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Tarnished Angel
Young and beautiful Devina Dale was a rare woman. She was a courageous pioneer who dared to face the wild, tempestuous West, and nothing would stand in the way of her dreams...
But Devina had haunting secrets from the past that threatened her safety and a corrupt father who was determined to protect his only daughter...
But of all the brave pioneers who were bent on claiming a new destiny in the untamed wilderness, there was one handsome outlaw who would become the enemy she could not help but love.
Theirs was a forbidden love as dangerous as the windswept plains. But wild horses couldn't keep the renegade from his very own TARNISHED ANGEL.
But Devina had haunting secrets from the past that threatened her safety and a corrupt father who was determined to protect his only daughter...
But of all the brave pioneers who were bent on claiming a new destiny in the untamed wilderness, there was one handsome outlaw who would become the enemy she could not help but love.
Theirs was a forbidden love as dangerous as the windswept plains. But wild horses couldn't keep the renegade from his very own TARNISHED ANGEL.
443 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 22, 1988
35 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
Elaine Barbieri
59 books51 followersAKA Elaine Rome
Elaine Barbieri wrote over thirty historical novels that have been published worldwide. She was certain young adult readers would enjoy the excitement of historical romance if given a chance, and she welcomed the opportunity to write Miranda and the Warrior for this new audience. Elaine lived in northern New Jersey with her husband and family, and with Harrison, a demanding male who she is sure would be the ultimate hero -- if he weren't a cat.
Elaine Barbieri wrote over thirty historical novels that have been published worldwide. She was certain young adult readers would enjoy the excitement of historical romance if given a chance, and she welcomed the opportunity to write Miranda and the Warrior for this new audience. Elaine lived in northern New Jersey with her husband and family, and with Harrison, a demanding male who she is sure would be the ultimate hero -- if he weren't a cat.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 16, 2021
Ross Morrison is an outlaw, falsely accused of murder, Devina Dale is a beautiful, sophisticated daughter who can be described as having a stick up her arse. Both hate each other, and a forbidden love blossoms.
***very heavy spoilers***
"How very brave you are. Do all you brave western gunmen hide behind women's skirts?"
Fuming when he did not respond, Devina continued acidly, "You needn't answer. It's obvious you're quite at home conducting yourself in this manner."
The gunman purred into Devina's ear, "That's right, ma'am. I'm just as comfortable behind a woman's skirts as I am under them."
Ross has been released early on parole, he has one aim - to seek revenge on the person who destroyed his life. Staging a robbery on a stagecoach he meets Devina who is arrogant and rebellious. Unknowingly he threatens his enemy's daughter on gun point but later releases her after his work done.
Devina is a self-willed and determined lady. After her mother's death and her father's neglect (although he loves her very much, Harvey Dale is too late in expressing his love) she was abandoned to loneliness to which she overcame by not depending and stopped expecting her father's attention. After completing her studies her father called her to Tombstone so she can be with him, despite her reluctance to go to Tombstone she was forced to leave for New York. On the way she dodges her personal maid and picks up her own transport which turned to be awry as she was taken hostage.
'She remembered the sensation of a hard chest against her back, his sinewy thighs supporting hers. She remembered the bite of the gun barrel against her ribs. She remembered…'
Devina cannot forget the little glimpse she had on the imposter cowboy (Ross). Ross, who discovered Devina was Harvey Dale's daughter, his hatred for her turned twofold. Harvey Dale is an arrogant, self-centered bigot who ruined lives, Ross was one of his victims. Harvey Dale has one weakness, his daughter. Ross follows Devina everywhere, he plans to abduct her and demand justice from Harvey Dale.
As I expected the first half of the book was boring. Many characters were introduced. There are three romantic pairs in this story including Ross and Devina. The last half of the book picked up after Devina was abducted. Both Ross and Devina have two different side of changes when they were together. Their hatred and attraction burned. Ross was cruel and relentless man filled with hate, determined to make Devina suffer for her fathers crimes. The part where Ross and Devina in a broken cottage was my favourite. Devina who was sheltered and never worked in her life was forced to wear men's clothing, burned and learned how to cook, got bitten by a snake and fell in love which her outlaw captor. When Ross should have felt triumph in turning the fasionable daughter of Harvey Dale into a ruffian wearing oversized men's rags instead he was gentle, tender man who had loved her so completely, who ministered to her with endless patience and kindness. All this happened after the mini war in the broken cottage - few attempts of escaping, heated arguments about who is the dominant among the two (Ross of course); so they didn't simply fall into sex once alone. :D
The side romantic pairings:
1) Charles and Camille - A doctor and a courtesean. Charles is Ross's brother who was taken away by their mother. Charles is gentle, considerate and well bred compared to Ross. They both have an estranged relationship.
2) Jake and Lai Hua - A convict and a gentle maid. Jake is Ross's friend, they met at the jail and was released together. Lai Hua is a Chinease lady who was Devina's new personal maid.
The story is told in multiple POV's. I usually don't like so many perspectives but in this case for Ross and Devina? Charles and Camille, Jake and Lai Hua, Harvey Dale and others, this book needed a personal perspective of the characters but I thought a third person narration should be good. The romantic pairings was forbidden and complicated. Surprisingly I enjoyed this, the sex scenes of Ross and Devina was hot and intense which I rarely enjoy in historical books. It was a thrilling and tender read. If you enjoy forbidden romance this book will sate the crave.
***very heavy spoilers***
"How very brave you are. Do all you brave western gunmen hide behind women's skirts?"
Fuming when he did not respond, Devina continued acidly, "You needn't answer. It's obvious you're quite at home conducting yourself in this manner."
The gunman purred into Devina's ear, "That's right, ma'am. I'm just as comfortable behind a woman's skirts as I am under them."
Ross has been released early on parole, he has one aim - to seek revenge on the person who destroyed his life. Staging a robbery on a stagecoach he meets Devina who is arrogant and rebellious. Unknowingly he threatens his enemy's daughter on gun point but later releases her after his work done.
Devina is a self-willed and determined lady. After her mother's death and her father's neglect (although he loves her very much, Harvey Dale is too late in expressing his love) she was abandoned to loneliness to which she overcame by not depending and stopped expecting her father's attention. After completing her studies her father called her to Tombstone so she can be with him, despite her reluctance to go to Tombstone she was forced to leave for New York. On the way she dodges her personal maid and picks up her own transport which turned to be awry as she was taken hostage.
'She remembered the sensation of a hard chest against her back, his sinewy thighs supporting hers. She remembered the bite of the gun barrel against her ribs. She remembered…'
Devina cannot forget the little glimpse she had on the imposter cowboy (Ross). Ross, who discovered Devina was Harvey Dale's daughter, his hatred for her turned twofold. Harvey Dale is an arrogant, self-centered bigot who ruined lives, Ross was one of his victims. Harvey Dale has one weakness, his daughter. Ross follows Devina everywhere, he plans to abduct her and demand justice from Harvey Dale.
As I expected the first half of the book was boring. Many characters were introduced. There are three romantic pairs in this story including Ross and Devina. The last half of the book picked up after Devina was abducted. Both Ross and Devina have two different side of changes when they were together. Their hatred and attraction burned. Ross was cruel and relentless man filled with hate, determined to make Devina suffer for her fathers crimes. The part where Ross and Devina in a broken cottage was my favourite. Devina who was sheltered and never worked in her life was forced to wear men's clothing, burned and learned how to cook, got bitten by a snake and fell in love which her outlaw captor. When Ross should have felt triumph in turning the fasionable daughter of Harvey Dale into a ruffian wearing oversized men's rags instead he was gentle, tender man who had loved her so completely, who ministered to her with endless patience and kindness. All this happened after the mini war in the broken cottage - few attempts of escaping, heated arguments about who is the dominant among the two (Ross of course); so they didn't simply fall into sex once alone. :D
The side romantic pairings:
1) Charles and Camille - A doctor and a courtesean. Charles is Ross's brother who was taken away by their mother. Charles is gentle, considerate and well bred compared to Ross. They both have an estranged relationship.
2) Jake and Lai Hua - A convict and a gentle maid. Jake is Ross's friend, they met at the jail and was released together. Lai Hua is a Chinease lady who was Devina's new personal maid.
The story is told in multiple POV's. I usually don't like so many perspectives but in this case for Ross and Devina? Charles and Camille, Jake and Lai Hua, Harvey Dale and others, this book needed a personal perspective of the characters but I thought a third person narration should be good. The romantic pairings was forbidden and complicated. Surprisingly I enjoyed this, the sex scenes of Ross and Devina was hot and intense which I rarely enjoy in historical books. It was a thrilling and tender read. If you enjoy forbidden romance this book will sate the crave.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 6, 2021
This is the second time I have read this book. Although the storyline is good the book is too slow and there are too many characters which only confuses things. There is more than one romance happening and even though all are intertwined it would have been better if the book concentrated on the two main characters. It took until nearly half way through the story before the two main characters got together. I ended up still skipping pages which isn't a good sign. HERA ending.
March 23, 2011
I've never read Elaine Barbieri until this book and since the story began a bit too slow for me, I thought I probably wouldn't read another.
Trudging through the first chapters describing the beautiful, rich, New York socialite and her boring uppity thoughts during the stage coach ride from New York, to meet her papa in Tombstone AZ, was a real buzz kill for me. So it took a good month of picking it up, reading a few pages, putting it down, then picking it up and putting it down, over and over.
Same crap with the ex-convict villain Hero. He has a major hate going on with the heroine's papa, who by the way is one big ass hole. These two (H and h) met, sort of, on that stage coach. The scene(s) was the first indication that the story just might pick up and turn into one I could really get into. A Diamond in the rough slow reveal. But, it took awhile to get to the diamond because now I had to read his (H) tedious thoughts and revenge plots for her papa. I did begin to "know" the H through this and began to like him though (much more so than the heroine at this point).
(Just wonder how much my anticipation to start SAVAGE ECSTASY had to do with my mind set while reading the beginning of this particular book I chose as a filler.)
More characters get drawn into the plot. Great characters they turned out to be. Barbieri gave as much time and talented attention to each one as she did to the two main characters. Although they were all secondary, they were given star casting as they interwove within the plot...
Papa, the cold blooded bastard, who takes a young, beautiful (encompasses Oriental perfection) Chinese mistress through black mail. All the while filled with prejudice and hatefulness and a superiority that made me absolutely disgusted. His devious deadly acts reach out to anyone who gets in the way of what he wants.
China Mary, the young and beautiful Chinese mistress' mother, who welds money, power and great influence in the hop town Chinese community in Tombstone.
Charles Carter, Tombstone's Doc, who courts the heroine (Devina), with a hidden agenda of his own. Just what his agenda is does not get revealed until much later in the story. Until I got there, it had me intrigued trying to figure out just what it was all about.
Camille, the Parisian upper class Saloon's courtesan (whore), who is such a beautiful hearted character. Barbieri gave great attention to painting this wonderful lady.
Jake, the young ex-con from Yuma Prison who is LOYAL in caps to the villainous Hero (Ross Morrison), whom he befriended in Yuma. He is in with Ross' revenge plot to the bitter end, all the while using knowledge he gains to advance the revenge from his little Chinese mistress, who his heart and mind are divided against due to his prejudice.
Lai Hua, Jake's sweet little Chinese mistress, who loves him with every fiber of her soul to the point of compromising her traditional upbringing, honor, and acceptance of his prejudice.
Although it started out slow for me (4.5 star rating), it ended up very engrossing getting me to the point where I could not put it down.
Time: 1800's
Place: Tombstone Arizona
Hero: Ross Morrison - Ex Convict Yuma State Prison
Heroine: Devina Dale - Rich, Beautiful, New Yorker
Harvey Dale: Devina's Ass Hole Pop
Outlaws
Bank Robbery
Revenge
Kidnapping
Chinese Immigrants
Prejudice
Intrigue
Surprise Agendas
Sensual
Trudging through the first chapters describing the beautiful, rich, New York socialite and her boring uppity thoughts during the stage coach ride from New York, to meet her papa in Tombstone AZ, was a real buzz kill for me. So it took a good month of picking it up, reading a few pages, putting it down, then picking it up and putting it down, over and over.
Same crap with the ex-convict villain Hero. He has a major hate going on with the heroine's papa, who by the way is one big ass hole. These two (H and h) met, sort of, on that stage coach. The scene(s) was the first indication that the story just might pick up and turn into one I could really get into. A Diamond in the rough slow reveal. But, it took awhile to get to the diamond because now I had to read his (H) tedious thoughts and revenge plots for her papa. I did begin to "know" the H through this and began to like him though (much more so than the heroine at this point).
(Just wonder how much my anticipation to start SAVAGE ECSTASY had to do with my mind set while reading the beginning of this particular book I chose as a filler.)
More characters get drawn into the plot. Great characters they turned out to be. Barbieri gave as much time and talented attention to each one as she did to the two main characters. Although they were all secondary, they were given star casting as they interwove within the plot...
Papa, the cold blooded bastard, who takes a young, beautiful (encompasses Oriental perfection) Chinese mistress through black mail. All the while filled with prejudice and hatefulness and a superiority that made me absolutely disgusted. His devious deadly acts reach out to anyone who gets in the way of what he wants.
China Mary, the young and beautiful Chinese mistress' mother, who welds money, power and great influence in the hop town Chinese community in Tombstone.
Charles Carter, Tombstone's Doc, who courts the heroine (Devina), with a hidden agenda of his own. Just what his agenda is does not get revealed until much later in the story. Until I got there, it had me intrigued trying to figure out just what it was all about.
Camille, the Parisian upper class Saloon's courtesan (whore), who is such a beautiful hearted character. Barbieri gave great attention to painting this wonderful lady.
Jake, the young ex-con from Yuma Prison who is LOYAL in caps to the villainous Hero (Ross Morrison), whom he befriended in Yuma. He is in with Ross' revenge plot to the bitter end, all the while using knowledge he gains to advance the revenge from his little Chinese mistress, who his heart and mind are divided against due to his prejudice.
Lai Hua, Jake's sweet little Chinese mistress, who loves him with every fiber of her soul to the point of compromising her traditional upbringing, honor, and acceptance of his prejudice.
Although it started out slow for me (4.5 star rating), it ended up very engrossing getting me to the point where I could not put it down.
Time: 1800's
Place: Tombstone Arizona
Hero: Ross Morrison - Ex Convict Yuma State Prison
Heroine: Devina Dale - Rich, Beautiful, New Yorker
Harvey Dale: Devina's Ass Hole Pop
Outlaws
Bank Robbery
Revenge
Kidnapping
Chinese Immigrants
Prejudice
Intrigue
Surprise Agendas
Sensual
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews