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Lovefire
Forbidden To Desire
Lovely Princess Joanna couldn't stop the tumultuous emotions that surged through her heart when she first saw the knight Geoffrey Fitzjean. His sculpted face and virile frame made her ache to her very core. His golden hair and slate gray eyes made her crave his tender caress. As the wife of the Duke of Brittany, the ebon-haired beauty couldn't dare a word - let alone a kiss - with her handsome subject. But as a passionate woman trapped in a loveless marriage, she couldn't bear the torment of one more lonely night without his rapturous touch!
Impossible To Resist
Geoffrey Fitzjean tried not to heed his treasonous thoughts of bedding luscious Joanna. But the more determined he was to deny his passion, the more fiercely his need grew to possess her. Just a glimpse of her creamy flesh and long raven tresses made him want to ravish her on the spot. Caught in the heat of desire, there was no turning back - he would chance a lifetime of imprisonment for one night as her master, consuming them both in the exquisite torture of their wild, raging Lovefire.
Lovely Princess Joanna couldn't stop the tumultuous emotions that surged through her heart when she first saw the knight Geoffrey Fitzjean. His sculpted face and virile frame made her ache to her very core. His golden hair and slate gray eyes made her crave his tender caress. As the wife of the Duke of Brittany, the ebon-haired beauty couldn't dare a word - let alone a kiss - with her handsome subject. But as a passionate woman trapped in a loveless marriage, she couldn't bear the torment of one more lonely night without his rapturous touch!
Impossible To Resist
Geoffrey Fitzjean tried not to heed his treasonous thoughts of bedding luscious Joanna. But the more determined he was to deny his passion, the more fiercely his need grew to possess her. Just a glimpse of her creamy flesh and long raven tresses made him want to ravish her on the spot. Caught in the heat of desire, there was no turning back - he would chance a lifetime of imprisonment for one night as her master, consuming them both in the exquisite torture of their wild, raging Lovefire.
526 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1985
1 person is currently reading
192 people want to read
About the author
Deana James
22 books23 followersDeana James was a pen name for Mona Dean Sizer.
As Deana James, she wrote 20 books, all but 1 were historical romances for Zebra.
A proud, lifelong Texas native, she passed away on February 17, 2022.
aka Mona_D_Sizer and Rachel Davis.
As Deana James, she wrote 20 books, all but 1 were historical romances for Zebra.
A proud, lifelong Texas native, she passed away on February 17, 2022.
aka Mona_D_Sizer and Rachel Davis.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 24, 2020
4 stars. Full review to come. Or maybe not. This book left me too exhausted :P If you're looking for a medieval romance with court drama pulled off well, I recommend this. The cover and title don't lend enough credit to Deana James' writing, but this author knows her stuff.
February 23, 2021
Part bodice-ripper, part romance novel, & part historical fic, this takes place from the late 1300s into the early 1400s & is (rather loosely) based around a real woman, Joan (aka Joanna) of Navarre.
Joan/Joanna really was the daughter of Charles the Bad, an unpleasant schemer who married her to another aging schemer, the Duke of Brittany (remember that Brittany was its own territory at this time); she survives the Duke’s manipulations & child-bearing orders long enough to marry Henry of house Lancaster (later King Henry IV) & then clash horns with her grouchy, perpetually broke stepson King Henry V. For fictional purposes, the author also adds a bastard Brittany son (hero Geoffrey) to the mix, which ensures plenty of royal plans gone awry & greedy obliviousness re: Joanna’s own wishes.
Joanna, for her part, is a sympathetic lead despite her haughty behavior & rude thoughts toward those who are not of royal blood—the lot of aristocratic or royal daughters during this period really *was* to be nothing but a broodmare &/or conduit for banking, armed forces, or land, & the majority of male characters’ disinterest in Joanna as a person was very frustrating. She’s bitter & angry & hates most people, but honestly—can you blame her? 😶 I liked her a lot, actually; regardless of how alike or dissimilar from the real person, this Joanna is her own self & highlights the most cringe-worthy attitudes of the medieval period.
Duke Jean was also a fascinating character, though frequently horrid—he reminded me of Tywin Lannister in that you think you can’t wait to see him croak, but later realize he’s one of the saner, more capable personages despite being such a jerk. Hero Geoffrey wasn’t so lucky. His early portrayal is something of a beta woobie (tho I could forgive some of it due to his own circumstance), but later...nope. He morphed into Captain Douchebag & I longed to punch his nuts with a cactus. How Joanna still loved him is beyond me—perhaps because the author suddenly remembered she was writing a romance novel, not an epic tragedy? 🙈
Anyway. This is a very well-written & (up until the final act) gripping read despite the great honkin’ time gaps & confusing politics. I tend to avoid historical novels based primarily around real people; more often than not they read like descriptive notecards strung together with “As You Know, Bob” dialogue + the occasional boob popping into view, but this one actually felt natural—like a real STORY, not a doctoral thesis reworked into a manuscript. I suspect DJ was hampered by the length of Joan/Joanna’s actual life—it felt like the plot should’ve been more compressed, as the gaps were sorta slipped in on the sly. But even with the flaws it was an entertaining, thought-provoking Zeeb with beautiful prose, so I hereby award a strong 4/4.5 stars.
Squick list:
-rape
-torture
-general medieval-type violence
-forced pregnancy
-bitchy heroine :D
Joan/Joanna really was the daughter of Charles the Bad, an unpleasant schemer who married her to another aging schemer, the Duke of Brittany (remember that Brittany was its own territory at this time); she survives the Duke’s manipulations & child-bearing orders long enough to marry Henry of house Lancaster (later King Henry IV) & then clash horns with her grouchy, perpetually broke stepson King Henry V. For fictional purposes, the author also adds a bastard Brittany son (hero Geoffrey) to the mix, which ensures plenty of royal plans gone awry & greedy obliviousness re: Joanna’s own wishes.
Joanna, for her part, is a sympathetic lead despite her haughty behavior & rude thoughts toward those who are not of royal blood—the lot of aristocratic or royal daughters during this period really *was* to be nothing but a broodmare &/or conduit for banking, armed forces, or land, & the majority of male characters’ disinterest in Joanna as a person was very frustrating. She’s bitter & angry & hates most people, but honestly—can you blame her? 😶 I liked her a lot, actually; regardless of how alike or dissimilar from the real person, this Joanna is her own self & highlights the most cringe-worthy attitudes of the medieval period.
Duke Jean was also a fascinating character, though frequently horrid—he reminded me of Tywin Lannister in that you think you can’t wait to see him croak, but later realize he’s one of the saner, more capable personages despite being such a jerk. Hero Geoffrey wasn’t so lucky. His early portrayal is something of a beta woobie (tho I could forgive some of it due to his own circumstance), but later...nope. He morphed into Captain Douchebag & I longed to punch his nuts with a cactus. How Joanna still loved him is beyond me—perhaps because the author suddenly remembered she was writing a romance novel, not an epic tragedy? 🙈
Anyway. This is a very well-written & (up until the final act) gripping read despite the great honkin’ time gaps & confusing politics. I tend to avoid historical novels based primarily around real people; more often than not they read like descriptive notecards strung together with “As You Know, Bob” dialogue + the occasional boob popping into view, but this one actually felt natural—like a real STORY, not a doctoral thesis reworked into a manuscript. I suspect DJ was hampered by the length of Joan/Joanna’s actual life—it felt like the plot should’ve been more compressed, as the gaps were sorta slipped in on the sly. But even with the flaws it was an entertaining, thought-provoking Zeeb with beautiful prose, so I hereby award a strong 4/4.5 stars.
Squick list:
-rape
-torture
-general medieval-type violence
-forced pregnancy
-bitchy heroine :D
May 20, 2022
4.5 stars
December 28, 2019
This review is of “Lovefire” by Deana James.
The book begins at an undetermined time in Spain. It is here that Joanna Navarre, the heroine of the book, lives with her father, King Charles of Navarre, and her two brothers, Charles II, who is older, and Luis, who is younger. One day, two Valois guards attack the family home and maim for life both brothers (their pinky fingers are cut off). Joanna, however, is left alone.
Later, Joanna learns that her father has betrothed her to Jean de Monfort, the Duke of Brittany in France. The Duke is a crippled, disfigured crone who only wants Joanna to be a breeder for his future children. When Brittany realizes he can’t achieve this goal, he forces one of his lowly knights, Geoffrey Fitzjean, the hero of the book, to act as a surrogate lover. Joanna soon becomes pregnant by Geoffrey, later giving birth to a son.
Brittany, however, wants a spare to go along with his heir, and makes Geoffrey resume his carnal attentions toward Joanna. She makes a huge error, however, when during lovemaking, she calls out Geoffrey’s name.
Needless to say, this does not sit well with Jean, who orders both Joanna and Geoffrey tortured. However, he then decides to keep both near, and over the next many years-more than 20-Joanna and Geoffrey keep the lineage going with seven more children. Soon after the eight child is born, Jean dies, and Joanna marries Henry Bolingbroke, who later ascends to the title of King Henry IV.
Although Joanna gains a title-Queen of England-with her marriage to Henry IV, the marriage is not a traditional one (it is not consummated) and later, Joanna finds herself the target of the wrath of Henry V-Bolinbroke’s son-when he ascends to the throne. Henry V accuses Joanna of being a witch. Henry orders Joanna to be imprisoned until she stands trial, with Geoffrey as her gaoler. As they spend more time together, they sort things out and realize they love each other. Geoffrey also learns something that will change his life. Joanna and Geoffrey marry and live out their lives together.
Upside: “Lovefire” is based on actual historical figures who lived in the 12/13th centuries. The secret Geoffrey learns at the end of the book is the most interesting part of the book for me.
Downside: I have no interest in royalty-historical OR modern-day-therefore, reading about the machinations of the royal family circa 12th/13th century is of no interest to me. I didn’t find Joanna, Geoffrey or any of the real people in the book interesting to read about.
Sex: A few good love scenes, but nothing terribly erotic.
Violence: A few violent scenes after the first chapter. The violence is not graphic.
Bottom Line: Readers who love reading about real historical figures may like “Lovefire”; others, like me, may not find much to care about here.
The book begins at an undetermined time in Spain. It is here that Joanna Navarre, the heroine of the book, lives with her father, King Charles of Navarre, and her two brothers, Charles II, who is older, and Luis, who is younger. One day, two Valois guards attack the family home and maim for life both brothers (their pinky fingers are cut off). Joanna, however, is left alone.
Later, Joanna learns that her father has betrothed her to Jean de Monfort, the Duke of Brittany in France. The Duke is a crippled, disfigured crone who only wants Joanna to be a breeder for his future children. When Brittany realizes he can’t achieve this goal, he forces one of his lowly knights, Geoffrey Fitzjean, the hero of the book, to act as a surrogate lover. Joanna soon becomes pregnant by Geoffrey, later giving birth to a son.
Brittany, however, wants a spare to go along with his heir, and makes Geoffrey resume his carnal attentions toward Joanna. She makes a huge error, however, when during lovemaking, she calls out Geoffrey’s name.
Needless to say, this does not sit well with Jean, who orders both Joanna and Geoffrey tortured. However, he then decides to keep both near, and over the next many years-more than 20-Joanna and Geoffrey keep the lineage going with seven more children. Soon after the eight child is born, Jean dies, and Joanna marries Henry Bolingbroke, who later ascends to the title of King Henry IV.
Although Joanna gains a title-Queen of England-with her marriage to Henry IV, the marriage is not a traditional one (it is not consummated) and later, Joanna finds herself the target of the wrath of Henry V-Bolinbroke’s son-when he ascends to the throne. Henry V accuses Joanna of being a witch. Henry orders Joanna to be imprisoned until she stands trial, with Geoffrey as her gaoler. As they spend more time together, they sort things out and realize they love each other. Geoffrey also learns something that will change his life. Joanna and Geoffrey marry and live out their lives together.
Upside: “Lovefire” is based on actual historical figures who lived in the 12/13th centuries. The secret Geoffrey learns at the end of the book is the most interesting part of the book for me.
Downside: I have no interest in royalty-historical OR modern-day-therefore, reading about the machinations of the royal family circa 12th/13th century is of no interest to me. I didn’t find Joanna, Geoffrey or any of the real people in the book interesting to read about.
Sex: A few good love scenes, but nothing terribly erotic.
Violence: A few violent scenes after the first chapter. The violence is not graphic.
Bottom Line: Readers who love reading about real historical figures may like “Lovefire”; others, like me, may not find much to care about here.
October 30, 2021
4 stars - the story is saturated in political intrigue. like coffee with some different flavor, not-sure-if-can-keep-drinking-this - but you do
January 30, 2024
I expected a semblance of history from this book since it's based on real historical figures, but the writer couldn't even bother to capture 14th century fashion correctly, nevermind the historical facts and the mindset of people. Ms. James must have read some Tudor romances because that's the sort of world-building you get from the opening pages, then she gave me a whiplash when Edward the Black Prince was mentioned, and sure enough Joanna and Duke of Britanny she wrote about lived during the 14th century. While the teenage Joanna is educated, proud and simply admirably carved cardboard perfection, Ms. James's Duke of Britanny is a decrepit seventy-year-old vile misogynistic villain. In truth he was 47 at the time of their wedding. I would not raise this issue if his description came from Joanna's POV but that wasn't always the case. There was a glimpse of a complex man that the real Duke must have been, but I was already so put off by the half-assed history and the cringe wedding night scene that I simply couldn't continue with this book.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews