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Light of the Gods
At her rich, look-alike cousin's pleading, impoverished Sacha Waverley undertakes a daring masquerade. She travels to Scotland posing as Lady Deirdre to care for her cousin's fiancée, the handsome, wealthy Duke of Silchester who has been temporarily blinded in a hunting accident. It's Sacha's one chance to wear fine gowns and be waited upon -- a fairy-tale come true. Then the unthinkable happens...she loses her heart forever to a man she can never love.
182 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published January 1, 1999
16 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Cartland
1,074 books835 followersBorn in 1901, Barbara Cartland started her writing career in journalism and completed her first book, Jigsaw, when she was just 24. An immediate success, it was the start of her journey to becoming the world’s most famous and most read romantic novelist of all time. Inspiring a whole generation of readers around the globe with her exciting tales of adventure, love and intrigue, she became synonymous with the Romance genre. And she still is to this day, having written over 644 romantic fiction books.
As well as romantic novels, she wrote historical biographies, 6 autobiographies, plays, music, poetry and several advice books on life, love, health and cookery – totalling an incredible 723 books in all, with over 1 billion in sales.
Awarded the DBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 in honour of her literary, political and social contributions, she was President of the Hertfordshire branch of the Royal College of Midwives as well as a Dame of Grace of the Order of St John of Jerusalem and Deputy President of the St John Ambulance Brigade.
Always a passionate advocate of woman’s health and beauty, she was dubbed ‘the true Queen of Romance’ by Vogue magazine in her lifetime. Her legend continues today through her wonderfully vivid romantic tales, stories that help you escape from the day to day into the dramatic adventures of strong, beautiful women who battle, often against the odds, eventually to find that love conquers all.
Find out more about the incredible life and works of Dame Barbara Cartland at www.barbaracartland.com
As well as romantic novels, she wrote historical biographies, 6 autobiographies, plays, music, poetry and several advice books on life, love, health and cookery – totalling an incredible 723 books in all, with over 1 billion in sales.
Awarded the DBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 in honour of her literary, political and social contributions, she was President of the Hertfordshire branch of the Royal College of Midwives as well as a Dame of Grace of the Order of St John of Jerusalem and Deputy President of the St John Ambulance Brigade.
Always a passionate advocate of woman’s health and beauty, she was dubbed ‘the true Queen of Romance’ by Vogue magazine in her lifetime. Her legend continues today through her wonderfully vivid romantic tales, stories that help you escape from the day to day into the dramatic adventures of strong, beautiful women who battle, often against the odds, eventually to find that love conquers all.
Find out more about the incredible life and works of Dame Barbara Cartland at www.barbaracartland.com
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 3, 2023
Was just okay. Deception trope.
The impoverished heroine is manipulated by her wealthy cousin to take her place because the cousin is secretly engaged to a duke who has just been injured.
The duke has been blinded so there is no chance he would see the heroine. So she travels all the way to Scotland to be by his side.
The duke is surprised, the voice of the heroine is much sweeter and kinder than he remembers, and they have intelligent stimulating discussions, especially about the “Light of the Gods”. The heroine also lifts him out of his depression and gives him courage to face his operation.
Even if it had started as an arranged engagement, the Hero and heroine are now in love. All the more reason, the heroine cannot reveal her deception.
They do a Scottish hand fasting ceremony before the operation of the Hero to set his mind at ease. The operation is of course a success but the heroine needs to go home while rhe Hero is still unconscious.
Needless to say a few weeks later, when the Hero is all recovered, he finds her and they get married with her father the vicar.
The Hero has known for a long time that the person he fell in love with was not his shallow fiancée, thats why he insisted on the hand fasting. He has written to his fiancée telling her that he will probably be blind forever, and of course selfish woman that she is, she releases him from the engagement.
The impoverished heroine is manipulated by her wealthy cousin to take her place because the cousin is secretly engaged to a duke who has just been injured.
The duke has been blinded so there is no chance he would see the heroine. So she travels all the way to Scotland to be by his side.
The duke is surprised, the voice of the heroine is much sweeter and kinder than he remembers, and they have intelligent stimulating discussions, especially about the “Light of the Gods”. The heroine also lifts him out of his depression and gives him courage to face his operation.
Even if it had started as an arranged engagement, the Hero and heroine are now in love. All the more reason, the heroine cannot reveal her deception.
They do a Scottish hand fasting ceremony before the operation of the Hero to set his mind at ease. The operation is of course a success but the heroine needs to go home while rhe Hero is still unconscious.
Needless to say a few weeks later, when the Hero is all recovered, he finds her and they get married with her father the vicar.
The Hero has known for a long time that the person he fell in love with was not his shallow fiancée, thats why he insisted on the hand fasting. He has written to his fiancée telling her that he will probably be blind forever, and of course selfish woman that she is, she releases him from the engagement.
October 4, 2010
Reviewed for THC Reviews
I've always been a sucker for fairy tale re-tellings, and Light of the Gods mixes two popular tales, The Prince and the Pauper and Cinderella. It begins with a poor young woman who trades places with her rich look-a-like cousin, and then falls in love with her cousin's fiance, a wealthy handsome duke. The narrative is entirely from the heroine's perspective and relies heavily on dialog and introspection to tell the story. There aren't many environmental details and no real action to speak of since the hero is confined to bed recovering from wounds received in a accidental explosion. The reader has to infer quite a bit from the interactions between Talbot and Sacha to understand that they are falling love, because nothing particularly overt occurs until their first kiss. Once they get to that point though, Barbara Cartland has a very poetic way of metaphorically relating love feelings and the act of making love which I find to be very emotionally engaging and sensual, while still being quite innocent. It's part of why I've generally liked her writing for over twenty years, even though her stories lack the depth of character and plot development that most of today's romances have.
Sacha, the heroine, is the penniless daughter of a vicar and a gentle, long-suffering young woman. She feels she doesn't have much choice when her rich cousin, Deirdre, asks Sacha to take her place at the sickbed of her fiancée so that she can go party with another man. Deirdre was a selfish, petulant girl who thought of no one but herself and didn't deserve the Duke. Of course, Sacha not only nurses the Duke's body, but more importantly she ministers to his mind and spirit as well. She accomplishes that by simply spending time with Talbot, encouraging him, and letting him know that she believes wholeheartedly he will regain his sight, but that if he does not, he is still a wonderful man. She was also able to see the potential in him that he had been neglecting. I had mixed feelings about Sacha's willingness to deceive Talbot by pretending to be her cousin, but it was made more palatable in a couple of different ways. I liked that Sacha kept forgetting that she was supposed to be Deirdre and instead was just being herself. Also, Talbot was an intelligent man who in spite of being temporarily blinded, could see quite clearly, and I believe he sensed that the sweet woman at his side could not be the same vain creature he was engaged to.
It would have been difficult not to like the Duke, as he was the proverbial knight in shining armor. I did wonder a lot about him and wished that there had been more input from his perspective besides his conversations with Sacha. The only thing about him that could potentially be considered a flaw was his original choice for a wife. I honestly don't know what he saw in Deirdre other than her outward beauty, although it seemed that he was being pressured into marrying soon for the sake of begetting an heir to his title. Perhaps he merely had a moment of insanity and then saw what he was truly missing when Sacha came to his side. Otherwise, Talbot was as nice as could be and so was his grandmother, the Dowager Duchess, who could be credited for bringing Talbot and Sacha together in the first place.
There were a few things in the book that were a little eyebrow raising. I know that Barbara Cartland was very much into health and nutrition, but I couldn't help wondering at the historical authenticity of the belief that nutrition and positive thinking play a role in healing. Maybe there were people back then who were into those things, but it seemed a little more like modern New Age thinking. I also questioned the propriety of an unmarried young woman visiting a man's bedchamber (even one who is injured and to whom she is engaged) alone, but I guess at least the grandmother admitted that she was being a poor chaperone. I freely acknowledge that Barbara Cartland's stories usually would not stand up to a great deal of critical scrutiny, which is typically something that would bother me. It might have been the sweet fairy tale quality that I love so much, the fact that I have a soft spot for Ms. Cartland as my first mainstream romance author, or some other reason entirely, but I seem to be a bit more forgiving of the holes in her plots. I think I just go into reading her books with the bar set a bit lower than most. Her stories may be simple and predictable, but generally pretty enjoyable, and Light of the Gods definitely fell into that category for me.
I've always been a sucker for fairy tale re-tellings, and Light of the Gods mixes two popular tales, The Prince and the Pauper and Cinderella. It begins with a poor young woman who trades places with her rich look-a-like cousin, and then falls in love with her cousin's fiance, a wealthy handsome duke. The narrative is entirely from the heroine's perspective and relies heavily on dialog and introspection to tell the story. There aren't many environmental details and no real action to speak of since the hero is confined to bed recovering from wounds received in a accidental explosion. The reader has to infer quite a bit from the interactions between Talbot and Sacha to understand that they are falling love, because nothing particularly overt occurs until their first kiss. Once they get to that point though, Barbara Cartland has a very poetic way of metaphorically relating love feelings and the act of making love which I find to be very emotionally engaging and sensual, while still being quite innocent. It's part of why I've generally liked her writing for over twenty years, even though her stories lack the depth of character and plot development that most of today's romances have.
Sacha, the heroine, is the penniless daughter of a vicar and a gentle, long-suffering young woman. She feels she doesn't have much choice when her rich cousin, Deirdre, asks Sacha to take her place at the sickbed of her fiancée so that she can go party with another man. Deirdre was a selfish, petulant girl who thought of no one but herself and didn't deserve the Duke. Of course, Sacha not only nurses the Duke's body, but more importantly she ministers to his mind and spirit as well. She accomplishes that by simply spending time with Talbot, encouraging him, and letting him know that she believes wholeheartedly he will regain his sight, but that if he does not, he is still a wonderful man. She was also able to see the potential in him that he had been neglecting. I had mixed feelings about Sacha's willingness to deceive Talbot by pretending to be her cousin, but it was made more palatable in a couple of different ways. I liked that Sacha kept forgetting that she was supposed to be Deirdre and instead was just being herself. Also, Talbot was an intelligent man who in spite of being temporarily blinded, could see quite clearly, and I believe he sensed that the sweet woman at his side could not be the same vain creature he was engaged to.
It would have been difficult not to like the Duke, as he was the proverbial knight in shining armor. I did wonder a lot about him and wished that there had been more input from his perspective besides his conversations with Sacha. The only thing about him that could potentially be considered a flaw was his original choice for a wife. I honestly don't know what he saw in Deirdre other than her outward beauty, although it seemed that he was being pressured into marrying soon for the sake of begetting an heir to his title. Perhaps he merely had a moment of insanity and then saw what he was truly missing when Sacha came to his side. Otherwise, Talbot was as nice as could be and so was his grandmother, the Dowager Duchess, who could be credited for bringing Talbot and Sacha together in the first place.
There were a few things in the book that were a little eyebrow raising. I know that Barbara Cartland was very much into health and nutrition, but I couldn't help wondering at the historical authenticity of the belief that nutrition and positive thinking play a role in healing. Maybe there were people back then who were into those things, but it seemed a little more like modern New Age thinking. I also questioned the propriety of an unmarried young woman visiting a man's bedchamber (even one who is injured and to whom she is engaged) alone, but I guess at least the grandmother admitted that she was being a poor chaperone. I freely acknowledge that Barbara Cartland's stories usually would not stand up to a great deal of critical scrutiny, which is typically something that would bother me. It might have been the sweet fairy tale quality that I love so much, the fact that I have a soft spot for Ms. Cartland as my first mainstream romance author, or some other reason entirely, but I seem to be a bit more forgiving of the holes in her plots. I think I just go into reading her books with the bar set a bit lower than most. Her stories may be simple and predictable, but generally pretty enjoyable, and Light of the Gods definitely fell into that category for me.
Want to read
April 20, 2011amazing book
September 3, 2015
I enjoyed this little book, cute story.
September 1, 2025
3★'s An okay read. It was quick and fluffy, but the romance felt outdated. I also hope the romance was better developed since everything felt rushed at times, and even a little boring. The duke read as more obsessed than in love, and women were treated like possessions. As for the heroine’s cousin, she really got on my nerves, it would've been nice to see her suffer.
January 24, 2020
In Love By Deception
Every romance reader understands that at times one must suspend disbelief and ride the wave to a HEA. It also helps to remember the era in which the book was written.
Having got those reminders out of the way, the book was special. It was quite spiritual in a very unique way. Ms. Cartland blended the knowledge of the ancient Greeks with faith in God. It was very romantic and uplifting.
The Duke, our hero, who is secretly engaged to heroine Sacha’s cousin, has suffered a terrible accident in Scotland. Dierdre convinces Sacha to take her place at the Duke’s bedside while he recuperates.
Sacha is a delightful, intelligent and alarmingly naive, in other words, nothing like the worldly Deirdre, whose only goal in life is to be thought to be the most beautiful woman in the Queendom. As you might imagine, mayhem ensues because Sacha has no hope of ever being like her cousin. In fact, on every other page it seems she is thinking to herself, “oops. Deirdre wouldn’t have said that. I must remember to let her know “she” said that.”
The Duke seems to be able untangle the web quite easily. The outcome is quite interesting and a bit mind bending in my opinion. But when you read the book remember what I said above. Suspend disbelief and remember it was 1860.
I really enjoyed this book and I’m glad I bought it instead of borrowing. I will definitely reread it. 4.5 out of 5 stars just to address the mind bendiness. It has its limits.
Every romance reader understands that at times one must suspend disbelief and ride the wave to a HEA. It also helps to remember the era in which the book was written.
Having got those reminders out of the way, the book was special. It was quite spiritual in a very unique way. Ms. Cartland blended the knowledge of the ancient Greeks with faith in God. It was very romantic and uplifting.
The Duke, our hero, who is secretly engaged to heroine Sacha’s cousin, has suffered a terrible accident in Scotland. Dierdre convinces Sacha to take her place at the Duke’s bedside while he recuperates.
Sacha is a delightful, intelligent and alarmingly naive, in other words, nothing like the worldly Deirdre, whose only goal in life is to be thought to be the most beautiful woman in the Queendom. As you might imagine, mayhem ensues because Sacha has no hope of ever being like her cousin. In fact, on every other page it seems she is thinking to herself, “oops. Deirdre wouldn’t have said that. I must remember to let her know “she” said that.”
The Duke seems to be able untangle the web quite easily. The outcome is quite interesting and a bit mind bending in my opinion. But when you read the book remember what I said above. Suspend disbelief and remember it was 1860.
I really enjoyed this book and I’m glad I bought it instead of borrowing. I will definitely reread it. 4.5 out of 5 stars just to address the mind bendiness. It has its limits.
March 8, 2021
Sacha’s spoiled cousin Deidre is engaged to a Scottish Duke named Talbot. When Talbot is blinded in a accident, Deidre convinces Sacha to pretend to be her while Deidre parties with the man she actually loves. Sacha knows it’s wrong to pretend to be her cousin, but Talbot is blind... so he’ll never figure out the truth, right?
Hah, well the fun part about this one is that Talbot actually suspected that “Deidre” wasn’t who she said she was from the first moment she showed up at his bedside to keep him in good spirits before his operation. Everything he does is in an effort to make sure he can find her again if his eyesight comes back (and she disappears like Cinderella).
What I also liked about this plot is that Sacha and Talbot fell for each other through the meeting of the minds. Sacha’s father is a vicar and wrote books about Greece, like The Light of Greece, which was such a fun talking point used to convince Talbot to think positive, light thoughts that would surely help him recover his sight (and drink carrot juice). And hey, it worked!
Hah, well the fun part about this one is that Talbot actually suspected that “Deidre” wasn’t who she said she was from the first moment she showed up at his bedside to keep him in good spirits before his operation. Everything he does is in an effort to make sure he can find her again if his eyesight comes back (and she disappears like Cinderella).
What I also liked about this plot is that Sacha and Talbot fell for each other through the meeting of the minds. Sacha’s father is a vicar and wrote books about Greece, like The Light of Greece, which was such a fun talking point used to convince Talbot to think positive, light thoughts that would surely help him recover his sight (and drink carrot juice). And hey, it worked!
March 5, 2019
3.5 Novela histórica simple pero con buena lectura. Dos primas, una rica que no quiere ir a ver a su prometido postrado en una cama y ciego y una pobre que por fidelidad a su prima se hace pasar por ella pero que termina enamorándose del protagonista, que lejos de ser engañado como todos creen, se da cuenta de las diferencias y hace frente a la distancia para estar con la mujer que ama.
April 9, 2019
Es un libro muy corto que no puedes dejar de leer, con una historia bonita, sencilla que me gusto mucho y no le doy 5 estrellas porque me hubiera gustado un epílogo.
Disfrute mucho de la lectura y me saco de un paro lector que estaba teniendo desde hace dos meses.
Disfrute mucho de la lectura y me saco de un paro lector que estaba teniendo desde hace dos meses.
March 19, 2020
I liked Sacha, the Dowager Duchess, and the basic storyline. I also loved the descriptions of Scotland and gowns. The ellipses, though! My word those were painful. And some rather foolish decisions were made. Overall, though, it was a nice read.
March 3, 2019
As always, Barbara Cartland delivers a delightful historical romance.
October 16, 2024
I recalled this romance from when I was younger and I was very happy to read it again. Barbara Cartland never disappoints.
January 29, 2025
Talbot and Sacha are quite a sweet pair. The book was sweet, wish the plot was more fleshed out but still a sweet book.
February 13, 2017
Una gran historia, con diálogos muy bien estructurados, cautiva al lector desde el primer momento no pude parar de leer hasta terminarlo, de alguna forma es una versión del cuento de la cenicienta pero con otros matices que dejan un gran sabor de boca ampliamente recomendable
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews