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The Harem Bride
A FATEFUL NIGHT
Miss Penelope Blayne is outraged. She considers herself perfectly capable of managing her late aunt's estate, but unfortunately, her aunt has chosen Jason Lisbourne, Earl of Rocksley --- the one man Penny wished never to see again. Worse, she is forced to confront the memory of that night ten years earlier when she, an innocent English girl imprisoned in a sultan's harem, was transformed into the alluring Gulbeyaz and rescued by Jason.
A determined rake, he has spent the past ten years trying to forget the night of his greatest romantic failure --- and the enchanting seductress he left behind. But he can't dislodge the hold that the beguiling Gulbeyaz has on his soul. Now he has a second chance, unless pride --- and a secret --- rip them apart forever ...
Miss Penelope Blayne is outraged. She considers herself perfectly capable of managing her late aunt's estate, but unfortunately, her aunt has chosen Jason Lisbourne, Earl of Rocksley --- the one man Penny wished never to see again. Worse, she is forced to confront the memory of that night ten years earlier when she, an innocent English girl imprisoned in a sultan's harem, was transformed into the alluring Gulbeyaz and rescued by Jason.
A determined rake, he has spent the past ten years trying to forget the night of his greatest romantic failure --- and the enchanting seductress he left behind. But he can't dislodge the hold that the beguiling Gulbeyaz has on his soul. Now he has a second chance, unless pride --- and a secret --- rip them apart forever ...
211 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 6, 2004
18 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
Blair Bancroft
63 books54 followersBlair Bancroft is an award-winning author, multi-published in several different romance genres. Her eclectic background includes a career in music, with forays into editing and costume design. She wrote her first novel only after it occurred to her that her mother being a successful author didn't mean she couldn't be one too. Blair has traveled most of the United States and as far away as Siberia and Machu Picchu, with emphasis on touring Great Britain and Ireland, and enjoys using bits of her travel experiences in her books.
Blair’s first book, TARLETON’S WIFE, won RWA’s Golden Heart award. Her traditional Regency, THE INDIFFERENT EARL (now published as THE COURTESAN’S LETTERS) won the Best Regency award from Romantic Times and was a nominee for RWA’s RITA award. She has also won a Best Romance award from the Florida Writers Association and Best YA award from EPIC. To keep things lively, over the last few years Blair has added the genre Regency Gothic and the Space Saga series, Blue Moon Rising, to her list of books.
Blair’s first book, TARLETON’S WIFE, won RWA’s Golden Heart award. Her traditional Regency, THE INDIFFERENT EARL (now published as THE COURTESAN’S LETTERS) won the Best Regency award from Romantic Times and was a nominee for RWA’s RITA award. She has also won a Best Romance award from the Florida Writers Association and Best YA award from EPIC. To keep things lively, over the last few years Blair has added the genre Regency Gothic and the Space Saga series, Blue Moon Rising, to her list of books.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 22, 2013
I like the idea of long lost married couple who are coming together especially because they have unique beginning but what I read on this book are as follows:
1. A hero who seem unable to make up his mind whether he wants to be married or continue his rakehell ways. He keep wishing for his young wife while giving the excuse that he let go of his wife ten years ago because he think her so young as a 16 year old. Mostly, he embodies my pet peeve hero - a man who treats his mistress better than his wife and a double minded man who takes forever to make a decision or action.
2. A book that is 75% discriptions of people, room, building, town, party and places that has nothing to add or to do with the plot of the story. It goes without saying that the book also contain chapters of just inner musings or monologue of the characters - telling not showing what happened or is happening.
Overall, the book, aside from the intriguing discription, has no distinguishing twist to make it apart from all other regency books I've read. Drunkard womanizing hero, hopelessly in love heroine, shameless mistress who is treated better than the heroine/wife, and the gossiping ton.
1. A hero who seem unable to make up his mind whether he wants to be married or continue his rakehell ways. He keep wishing for his young wife while giving the excuse that he let go of his wife ten years ago because he think her so young as a 16 year old. Mostly, he embodies my pet peeve hero - a man who treats his mistress better than his wife and a double minded man who takes forever to make a decision or action.
2. A book that is 75% discriptions of people, room, building, town, party and places that has nothing to add or to do with the plot of the story. It goes without saying that the book also contain chapters of just inner musings or monologue of the characters - telling not showing what happened or is happening.
Overall, the book, aside from the intriguing discription, has no distinguishing twist to make it apart from all other regency books I've read. Drunkard womanizing hero, hopelessly in love heroine, shameless mistress who is treated better than the heroine/wife, and the gossiping ton.
May 8, 2013
DREADFUL
Penny Blayne is on her way to her husbands country home, her Aunt Cass has died and to Penny's horror her will has left all of Penny's inheritance under the control of her husband Jason Lisbourne Earl of Rocksley until her thirtieth birthday. Penny and Jason have been married for ten years, Penny has not seen Jason since their wedding day ten years prior. He has never made any attempt to claim her as his wife, but now she is forced to go to him as she has neither money nor home. When she arrives at Rockbourne Crest it is to find a raucous party in full swing.
The circumstances of how they came to be married in Constantinople are forever engraved upon Penny's mind, she was a mere girl of sixteen then, hopeful and in love with Jason. In the beginning she hoped he would come for her, perhaps waiting for to mature, but when she reached her majority she realised the truth that he had never wanted her.
The idea behind this story seemed like a good idea, but the execution was quite poor. The story opens in 1812 with the Earl and Penny reunited after her Aunts death. The forays into the past were far too long and should have been more condensed, the story should have focused more on the relationship between the two leads in the present. I found both Jason and Penny so entrenched in their own interpretation of the past, that they could not seem to move forward, the jilted mistress who seemed quite determined to get Jason back, was not believable at all. The author describes this book as warmer than her usual offerings, if that is in reference to the sexual content, I can only assume that her other efforts must be freezing. All in all this was not a very satisfactory read, I might even go as far as to say it was boring.
Penny Blayne is on her way to her husbands country home, her Aunt Cass has died and to Penny's horror her will has left all of Penny's inheritance under the control of her husband Jason Lisbourne Earl of Rocksley until her thirtieth birthday. Penny and Jason have been married for ten years, Penny has not seen Jason since their wedding day ten years prior. He has never made any attempt to claim her as his wife, but now she is forced to go to him as she has neither money nor home. When she arrives at Rockbourne Crest it is to find a raucous party in full swing.
The circumstances of how they came to be married in Constantinople are forever engraved upon Penny's mind, she was a mere girl of sixteen then, hopeful and in love with Jason. In the beginning she hoped he would come for her, perhaps waiting for to mature, but when she reached her majority she realised the truth that he had never wanted her.
The idea behind this story seemed like a good idea, but the execution was quite poor. The story opens in 1812 with the Earl and Penny reunited after her Aunts death. The forays into the past were far too long and should have been more condensed, the story should have focused more on the relationship between the two leads in the present. I found both Jason and Penny so entrenched in their own interpretation of the past, that they could not seem to move forward, the jilted mistress who seemed quite determined to get Jason back, was not believable at all. The author describes this book as warmer than her usual offerings, if that is in reference to the sexual content, I can only assume that her other efforts must be freezing. All in all this was not a very satisfactory read, I might even go as far as to say it was boring.
October 13, 2015
Trope I absolutely hate - hero marries and abandons young wife and proceeds to cheat all over society while wife is virtuous. Hate it.
June 12, 2022
The setup for this book is magnificent. However the contrived conflict in which they both really admire each other is a bit ridiculous. I think it needed more genuine time together in which they get to know each other.
December 27, 2012
Another miscommunication regency romance, not as well done as others (e.g. the first snowdrop), the setup is eye-rollingly cliched (innocent white woman captured, thrust into a harem, forced to learn sexual arts) and the inability of the main characters to communicate their feelings overly contrived.
****Spoiler Summary****
10 years earlier, 16-year-old Penelope is kidnapped and taken to the Sultan's harem. Her only means of escape is to wed and bed Jason under the sultan's spying eyes. Though she remains a virgin, he is unable to control himself. Due to her shock, Penelope is unable to fully communicate what happens, Penelope's aunt thinks Jason raped Penelope, force them to part ways. Jason leaves, thinking Penelope lied and holds him in disgust. Penelope leaves, thinking Jason is disgusted in her Gulbeyaz persona, the result of harem training. After she discovers her mistake, Penelope's aunt decides to leave her estate in Jason's hands until Penelope is thirty, thus forcing Penelope to seek her husband. They decide to renew their vows, but each is unable to forgive the other, thus their second wedding night is also not consummated. Jason leaves for London to deal with rumours, Penelope secretly follows, updating her looks and self-confidence, which is unfortunately shattered by Jason's inability to convey how surprised he is by how lovely she looks. Jason's mistress refuses to believe they are done, chases Jason, Penelope runs away to Ireland, asks Jason to really think about their marriage and to come if he wants their marriage to continue. After seven weeks, he arrives, begs for forgiveness, his inability to deal with his own guilt, lusting after Gulbeyaz who was also innocent little Penny, resulted in him pushing her away. She confesses she tried to attract him while being unable to forgive him for leaving. She goes upstairs, changes into Gulbeyaz, asks him what he sees, he answers correctly, that he sees both sides of her, they tumble into bed.
****Spoiler Summary****
10 years earlier, 16-year-old Penelope is kidnapped and taken to the Sultan's harem. Her only means of escape is to wed and bed Jason under the sultan's spying eyes. Though she remains a virgin, he is unable to control himself. Due to her shock, Penelope is unable to fully communicate what happens, Penelope's aunt thinks Jason raped Penelope, force them to part ways. Jason leaves, thinking Penelope lied and holds him in disgust. Penelope leaves, thinking Jason is disgusted in her Gulbeyaz persona, the result of harem training. After she discovers her mistake, Penelope's aunt decides to leave her estate in Jason's hands until Penelope is thirty, thus forcing Penelope to seek her husband. They decide to renew their vows, but each is unable to forgive the other, thus their second wedding night is also not consummated. Jason leaves for London to deal with rumours, Penelope secretly follows, updating her looks and self-confidence, which is unfortunately shattered by Jason's inability to convey how surprised he is by how lovely she looks. Jason's mistress refuses to believe they are done, chases Jason, Penelope runs away to Ireland, asks Jason to really think about their marriage and to come if he wants their marriage to continue. After seven weeks, he arrives, begs for forgiveness, his inability to deal with his own guilt, lusting after Gulbeyaz who was also innocent little Penny, resulted in him pushing her away. She confesses she tried to attract him while being unable to forgive him for leaving. She goes upstairs, changes into Gulbeyaz, asks him what he sees, he answers correctly, that he sees both sides of her, they tumble into bed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2011
I now know more about harems than I ever wanted to know. After Ms. Bancroft got through with my education we got to a pretty good story. However, I do have trouble when the whole plot is based on the fact that the H/H refused to communicate with each other in the beginning. I will read another by this author to see if she uses the same formula. If so, I doubt I will read any more. There are too many books and too little time.
September 25, 2009
Regency
January 8, 2012
A slightly different kind of Regency -- good characterization. A little slow at the end due, but overall a very good read.
November 15, 2013
A new author for me. Ms Bancroft manages to write a historical romance that doesn't need all the obligatory eroticism of the current trend to make her story work. A good read.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews