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تناديه سيدي
سألها:
" أيمكنك مقاومة من يريدك؟".
فسألته بدورها" ومن يريدني؟".
وعندها شعرت أنها أصبحت ضعيفة كالماء بين ذراعي المركيز.
"أنني هربت من كينيث امام اصدقائه, كذلك عرف ريك أننا أمضينا ليلة الضباب معا... أو هو عرف على الاقل أنني كنت ليلتها مع رجل".
" ألم تقولي له أنني كنت ذلك الرجل؟".
"ماكنت لأستطيع وإلاعلمت الجزيرة كلها وتوقعت زواجك مني".
" إذا لم توافقي على زواجنا فسأعمل على أن تعلم الجزيرة كلها لأنني أريدك, ولأنك بالنسبة الي فتنة العالم كله".
احتجت قائلة : "وهل يتزوج المركيز من خادمة؟ ".
اجاب باعتزاز: " هذا المركيز يفعل تماما مايريده".
" أيمكنك مقاومة من يريدك؟".
فسألته بدورها" ومن يريدني؟".
وعندها شعرت أنها أصبحت ضعيفة كالماء بين ذراعي المركيز.
"أنني هربت من كينيث امام اصدقائه, كذلك عرف ريك أننا أمضينا ليلة الضباب معا... أو هو عرف على الاقل أنني كنت ليلتها مع رجل".
" ألم تقولي له أنني كنت ذلك الرجل؟".
"ماكنت لأستطيع وإلاعلمت الجزيرة كلها وتوقعت زواجك مني".
" إذا لم توافقي على زواجنا فسأعمل على أن تعلم الجزيرة كلها لأنني أريدك, ولأنك بالنسبة الي فتنة العالم كله".
احتجت قائلة : "وهل يتزوج المركيز من خادمة؟ ".
اجاب باعتزاز: " هذا المركيز يفعل تماما مايريده".
First published January 1, 1970
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151 people want to read
About the author
Violet Winspear
175 books140 followersViolet 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.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
July 6, 2021
"Pilgrim's Castle" is the story of Yvain and Don Juan.
Heroine is a poor orphan, who works as a maid for a rich lady. That is, until she is caught in a shipwreck and abandoned by her employer. Rescued by a kind man, she is soon taken to a tiny Spanish island, the Isla de León — Island of the Lion- and finds herself under the care of the Marquess. He decides she would be his ward, and despite her inhibitions, she agrees in lieu of gaining education.
The story had so much potential but there was way too much OM courting in the book. For the first half she is courted by one, and in the second half by another. She loves the older hero suddenly, despite spending minimal time with him. Even the OW jealousy seems out of place. There's one slap scene when the heroine gets hysteric. Overall, boring with a rushed ending.
SWE
1.5/5
Heroine is a poor orphan, who works as a maid for a rich lady. That is, until she is caught in a shipwreck and abandoned by her employer. Rescued by a kind man, she is soon taken to a tiny Spanish island, the Isla de León — Island of the Lion- and finds herself under the care of the Marquess. He decides she would be his ward, and despite her inhibitions, she agrees in lieu of gaining education.
The story had so much potential but there was way too much OM courting in the book. For the first half she is courted by one, and in the second half by another. She loves the older hero suddenly, despite spending minimal time with him. Even the OW jealousy seems out of place. There's one slap scene when the heroine gets hysteric. Overall, boring with a rushed ending.
SWE
1.5/5
April 29, 2020
-"Don't you like the look of my house, senorita? Many people find it beautiful, with its sea tower, its almond groves, and its fountain courts."
-"Your house is a castle, senor."
-"My house is a castle." He agreed sardonically. "Have you never been inside one before?"
-"No, senor." She tilted her chin. "What would a maid be doing in a castle?"
Pilgrim's Castle is Violet Winspear's retelling of King Cophetua’s tale, who thought himself immune to love until he looked down his castle one day and fell head over heels for the beggar maid Penelophon.
Like the hapless Penolophon, the heroine of Pilgrim's Castle is a poor waif unwittingly brought to the glittering turrets of the hero’s castle, perched atop a fairy tale island that seemed to have drifted off Andalusia to end up floating somewhere off the coast of North Africa.
Winspear’s heroine, Yvain, was named by her loving father after a fairy tale princess who conquered a dragon with the aid of a lion, and now here she is, a guest at the castle of the Marques de Leon, the lion of the island over which he, and generations of his feudal family, have ruled autocratically.
As for dragons, a trio of alternative love interests in the person of a haughty, spoiled, rich girl, a handsy hotel singer, and a persistent American tourist, were never any real threat to the protagonists' inevitable HEA.
There was a Mrs. Danvers moment at the beginning of the story when the menacing, dour, housekeeper tries to warn off our hapless little street urchin heroine but she seems to vanish in the mist (not a house fire) within the second or third chapter, never to be heard from again.
Overall, for me, it was just okay. I have read this blueprint of the poor little orphan girl who unwittingly charms and seduces an older, charismatic, Alpha male into burning, consuming passion, many times and better executed from this author, like The Tower of the Captive, or House of Storms, even The Girl at Goldenhawk.
-"Your house is a castle, senor."
-"My house is a castle." He agreed sardonically. "Have you never been inside one before?"
-"No, senor." She tilted her chin. "What would a maid be doing in a castle?"
Pilgrim's Castle is Violet Winspear's retelling of King Cophetua’s tale, who thought himself immune to love until he looked down his castle one day and fell head over heels for the beggar maid Penelophon.
Like the hapless Penolophon, the heroine of Pilgrim's Castle is a poor waif unwittingly brought to the glittering turrets of the hero’s castle, perched atop a fairy tale island that seemed to have drifted off Andalusia to end up floating somewhere off the coast of North Africa.
Winspear’s heroine, Yvain, was named by her loving father after a fairy tale princess who conquered a dragon with the aid of a lion, and now here she is, a guest at the castle of the Marques de Leon, the lion of the island over which he, and generations of his feudal family, have ruled autocratically.
As for dragons, a trio of alternative love interests in the person of a haughty, spoiled, rich girl, a handsy hotel singer, and a persistent American tourist, were never any real threat to the protagonists' inevitable HEA.
There was a Mrs. Danvers moment at the beginning of the story when the menacing, dour, housekeeper tries to warn off our hapless little street urchin heroine but she seems to vanish in the mist (not a house fire) within the second or third chapter, never to be heard from again.
Overall, for me, it was just okay. I have read this blueprint of the poor little orphan girl who unwittingly charms and seduces an older, charismatic, Alpha male into burning, consuming passion, many times and better executed from this author, like The Tower of the Captive, or House of Storms, even The Girl at Goldenhawk.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 29, 2019
Another on my quest to read the first 100HPs. This is a very sweet 50 year old romance. The writing was lovely, very descriptive. I could totally see the island and the castle, the hero and the heroine, her clothes etc. The story, unlike some old HPs, started with a bang. A sinking ship! It moved along at a leisurely but steady pace. The hero was wonderful. Kind and generous and gentle with the heroine. There was no POV from him but you could tell how he felt about her. The end was great and I believed their sweet HEA. I’m sure he worshiped at her feet for years.
October 12, 2025
Downtrodden heroine (19) is inexplicably cared for by Spanish Marques hero (32) when she washes up on the shores of his island off the coast of Spain. Both are nice people, but the heroine has no confidence and the hero is mostly in pain from a badly damaged leg. There’s an OW of sorts and two OM - one a dashing Spanish guitarist and the other a wealthy American.
The ending is quick and rather unsatisfying. I can imagine them being very happy together though.
Violet Winspear novels are an acquired taste - it’s been years since I read a lot of them and I’d forgotten how her prose flowed and the mystique she used. I was always rather a fan. This one, however, lacks chemistry.
The ending is quick and rather unsatisfying. I can imagine them being very happy together though.
Violet Winspear novels are an acquired taste - it’s been years since I read a lot of them and I’d forgotten how her prose flowed and the mystique she used. I was always rather a fan. This one, however, lacks chemistry.
April 1, 2024
My first ever romance read ,I read it translated to Arabic ,I didn't like it much as I found the OM is much more worthy of love & marriage LOL ...I won't re-read it , but still all those memories with it are very vivid *sigh*
March 13, 2012
Yvain was on a ship that was destroyed, few people were rescued and Yvain was dragged out to the sea, only to be captured by a fisherman and a friend of Don Juan. Don Juan is a Marques and he has fallen in love with Yvain but hasn't shown it. To him she is everything he could want in a bride but Yvain is young and he fears he is too old for her. So for the mean time he allows Yvain to learn herself and explore her new home, for he will claim her soon!
I thought the book was really cute. I know it's awful to use those terms, especially with novels but I couldn't help but smile and fall in love with this love story. Also Don Juan, totally yummy, he can rescue me any day, as a character I fell in love with him, he was magnificent!
I thought the book was really cute. I know it's awful to use those terms, especially with novels but I couldn't help but smile and fall in love with this love story. Also Don Juan, totally yummy, he can rescue me any day, as a character I fell in love with him, he was magnificent!
March 16, 2012
Wow, this might be the least romantic romance I've ever read. It was promising at first with it's extreme Cinderella story, but NOTHING happened between the hero and the heroine until the last couple of pages. He wasn't even really jealous when she went out with other men. She barely saw him. Yes, she secretly pined for him, but they barely interacted at all. Pretty boring by the end.
June 25, 2014
2.5 stars
It was hard to related to either main characters. The hero was standoffish which I believe was intentional and something we see in a lot of Romance novels from the time period, but Pilgrim kind of fell flat for the main female character. I wish the author was more descriptive about the island because it would have made a big difference. As it was, I couldn't form a clear image and be transferred to that setting.
It was hard to related to either main characters. The hero was standoffish which I believe was intentional and something we see in a lot of Romance novels from the time period, but Pilgrim kind of fell flat for the main female character. I wish the author was more descriptive about the island because it would have made a big difference. As it was, I couldn't form a clear image and be transferred to that setting.
March 27, 2017
I have to admit i fell in love with her name "Yvain" what a name❤ i adore every thing Spanish love the descriptions of the island and the castle let me realy want to visit a place like this 4stars only for Spain
March 29, 2021
(read in french, under the title « Le pion du roi »)
A shipwreck, the heroïne's complete life in a flashback, a rescue, the arrival on the nearest island, the local nobleman taking her under his wing just like that with absolutely no reason... all that in the first twenty-three pages : that's A LOT. Credibility ? Nowhere to be found, but at least the fairytale-like setting is fully assumed and even pointed out in the story itself, so it's fine.
But what about the remaining 128 pages ? Totally the opposite ! Yvaine walks on the beach, in the countryside, in the gardens, befriends a dog who follows her everywhere (but never mentioned again after only two chapters), meets a sexy musician and a young american gentleman... Hmm... so who exactly is the story's hero ? Well, in fact, we don't really know as Yvaine likes the three of them (yup, her guardian is included too, after all he's only in his early thirties), but not more than than. At least here there's no « OMG, he's so stunning, he's undoubtedly my soulmate » at the first sight. One of them troubles her a bit more than the other two, but it's not very obvious. Anyway, Yvaine is young and after having no other choice than working as a maid, all she wants is to study and follow her dream to work with art and antiquities. So she spends half the book studying, and the other half wandering around with her suitors, no, FRIENDS.
When you've read « The Silver Slave » less than two weeks before, you can't help noticing something familiar here, beginning with the wishy-washy romance tied abuptly two pages before the end, the « other », sophisticated woman opposite to the innocent heroine, and if it's easy to guess from the start which man Yvaine will choose, he's the one we see the less throughout the book. However, the similarities stop here.
The scenery was just inexistant in « The Silver Slave », but in « Pilgrim's Castle », Yvaine wanders all around the island, discovers the Spanish traditions... We really are there alongside her. In fact, we've more often the feeling to follow her in some vacation than in her love life.
But is that a bad thing ? Clearly not, especially since Violet Winspear's pen is as fluid as ever, making the story pleasant to read, even in nothing much happens.
In addition, being myself disabled with chronical pain, I liked how she depicted Don Juan's disabilty. No drama over it, yeah he limps, so what ? Not what to make a big deal about it. And that's cool. We can't say the same about Yvaine's somewhat-trauma towards the sea, spoken of so lightly it should've probably been better to just not include it.
So, finally, is « Pilgrim's Castle » worth reading ? It all depends of what you're looking for. If it's a short, change-of-scenery read, go for it ! But if you need a lovely romance, you won't find it here.
A shipwreck, the heroïne's complete life in a flashback, a rescue, the arrival on the nearest island, the local nobleman taking her under his wing just like that with absolutely no reason... all that in the first twenty-three pages : that's A LOT. Credibility ? Nowhere to be found, but at least the fairytale-like setting is fully assumed and even pointed out in the story itself, so it's fine.
But what about the remaining 128 pages ? Totally the opposite ! Yvaine walks on the beach, in the countryside, in the gardens, befriends a dog who follows her everywhere (but never mentioned again after only two chapters), meets a sexy musician and a young american gentleman... Hmm... so who exactly is the story's hero ? Well, in fact, we don't really know as Yvaine likes the three of them (yup, her guardian is included too, after all he's only in his early thirties), but not more than than. At least here there's no « OMG, he's so stunning, he's undoubtedly my soulmate » at the first sight. One of them troubles her a bit more than the other two, but it's not very obvious. Anyway, Yvaine is young and after having no other choice than working as a maid, all she wants is to study and follow her dream to work with art and antiquities. So she spends half the book studying, and the other half wandering around with her suitors, no, FRIENDS.
When you've read « The Silver Slave » less than two weeks before, you can't help noticing something familiar here, beginning with the wishy-washy romance tied abuptly two pages before the end, the « other », sophisticated woman opposite to the innocent heroine, and if it's easy to guess from the start which man Yvaine will choose, he's the one we see the less throughout the book. However, the similarities stop here.
The scenery was just inexistant in « The Silver Slave », but in « Pilgrim's Castle », Yvaine wanders all around the island, discovers the Spanish traditions... We really are there alongside her. In fact, we've more often the feeling to follow her in some vacation than in her love life.
But is that a bad thing ? Clearly not, especially since Violet Winspear's pen is as fluid as ever, making the story pleasant to read, even in nothing much happens.
In addition, being myself disabled with chronical pain, I liked how she depicted Don Juan's disabilty. No drama over it, yeah he limps, so what ? Not what to make a big deal about it. And that's cool. We can't say the same about Yvaine's somewhat-trauma towards the sea, spoken of so lightly it should've probably been better to just not include it.
So, finally, is « Pilgrim's Castle » worth reading ? It all depends of what you're looking for. If it's a short, change-of-scenery read, go for it ! But if you need a lovely romance, you won't find it here.
August 22, 2025
#24 of first 100.
Want to read
July 23, 2019رواية رائعة جدا
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2022
The rating is more for the memories I have attached to the book than for the actual story. It didn’t age well.
April 12, 2023
#2023
August 18, 2024
Heroine is a dumb bunny with more than a whiff of Not Like Other Girls 🙄 Descriptions of the Isla de Leon were lovely, though.
pback-to-read
February 3, 2019Yvain Pilgrim had been named after a character in a fairy-tale, a maiden who had been assisted by a lion in her fight against a dragon -- and in her present situation she could not help feeling that the fairy-tale had come true.
Shipwrecked while on a cruise, she had been washed up on to the shores of a tiny Spanish island, the Isla de León -- Island of the Lion -- and taken to the castle of the Lion him-self, the autocratic Don Juan de Conques y Aranda, Marqués de León. The Marques was kindness itself: he took her under his wing, made her his ward, arranged for her to stay at the castle indefinitely -- a lot for a man to do who should really, she thought, have been concentrating on the lovely Spanish girl, Doña Raquel, whom he was expected to marry shortly.
Then Yvain realised that like her namesake she had a fight with a dragon on her hands -- the dragon of her growing love for the Marques. But how could the Lion help her in this particular
Shipwrecked while on a cruise, she had been washed up on to the shores of a tiny Spanish island, the Isla de León -- Island of the Lion -- and taken to the castle of the Lion him-self, the autocratic Don Juan de Conques y Aranda, Marqués de León. The Marques was kindness itself: he took her under his wing, made her his ward, arranged for her to stay at the castle indefinitely -- a lot for a man to do who should really, she thought, have been concentrating on the lovely Spanish girl, Doña Raquel, whom he was expected to marry shortly.
Then Yvain realised that like her namesake she had a fight with a dragon on her hands -- the dragon of her growing love for the Marques. But how could the Lion help her in this particular
October 25, 2014
I'm not entirely sure what I thought about this book. It hasn't aged very well and there's not really anything about it that makes it stand out. But I liked the main two characters, Yvain and Don Juan, well enough and overall it's a rather harmless and clean romance. I read it the first time many years ago and recently decided to re-read it, because for some reason it has stayed in my memory.
April 27, 2020
I loved this story. Very tame by 21st century standards. Winspear was so good at creating the sexual tension between her characters. One of my favourite romance books.
August 13, 2020
أشفق علي الماركيز دون جوان ..
January 20, 2017
أن تحب شخصا إلى درجة أن يحيرك هذا الحب!!
July 30, 2018
للاسف رواية ليست بالمستوى المعهود من وينسبير.
February 1, 2025
Good if you're into the fairy tale stuff
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews