Love's Agony

by Violet Winspear

Would he misconstrue her love as pity?

Angie's love for Rique de Zaldo was only intensified by the tragedy of his blindness. She had loved him all her life.

Called by his Spanish father to their Mediterranean island, Angie hoped to nurse Rique out of his despair. Patience and compassion would surely conquer his bitterness.

But it wasn't enough. What Rique needed was to feel the passion of a woman. And Angie knew she had to be that woman, even though it meant Rique would despise her for it...

Genres: Harlequin, Romance, Harlequin Presents

186 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Violet Winspear was a British author renowned for her prolific output of romance novels, publishing seventy titles with Mills & Boon between 1961 and 1987. In 1973, she became a launch author for the Mills & Boon-Harlequin Presents line, known for its more sexually explicit content, alongside Anne Mather and Anne Hampson, two of the most popular and prolific British romance writers of the time. Winspear began writing while working in a factory and became a full-time novelist in 1963, producing her works from her home in South East England, researching exotic settings at her local library. She famously described her heroes as lean, strong, and captivating, “in need of love but capable of breathtaking passion and potency,” a characterization that provoked controversy in 1970 when she stated that her male protagonists were “capable of rape,” leading to considerable public backlash. Her novels are celebrated for their vivid, globe-spanning settings and dramatic tension, often employing sexual antagonism to heighten conflict between the alpha male hero and the heroine, who is frequently portrayed as naïve or overwhelmed by his dominance. Winspear never married or had children, and she passed away in January 1989 after a long battle with cancer, leaving a lasting influence on the romance genre.

Reviews

[Naksed · Rating 2 out of 5]

HAIKU BOOK REVIEW:Love's Agony , by Violet Winspear.

Blind man, cruel rage,
Nurse loves, pines, on Spanish isle,
Many obstacles.

[sbf20112011 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was ok. Good emotional tension, at least, but of course not much action since it's an older one. Although I'm sure being blinded is a terrible experience, the hero was pretty whiny and dramatic for an HP hero (who should be kind of perfect, right?). Also, a spoiler regarding the ending & not-so-HEA -- I was totally expecting the moment when the hero would miraculously re-gain his sight, but it never came. So the hero remained blind and they'd said something about his optic nerves being totally destroyed, so he was never going to get his sight back. Also they dropped many hints that because of shrapnel embedded dangerously in his brain, at any moment he could go crazy or lose his mind. Never really tied up that end. Finally, although these were minor characters, they had the hero's sister going off to marry a man who had been totally castrated (whom she met after the accident, so no history of a relationship between them)...noble-ish, but that sister was extremely childish so realistically her marriage to a man who couldn't have sex seems like it might not end well. Anyway, I was just surprised that this HEA was not all that rosy for an HP. So, anyway, this one was ok but not great.

[suman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wasted my entire time.

[Mudpie · Rating 3 out of 5]

2* OK it is suitably angsty as Angie cannot expose her real feelings for Rique all these years. First there's a class difference and then there's so many people trying to keep Angue and Rique apart...himself included. There's just something so sad about this whole story that when they finally confessed their love for each other I didn't quite get their HEA. I was thrown a cure ball when Angie felt womanly response to Don Carlos! Then Seb came into the picture so I was like who would Angie choose? Am glad Maya grew some backbone and I really dislike Ysabel and to a certain extent the aunt Francisca. This is my 3rd Violet Winspear book and if I dare form a generalisation she'll build up the story and the climax/ ending just sort of happen abruptly. ..sometimes I get the what-the-xxx feeling at the end. Sigh still a few more books of hers to read through...

Reread 1May 2018 Upgraded to 3* for the depth of emotions and descriptions.

I have since read more vintage Mills & Boon and come to appreciate Violet Winspear more...

The story is still sad, but I managed to get more details in this reread and appreciate the themes here. Life has no guarantees so we really have to enjoy each day to the max and appreciate what we DO have and not be hung up on what we've lost or might happen.

The ending is still abrupt, but this time I'm able to see that the ending is just as open ended as life...in fact this book was pretty in trend with current contemporary romances, the HFN happy for now ending! More realistic definitely!

Maya was terribly spoilt, but when she realised it's true love, she was willing to give it all up unlike with her guitar player, an infatuation. Seb was this nice guy but became a jerk, worse/more chauvinistic than Rique! Maybe Seb had to marry the b!tchy Ysabel! They deserve each other haha!

The beginning when Angie was describing how manly the patriarch was, was still creepy! I was kinda expecting Don Carlos to offer to marry Angie LOL. Imagine father and two sons in love with the same woman!

I missed this the first time, but I felt very sad that the only image Rique had of Angie was her as a schoolgirl with blond plaits...he never saw her as a woman so he could not even have that memory to supply him with an image.

If there's time I'd like to revisit VW books that I read a couple of years ago. It'd be interesting to see how I feel about them now.

[Tia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angela loved Rique as a teenager and loves him still now. He has been to war and was made blind when a bomb went off. Angie is a nurse, so she is going to the island to help Rique but Rique is different. Rique is hard and stubborn and wants to die, he sees his blindness as a curse, so he is miserable to Angie. Rique has never shown any notice of Angie in a sexual preference, she has accepted that but she won't give up on him.

I found this book really short ended, it could of ended so much better but the story was beautiful. It was about love, trust and faith. It was lightly emotional and made you think about this man, Rique and his blindness, what he and his family is going through. It was a great story, the only person who drove me nuts in the book was Maya, she was an adult but acted like a child. I didn't like her as a character at all.

[RomLibrary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would he misconstrue her love as pity? Angie's love for Rique de Zaldo was only intensified by the tragedy of his blindness. She had loved him all her life. Called by his Spanish father to their Mediterranean island, Angie hoped to nurse Rique out of his despair. Patience and compassion would surely conquer his bitterness. But it wasn't enough. What Rique needed was to feel the passion of a woman. And Angie knew she had to be that woman, even though it meant Rique would despise her for it..

[DamsonDreamer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think this was necessarily bad, I just wasn't in the right frame for florid old school. This one was like those hammy black and white films with bravely hiding her love nurse Angie returning to fictional Spanish island of her youthful hols to look after newly blinded soldier Rique. Terribly slow and stiff upper lip in the face of tragedy stuff.

[TAMMY · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this writer. I just wish the book had more of an ending. It seemed very abrupt.

[Deebiga · Rating 4 out of 5]

when a woman loved she no longer belonged to herself... whether wanted or unwanted by the man concerned, a woman feel herself enchained to him by the very strength of her own feelings... ♥♥

[Aya · Rating 1 out of 5]

I simply didn't like it at all ,and the end is not satisfying to me because its lack of a logic ending