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Gypsy Jewel
Abandoned as a child and raised by gypsies, blonde beauty April is drawn to a black-haired musician, who, unbeknownst to her, is actually a British nobleman on a dangerous mission. Original.
416 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 26, 2013
English earl Damien Cross answers the call of his country by getting involved in the Crimean War (a subject not often touched upon by the HR genre so I will give a tip o' the hat to the author for that.) He disguises himself as a gypsy in order to spy on the Russians. Along the way he encounters April, a young woman who was abandoned at birth and raised by gypsies. Thinking to solidify his disguise better, Damien marries April and they travel on up to Moscow where the couple fall under the power of Count Vasili Ivanov.
So why the one star?
Damien.
He started out as an okay hero but then he de-evolved (to borrow a term from ST:NG) into a piss ant in my universe. A piss ant I want to squash underneath my shoe and grind into the pavement until he was obliterated. I understand as part of his cover he has to lie to April about his true identity so I'll try and let that go. But he's only using this girl. He doesn't consider their gypsy marriage as legally valid (not that he considers April to be worthy of being the wife of an earl in the first place) and has the intention of abandoning her once his mission is over. When Count Ivanov offers to take April off of his hands, Damien sees this as an answer to all his problems. He'll be able to unload the wife he never wanted and not feel guilty as she'll have a rich patron to take care of her. Not to mention he never once asks April what she thinks about this whole idea of trading men. Damien leaves her without even saying goodbye. After deserting his wife, Damien runs into her a couple more times and each time he just can't wait to call her a whore even though he is the one who left her to Ivanov. I simply hate Damien.
As for April, she's not much better. Like Damien, she started out as an okay heroine but once they reached Moscow she seems to have checked her brain cells at the city gate and became TSTL. Did she really think Ivanov was showering her with gifts and taking her to royal balls all out of the kindness of his heart? I would have thought a gypsy would have better street smarts than that.
So why the one star?
Damien.
He started out as an okay hero but then he de-evolved (to borrow a term from ST:NG) into a piss ant in my universe. A piss ant I want to squash underneath my shoe and grind into the pavement until he was obliterated. I understand as part of his cover he has to lie to April about his true identity so I'll try and let that go. But he's only using this girl. He doesn't consider their gypsy marriage as legally valid (not that he considers April to be worthy of being the wife of an earl in the first place) and has the intention of abandoning her once his mission is over. When Count Ivanov offers to take April off of his hands, Damien sees this as an answer to all his problems. He'll be able to unload the wife he never wanted and not feel guilty as she'll have a rich patron to take care of her. Not to mention he never once asks April what she thinks about this whole idea of trading men. Damien leaves her without even saying goodbye. After deserting his wife, Damien runs into her a couple more times and each time he just can't wait to call her a whore even though he is the one who left her to Ivanov. I simply hate Damien.
As for April, she's not much better. Like Damien, she started out as an okay heroine but once they reached Moscow she seems to have checked her brain cells at the city gate and became TSTL. Did she really think Ivanov was showering her with gifts and taking her to royal balls all out of the kindness of his heart? I would have thought a gypsy would have better street smarts than that.
August 2, 2013
I guess I am in a minority but I absolutely loved this book. An orphan child raised by the gypsies, who is totally gypsy except in her looks and a sexy earl, disguised as a gypsy. when they meet it is dynamite. But there is problems when one of the gypsy men also desires her and she is accused of stabbing him and must stand trial. Damian cross is the pseudo-gypsy who is asked to stand as the mediator between the two. Damien is on a mission to Russia to spy on the Czar's troops and he ends up saving her by marrying her in a gypsy ceremony. Damien is only interesting in his mission and will April end up being a pawn in this search? An exciting well written story, different from so many Historical romances. I loved it.
August 26, 2015
The Crimean War and Moscow a great setting for this romance
Another great story from McAllister, this one about a gypsy who isn’t a gypsy and a British soldier who is more than a spy… set in the mid 19th century during the Crimean War on the Crimean Peninsula in the Black Sea and then in Moscow.
The story begins in the Caucasus Mountains as a baby is left in the woods to be rescued by a gypsy, Tzigane, who raises it as her own. Around the baby’s neck hangs a huge diamond. Tzigane names the baby April for the month in which she found it. April has blonde hair but grows up among the gypsies, wielding a knife with the best of them.
As a young woman, April passes through Constantinople with her gypsy family and encounters Damien Cross, who she does not know is the Earl of Devonshire. Damien helps her out of a jam, all the while noticing how aristocratic the young woman appears.
In 1854 (or thereabouts), April is now 17 when Nicabar, a horse trader from Spain, living with the gypsies, covets April’s horse, a magnificent black stallion—and he covets April. When he attempts to rape her, she cuts his face. In the gypsy trial that follows, Damien shows up, now a spy for the British in the Crimean War, and the gypsy king makes him the judge over the matter. Damien awards Nicabar her horse for the damage she did to his face and Damien decides she should be wed. The gypsy king agrees… even when Damien, wanting a good cover for his spying, suggests himself for April’s husband.
There’s a lot of intrigue and treachery in this story as Damien takes April north to Moscow and April’s past and Damien’s deception come to light. There are some wonderful characters, including Damien’s French mother, and some exciting scenes.
If you are looking for an unusual time and an exotic locale, this might be the story for you.
Another great story from McAllister, this one about a gypsy who isn’t a gypsy and a British soldier who is more than a spy… set in the mid 19th century during the Crimean War on the Crimean Peninsula in the Black Sea and then in Moscow.
The story begins in the Caucasus Mountains as a baby is left in the woods to be rescued by a gypsy, Tzigane, who raises it as her own. Around the baby’s neck hangs a huge diamond. Tzigane names the baby April for the month in which she found it. April has blonde hair but grows up among the gypsies, wielding a knife with the best of them.
As a young woman, April passes through Constantinople with her gypsy family and encounters Damien Cross, who she does not know is the Earl of Devonshire. Damien helps her out of a jam, all the while noticing how aristocratic the young woman appears.
In 1854 (or thereabouts), April is now 17 when Nicabar, a horse trader from Spain, living with the gypsies, covets April’s horse, a magnificent black stallion—and he covets April. When he attempts to rape her, she cuts his face. In the gypsy trial that follows, Damien shows up, now a spy for the British in the Crimean War, and the gypsy king makes him the judge over the matter. Damien awards Nicabar her horse for the damage she did to his face and Damien decides she should be wed. The gypsy king agrees… even when Damien, wanting a good cover for his spying, suggests himself for April’s husband.
There’s a lot of intrigue and treachery in this story as Damien takes April north to Moscow and April’s past and Damien’s deception come to light. There are some wonderful characters, including Damien’s French mother, and some exciting scenes.
If you are looking for an unusual time and an exotic locale, this might be the story for you.
October 12, 2014
A beautiful love story from beginning to end.
I was captivated by the intense emotional connection between Damien and April, but it the end took a little while to wrap up and it would be interesting to hear of the fate of Pavel and Ivanov. Overall a fun read.
I was captivated by the intense emotional connection between Damien and April, but it the end took a little while to wrap up and it would be interesting to hear of the fate of Pavel and Ivanov. Overall a fun read.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews