Forbidden Rapture

by Violet Winspear

When Della Neve went on a Mediterranean cruise she wanted a rest, not a holiday romance. Her future was already bound to Marsh Graham, the fiance to whom she owed everything -- who had brought her up, moulded her into a great star, and who loved her deeply.

But on board ship Della met Nicholas di Fioro Franquila, a charming, rakish, devastating man of the world who treated women as playthings. Nevertheless, Della began to find herself falling for him as all his other women did; to become gradually aware that in Nicholas she was finding something that was missing in her relationship with Marsh -- rapture, perhaps?

But even if Nicholas should see her as some-thing more than just another conquest, how could she think of him when she owed Marsh so much?

Genres: Harlequin Presents, Contemporary Romance, Romance, Harlequin

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 1973

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

[Margo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't get your hopes up too much because of this rating. It's for one moment.

The Italian H is criticizing the English for their coldness, calling them "a cruel, unnatural, distant people" who guard themselves against love and are unfriendly to foreigners. He goes on and on and on with his disparagement.

And the English h says,

"You may be an authority in the art of philandering, but don't set yourself up as a judge of MY people and their ways. Our loyalty towards any just cause has never been in question --can you as an Italian say as much?"

BOOM.

He pushes back by turning it into a direct attack on her frigidity, but he's toast. He brought a knife to a gunfight.

PUNTO E BASTA, STRONZO.

[Fiona Marsden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh dear. Another of those sleazey alpha heroes who seduce without compunction. Nick Franquila is to die for if you like gorgeous, heartless charmers. Much to my shame I do. He better have some kind of back story to justify this. Della on the other hand is pure and sweet and destined to be the trophy wife of the man who rescued her from poverty and made her a star. Only something isn't quite right for Della or why would she be so reluctant to wear her fiances ring? Why is it that after only a handfull of years in the spotlight is her voice already in need of rest? It's sure that a fly by night charmer like Nick couldn't hold the answer to Della's problems. Yet somehow she keeps getting drawn into his orbit no matter how much she despises him. Violet Winspear draws yet another vivid tale of love and romance in foreign climes. This time on a cruise ship touring the Mediterranean where our protagonists meet for the first time. It's hard to believe Winspear wasn't a seasoned traveller. Her descriptions of Venice and Naples are so alive you can almost smell them. Her heroes are of a type but each so distinct they remain in your memory. Winspear is one author I can read again and again and still arrive at the end with pulse racing and rejoicing in the HEA.

[Bookaddict · Rating 3 out of 5]

#33 of first 100. The ick factor was strong with h and OM. He groomed her from a child!

[MJ Lalas]

Ed

[RomLibrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Della Neve went on a Mediterranean cruise she wanted a rest, not a holiday romance. Her future was already bound to Marsh Graham, the fiance to whom she owed everything -- who had brought her up, moulded her into a great star, and who loved her deeply.

But on board ship Della met Nicholas di Fioro Franquila, a charming, rakish, devastating man of the world who treated women as playthings. Nevertheless, Della began to find herself falling for him as all his other women did; to become gradually aware that in Nicholas she was finding something that was missing in her relationship with Marsh -- rapture, perhaps?

But even if Nicholas should see her as some-thing more than just another conquest, how could she think of him when she owed Marsh so much?

[Tia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall the novel wasn't bad but the ending was horrible and unfinished. I can't believe that I read all that only to be left disappointed.

[Roub · Rating 1 out of 5]

i was bored 2 death! the story had such great potential but it was a big disappointment! the characters lacked chemistry, did not have any bantering nor witty dialogue, der was no fun