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Scarlet Lily
SHE WAS AS BOLD AND SPIRITED AS THE SHIP THAT BORE HER NAME...
Blonde, regally beautiful Lily Carpentier impetuously fled an arranged marriage to stow away on her father's merchant ship, the Scarlet Lily amid the raging war of 1812.
But when the British stormed the ship and killed her father, she found herself in the care of Nicholas Gerard--the robustly handsome, sun-bronzed sailor Lily had secretly adored since childhood. Together they shared one night of exquisite bliss...
But willfully Lily would not be ruled by any man! Defying Nicholas, she reigned as the belle of glittering Washington society, courted by dozens of high-born men. Yet her stubborn heart knew the truth--no man would ever inflame her passions as completely as the magnetic and powerful Nicholas Gerard!
Blonde, regally beautiful Lily Carpentier impetuously fled an arranged marriage to stow away on her father's merchant ship, the Scarlet Lily amid the raging war of 1812.
But when the British stormed the ship and killed her father, she found herself in the care of Nicholas Gerard--the robustly handsome, sun-bronzed sailor Lily had secretly adored since childhood. Together they shared one night of exquisite bliss...
But willfully Lily would not be ruled by any man! Defying Nicholas, she reigned as the belle of glittering Washington society, courted by dozens of high-born men. Yet her stubborn heart knew the truth--no man would ever inflame her passions as completely as the magnetic and powerful Nicholas Gerard!
325 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
About the author
Dee Stuart
17 books2 followersDoris Stuart worked as teacher at Pennsylvania. She wrote as Dee Stuart, Joan Darling, Ellen Searight, and Diana Stuart in collaboration with Jane Toombs. She lived in Richardson, Texas.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 10, 2023
So much going on in this one.
Way too much silliness, far fetched, and boarder line just ridiculous scenes.
Liked the Heroine...not so much the Hero..cause he really wasn't much of one.
Way too much silliness, far fetched, and boarder line just ridiculous scenes.
Liked the Heroine...not so much the Hero..cause he really wasn't much of one.
December 5, 2022
Up until the last 75 pages I had intended to give this book three stars, because although it had flaws, the story was entertaining, and you learn quite a bit about the times (The War of 1812) as well as the shipping business. It was also fun reading of how then h, Lily and Nicholas, her childhood crush/father's first mate and later captain of her ship, "The Scarlet Lily" go from big brother/kid sister to friends/business partners, with a heck of a lot of sparring thrown in, each trying to deny their true feelings, and their overwhelming attraction.
There's a really good part of the story where Lily stows away on the ship for its voyage to China, (you learn quite a lot about sailing, and weather conditions, particularly around Cape Horn) and finds she'll be confined aboard ship when they reach their destination, as they don't permit foreign women in the city. Knowing how HR work, you can guess what happens, though in this case, I can't say I blamed Lily. This wasn't a matter of being confined a few days or even a week or two, but she was stuck on the ship for over two months! It's one thing to be aboard ship that long at sea, but docked on dry land! She and the cabin boy (Lily borrowing one of his outfits) manage to get to the city and tour the marketplace, until her cap falls off and at sight of her long blonde hair, the havoc begins!
There's also a lot of silliness in the book. It was nice to see historic figures make an appearance, like President Madison and First Lady Dolley, who were friends of Lily's late father, and during her time in Washington (the novel shifts from Philadelphia, Washington/Georgetown, the high seas and China) Lily reconnects with her childhood friend, Dolley's son Payne. A romance soon starts, with Lily twice almost being seduced by the roguish, irresponsible heartbreaker. (I'll have to look him up, and find out if he really had this reputation or if Ms. Stuart just made this up.) She determines not to give in unless he marries her and the next thing you know they're engaged (though she won't give in before the vows), or at least his idea of an engagement, which turns out to be a facade. Meanwhile, he dallies (to put it nicely) with other women and when caught, confesses without a qualm. He actually tells Lily that the girl wanted him so badly and he didn't want to disappoint her! (WTF!!!) What's really ridiculous, is that Lily accepts this! The so-called independent young woman who wants to stand her ground, run her late father's shipping business, owns a powerful sailing vessel, fights for her rights against her domineering, parsimonious Uncle Horace, and stands firm against becoming part of the opium trade, is okay with the man she plans to marry not only cheating on her, but his not feeling any remorse or guilt, even being so magnanimous as to say she can have a fling as well! And she still wants to marry him??? COME ON!!!
Another bout of silliness is the character of Nicholas, who takes seriously his promise to Lily's late father (who took him in when he was a teenaged orphan) to look out for her, and stubbornly refuses to acknowledge his true feelings for her, insisting on playing the role of guardian, even when passion gets the better of him. In one of the lousiest love scenes, his lust gets the better of his scruples and he makes love to lily, but the deed is done so quickly, you can't even be sure it happened! Lily was a virgin, yet there was no slowing down, no cry of pain, no rapture, no apparent orgasms, no nothing, except Nicholas suddenly jumping up and putting it back in his breeches, angry at what he'd done! and that was it! No holding Lily, no apologies later, no even acknowledging it from either of them. SO RIDICULOUS!!
He's more than once reminded himself of how much he owes it to his late employer/mentor to look out for his daughter an do what's best for her. In that case, the first thing he should have done after taking her virginity was offered to marry her! Even if she turned him down, at least he'd have attempted to do the right thing. Instead, he drones on to himself yet again about needing his freedom and to be free of all ties to anyone.
And Lily accepts it too readily, whereas back then a young woman (even an unconventional one) would expect a marriage proposal not just a "let's forget this ever happened" attitude. For all her claims to the contrary, it's obvious Lily would like to be married, so at the very least, she should have been furious at Nicholas for taking her virginity when he didn't intend to marry her, and leaving her without it for the man she does wed.
Then, they both act as if it never happened. The next time they get to one of those close-but-not-all-the-way episodes, it seems silly for them to stop, when they already passed go.
Also: Nicholas at one time talked to Lily about his background, and how his mother's infidelity and desertion of him and his father, and his father's despair and death not long after, made him determined to be free, never marry and settle down, to be wealthy, powerful and unfettered. But later, he goes back to being protective yet distant, while that talk should have brought them closer together emotionally. There's the usual arguments, partings, words said in regret, that usually happen in HR books, but they go on and on too much, until it feels like the story's going around in a circle.
What the hell's wrong with Nicholas??? He wastes time thinking to himself ad nauseum that he owes it to Lily's father to look out for her like a proper big brother, yet there's nothing brotherly about the erections she gives him. He'll kiss and caress her, get them both worked up, and then (except for that one time) stop things before they get too far, and too often make some comment that it was time Lily found herself a husband. Not him, of course!
Did this dummy ever consider that Lily would be the perfect wife for him? She wasn't a domestic jailor who wanted to imprison him by the hearth, she loved to sail, to travel, to be free of social restrictions, just like him. She would never want him to curtail his freedom, just sail along with him.
Didn't he realize that's exactly what her father would have wanted???
There's continuous separations between the two, as Nicholas comes and goes on one voyage after another, so it's not surprising that Lily would want to forget thoughts of wayward Nicholas and want to make a life with someone else, but for her to choose Payne, and be so willingly blind to his faults was just dumb. (Dolley never once encouraged anything between them, and since she was very fond of Lily, that should have told her something.)
Another thing: for all her holding off from surrendering to Payne before marriage, how was she planning on explaining her lack of a hymen on their wedding night, without sounding like the biggest hypocrite? I don't think the old vigorous horseback riding would cut it with a sophisticate like Payne.
Then, when she's finally made to see Payne for who he really is, and Nicholas leaves on yet another voyage and refuses to take her with him (despite all the impending danger in Washington, which sounds as bad as any risk at sea) Lily does what she declared to him she's do, seriously consider the marriage proposal of Edward Gallatin, supposed cousin of Albert (something else I'll have to look up) and then accepts it! She actually marries a widower with two children, old enough to be her father, whom she only considered to be a friend, and whom she felt no sexual desire for. After all the passionate groping with Nicholas and enjoyable fondling with Payne, we're supposed to believe this??? It's like enjoying the tickle of bubbles from champagne, the tipsy feeling from a glass of wine, and then settling for a mug of flat beer without a head. NO WAY!!! This girl was much too lusty for that!
And that is why I stopped reading after the wedding. I know what happens next. In those days of very rare divorce, the only way for Lily and Nicholas to finally be together (though by now every reader will have lost interest in that) is to have Edward die and that nice man (though foolish to have married Lily) deserved better.
Not to mention, that there were more scenes with Lily and Payne than with her and Nicholas, so you could never really focus on L and N as the MC.
To sum up, the novel was way too flawed and the last part was way too, silly, so I:
DNF
There's a really good part of the story where Lily stows away on the ship for its voyage to China, (you learn quite a lot about sailing, and weather conditions, particularly around Cape Horn) and finds she'll be confined aboard ship when they reach their destination, as they don't permit foreign women in the city. Knowing how HR work, you can guess what happens, though in this case, I can't say I blamed Lily. This wasn't a matter of being confined a few days or even a week or two, but she was stuck on the ship for over two months! It's one thing to be aboard ship that long at sea, but docked on dry land! She and the cabin boy (Lily borrowing one of his outfits) manage to get to the city and tour the marketplace, until her cap falls off and at sight of her long blonde hair, the havoc begins!
There's also a lot of silliness in the book. It was nice to see historic figures make an appearance, like President Madison and First Lady Dolley, who were friends of Lily's late father, and during her time in Washington (the novel shifts from Philadelphia, Washington/Georgetown, the high seas and China) Lily reconnects with her childhood friend, Dolley's son Payne. A romance soon starts, with Lily twice almost being seduced by the roguish, irresponsible heartbreaker. (I'll have to look him up, and find out if he really had this reputation or if Ms. Stuart just made this up.) She determines not to give in unless he marries her and the next thing you know they're engaged (though she won't give in before the vows), or at least his idea of an engagement, which turns out to be a facade. Meanwhile, he dallies (to put it nicely) with other women and when caught, confesses without a qualm. He actually tells Lily that the girl wanted him so badly and he didn't want to disappoint her! (WTF!!!) What's really ridiculous, is that Lily accepts this! The so-called independent young woman who wants to stand her ground, run her late father's shipping business, owns a powerful sailing vessel, fights for her rights against her domineering, parsimonious Uncle Horace, and stands firm against becoming part of the opium trade, is okay with the man she plans to marry not only cheating on her, but his not feeling any remorse or guilt, even being so magnanimous as to say she can have a fling as well! And she still wants to marry him??? COME ON!!!
Another bout of silliness is the character of Nicholas, who takes seriously his promise to Lily's late father (who took him in when he was a teenaged orphan) to look out for her, and stubbornly refuses to acknowledge his true feelings for her, insisting on playing the role of guardian, even when passion gets the better of him. In one of the lousiest love scenes, his lust gets the better of his scruples and he makes love to lily, but the deed is done so quickly, you can't even be sure it happened! Lily was a virgin, yet there was no slowing down, no cry of pain, no rapture, no apparent orgasms, no nothing, except Nicholas suddenly jumping up and putting it back in his breeches, angry at what he'd done! and that was it! No holding Lily, no apologies later, no even acknowledging it from either of them. SO RIDICULOUS!!
He's more than once reminded himself of how much he owes it to his late employer/mentor to look out for his daughter an do what's best for her. In that case, the first thing he should have done after taking her virginity was offered to marry her! Even if she turned him down, at least he'd have attempted to do the right thing. Instead, he drones on to himself yet again about needing his freedom and to be free of all ties to anyone.
And Lily accepts it too readily, whereas back then a young woman (even an unconventional one) would expect a marriage proposal not just a "let's forget this ever happened" attitude. For all her claims to the contrary, it's obvious Lily would like to be married, so at the very least, she should have been furious at Nicholas for taking her virginity when he didn't intend to marry her, and leaving her without it for the man she does wed.
Then, they both act as if it never happened. The next time they get to one of those close-but-not-all-the-way episodes, it seems silly for them to stop, when they already passed go.
Also: Nicholas at one time talked to Lily about his background, and how his mother's infidelity and desertion of him and his father, and his father's despair and death not long after, made him determined to be free, never marry and settle down, to be wealthy, powerful and unfettered. But later, he goes back to being protective yet distant, while that talk should have brought them closer together emotionally. There's the usual arguments, partings, words said in regret, that usually happen in HR books, but they go on and on too much, until it feels like the story's going around in a circle.
What the hell's wrong with Nicholas??? He wastes time thinking to himself ad nauseum that he owes it to Lily's father to look out for her like a proper big brother, yet there's nothing brotherly about the erections she gives him. He'll kiss and caress her, get them both worked up, and then (except for that one time) stop things before they get too far, and too often make some comment that it was time Lily found herself a husband. Not him, of course!
Did this dummy ever consider that Lily would be the perfect wife for him? She wasn't a domestic jailor who wanted to imprison him by the hearth, she loved to sail, to travel, to be free of social restrictions, just like him. She would never want him to curtail his freedom, just sail along with him.
Didn't he realize that's exactly what her father would have wanted???
There's continuous separations between the two, as Nicholas comes and goes on one voyage after another, so it's not surprising that Lily would want to forget thoughts of wayward Nicholas and want to make a life with someone else, but for her to choose Payne, and be so willingly blind to his faults was just dumb. (Dolley never once encouraged anything between them, and since she was very fond of Lily, that should have told her something.)
Another thing: for all her holding off from surrendering to Payne before marriage, how was she planning on explaining her lack of a hymen on their wedding night, without sounding like the biggest hypocrite? I don't think the old vigorous horseback riding would cut it with a sophisticate like Payne.
Then, when she's finally made to see Payne for who he really is, and Nicholas leaves on yet another voyage and refuses to take her with him (despite all the impending danger in Washington, which sounds as bad as any risk at sea) Lily does what she declared to him she's do, seriously consider the marriage proposal of Edward Gallatin, supposed cousin of Albert (something else I'll have to look up) and then accepts it! She actually marries a widower with two children, old enough to be her father, whom she only considered to be a friend, and whom she felt no sexual desire for. After all the passionate groping with Nicholas and enjoyable fondling with Payne, we're supposed to believe this??? It's like enjoying the tickle of bubbles from champagne, the tipsy feeling from a glass of wine, and then settling for a mug of flat beer without a head. NO WAY!!! This girl was much too lusty for that!
And that is why I stopped reading after the wedding. I know what happens next. In those days of very rare divorce, the only way for Lily and Nicholas to finally be together (though by now every reader will have lost interest in that) is to have Edward die and that nice man (though foolish to have married Lily) deserved better.
Not to mention, that there were more scenes with Lily and Payne than with her and Nicholas, so you could never really focus on L and N as the MC.
To sum up, the novel was way too flawed and the last part was way too, silly, so I:
DNF
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews