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Love and Adventure Collection #4
Notorious Angel
The unimpeachable Elenora Villars is the pride of New Orleans. Her magnificent auburn hair is her crowning glory and her benevolence is the talk of the town. Once a nurse to injured Americans in Niagara, Elenora has become famous for her compassionate works. The widow of a Spanish nobleman, Elenora has secured herself a respected place in high society. But she has a secret that could destroy her good name. Colonel Grant Farrell is the only man who knows what Elenora really is and the secrets she is hiding, but he doesn-t care. He is overwhelmed with a passion that can only be sedated by the warm brush of her sensual lips. He is her sworn enemy, a man who holds her future in his hands, a man who has vowed to win her love. Can his insatiable desire overcome her burning hatred?
Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1977
68 people are currently reading
474 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Blake
177 books542 followersA pseudonym used by Patricia Maxwell.
Jennifer Blake has been called a “pioneer of the romance genre”, and an “icon of the romance industry.” A New York Times and international best selling author since 1977, she is a charter member of Romance Writers of America, member of the RWA Hall of Fame, and recipient of the RWA Lifetime Achievement Rita. She holds numerous other honors, including two “Maggies”, two Holt Medallions, multiple Reviewer’s Choice Awards, the Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times BookReviews Magazine, and the Frank Waters Award for literary excellence. She has written over 60 books with translations in 20 languages and more than 30 million copies in print worldwide.
Jennifer and her husband reside in a lakeside Caribbean-style retreat in North Louisiana where they often entertain family and friends. Always a gardener, she spends much of her time encouraging her garden to bloom with her favorite daylilies and antique roses. She also enjoys walking her two dogs, Buffy and Lucky, and indulging in needlework, painting, and travel.
Jennifer Blake has been called a “pioneer of the romance genre”, and an “icon of the romance industry.” A New York Times and international best selling author since 1977, she is a charter member of Romance Writers of America, member of the RWA Hall of Fame, and recipient of the RWA Lifetime Achievement Rita. She holds numerous other honors, including two “Maggies”, two Holt Medallions, multiple Reviewer’s Choice Awards, the Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times BookReviews Magazine, and the Frank Waters Award for literary excellence. She has written over 60 books with translations in 20 languages and more than 30 million copies in print worldwide.
Jennifer and her husband reside in a lakeside Caribbean-style retreat in North Louisiana where they often entertain family and friends. Always a gardener, she spends much of her time encouraging her garden to bloom with her favorite daylilies and antique roses. She also enjoys walking her two dogs, Buffy and Lucky, and indulging in needlework, painting, and travel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
October 7, 2015
Review edited 12/1. I pasted the wrong quote yesterday.
A couple of slightly spoilerish cautionary warnings before I get into the review itself. 1) the description on the back jacket is very deceiving since it sounds like the bulk of the story takes place in New Orleans, but those events take place at the very end of the story. The second cautionary warning is a reminder that this book was first published in the late 70s, a period where the rape/forced seduction trope was fairly common, and this book is no exception. I understand there are readers who draw a hard line in the sand with this, and if you are one of those readers (nothing wrong with that), then this book is probably not the book for you.
That was rather long-winded, so I'll try to be brief. Basic set-up is gently raised Eleanora Colette Villars and her younger (and very foolish) brother are pretty much out of funds. Her brother signs up for William Walker's military campaign in Central America in the hopes of gaining land grants. He also foolishly lets himself get swindled, so they're pretty much down on their luck when they arrive in Nicaragua. Colonel Grant Farrell doesn't realize Eleanora is a lady, and he...well...I won't go into details to avoid spoiling, but it isn't pretty.
Complications abound, and take the reader on a rather wild journey. Duels, dirty dealings, spies and counter-spies, a mad escape through the jungles of South America, a prison camp, death by firing squad, you name it, Eleanora goes through it.
“Forgive me, gentlemen,” Eleanora said, “but I think I ought to warn you that I do not automatically go to the victor.”
Thumbs up to Blake for getting her older books back in print in the digital age, as well as for the detailed author's notes on what events and people were real and who were fictional. An interesting footnote in history, I hadn't realized what a hot-bed of intrigue Central America was at that time.
My favorite quote, and from the end so might be a bit spoilerish, although you always know there's a HEA in a JB book.
Sigh...
A couple of slightly spoilerish cautionary warnings before I get into the review itself. 1) the description on the back jacket is very deceiving since it sounds like the bulk of the story takes place in New Orleans, but those events take place at the very end of the story. The second cautionary warning is a reminder that this book was first published in the late 70s, a period where the rape/forced seduction trope was fairly common, and this book is no exception. I understand there are readers who draw a hard line in the sand with this, and if you are one of those readers (nothing wrong with that), then this book is probably not the book for you.
That was rather long-winded, so I'll try to be brief. Basic set-up is gently raised Eleanora Colette Villars and her younger (and very foolish) brother are pretty much out of funds. Her brother signs up for William Walker's military campaign in Central America in the hopes of gaining land grants. He also foolishly lets himself get swindled, so they're pretty much down on their luck when they arrive in Nicaragua. Colonel Grant Farrell doesn't realize Eleanora is a lady, and he...well...I won't go into details to avoid spoiling, but it isn't pretty.
Complications abound, and take the reader on a rather wild journey. Duels, dirty dealings, spies and counter-spies, a mad escape through the jungles of South America, a prison camp, death by firing squad, you name it, Eleanora goes through it.
“Forgive me, gentlemen,” Eleanora said, “but I think I ought to warn you that I do not automatically go to the victor.”
Thumbs up to Blake for getting her older books back in print in the digital age, as well as for the detailed author's notes on what events and people were real and who were fictional. An interesting footnote in history, I hadn't realized what a hot-bed of intrigue Central America was at that time.
My favorite quote, and from the end so might be a bit spoilerish, although you always know there's a HEA in a JB book.
Sigh...
September 11, 2021
In the mid-1800s, a pair of blue-blooded but impoverished American siblings follow a rogue American General to a South American country torn by civil war. The General is set on creating his own little utopia in Nicaragua. The heroine's brother is set on covering himself in glory. As for the heroine, she just wants to survive and to protect her brother. Political intrigues, lots of violence, betrayals, and wartime atrocities ensue.
Our classy heroine falls into the clutches of the ruthless right hand man to the General. This anti-hero quite cold-bloodedly forces her to become his mistress. She endures his mistreatment with her head held high and he eventually, reluctantly releases her at the conclusion of their bargain. Instead of wallowing in self-pity as a "fallen woman" or becoming yet another simpering woman who fell into Stockholm Syndrome with her captor, she decides to make something of herself. As a tireless nurse, she emerges as a true heroine of the civil war, until a ruthless betrayal plunges her and the ones she loves down another path of tragedy.
4 stars for the writing: the pace, plot, style, setting, creativity, all made it a wildly entertaining, unputdownable read.
4 stars for the heroine: while she was a bit of a Mary Sue, she was not an insufferable one. I like a heroine with backbone, some pragmatism, and who DOES things instead of just sitting back all passive letting things happen to her.
1 star for the hero: sorry, I know it's an Old Skool bodice-ripper, but this big fat jerk who inflicted unspeakable abuse on the heroine needed to suffer or grovel or somehow redeem himself but NOPE. The closest he came to gaining my sympathy was when he let the heroine's brother shoot at him in a duel while he himself threw away his shot, because he felt guilty about the injustice he had inflicted on the heroine. But then, he went on to ruin this demonstration of his contrition by continuing to be an asshat to the heroine afterwards. It took him until the last page of the book to finally confess his love and propose marriage, and only after he realized heroine gave birth to his son. So that was not in any way enough for me to like him.
Tbh, the OM was better than the hero in this story, much more honorable, caring and protective of the heroine although he was a bit too sappy.
Minus points for the main OW becoming the big winner, politically if not romantically, since she managed to double cross and outwit them all, kick them all out of Nicaragua, and never get any comeuppance. The other OW was thrown off a balcony by the hero, to land, unhurt, in mud, then later was tortured to death off page but she was just a minor peon, not the main bad guy. Plus she precipitated the suicide of heroine's brother so in a way, she ultimately got the revenge that she wanted, which was to hurt the heroine.
All in all, a 3.5 overall rating.
Our classy heroine falls into the clutches of the ruthless right hand man to the General. This anti-hero quite cold-bloodedly forces her to become his mistress. She endures his mistreatment with her head held high and he eventually, reluctantly releases her at the conclusion of their bargain. Instead of wallowing in self-pity as a "fallen woman" or becoming yet another simpering woman who fell into Stockholm Syndrome with her captor, she decides to make something of herself. As a tireless nurse, she emerges as a true heroine of the civil war, until a ruthless betrayal plunges her and the ones she loves down another path of tragedy.
4 stars for the writing: the pace, plot, style, setting, creativity, all made it a wildly entertaining, unputdownable read.
4 stars for the heroine: while she was a bit of a Mary Sue, she was not an insufferable one. I like a heroine with backbone, some pragmatism, and who DOES things instead of just sitting back all passive letting things happen to her.
1 star for the hero: sorry, I know it's an Old Skool bodice-ripper, but this big fat jerk who inflicted unspeakable abuse on the heroine needed to suffer or grovel or somehow redeem himself but NOPE. The closest he came to gaining my sympathy was when he let the heroine's brother shoot at him in a duel while he himself threw away his shot, because he felt guilty about the injustice he had inflicted on the heroine. But then, he went on to ruin this demonstration of his contrition by continuing to be an asshat to the heroine afterwards. It took him until the last page of the book to finally confess his love and propose marriage, and only after he realized heroine gave birth to his son. So that was not in any way enough for me to like him.
Tbh, the OM was better than the hero in this story, much more honorable, caring and protective of the heroine although he was a bit too sappy.
Minus points for the main OW becoming the big winner, politically if not romantically, since she managed to double cross and outwit them all, kick them all out of Nicaragua, and never get any comeuppance. The other OW was thrown off a balcony by the hero, to land, unhurt, in mud, then later was tortured to death off page but she was just a minor peon, not the main bad guy. Plus she precipitated the suicide of heroine's brother so in a way, she ultimately got the revenge that she wanted, which was to hurt the heroine.
All in all, a 3.5 overall rating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2015
FREEBIE!
Free right now on Amazon! Another one of my favs is free and I want the whole world to know :)
Amazon Link
*This was originally published in 1977 so beware but I also reread it last year and still shamelessly loved it, bodice ripping and all :)
Free right now on Amazon! Another one of my favs is free and I want the whole world to know :)
Amazon Link
*This was originally published in 1977 so beware but I also reread it last year and still shamelessly loved it, bodice ripping and all :)
January 27, 2014
I hesitated between 3 & 4 stars because I like the writing, and the history was rather fascinating. I also loved Eleanor. Blake knows how to write a strong heroine with human flaws. HOWEVER, this is the first time when I felt like the h should have ended up with the rival for the H's affection. It was more like a tragedy about the horrors of war, subjugation of the Indian's, and the hypocrisy of a more powerful country coming in to spread 'democracy'. Overall it was very hopeless. Not a feel good read at all.
The love story seemed secondary. The H/h were separated too much. I also thought he let his pride stand in the way FAR too much. Grant (the H) never came after her. She had to make all the concessions. I wasn't real sure why she loved him beyond the sex, but realize people can find themselves loving the wrong person. Luis was so likeable (although tragic and flawed himself). He played the hero much better than Grant did. He also sacrificed MUCH more for the h and was definitely the one who was there when she needed a savior. Grant was too tied up with his insecurities. I know he had a rough childhood, but no one's life is perfect - deal!.
The thing I've loved most about a lot of Blake's heroes is the unbelievable lengths they'll go to in order to get the h back - blackmail, highly morally questionable plots, daring rescues, hijacking the h's wedding etc. Grant did none of this aside from force her to be his mistress in the beginning. After that, he played it safe and waited for her to come to him. Not what I look for in a romance. However, the story was good and I was very emotionally affected. If something you read affects you that much, you have to respect it, even if it doesn't go the way you think it should have.
ETA: Don't listen to the Audible edition. The narrator is horrible. The H sounded like Dudley Do Right and the heroine who was probably 18-20yrs old, sounded like a 40 year old smoker.
The love story seemed secondary. The H/h were separated too much. I also thought he let his pride stand in the way FAR too much. Grant (the H) never came after her. She had to make all the concessions. I wasn't real sure why she loved him beyond the sex, but realize people can find themselves loving the wrong person. Luis was so likeable (although tragic and flawed himself). He played the hero much better than Grant did. He also sacrificed MUCH more for the h and was definitely the one who was there when she needed a savior. Grant was too tied up with his insecurities. I know he had a rough childhood, but no one's life is perfect - deal!.
The thing I've loved most about a lot of Blake's heroes is the unbelievable lengths they'll go to in order to get the h back - blackmail, highly morally questionable plots, daring rescues, hijacking the h's wedding etc. Grant did none of this aside from force her to be his mistress in the beginning. After that, he played it safe and waited for her to come to him. Not what I look for in a romance. However, the story was good and I was very emotionally affected. If something you read affects you that much, you have to respect it, even if it doesn't go the way you think it should have.
ETA: Don't listen to the Audible edition. The narrator is horrible. The H sounded like Dudley Do Right and the heroine who was probably 18-20yrs old, sounded like a 40 year old smoker.
October 13, 2023
I probably would have enjoyed this story when it was originally published in 1977. We had fewer choices when reading a "romance". That said, I learned quite a bit about the William Walker and politics in Central America.
August 28, 2013
4 and 1/2 Stars - Unusual and Exciting Bodice Ripper Set in Nicaragua
I struggled with my review of this one only because for much of the story the “hero” appeared the villain and the heroine weak, not my favorite combination, but the second half of the tale (which I think the best) is different. I would give the first half 4 stars and the second half 5 stars—and there is a great ending that will bring tears to your eyes.
Set in Nicaragua in Central America during the years 1855-1857, this is the story of Eleanora Colette Villars from an aristocratic New Orleans family who, because of her brother’s folly, loses her home and ends up following her brother to Nicaragua where he has joined the mercenaries serving William Walker, an American who is trying to take over the country.
Colonel Grant Farrell, head of Walker’s private military, using her brother as hostage, forces Eleanora, an innocent, to pose as his mistress. Then he rapes her and holds her prisoner in his home, without even clothes to wear. When she has the chance to escape, she does not take it (this more than once). She even begins to make excuses for the colonel (he’s a half-breed Apache with a poor childhood). It reminded me of the Stockholm syndrome, where hostages feel sympathy toward their captors.
Once her brother is released and she is free, Eleanora doesn’t tell her brother she was raped and, when her brother wounds the colonel in a duel, she returns to Colonel Farrell’s house to tend his wound. While tending the colonel, Eleanora introduces herself as his mistress, apparently resigned to the role. (He has such a low view of women he will not offer her marriage).
Impressed with Eleanora’s medical knowledge, the local doctor invites her to tend the wounded American mercenaries. She takes on the task and, for her valiant efforts, is dubbed “the colonel’s angel.” But she has rivals, the mistress of William Walker, and the former mistress of Colonel Farrell, both of whom seek Eleanora’s demise.
In an intricately woven plot, Eleanora rises to every challenge as she is rescued from peril only to face further hardships. The scenes as they tramp from Granada to the coast through the jungles and rivers are very well done, and very realistic. The characters are richly developed, too. (Her savior, Luis, was one of my favorite characters and one could not help but feel his pain for his love for Eleanora.)
The writing is excellent. Blake really makes you feel like you’re in the hot, dusty streets of Nicaragua in a tumultuous time. I could suggest you might want a map, too. Blake has obviously done much research for the book and it is seamlessly woven into the story. (There is also a worthy Author’s Note at the end that gives you more.) It is all told from the heroine’s perspective as were Blake’s other early novels (NOTORIOUS ANGEL was first published in 1977).
This one will capture you, I promise.
A few notes: The eBook cover has the heroine with blonde hair; it is actually red. And this is part of Blake’s Love and Adventure series, part 2 (SURRENDER IN MOONLIGHT, NOTORIOUS ANGEL and GOLDEN FANCY).
I struggled with my review of this one only because for much of the story the “hero” appeared the villain and the heroine weak, not my favorite combination, but the second half of the tale (which I think the best) is different. I would give the first half 4 stars and the second half 5 stars—and there is a great ending that will bring tears to your eyes.
Set in Nicaragua in Central America during the years 1855-1857, this is the story of Eleanora Colette Villars from an aristocratic New Orleans family who, because of her brother’s folly, loses her home and ends up following her brother to Nicaragua where he has joined the mercenaries serving William Walker, an American who is trying to take over the country.
Colonel Grant Farrell, head of Walker’s private military, using her brother as hostage, forces Eleanora, an innocent, to pose as his mistress. Then he rapes her and holds her prisoner in his home, without even clothes to wear. When she has the chance to escape, she does not take it (this more than once). She even begins to make excuses for the colonel (he’s a half-breed Apache with a poor childhood). It reminded me of the Stockholm syndrome, where hostages feel sympathy toward their captors.
Once her brother is released and she is free, Eleanora doesn’t tell her brother she was raped and, when her brother wounds the colonel in a duel, she returns to Colonel Farrell’s house to tend his wound. While tending the colonel, Eleanora introduces herself as his mistress, apparently resigned to the role. (He has such a low view of women he will not offer her marriage).
Impressed with Eleanora’s medical knowledge, the local doctor invites her to tend the wounded American mercenaries. She takes on the task and, for her valiant efforts, is dubbed “the colonel’s angel.” But she has rivals, the mistress of William Walker, and the former mistress of Colonel Farrell, both of whom seek Eleanora’s demise.
In an intricately woven plot, Eleanora rises to every challenge as she is rescued from peril only to face further hardships. The scenes as they tramp from Granada to the coast through the jungles and rivers are very well done, and very realistic. The characters are richly developed, too. (Her savior, Luis, was one of my favorite characters and one could not help but feel his pain for his love for Eleanora.)
The writing is excellent. Blake really makes you feel like you’re in the hot, dusty streets of Nicaragua in a tumultuous time. I could suggest you might want a map, too. Blake has obviously done much research for the book and it is seamlessly woven into the story. (There is also a worthy Author’s Note at the end that gives you more.) It is all told from the heroine’s perspective as were Blake’s other early novels (NOTORIOUS ANGEL was first published in 1977).
This one will capture you, I promise.
A few notes: The eBook cover has the heroine with blonde hair; it is actually red. And this is part of Blake’s Love and Adventure series, part 2 (SURRENDER IN MOONLIGHT, NOTORIOUS ANGEL and GOLDEN FANCY).
December 29, 2014
“Mattered?” he said in a strange voice, his dark eyes resting on the rose flush of her cheeks. “No more than losing my heart and soul. You are the beat of my blood and the air I breathe. You are my greatest strength and most feared weakness; the only joy I have found, and the only pain. I love you, Eleanora."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2016
A wonderful story with lots of adventure
This story has do much detail about a time if war. With spying and blackmail and dangers all around a man and a woman find each other. It was a very compelling story.
This story has do much detail about a time if war. With spying and blackmail and dangers all around a man and a woman find each other. It was a very compelling story.
April 27, 2017
INHALT
New Orleans, 1855. Eleanora Villars geht erzwungenermaßen mit ihrem Bruder Jean-Paul nach Nicaragua, da er sich als Soldat verpflichtet hat und auf Ländereien hofft. Als sie dort ankommen, stellt sich jedoch heraus, dass Jean-Paul betrogen worden war: Er und Eleanora stehen plötzlich mittellos da. Eleanoras fragwürdiger Umgang führt schließlich dazu, dass Colonel Grant Farrell sie für eine Mätresse hält - und sie kurzerhand mit zu sich nimmt...
MEINUNG
Ich mochte die Romane von Jennifer Blake bisher. Diesen Roman habe ich zuletzt vor etlichen Jahren gelesen und konnte mich kaum noch an die Geschichte erinnern.
Beim Lesen störte mich vor allem der hohe Anteil politischer Zusammenhänge, ehrlich gesagt. Für mich waren die vielen Beschreibungen politischer Zusammenhänge einfach nichts.
Daneben empfand ich die "Romanze" zwischen Eleanora und Grant irgendwie zu ... nebensächlich. Wenn man bedenkt, wie sie sich kennenlernen bzw zum ersten Mal intimer kennenlernen und wann und unter welchen Umständen sie sich daraufhin treffen, dann finde ich das Ganze fast schon melodramatisch aufgebauscht. So richtig gefiel mir das eigentlich nicht...
Richtig gut gefallen haben mir allerdings die Geschehnisse mit Louis! ♡ Der Charakter war mir sehr sympathisch und eigentlich hätte ich mir ein happy end von Eleanora mit Louis gewünscht. ^^ Und ich glaube, der Roman liefert viele Passagen, um "zwischen den Zeilen" zu lesen - das mochte ich auch. :)
FAZIT
Wer historische Liebesromane mag, bei denen Politik einen wichtigen Teil einnimmt und die nicht so "seicht" daherkommen, wird mit "Ruchloser Engel" vermutlich sehr glücklich. :)
Ich habe festgestellt, dass mir der historische Background in dem Fall nicht so sehr zusagte. Deshalb kann ich "nur" 2 ☆☆ im Sinne von "It was okay" vergeben. :)
New Orleans, 1855. Eleanora Villars geht erzwungenermaßen mit ihrem Bruder Jean-Paul nach Nicaragua, da er sich als Soldat verpflichtet hat und auf Ländereien hofft. Als sie dort ankommen, stellt sich jedoch heraus, dass Jean-Paul betrogen worden war: Er und Eleanora stehen plötzlich mittellos da. Eleanoras fragwürdiger Umgang führt schließlich dazu, dass Colonel Grant Farrell sie für eine Mätresse hält - und sie kurzerhand mit zu sich nimmt...
MEINUNG
Ich mochte die Romane von Jennifer Blake bisher. Diesen Roman habe ich zuletzt vor etlichen Jahren gelesen und konnte mich kaum noch an die Geschichte erinnern.
Beim Lesen störte mich vor allem der hohe Anteil politischer Zusammenhänge, ehrlich gesagt. Für mich waren die vielen Beschreibungen politischer Zusammenhänge einfach nichts.
Daneben empfand ich die "Romanze" zwischen Eleanora und Grant irgendwie zu ... nebensächlich. Wenn man bedenkt, wie sie sich kennenlernen bzw zum ersten Mal intimer kennenlernen und wann und unter welchen Umständen sie sich daraufhin treffen, dann finde ich das Ganze fast schon melodramatisch aufgebauscht. So richtig gefiel mir das eigentlich nicht...
Richtig gut gefallen haben mir allerdings die Geschehnisse mit Louis! ♡ Der Charakter war mir sehr sympathisch und eigentlich hätte ich mir ein happy end von Eleanora mit Louis gewünscht. ^^ Und ich glaube, der Roman liefert viele Passagen, um "zwischen den Zeilen" zu lesen - das mochte ich auch. :)
FAZIT
Wer historische Liebesromane mag, bei denen Politik einen wichtigen Teil einnimmt und die nicht so "seicht" daherkommen, wird mit "Ruchloser Engel" vermutlich sehr glücklich. :)
Ich habe festgestellt, dass mir der historische Background in dem Fall nicht so sehr zusagte. Deshalb kann ich "nur" 2 ☆☆ im Sinne von "It was okay" vergeben. :)
October 5, 2015
Good story, but...
Not sure how I finished this, but I did. It was somewhat hard to read. Very wordy. For example:
"Glancing around at the elegant room as he walked down it, at the pale-green striped silk walls, white brocade settees, Aubusson carpet in a design of cream and green and rose, and rose velvet drapes, he lifted a brow."
A bit much for me. Lots of skimming. The romantic scenes were very short and not detailed at all (if you catch my meaning). Also, you'd be in a detailed scene and the next paragraph would start in a completely new place, some time later. It should have been a new chapter. Very odd and it happened often. So points for an interesting story, but it could have used a better editor.
Not sure how I finished this, but I did. It was somewhat hard to read. Very wordy. For example:
"Glancing around at the elegant room as he walked down it, at the pale-green striped silk walls, white brocade settees, Aubusson carpet in a design of cream and green and rose, and rose velvet drapes, he lifted a brow."
A bit much for me. Lots of skimming. The romantic scenes were very short and not detailed at all (if you catch my meaning). Also, you'd be in a detailed scene and the next paragraph would start in a completely new place, some time later. It should have been a new chapter. Very odd and it happened often. So points for an interesting story, but it could have used a better editor.
August 14, 2018
Wonderful!
This is the kind of Jennifer Blake novel I grew up reading! I am so happy to have the pleasure of reading this book once more. Her newer novels are politically correct, while this one burns with the honesty of the era it portrays. It may not sit well with some, but I adore it!
This is the kind of Jennifer Blake novel I grew up reading! I am so happy to have the pleasure of reading this book once more. Her newer novels are politically correct, while this one burns with the honesty of the era it portrays. It may not sit well with some, but I adore it!
April 5, 2019
Historical Fiction At Its Best
In addition to describing the complexities of the beginnings of American adventurism in Nicaragua, the author has created a woman of integrity and great romance.
In addition to describing the complexities of the beginnings of American adventurism in Nicaragua, the author has created a woman of integrity and great romance.
February 5, 2021
What a wonderful book! 10 stars!!!!
April 2, 2022
very good story.
I enjoyed this book very much. It was very detailed in its history. But a great love story. You need to read it.
I enjoyed this book very much. It was very detailed in its history. But a great love story. You need to read it.
Read
January 12, 2025I made it 20% in and was bored so bowed out
May 28, 2023
So I have mixed feelings about this author. She can write extremely compelling characters and gives great insight into little known painful times in history but she fails on two points in EVERY single book that I’ve read so far.
Despite being women of heart her heroines are never given time to grieve after deaths of those they love. It doesn’t jive with their characters. How can they serenely move on after brutal deaths that they sometimes witness firsthand? I understand you don’t want a whiny character but I do expect my heroine to burst into tears or fall to the ground sometimes. Take Eleanora: you expect me to believe she had joyous sex TEN minutes after finding out her brother committed suicide on HER behalf? WHAT?!?!
Second, the author doesn’t give enough page time to our couple to see them fall in love. Most of their time is spent in bed, NOT speaking. Grant rapes Eleanora after two conversations, if we can call them that (both of which involve his manhandling of her), and a few pages later she’s in love. Why? How? Based on what exactly? She had more intense conversations with Luis than Grant throughout the book. I wasn’t buying their love and the end left me underwhelmed. He doesn’t say when he began to love her, why he hurt her the way he did, or make amends.
Finally, Luis. WHY? I haven’t cried over a fictional character in years! He was so incredibly sweet that I believed he was one of the villains in the book. How could he have been that selfless, that noble and not have been the hero? And why did it have to end the way it did for him? He was so wonderfully warm, so honest about his emotions and so heartbreakingly heroic. Gosh, I’m crying again.
Eleanora had a strong personality that made her likable as she held on to the ladylike graces and her modesty. I just wish… (see first and second rant). I did NOT understand her quasi friendship with Neville at the end. After everything she knew about him she should have been giving him the cut direct at every interaction. He caused countless deaths when he could have prevented each one. Why would she talk to him, let alone smile at him? That’s just being stupidly noble.
Can’t say much about Grant because we don’t get to see much of him.
Walker was a very interesting personage to discover. Quite a tale of misguided heroics there.
I thought Maizie was amazing with her practicality and soft heart.
All in all, Maxwell/Blake can write a dynamic story. I just wish she spent as much time on delving into the romance as she does on the history. Otherwise don’t call it a romance novel.
Despite being women of heart her heroines are never given time to grieve after deaths of those they love. It doesn’t jive with their characters. How can they serenely move on after brutal deaths that they sometimes witness firsthand? I understand you don’t want a whiny character but I do expect my heroine to burst into tears or fall to the ground sometimes. Take Eleanora: you expect me to believe she had joyous sex TEN minutes after finding out her brother committed suicide on HER behalf? WHAT?!?!
Second, the author doesn’t give enough page time to our couple to see them fall in love. Most of their time is spent in bed, NOT speaking. Grant rapes Eleanora after two conversations, if we can call them that (both of which involve his manhandling of her), and a few pages later she’s in love. Why? How? Based on what exactly? She had more intense conversations with Luis than Grant throughout the book. I wasn’t buying their love and the end left me underwhelmed. He doesn’t say when he began to love her, why he hurt her the way he did, or make amends.
Finally, Luis. WHY? I haven’t cried over a fictional character in years! He was so incredibly sweet that I believed he was one of the villains in the book. How could he have been that selfless, that noble and not have been the hero? And why did it have to end the way it did for him? He was so wonderfully warm, so honest about his emotions and so heartbreakingly heroic. Gosh, I’m crying again.
Eleanora had a strong personality that made her likable as she held on to the ladylike graces and her modesty. I just wish… (see first and second rant). I did NOT understand her quasi friendship with Neville at the end. After everything she knew about him she should have been giving him the cut direct at every interaction. He caused countless deaths when he could have prevented each one. Why would she talk to him, let alone smile at him? That’s just being stupidly noble.
Can’t say much about Grant because we don’t get to see much of him.
Walker was a very interesting personage to discover. Quite a tale of misguided heroics there.
I thought Maizie was amazing with her practicality and soft heart.
All in all, Maxwell/Blake can write a dynamic story. I just wish she spent as much time on delving into the romance as she does on the history. Otherwise don’t call it a romance novel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 8, 2015
Good novel, but flawed.
Fictional characters are woven into well-researched historical events to provide a story with good characterization, excellent setting and period description and gripping action. Notorious Angel kept me interested from first to last even though I though the pacing bogged down from time to time.
So why didn't I give it five stars?
As another reviewer mentioned in her very well written reaction to the book, the heroine, Eleanora is held captive and raped by the hero, Grant, very early in the novel and that this kind of event was a familiar trope of 70s-80s romantic literature. However, this sexual encounter isn't the highly romanticized "shy, reluctant-woman-resists-strong-domineering-male-when-she-really-loves-him"encounter. They are virtually strangers, she's a virgin and it's just plain rape, ladies and gentlemen...rape. He justifies his actions because she'd been traveling alone and keeping casual company with a prostitute. Permission to rape by association,if you will.
Yes, I know that women were considered little more than intelligent cattle during the period of this novel (1850s) and that women of that era, conditioned to the dominant preeminence of men, may not have had quite the same reaction as a woman today might. That said, Eleanora's reaction to the rape still troubled me. She seemed to 'get over it' too quickly on her way to falling in love with Grant. It never seemed to be an issue between them and was never mentioned again until later in the novel when a Grant asks her if she betrayed him because of "what he did." Honestly there were many occasions of ill treatment on his part that it's hard to know if he was referring to the rape in that circumstance.
Bottom line: the book is well written, the history is fascinating, and the plotting is gripping. I just couldn't connect with either Eleanora or a Grant and I just wish the whole rape sequence had been left out or treated differently.
Fictional characters are woven into well-researched historical events to provide a story with good characterization, excellent setting and period description and gripping action. Notorious Angel kept me interested from first to last even though I though the pacing bogged down from time to time.
So why didn't I give it five stars?
As another reviewer mentioned in her very well written reaction to the book, the heroine, Eleanora is held captive and raped by the hero, Grant, very early in the novel and that this kind of event was a familiar trope of 70s-80s romantic literature. However, this sexual encounter isn't the highly romanticized "shy, reluctant-woman-resists-strong-domineering-male-when-she-really-loves-him"encounter. They are virtually strangers, she's a virgin and it's just plain rape, ladies and gentlemen...rape. He justifies his actions because she'd been traveling alone and keeping casual company with a prostitute. Permission to rape by association,if you will.
Yes, I know that women were considered little more than intelligent cattle during the period of this novel (1850s) and that women of that era, conditioned to the dominant preeminence of men, may not have had quite the same reaction as a woman today might. That said, Eleanora's reaction to the rape still troubled me. She seemed to 'get over it' too quickly on her way to falling in love with Grant. It never seemed to be an issue between them and was never mentioned again until later in the novel when a Grant asks her if she betrayed him because of "what he did." Honestly there were many occasions of ill treatment on his part that it's hard to know if he was referring to the rape in that circumstance.
Bottom line: the book is well written, the history is fascinating, and the plotting is gripping. I just couldn't connect with either Eleanora or a Grant and I just wish the whole rape sequence had been left out or treated differently.
February 25, 2016
This is one of the books in Jennifer Blake’s Love and Adventure Collection. I truly enjoyed this historical romance wherein Blake interweaves historical events into the lives of her fictional characters. The female protagonist is Eleanora Collette Villars of New Orleans. Blake makes her a strong protagonist who is believable because of her sense of loyalty and her flaws.
The setting switches from New Orleans to Nicaragua where our female protagonist lands when she accompanies her brother who enlisted in an ill-fated military invasion of Central America. During the months in Nicaragua, we encounter an American revolutionist (based on a real life person) who leads the war efforts. We suffer with Eleanor as she endures crisis after crisis. Through her efforts as nurse, she earns the title of angel of mercy because of her treatment of wounded soldiers.
The male protagonist is an American Colonel named Grant Farrell. He is the second in command and takes Eleanor under his protection and in the process she becomes his mistress. Their relationship is a lively one which at times has very tense moments.
The secondary characters are well written and play pivotal roles in the rise and fall of the plot. One such character is Farrell’s friend, Luis, is a Spanish noble who ventures to the New World to escape the sins of his past. When Farrell is away on a military campaign, enemies seize on an opportunity to dispose of Eleanor. Luis comes to her aid and they escape to the tropical jungle. However, they are captured and before his execution, Luis marries Eleanor and provides her with financial security and respectability as well as his title. Blake does not end this tale here, but, throws in a few more twists. You have to read the book to find out more.
The setting switches from New Orleans to Nicaragua where our female protagonist lands when she accompanies her brother who enlisted in an ill-fated military invasion of Central America. During the months in Nicaragua, we encounter an American revolutionist (based on a real life person) who leads the war efforts. We suffer with Eleanor as she endures crisis after crisis. Through her efforts as nurse, she earns the title of angel of mercy because of her treatment of wounded soldiers.
The male protagonist is an American Colonel named Grant Farrell. He is the second in command and takes Eleanor under his protection and in the process she becomes his mistress. Their relationship is a lively one which at times has very tense moments.
The secondary characters are well written and play pivotal roles in the rise and fall of the plot. One such character is Farrell’s friend, Luis, is a Spanish noble who ventures to the New World to escape the sins of his past. When Farrell is away on a military campaign, enemies seize on an opportunity to dispose of Eleanor. Luis comes to her aid and they escape to the tropical jungle. However, they are captured and before his execution, Luis marries Eleanor and provides her with financial security and respectability as well as his title. Blake does not end this tale here, but, throws in a few more twists. You have to read the book to find out more.
April 2, 2024
La storia, scritta in terza persona ed ambientata nella metà dell'800, narra di come una donna tenterà insistentemente di sopravvivere in un modo violento, fatto di crudeltà e tradimenti.
All'inizio la protagonista, Eleanora, si presenta come una donna "debole" (diciamo...), ma con il proseguire della storia, mostra tutto il suo coraggio e la sua forza. Infatti, nonostante i maltrattamenti e la prigionia, quando riuscirà ad uscirne lo farà a testa alta. Prima emergendone come un eroina, chiamata "Angelo della misericordia", quando durante la guerra decise di dedicarsi all'assistenza dei feriti e dei malati; poi, quando farà ritorno nella sua terra natia, lo farà da donna vedova e un titolo nobiliare...
Se volete scoprire di più su questo romanzo, visitate il blog (link in bio), dove troverete maggiori informazioni sul libro.
All'inizio la protagonista, Eleanora, si presenta come una donna "debole" (diciamo...), ma con il proseguire della storia, mostra tutto il suo coraggio e la sua forza. Infatti, nonostante i maltrattamenti e la prigionia, quando riuscirà ad uscirne lo farà a testa alta. Prima emergendone come un eroina, chiamata "Angelo della misericordia", quando durante la guerra decise di dedicarsi all'assistenza dei feriti e dei malati; poi, quando farà ritorno nella sua terra natia, lo farà da donna vedova e un titolo nobiliare...
Se volete scoprire di più su questo romanzo, visitate il blog (link in bio), dove troverete maggiori informazioni sul libro.
December 25, 2014
Wow, kayaknya ini baru pertama kalinya deh aku bacah Regency Romance yang settingnya selain di Inggris atau Scotland atau Irish, melainkan di Amerika. Sedikit terbawa sama keadaan perang-perangnya padahal aku jarang banget malah mungkin ini pertama kalinya, baca historical romance yang berhubungan dengan perang civil, bukan perang yang antar klan-klan kayak di Inggris sama Scotland gitu ya, tapi perang antar manusia memperebutkan daerah kekuasaan seperti kota atau negara, dan bukan atas nama tanah atau klan. Feel-nya lumayan beda banget. Aku menikmati bacanya sih, walo yang kuharapkan dari setelah baca sinopsisnya ternyata bukan fokus utama ceritanya dan cuma terjadi di akhir-akhir buku. Tetapi 3.5 bintang soalnya okelah~ :D haha
December 27, 2015
Very good
I HIGHLY recommend this very interesting and well written book. I rarely have read a fiction book where the plot us so well constructed interspersed with factual historical account. This is a romance that begins on a very fragile foundation..but it has the feel of truth to it...in other words, it is a believable story. The relationship between Eleanor and Grant is stressed from the outset, and Eleanor is understandably enraged and bitter by her circumstances. As the relationship evolves, this author does a credible and the difficult task of turning those enraged feelings into love....not easy to do. I definitely learned much about William Walker's campaign in Nicaragua. I plan to read more by this author on the future.
I HIGHLY recommend this very interesting and well written book. I rarely have read a fiction book where the plot us so well constructed interspersed with factual historical account. This is a romance that begins on a very fragile foundation..but it has the feel of truth to it...in other words, it is a believable story. The relationship between Eleanor and Grant is stressed from the outset, and Eleanor is understandably enraged and bitter by her circumstances. As the relationship evolves, this author does a credible and the difficult task of turning those enraged feelings into love....not easy to do. I definitely learned much about William Walker's campaign in Nicaragua. I plan to read more by this author on the future.
October 12, 2015
Historical Romance and a good stoty
This was better than many of the romances I've read. It is based on real events. General William Walker and his army presided in Nicaragua. The heroine followed her brother there after he sold the family home to fight with Walker. The author writes well. Although there are intimate scenes, she describes them suggestively and gracefully, without having to use blatant language. I would like read more by this author.
This was better than many of the romances I've read. It is based on real events. General William Walker and his army presided in Nicaragua. The heroine followed her brother there after he sold the family home to fight with Walker. The author writes well. Although there are intimate scenes, she describes them suggestively and gracefully, without having to use blatant language. I would like read more by this author.
March 19, 2016
I wish I knew how to explain how this book made me feel. I have loved all the books I have read by Jennifer Blake but this book was amazing. She has this talent to immerse you in the drama happening to the characters. I feel like I was picked up and placed in New Orleans and Nicaragua during the trying times described in the book. My heart was broken many times while reading this novel but I wouldn't have missed the experience for anything.
August 17, 2023
Thunder wakes up the heroine and a flash of lightning reveals the hero just outside her door, implacable and terrifying. I read Jennifer Blake purely for the conflict she creates between the characters, the kind that cannot be resolved by having a conversation. You wonder how the heck she's going to fix things between the two after all the things they do to one another. There isn't a book of hers I've been able to put down.
October 5, 2015
Enjoyed it but had a hard time reading it. Several times a new paragraph would be an entirely new scene. Made it confusing. Sometimes descriptions were a bit too much. Enjoyed the historical aspects.
December 17, 2014
This was an incredible book which also provided a good bit of history I was not aware of.
December 3, 2015
JUDGE ME.
We all have our indulgences every once in a while. This should have and will be for a lot of people a rotten book - but of course I found this one oddly, intriguing?
We all have our indulgences every once in a while. This should have and will be for a lot of people a rotten book - but of course I found this one oddly, intriguing?
own-under-diff-title-or-anthology
January 9, 2016Love and Adventure Collection - Part 2 (Love and Adventure Boxed Sets)
February 23, 2016
Just couldn't get into it.
dnf
September 1, 2016Decided that this book is not for me after reading a few more reviews.
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