Court of the Veils

by Violet Winspear

There were few survivors of the plane crash in the desert, but among them was Roslyn, the fiancée of Armand Gerard. The young Frenchman had planned to introduce Roslyn to his family at their date-palm plantation in the Sahara. Now Armand was dead and Roslyn a victim of amnesia. Lost, confused, and suspected of some deceitful ruse by Duane Hunter, Armand's imperious cousin, Roslyn began to fear what she might remember....;

Genres: Romance, Harlequin Romance, Africa, Contemporary Romance

186 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1968

About the author

Violet Winspear was a British author renowned for her prolific output of romance novels, publishing seventy titles with Mills & Boon between 1961 and 1987. In 1973, she became a launch author for the Mills & Boon-Harlequin Presents line, known for its more sexually explicit content, alongside Anne Mather and Anne Hampson, two of the most popular and prolific British romance writers of the time. Winspear began writing while working in a factory and became a full-time novelist in 1963, producing her works from her home in South East England, researching exotic settings at her local library. She famously described her heroes as lean, strong, and captivating, “in need of love but capable of breathtaking passion and potency,” a characterization that provoked controversy in 1970 when she stated that her male protagonists were “capable of rape,” leading to considerable public backlash. Her novels are celebrated for their vivid, globe-spanning settings and dramatic tension, often employing sexual antagonism to heighten conflict between the alpha male hero and the heroine, who is frequently portrayed as naïve or overwhelmed by his dominance. Winspear never married or had children, and she passed away in January 1989 after a long battle with cancer, leaving a lasting influence on the romance genre.

Reviews

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars ~ Growing up in the same orphanage, Roslyn and Juliet were best friends. They trained and became flight attendants, and often worked together. Roslyn fell in love with handsome Armand and was flying with him to North Africa to meet his family. Juliet was their flight attendant, and as the plane is landing it crashes. Armand and Juliet are killed, and Roslyn suffers a concussion that results in amnesia. Armand's grandmother, Nanette, persuades her to stay with the family on their plantation on the edge of the Sahara while she recovers her memory. With no relatives and her best friend gone, she has no place to go so she accepts. While she instantly feels at home in the desert oasis, Roslyn has mixed feelings for Nanette's other grandsons. One is a composer and she is told looks very much like Armand, the other is the plantation manager, Duane, who doesn't hide his disapproval of her. In fact, he warns her that she had not be an impostor out to take advantage of his grandmother's kind heart.

I'm a sucker for amnesia stories, so this one was right up my alley. Roslyn is a kindhearted heroine with a quick wit. She doesn't hesitate to spar with Duane and give his cutting remarks right back to him. I was thrilled to read that Duane was "russet" / "copper" haired with green eyes, usually the red heads in romances are female. He's a hero I certainly admire, his love of the land and the people of the area are traits that appeal very much to me. Though there isn't very much drama in this story, there certainly is chemistry. Ms. Winspear brought her setting alive and at times it was very much like a living character. I enjoyed this romance very much.

[Mudpie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3* for the exotic setting and intriguing plot.

The book started with the tragedy of a plane crash that killed the heroine's fiancé and best friend, while she herself was suffering from amnesia! The fiancé 's family, or rather his grandmother, took her under her wings offering her a refuge to convalesce and rest. Not all were welcoming though; Armand's cousin Duane was suspicious and never let Roslyn forgets.

Rosalyn was struggling the whole time because she couldn't remember a single thing about Armand, this great love of her life. Her trousseau brought some recognition but nothing felt right, except her love for nature.

To complicate matters, Armand's brother Tristan looked so similar to Armand her feelings were all tangled up; did she like Tristan because he looked so like Armand? She was careful not to lead Tristan on, luckily.

Then there's the irritating house guest Isabela, prima donna! She's utterly selfish and casually cruel, mocking Rosalyn while seducing Duane in plain sight. Her evil plot at the end brought matters to a head and led to Duane and Rosalyn, now fully recovering her memory and confirmed that she's really Juliet, Rosalyn's best friend! They had looked similar enough for the false identification by the authorities! The signs were all there from the start but it was intriguing to see how things turned out.

Too bad the ending was too short, we never saw Isabela being punished for her murderous intent, leaving Juliet stranded in the desert before a sand storm!

Duane was a hero with depth, not all bad or good. I'm beginning to realise why Violet Winspear had a following. She had a way with words and there were certain evocative lines worth highlighting in this book! Her attention to details and descriptions are typical of a well written vintage Mills & Boon. A reflection of the times when pace of life was slower and one could stop to smell the roses!

[Dona DeSy · Rating 3 out of 5]

solo è l’amore di Violet winspear

Anno domini 1968. Ecco la data di scrittura di questo libro. Devo ammettere che di questa autrice da ragazzina ho letto veramente tantissimo quindi è difficile trovare qualche libro ancora sconosciuto per quanto mi riguarda; questo non l’avevo mai letto, E approcciarmi nuovamente alla Whispear dopo i 40, ha un sapore decisamente diverso, ma riesco a spiegare molte cose del mio io lettrice. Per primo il mio debole per gli uomini che io definisco come “della Palmer” ma che sono grosso modo sovrapponibili a quelli della winspear: Dane , Nello specifico il protagonista di questo romanzo è ombroso estremamente virile, volitivo, introverso al punto di essere scontroso, come se queste fossero le uniche prerogative che rendono attraente un uomo. Normalmente in tutti romanzi rosa c’è questa tendenza come se in qualche modo l’essere aperti e simpatici rendesse meno appetibili, ma nella
Winspear ( e nella Palmer) questa caratteristica è tanto accentuata.
Mi sono anche spiegata il perché non apprezzi l’espediente narrativo della perdita della memoria: la Winspear l’adopera a piene mani ,l’ha fatto in “ ultima corrida” E almeno in altri due romanzi il cui titolo si è perso nella nebbia dei miei ricordi. La bella smemorata in questo caso specifico è Roslyn che volava sul deserto con il fidanzato Armand per sposarsi e che invece ,a causa di un incidente aereo, perde il suo amato e la memoria.
C’è da dire a favore dell’autrice che il cliché della memoria lo sa usare molto bene perché sebbene sapessi più o meno cosa aspettarmi è riuscita comunque a creare una suspense credibile e malgrado tutto a stupirmi nel finale.
Non dico altro perché malgrado sia un romanzo fedele agli anni in cui è stato scritto, con uno stile forse demodé vale la pena di leggerlo, perché c’è poesia nelle descrizioni ambientali e anche nel modo in cui veniva considerato l’amore romantico allora.
Ha i suoi limiti ma ⭐️⭐️⭐️ le merita.

[Bookaddict · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best thing about this book is the mystery of who she is. That info is revealed at 98%!! The ILYs are really rushed and come of left field. There have been no internal yearnings or struggles. This had a very awful OW who tries to kill h but they end book before we know if she is punished in any way or at least sent packing!! So this book had potential, but dive bombed at the end!

[More Books Than Time · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story with amnesia, a suspicious H, murderous OW, kind family, Saharan oasis plantation setting. What's not to like?
Please see my review with skippable spoilers here: https://www.morebooksthantime.com/cou...

[RomLibrary]

There were few survivors of the plane crash in the desert, but among them was Roslyn, the fiancée of Armand Gerard. The young Frenchman had planned to introduce Roslyn to his family at their date-palm plantation in the Sahara. Now Armand was dead and Roslyn a victim of amnesia. Lost, confused, and suspected of some deceitful ruse by Duane Hunter, Armand's imperious cousin, Roslyn began to fear what she might remember...

[MissKitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad the hero was a bit of a brute to her and it was because he was fighting his feelings. I was disappointed that the evil other woman never got her comeuppance.