What do you think?
Rate this book
Defiant Splendor
Determined to work her father's gold mine, beautiful Cassie Wyman disguises herself as a man and joins the miners, but Trace McAllister quickly sees through her charade
- GenresHistorical Romance
509 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1988
35 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 19, 2021
This review is of “Defiant Splendor”, a standalone by Michalann Perry.
The book begins on a stagecoach in California in 1852. Among the passengers on the stagecoach are Trace McAllister, the hero of the book, and later, Cassie Wyman, the heroine of the book. Cassie and her father are gold miners, and Cassie has gold in her possession when she boards the coach. She won’t have it for long, however, as the coach is robbed by notorious bandit Joaquin Murieta.
After the robbery, Cassie and the other passengers make their way to Auburn, California. One night, Cassie goes out with Trace, has a few too many and they become lovers. Soon, Cassie, Trace, and another passenger, Noah Simmons, form a posse to find Murieta. Each of them having their own personal reasons for finding Murieta.
The trio make their way to San Francisco, where Cassie and Trace help Noah, a free-born Black man, rescue his lady love, Salina, and her mother, Aretha, from the clutches of their slaver, Cliff Hopkins, who is also Salina’s half-brother.
Cassie and Trace help Noah free Salina and her mother by concocting a scheme to trick Cliff out of his casino with a fake gold making machine. They also find Murieta; this however, comes at a price as Trace is stabbed, but later recovers. In the end, Cassie and Trace and Salina and Noah marry, they each have multiple children and have their Happily Ever After.
Upside: Readers who like stories similar to “Pygmalion” and “My Fair Lady” will find something to like with “Defiant Splendor”.
Downside: There really isn’t much in the way of storylines. There are fragments of them, but no actual storylines. The bigger issues are that neither Cassie nor Trace are strong enough to be lead characters in a book. Cassie is, at the beginning, uncouth and rough around the edges. She is also quick-tempered, and acts without thinking. Cassie does mature by the end of the book.
Trace, at first, is arrogant and sexist, frequently telling Cassie he doesn’t need her help and to “let a man handle it”, meaning finding Murieta and the stolen gold. Like Cassie, he does change by the end of the book. There is almost zero character development and when Ms. Perry explains the motivations of Cassie and Trace, it is in a very throwaway fashion.
Sex: The love scenes are mild at the beginning, slightly hotter at the end.
Violence: Assault and battery, attempted murder, stabbings and killings occur in “Defiant Splendor”. The violence is not graphic.
Bottom Line: There is defiance, but almost no “Splendor” in this book.
The book begins on a stagecoach in California in 1852. Among the passengers on the stagecoach are Trace McAllister, the hero of the book, and later, Cassie Wyman, the heroine of the book. Cassie and her father are gold miners, and Cassie has gold in her possession when she boards the coach. She won’t have it for long, however, as the coach is robbed by notorious bandit Joaquin Murieta.
After the robbery, Cassie and the other passengers make their way to Auburn, California. One night, Cassie goes out with Trace, has a few too many and they become lovers. Soon, Cassie, Trace, and another passenger, Noah Simmons, form a posse to find Murieta. Each of them having their own personal reasons for finding Murieta.
The trio make their way to San Francisco, where Cassie and Trace help Noah, a free-born Black man, rescue his lady love, Salina, and her mother, Aretha, from the clutches of their slaver, Cliff Hopkins, who is also Salina’s half-brother.
Cassie and Trace help Noah free Salina and her mother by concocting a scheme to trick Cliff out of his casino with a fake gold making machine. They also find Murieta; this however, comes at a price as Trace is stabbed, but later recovers. In the end, Cassie and Trace and Salina and Noah marry, they each have multiple children and have their Happily Ever After.
Upside: Readers who like stories similar to “Pygmalion” and “My Fair Lady” will find something to like with “Defiant Splendor”.
Downside: There really isn’t much in the way of storylines. There are fragments of them, but no actual storylines. The bigger issues are that neither Cassie nor Trace are strong enough to be lead characters in a book. Cassie is, at the beginning, uncouth and rough around the edges. She is also quick-tempered, and acts without thinking. Cassie does mature by the end of the book.
Trace, at first, is arrogant and sexist, frequently telling Cassie he doesn’t need her help and to “let a man handle it”, meaning finding Murieta and the stolen gold. Like Cassie, he does change by the end of the book. There is almost zero character development and when Ms. Perry explains the motivations of Cassie and Trace, it is in a very throwaway fashion.
Sex: The love scenes are mild at the beginning, slightly hotter at the end.
Violence: Assault and battery, attempted murder, stabbings and killings occur in “Defiant Splendor”. The violence is not graphic.
Bottom Line: There is defiance, but almost no “Splendor” in this book.
December 14, 2018
niente di che
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews