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Rapture
Rapture's Tempest
In flight from her stepfather, Delight de Vries disguises herself and signs on as a riverboat cabin boy, unprepared for the passion aroused in her by Captain James Westlake.
424 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1985
38 people are currently reading
137 people want to read
About the author
Bobbi Smith
71 books515 followersAfter working as a department manager for Famous-Barr, and briefly as a clerk at a bookstore, Bobbi Smith gave up on career security and began writing. She sold her first book to Zebra in 1982. Since then, Bobbi has written over 40 books and several short stories. To date, there are more than five million of her novels in print. She has been awarded the prestigious Romantic Times Storyteller of the Year Award and two Career Achievement Awards. Her books have appeared on numerous bestseller lists. When she's not working on her novels, she is frequently a guest speaker for writer's groups. Bobbi is mother of two sons and resides in St. Charles, Missouri with her husband and three dogs.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 10, 2019
This review is of “Rapture’s Tempest” by Bobbi Smith.
In a previous book “Rapture’s Rage”, Renee Fontaine fell in love-in different ways-with two brothers, Marshall and James Westlake. In the end, Renee chose Marshall. “Rapture’s Tempest” is Jim’s opportunity to find love.
The book begins in St. Louis, 1863. It is here that Delight-yes, that is her name-De Vries, the heroine of the book, lives with her mother, Clara, and her stepfather, Martin Montgomery. One night, after Martin tries to drug and rape her, Delight flees, disguises herself as a boy-a trope used occasionally in 1980’s romance novels-and gets hired on as a cabin boy named Del Murphy. for Jim, captain of the Enterprise for the family’s shipping business. Delight immediately becomes attracted to Jim.
Jim comes back to his ship drunk after his engagement party to St. Louis socialite Annabelle Morgan-whom he doesn’t really love-and he and Delight make love. Soon after, he sends her away. Immediately regretting his actions, Jim tries searching for her, which takes quite a while.
Jim finds Delight, and at first they argue, but then they realize how much they love each other. Jim breaks off his engagement to Annabelle, who vows revenge, especially after discovering Jim’s engagement and subsequent marriage to Delight.
Shorty after getting married, the plan Annabelle is involved in is set in motion. Multiple people are killed, and Jim and his friend, Union Army Captain Mark Clayton, are both wounded, but survive.
There are also other stories:
The “B” story is Annabelle, Army Captain Wade MacIntosh, Annabelle’s father Nathan, and others involved in a plot to steal gold that Jim’s ship is transporting.
The “C” story involved Mark and his love for Marshall and Jim’s younger sister, Dorrie. Wade pursues her for his own ends, but Dorrie chooses Mark in the end.
The “D” story involves Sam Wallace, an investigator for Mark. When Wade finds Sam, he beats him and leaves him for dead. Sam is rescued by Sarah Webb, a widow with two children. Sarah and Sam fall in love as well.
By the end of the book, Annabelle, Wade and Nathan have been brought to justice, Delight and Jim, Dorrie and Mark and Sarah and Sam are all in love and planning their Happily Ever After.
Upside: Bobbi Smith, like one of her 1980’s contemporaries, Cassie Edwards, is a “fast-food” author. Let me explain:
Mrs. Smith’s writing style is very simplistic and easy to digest. There is no artifice and no guessing about who’s who and what their motivations are. In “Rapture’s Tempest” it’s clear who the good and bad people. Delight and Jim are likeable, fairly engaging characters. I like the fact that Mrs. Smith lets her supporting characters speak in their own voice, and not simply as foils for the hero and heroine.
Downside:: Mrs. Smith’s books lack character development. For the most part, all of the characters in her books are pretty one-note. The chemistry between Delight and Jim is pretty mild, at best. The “evil plot” that Annabelle, Wade and Nathan are involved in is not explained fully and it’s unclear why another person is involved. Delight may be the single worst romance novel heroine name ever! The ending of the book, when Marshall, Jim and Mark catch up to Annabelle and her cronies, is incredibly lame.
Sex: There are quite a few love scenes, but none are terribly hot or graphic.
Violence: Wade is shot and killed as he tries to escape Mark and the Westlake brothers. And, as mentioned earlier, Sam is assaulted and left for dead.
Bottom Line: “Rapture’s Tempest” is not a bad book. It’s just not as good as it potentially could be. I’m still a fan of Ms. Smith’s; I just accept the type of author she is.
In a previous book “Rapture’s Rage”, Renee Fontaine fell in love-in different ways-with two brothers, Marshall and James Westlake. In the end, Renee chose Marshall. “Rapture’s Tempest” is Jim’s opportunity to find love.
The book begins in St. Louis, 1863. It is here that Delight-yes, that is her name-De Vries, the heroine of the book, lives with her mother, Clara, and her stepfather, Martin Montgomery. One night, after Martin tries to drug and rape her, Delight flees, disguises herself as a boy-a trope used occasionally in 1980’s romance novels-and gets hired on as a cabin boy named Del Murphy. for Jim, captain of the Enterprise for the family’s shipping business. Delight immediately becomes attracted to Jim.
Jim comes back to his ship drunk after his engagement party to St. Louis socialite Annabelle Morgan-whom he doesn’t really love-and he and Delight make love. Soon after, he sends her away. Immediately regretting his actions, Jim tries searching for her, which takes quite a while.
Jim finds Delight, and at first they argue, but then they realize how much they love each other. Jim breaks off his engagement to Annabelle, who vows revenge, especially after discovering Jim’s engagement and subsequent marriage to Delight.
Shorty after getting married, the plan Annabelle is involved in is set in motion. Multiple people are killed, and Jim and his friend, Union Army Captain Mark Clayton, are both wounded, but survive.
There are also other stories:
The “B” story is Annabelle, Army Captain Wade MacIntosh, Annabelle’s father Nathan, and others involved in a plot to steal gold that Jim’s ship is transporting.
The “C” story involved Mark and his love for Marshall and Jim’s younger sister, Dorrie. Wade pursues her for his own ends, but Dorrie chooses Mark in the end.
The “D” story involves Sam Wallace, an investigator for Mark. When Wade finds Sam, he beats him and leaves him for dead. Sam is rescued by Sarah Webb, a widow with two children. Sarah and Sam fall in love as well.
By the end of the book, Annabelle, Wade and Nathan have been brought to justice, Delight and Jim, Dorrie and Mark and Sarah and Sam are all in love and planning their Happily Ever After.
Upside: Bobbi Smith, like one of her 1980’s contemporaries, Cassie Edwards, is a “fast-food” author. Let me explain:
Mrs. Smith’s writing style is very simplistic and easy to digest. There is no artifice and no guessing about who’s who and what their motivations are. In “Rapture’s Tempest” it’s clear who the good and bad people. Delight and Jim are likeable, fairly engaging characters. I like the fact that Mrs. Smith lets her supporting characters speak in their own voice, and not simply as foils for the hero and heroine.
Downside:: Mrs. Smith’s books lack character development. For the most part, all of the characters in her books are pretty one-note. The chemistry between Delight and Jim is pretty mild, at best. The “evil plot” that Annabelle, Wade and Nathan are involved in is not explained fully and it’s unclear why another person is involved. Delight may be the single worst romance novel heroine name ever! The ending of the book, when Marshall, Jim and Mark catch up to Annabelle and her cronies, is incredibly lame.
Sex: There are quite a few love scenes, but none are terribly hot or graphic.
Violence: Wade is shot and killed as he tries to escape Mark and the Westlake brothers. And, as mentioned earlier, Sam is assaulted and left for dead.
Bottom Line: “Rapture’s Tempest” is not a bad book. It’s just not as good as it potentially could be. I’m still a fan of Ms. Smith’s; I just accept the type of author she is.
Want to read
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April 14, 2018
A good story
I loved the story about a riverboat captain and a woman disguised as a young boy but there were some things that I didn't like. Captain Jim Westlake was a bit mercurial in how he felt. At first he was marrying Annabelle because of her beauty which was extremely shallow. Then after he found out his cabin boy Del Murphy was a woman and slept with her, he was convinced that he was in love with her. He found out Del Murphy was Delight and thought of her being a spy and switched his affections back to Annabelle again. Finally after finding out that Delight wasn't a spy, he couldn't imagine a beauty like Annabelle couldn't possibly be a spy. That proved in the beginning that he was pretty shallow person and was supposedly in love with his brother's wife. Besides that major character flaw this was a good book about romance during the civil war. Captain James Westlake will never be my book boyfriend.
I loved the story about a riverboat captain and a woman disguised as a young boy but there were some things that I didn't like. Captain Jim Westlake was a bit mercurial in how he felt. At first he was marrying Annabelle because of her beauty which was extremely shallow. Then after he found out his cabin boy Del Murphy was a woman and slept with her, he was convinced that he was in love with her. He found out Del Murphy was Delight and thought of her being a spy and switched his affections back to Annabelle again. Finally after finding out that Delight wasn't a spy, he couldn't imagine a beauty like Annabelle couldn't possibly be a spy. That proved in the beginning that he was pretty shallow person and was supposedly in love with his brother's wife. Besides that major character flaw this was a good book about romance during the civil war. Captain James Westlake will never be my book boyfriend.
January 30, 2010
This is one of those books that are fun to read, that don't have a whole lot of depth of storyline, but is populated with interesting characters and a lovely and sizzling love story. It is a story with sufficient conflict to pique the reader's interest and is a great book to read on a rainy evening. I did enjoy this book a lot, but gave it a 3-star rating because it just wasn't as believeable as I think it could have been. A heroine named "Delight?" Nevertheless, it was a very nice way to spend an evening.
October 19, 2010
This has a very beautiful cover, out of a slew of books it yelled read me so I did.
This story is set in a unique area you normally don't see in historicals St Louis (I believe).
I enjoyed the love story of the hero's sister and would actually love to read more about her.
This story is set in a unique area you normally don't see in historicals St Louis (I believe).
I enjoyed the love story of the hero's sister and would actually love to read more about her.
January 13, 2020
I forgot how much I liked this book. I read this book several years ago before I started writing reviews, and I decided that this one needed one. I love the character of Delight De Vries- her name, her spunkiness, and I love Jim Westlake. I love how Delight poses as young man Del Murphy, I've always enjoyed books where a character has to go in disguise- in this case as a young man who meets a ship's captain and become a Cabin Boy.
I enjoy reading historical books that take place during the Civil War (other time periods I enjoy are the American Revolutionary War, World War 2 (particularly the French Resistance), and Regency England). I liked the aspect of Jim's fiancee, Annabelle, was a spy for the South- although I don't like the Confederate side of the Civil War- with her father, Nathan, and her lover, a Captain for the Union.
I like how the author moved the point of view around- not through the characters' eyes so much as showing their thoughts and motives.
Best side or supporting characters are Ollie and Rose.
I enjoy reading historical books that take place during the Civil War (other time periods I enjoy are the American Revolutionary War, World War 2 (particularly the French Resistance), and Regency England). I liked the aspect of Jim's fiancee, Annabelle, was a spy for the South- although I don't like the Confederate side of the Civil War- with her father, Nathan, and her lover, a Captain for the Union.
I like how the author moved the point of view around- not through the characters' eyes so much as showing their thoughts and motives.
Best side or supporting characters are Ollie and Rose.
November 13, 2010
A little disappointing... The plot moved way to quickly, Delight fell in love with Jim in 24 hrs, you miss the first 10 days when they're travelling together... as soon as they sleep together, he's in love... Really? it was cute, but nothing fabulous:-)
February 15, 2016
Boring
This is the first time I have read a bad book by this authir...I'm so disappointed. I coukd hardly get to the halfway point before I just gave up. I wouldn't recommend this one. Bobbi Smith has written many very good ones, but this one is not up to her standards.
This is the first time I have read a bad book by this authir...I'm so disappointed. I coukd hardly get to the halfway point before I just gave up. I wouldn't recommend this one. Bobbi Smith has written many very good ones, but this one is not up to her standards.
November 6, 2015
I couldn't put it down, it was awesome from beginning to the end.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews