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Savage Aristocrat
"YOU GIVE YOURSELF THE AIRS OF AN ARISTOCRAT. BUT YOU'VE GOT THE MANNERS OF A SAVAGE!"When beautiful Vanessa Wayne arrived in Peru to buy native clothing for the fashionable London boutique where she worked, none of the Indian women would sell to her.One man was behind this conspiracy - the handsome Ramon de la Rivas, who kept Vanessa prisoner in his fabulous villa and in a remote mountain hut, forcing her to face the harsh reality of life in the tiny Andes villages.Vanessa was enraged. Until she discovered that this savage aristocrat could also be a gentle conqueror....
192 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1978
About the author
Roberta Leigh
113 books66 followersaka Rachel Lindsay, Janey Scott, Rozella Lake
Roberta Leigh was the most frequently used pen name of an author who also published novels as Rachel Lindsay, Rozella Lake, and Janey Scott. Her birth name was Rita Shulman.
Leigh was one of the first romance writers to introduce strong, career-minded heroines who wouldn't be bossed around by the hero.
Leigh had her own film company and wrote and produced 7 TV series for children. She would also "write" the music for her series, although this usually involved her humming or singing the tune into a tape recorder, after which someone else would arrange and write a score.
She studied oil and watercolor painting with Diana Raphael and Michael Chaitow, who her interest in abstract art. Her work has been exhibited at the Podbury Gallery and Finnegan's Gallery in London.
In 1948, she married Michael Lewin and they had a son, Jeremy. Her husband passed away in 1981.
Roberta Leigh was the most frequently used pen name of an author who also published novels as Rachel Lindsay, Rozella Lake, and Janey Scott. Her birth name was Rita Shulman.
Leigh was one of the first romance writers to introduce strong, career-minded heroines who wouldn't be bossed around by the hero.
Leigh had her own film company and wrote and produced 7 TV series for children. She would also "write" the music for her series, although this usually involved her humming or singing the tune into a tape recorder, after which someone else would arrange and write a score.
She studied oil and watercolor painting with Diana Raphael and Michael Chaitow, who her interest in abstract art. Her work has been exhibited at the Podbury Gallery and Finnegan's Gallery in London.
In 1948, she married Michael Lewin and they had a son, Jeremy. Her husband passed away in 1981.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 21, 2020
Lima, Peru, textiles, and a woke anti-capitalism/colonialism hero who “enslaves” the London retail buyer heroine until she has spun and woven enough wool to create a dress. That’s all I need to know to be reminded of this very original and outlandish story.
Heroine goes on a buying trip to Peru for her boss, who is laid up in the hospital. Turns out her boss exploited all the peasant women and paid them a pittance for their wares. Hero, as a head of a huge hacienda, decides to blackball the shop and instructs all the women to turn down all offers. He takes it a step further by imprisoning the heroine and making her stay until she’s sewn a dress by hand. (Cause he fell in love at first sight – and how else to woe her? Stockholm syndrome is the only way in his mind)
Heroine rebels nicely and tries to escape several times. There’s a young OW who lies to the heroine about her relationship with the hero and heroine falls for it every time.
After injuring her hands spinning the wool, and almost dying of exposure on the side of a Andean mountain, and a pep talk from a local priest, heroine finally gets her man.
I learned a lot about Peru in the 1970’s. I enjoyed the romance – even though 'workers must seize the means of production' and other commie phrases kept running through my head while reading this.
Heroine goes on a buying trip to Peru for her boss, who is laid up in the hospital. Turns out her boss exploited all the peasant women and paid them a pittance for their wares. Hero, as a head of a huge hacienda, decides to blackball the shop and instructs all the women to turn down all offers. He takes it a step further by imprisoning the heroine and making her stay until she’s sewn a dress by hand. (Cause he fell in love at first sight – and how else to woe her? Stockholm syndrome is the only way in his mind)
Heroine rebels nicely and tries to escape several times. There’s a young OW who lies to the heroine about her relationship with the hero and heroine falls for it every time.
After injuring her hands spinning the wool, and almost dying of exposure on the side of a Andean mountain, and a pep talk from a local priest, heroine finally gets her man.
I learned a lot about Peru in the 1970’s. I enjoyed the romance – even though 'workers must seize the means of production' and other commie phrases kept running through my head while reading this.
January 16, 2022
A+ for creativity! The hero of Roberta Leigh's Savage Aristocrat does not keep the heroine in captivity because of unrequited love, a Seekret Baybee, or revenge against an embezzling relative. He does it for political principle, hurray!
Mr. Wannabe Che Guevara wants to teach the bloated English capitalist pig about the poor Peruvian peasants that she exploits, picking up their handmade ponchos for a bean then selling them for 500% profit back in her chic English boutique.
It's "Workers of the World, Unite!" Versus "Let Them Eat Cake" and it is delightful. Three guesses who loses their head lol.
The bickerfest between the protags was, for once, lively and enjoyable. Instead of going into jealous rages over OW/OM or creating Big, Terrible, Misunderstandings, these two argued back and forth about the exploitation of third-world countries by the West versus the corruption of the local governments who exploit their own people too, and found time to insert a lovely Peruvian travelogue, history lesson, and food and fashion porn too.
All that and the romance was pretty sweet. Yes, the hero behaved abominably in keeping the heroine captive and forcing her to live the life of a Peruvian peasant. But he fell for her about five minutes after he met her and all his meanness was punctuated by sweet, kind, helplessly besotted moments.
I loved his background story, with his Spanish grandee grandfather falling in love with a local Indian woman and waiting patiently for ten years before they could wed, in the face of savage opposition by his family and society. His dad was equally besotted with his wife. The men of this family seem to be one-woman men so I predict a great future for the heroine, which she absolutely deserved after what she had to go through because of him:)
That was a fun ride!
Mr. Wannabe Che Guevara wants to teach the bloated English capitalist pig about the poor Peruvian peasants that she exploits, picking up their handmade ponchos for a bean then selling them for 500% profit back in her chic English boutique.
It's "Workers of the World, Unite!" Versus "Let Them Eat Cake" and it is delightful. Three guesses who loses their head lol.
The bickerfest between the protags was, for once, lively and enjoyable. Instead of going into jealous rages over OW/OM or creating Big, Terrible, Misunderstandings, these two argued back and forth about the exploitation of third-world countries by the West versus the corruption of the local governments who exploit their own people too, and found time to insert a lovely Peruvian travelogue, history lesson, and food and fashion porn too.
All that and the romance was pretty sweet. Yes, the hero behaved abominably in keeping the heroine captive and forcing her to live the life of a Peruvian peasant. But he fell for her about five minutes after he met her and all his meanness was punctuated by sweet, kind, helplessly besotted moments.
I loved his background story, with his Spanish grandee grandfather falling in love with a local Indian woman and waiting patiently for ten years before they could wed, in the face of savage opposition by his family and society. His dad was equally besotted with his wife. The men of this family seem to be one-woman men so I predict a great future for the heroine, which she absolutely deserved after what she had to go through because of him:)
That was a fun ride!
July 21, 2013
2.5 stars
Definitely dated, but the heroine was not very likeable for the majority of the book.
Definitely dated, but the heroine was not very likeable for the majority of the book.
May 4, 2020
read this the year it was published and purchased new. I think it was about 30p or something like that. I enjoyed the chemistry between the 2 characters and the story was very engaging.
pback-to-read
November 13, 2020When beautiful Vanessa Wayne arrived in Peru to buy native clothing for the fashionable London boutique where she worked, none of the Indian women would sell to her.
One man was behind this conspiracy - the handsome Ramon de la Rivas, who kept Vanessa prisoner in his fabulous villa and in a remote mountain hut, forcing her to face the harsh reality of life in the tiny Andes villages.
Vanessa was enraged. Until she discovered that this savage aristocrat could also be a gentle conqueror
One man was behind this conspiracy - the handsome Ramon de la Rivas, who kept Vanessa prisoner in his fabulous villa and in a remote mountain hut, forcing her to face the harsh reality of life in the tiny Andes villages.
Vanessa was enraged. Until she discovered that this savage aristocrat could also be a gentle conqueror
July 8, 2023
Sexy old school angst of the best kind.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews