign of terror over their lives, and go on to live happily ever after.
This book is very much like a soap opera, with multiple outrageous, over the top things happening. That doesn't mean it's a good book. There are multiple issues with this book. First and foremost, is the fact that the heroine is raped twice, nearly raped a third time,and yet, falls in love with all three of the perpetrators! Then there is Amanda herself. While I do admire her strength in dealing with all she deals with, both physically and emotionally, the fact is some of her misfortunes are her own fault. She is the one who agrees to marry Blake despite his behaviour. She is the one who falls in love with two "men" who rape her. Amanda is at best, naive, and at worst, stupid. Miguel and James are worse. Despite Ms. Neri's efforts to rehabilitate them by claiming that they "feel bad" after raping Amanda, the fact is, if they don't rape her, they wouldn't have to feel bad about it. Side note:James gets his own book, "Beloved Scoundrel."
Sex: multiple scenes, but not overly graphic. Ms. Neri's sex scenes become more graphic in later books.
Violence: Lots of it. Rapes, shootings, physical assaults, killings, it's all here. None are described overly graphically, but they are there.
Bottom line: If you're okay with a "hero" raping the heroine or you're a fan of Ms. Neri, you may like this book. Even though I am a fan of Ms. Neri, I didn't.
One of the worst things about 70's/80's romance novels is the tendency among some novels of the "hero" of the book raping the heroine, and, even worse, the heroine falling in love with the cretin. Sadly, this scenario plays itself out-twice-in Penelope Neri's debut "Passion's Rapture."
The Story: Be prepared, lots of spoilers coming. This very long-nearly 600 pages long-book begins with the heroine of the book, Amanda Sommers, 19, being evicted from her home. (Her father, Robert, after the death of his wife, Amanda's mother, Jessica, drank and gambled the Sommers' family fortune away, and he ended up dying in Newgate debtors prison.) Thankfully for Amanda, some old family friends give her a position as a governess for their daughter. On the way to the job, she is accosted by an individual named Paul Blake, whose behaviour toward her is obnoxious and boorish. They have several other encounters-including one where he tries to rape her, yet despite this-and the warnings of other licentious actions by Blake-Amanda agrees to marry him.
On the day of their wedding, the ceremony is interrupted by Miguel de Villarin, a man who claims Blake dishonored his sister, which Blake did. Blake tries to shoot de Villarin and misses. Miguel's answering shot doesn't, hitting Blake in the kneecap, and, because this book was set in the 1700's when medical technology wasn't what it is today, Blake's leg is amputated from the knee down. Blake vows revenge on de Villarin and the wedding is obviously called off.
Later, Amanda goes to see Blake to tell him she still loves him and will marry him. Blake coldly informs her that he never loved her, and was only marrying her to have sex with her and to use her family to assist him financially. Stupidly, Amanda tries later to convince Blake she loves him when she is abducted by two members of the Gypsy Princess. They have abducted Amanda thinking she's a doxie, and have brought her to the ship as a sexual plaything for the ship's captain, James Mallory, who rapes her. He does feel guilty about it later, big whoop. As the ship voyage continues, Amanda begins falling in love with James! This is interrupted by two events. One, a massive deadly storm that kills over half of the ship's crew, and the second occurs when the damaged Gypsy Princess comes upon what they believe is an abandoned ship and they try to commandeer it. What they don't realize until it's too late, is that the "abandoned ship" is a trap set by pirates. More of the Gypsy Princess' crew is killed and Amanda, James and a few other survivors are taken hostage. Amanda and James eventually free themselves and destroy the ship by blowing it up. The subsequent explosion tosses Amanda overboard into the ocean. She is rescued by a fisherman named Fernando. What she finds out later is that Fernando's surname is...de Villarin! Miguel's brother.
Amanda is taken later to the de Villarin family hacienda, where Miguel is. He is just as obsessed with killing Blake as Blake is to kill him, and when Amanda shows up, Miguel erroneously believes that she and Blake are conspiring to kill him. Miguel rapes Amanda, then feels guilty about it; notice a pattern here? Despite being raped-again-Amanda develops loving feelings for Miguel and they do have several consenting sexual encounters.
As the book goes on, Blake tries to kill both Amanda and Miguel, and eventually captures both of them tries to kill them. Amanda is then put on a ship headed to New Orleans. On the ship, Amanda meets a prostitute named Nellie Flagg, who befriends Amanda. Together, they stage Amanda's death by claiming she jumped off the ship to her death to try to avoid being captured again by Blake's henchmen. Amanda also finds out during this trip that she is pregnant from Miguel's rape of her.
When the ship arrives in New Orleans, Amanda and Nellie get jobs at a coffeehouse owned by Henri and Solange Robineau. Madame Robineau treats them like dirt, while Monsieur Robineau wants to have sex with Amanda. (Every man that sees Amanda wants to have sex with her.) Amanda gives birth to a son named Michael-the anglo version of Miguel-and for a while is content. Unfortunately, Amanda can't outrun Blake, who arrives in New Orleans with his lover/accomplice, Yvette, a madam of a house of ill repute. They kidnap Amanda and blackmail her by claiming that they have Michael and force her to work in Yvette's brothel or they will kill him. Amanda's first customer has sex with her-and she enjoys it-but that man also turns out to be a friend of James Mallory-who Amanda believed was dead-and they help her get out of the brothel.
Later, Yvette shows up with proof that she and Blake really do have Michael and she tells Amanda to bring Miguel to a house to make an exchange of lives. Amanda tracks down Miguel, whom she earlier told she loved him, and together, they finally put and end to Blake and Yvette's reign of terror over their lives, and go on to live happily ever after.
This book is very much like a soap opera, with multiple outrageous, over the top things happening. That doesn't mean it's a good book. There are multiple issues with this book. First and foremost, is the fact that the heroine is raped twice, nearly raped a third time,and yet, falls in love with all three of the perpetrators! Then there is Amanda herself. While I do admire her strength in dealing with all she deals with, both physically and emotionally, the fact is some of her misfortunes are her own fault. She is the one who agrees to marry Blake despite his behaviour. She is the one who falls in love with two "men" who rape her. Amanda is at best, naive, and at worst, stupid. Miguel and James are worse. Despite Ms. Neri's efforts to rehabilitate them by claiming that they "feel bad" after raping Amanda, the fact is, if they don't rape her, they wouldn't have to feel bad about it. Side note:James gets his own book, "Beloved Scoundrel."
Sex: multiple scenes, but not overly graphic. Ms. Neri's sex scenes become more graphic in later books.
Violence: Lots of it. Rapes, shootings, physical assaults, killings, it's all here. None are described overly graphically, but they are there.
Bottom line: If you're okay with a "hero" raping the heroine or you're a fan of Ms. Neri, you may like this book. Even though I am a fan of Ms. Neri, I didn't.
December 27, 2022
This book was a DNF for me. In common with a lot of late 70's/early 80's HR books (this was from 1981), the h is raped by more than one man (including the H), and she has sex with more than one man (plenty in this case, as she's forced into prostitution), and despite her revulsion for what she's forded to do, her first "John" turns her on like crazy and gives her the big "O" really fast! Then she gets all huffy because he says she's great at her job! What did she expect when she obviously enjoyed herself? Naturally, he'd assume she didn't mind her occupation.
To make matters worse, after her first rape, she falls for the guy (WTF!!!) and after her second one (b the H) she falls for him too (along with another guy who's the villain of the story), which gives you an idea of where her brains are located! The two guys did apologize for raping her, so I guess that excuses them. No wonder she fell for them! (Double WTF!!!)
I couldn't stand her, or the H, and feel sorry for their baby, having them for parents. Hopefully, he runs away as soon as he learns to walk.
As for me, I didn't read far enough to find out how the "happy couple" (BARF!!) got back together because, in the words of Rhett Butler: "Frankly, I don't give a damn".
To make matters worse, after her first rape, she falls for the guy (WTF!!!) and after her second one (b the H) she falls for him too (along with another guy who's the villain of the story), which gives you an idea of where her brains are located! The two guys did apologize for raping her, so I guess that excuses them. No wonder she fell for them! (Double WTF!!!)
I couldn't stand her, or the H, and feel sorry for their baby, having them for parents. Hopefully, he runs away as soon as he learns to walk.
As for me, I didn't read far enough to find out how the "happy couple" (BARF!!) got back together because, in the words of Rhett Butler: "Frankly, I don't give a damn".
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews