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Dark Avenger
In the ancient Greek legend, Hades, lord of the underworld, had carried off the beautiful Persephone to live in his dark kingdom for four months of every year.
And now Julie Veltrovers found herself a present-day Persephone, meeting a fate that had been awaiting her for ten years -- ever since Doneus Lucien had been wronged by Julie's family and had vowed that one day, when Julie was old enough, he would bear her off to Greece as his wife, to live there for seven months of the year. That day had come, and rather than ruin her family's happiness, Julie was forced to submit to his plans.
But she had never foreseen that she would fall in love with this strange husband of hers -- a man that had only used her as an instrument of revenge.
And now Julie Veltrovers found herself a present-day Persephone, meeting a fate that had been awaiting her for ten years -- ever since Doneus Lucien had been wronged by Julie's family and had vowed that one day, when Julie was old enough, he would bear her off to Greece as his wife, to live there for seven months of the year. That day had come, and rather than ruin her family's happiness, Julie was forced to submit to his plans.
But she had never foreseen that she would fall in love with this strange husband of hers -- a man that had only used her as an instrument of revenge.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1972
19 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
Anne Hampson
150 books152 followersAnne Hampson was born on 28 November 1928 in England. At age six she had two ambitions: to teach and to write. Poverty after WWI deprived her of an education and at 14 she was making Marks & Spencer's blouses at one shilling (5p) each.
She retired when she married. Later, when her marriage broke up, she was homeless with £40 in her purse. She went back to the rag trade and lived in a tiny caravan. But she never forgot her two ambitions, and when Manchester University decided to trial older women she applied, and three years later had achieved one ambition, so set her thoughts on number two.
In 1969, her first novel, Eternal Summer, was accepted five days from posting and she soon had a contract for 12 more. From the caravan she went to a small stately home, drove a Mercedes and sailed on the QE2. From the first book, came over 125 more written for Mills & Boon, Harlequin and Silhouette. Alan Boon (the Boon of Mills & Boon) and she came up with the title for 'Harlequin Presents' over lunch at the Ritz. She suggested to Alan that they have a historical series. He told her to write one - it was done in a month, entitled Eleanor and the Marquis under the pseudonym Jane Wilby. She has the distinction of being number one in Harlequin Presents, Masquerade and Silhouette. Many of "Presents" have been reprinted many times (some as many as 16) and are now fetching up to $55, being classed as "rare" books.
She has had 3 awards, one at the World Trade Centre where she received a standing ovation from her American fans, who had come from many states just to meet her.
She was retired, but in 2005 she wrote two romance and crime novels, both of which were published by Severn House.
She passed away on 25 September 2014. She has been written her autobiography, entitled Fate Was My Friend.
She retired when she married. Later, when her marriage broke up, she was homeless with £40 in her purse. She went back to the rag trade and lived in a tiny caravan. But she never forgot her two ambitions, and when Manchester University decided to trial older women she applied, and three years later had achieved one ambition, so set her thoughts on number two.
In 1969, her first novel, Eternal Summer, was accepted five days from posting and she soon had a contract for 12 more. From the caravan she went to a small stately home, drove a Mercedes and sailed on the QE2. From the first book, came over 125 more written for Mills & Boon, Harlequin and Silhouette. Alan Boon (the Boon of Mills & Boon) and she came up with the title for 'Harlequin Presents' over lunch at the Ritz. She suggested to Alan that they have a historical series. He told her to write one - it was done in a month, entitled Eleanor and the Marquis under the pseudonym Jane Wilby. She has the distinction of being number one in Harlequin Presents, Masquerade and Silhouette. Many of "Presents" have been reprinted many times (some as many as 16) and are now fetching up to $55, being classed as "rare" books.
She has had 3 awards, one at the World Trade Centre where she received a standing ovation from her American fans, who had come from many states just to meet her.
She was retired, but in 2005 she wrote two romance and crime novels, both of which were published by Severn House.
She passed away on 25 September 2014. She has been written her autobiography, entitled Fate Was My Friend.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 29, 2019
2.5 rounded up to 3 stars
Surprisingly sweet romance given the title. Greek “peasant” hero was wronged ten years before when heroine’s cousin seduced his fiancée and then trampled her to death with his horse. (Accident? Who knows?) Hero was so grief-stricken he vowed he would take the nine year-old heroine as his wife in ten years.
Heroine’s uncle and cousin thought he was joking and would never go through with it.
Fast forward ten years. Heroine’s cousin is marrying a girl with a huge dowry. A “gipsy” fortune-teller is telling fortunes at their engagement party. Heroine is told of the vendetta and that her time is coming to marry the hero. If she doesn’t, then hero will break up the wedding and cause a scandal by exposing the cousin’s role in his fiancée’s ruination and death.
Heroine is disappointed in her cousin and uncle when they take no responsibility. She decides to meet with the hero and pay him off. Hero turns out to be handsome and young (30 to her 19) and heroine is attracted/fascinated against her will. Hero turns down her bribe and shows up at the wedding as promised.
Heroine frantically agrees to marry him – but with no sex. Hero says she only has to stay for seven months each year. The other five months is sponge-diving season and he will be away. Yes, this is the Persephone/Hades ship.
The rest of the story is the heroine adjusting to life as a “poor” wife in Greece. She handles the poverty well (the heroine from King of Swords should pay attention) but her curiosity/pity for the hero irritates him.
Obviously the hero is not all what he seems and after they have sex once, the hero grows distant and cold. Heroine won’t admit her feelings.
The author doesn’t seem to know what to do with them then – so she introduces neighbors and church rituals and feast days for a travelogue of Greek island life.
Finally it’s time for Persephone to return to England and heroine doesn’t want to leave hero. Hero’s mother (who was the gipsy) spills what she knows and the hero finally clears up the misunderstanding. He used to sponge-dive, now he owns several boats and has all kinds of investments. He owns the castle where he’s been “gardening” everyday.
H/h are well suited. I liked the characters. This had pacing issues as the biggest drawback. Not a trainwreck, alas. Cousin gets off Scot-free for manslaughter.
Surprisingly sweet romance given the title. Greek “peasant” hero was wronged ten years before when heroine’s cousin seduced his fiancée and then trampled her to death with his horse. (Accident? Who knows?) Hero was so grief-stricken he vowed he would take the nine year-old heroine as his wife in ten years.
Heroine’s uncle and cousin thought he was joking and would never go through with it.
Fast forward ten years. Heroine’s cousin is marrying a girl with a huge dowry. A “gipsy” fortune-teller is telling fortunes at their engagement party. Heroine is told of the vendetta and that her time is coming to marry the hero. If she doesn’t, then hero will break up the wedding and cause a scandal by exposing the cousin’s role in his fiancée’s ruination and death.
Heroine is disappointed in her cousin and uncle when they take no responsibility. She decides to meet with the hero and pay him off. Hero turns out to be handsome and young (30 to her 19) and heroine is attracted/fascinated against her will. Hero turns down her bribe and shows up at the wedding as promised.
Heroine frantically agrees to marry him – but with no sex. Hero says she only has to stay for seven months each year. The other five months is sponge-diving season and he will be away. Yes, this is the Persephone/Hades ship.
The rest of the story is the heroine adjusting to life as a “poor” wife in Greece. She handles the poverty well (the heroine from King of Swords should pay attention) but her curiosity/pity for the hero irritates him.
Obviously the hero is not all what he seems and after they have sex once, the hero grows distant and cold. Heroine won’t admit her feelings.
The author doesn’t seem to know what to do with them then – so she introduces neighbors and church rituals and feast days for a travelogue of Greek island life.
Finally it’s time for Persephone to return to England and heroine doesn’t want to leave hero. Hero’s mother (who was the gipsy) spills what she knows and the hero finally clears up the misunderstanding. He used to sponge-dive, now he owns several boats and has all kinds of investments. He owns the castle where he’s been “gardening” everyday.
H/h are well suited. I liked the characters. This had pacing issues as the biggest drawback. Not a trainwreck, alas. Cousin gets off Scot-free for manslaughter.
July 8, 2014
I read this book back when it was first published and I still remembered it all these years. I Particularly liked, loved the hero. He was warm, kind and a gentle soul. I know it's hard to believe given this is a story by Anne Hampson, but it's true!. This time, she does a complete about face and gives us not only a soft generous hero, but she stays away from all that pagan diatribe and focuses more around the Greek Church.
The only thing that I disliked about the book, was it felt a bit draaawwwnnnn out. The only conflict was a "trumped" up case by the hero that sometimes had me rolling my eyes. With that being the conflict it didn't actually grip me like her other novels, so I only gave it 3 stars. I think I enjoyed it more back in 1972!
The only thing that I disliked about the book, was it felt a bit draaawwwnnnn out. The only conflict was a "trumped" up case by the hero that sometimes had me rolling my eyes. With that being the conflict it didn't actually grip me like her other novels, so I only gave it 3 stars. I think I enjoyed it more back in 1972!
September 8, 2012
2.5 stars rounded up to 3
Not too much to say about this one (she says before giving you a half-page "not too much"), which is a huge let down because I thought we were in for another dramafest like in Hills of Kalamata. Alas... The story starts with a gypsy woman showing up and telling the heroine, Julie, that she had been promised as retribution for a wrong done unto the hero, Doneus Lucian, whose full first name, Aidoneus, means the same as Hades. Sounds like lots of melodrama, right? Um, no. Turns out the guy's a spongediver and his whole persona is pretty spongelike (But not even like Spongebob. That would be exciting ;). She's an aristocrat so you can guess how the story progresses, especially when they return to his house with dirt floors and a cooking oven in the back yard.
I actually liked both characters, though the H started to wear on my nerves. I believed he lacked understanding that a person is the whole of who they are and if you leave something out about yourself, then the other person doesn't really get to know the real you(enjoy my deep philosophical musings? ;D) Anyway, if you read the book, you'll see what I mean.
This was not a bad book just drawwwwwwwwn out. There was a little bit of angst, which was actually more anticipation for something that didn't really materialize. The plot was seriously transparent, which is what made the dragging out of everything so bad. I'm guessing we were suppose to know and maybe share in the winks and nudges of the villagers, because it was so obvious what was going on. I was like, "tell her already!" when I wasn't all "what the hell you mad for? It's not who you are anyway!" It was so aggravating that this guy worked so hard to gain acceptance from his wife, endured all her uppidity and then totally refuses to forgive her because of one tiff that she tried to resolve the next day. Really???? Dude, what happened to your confidence?
But don't let me give you the idea that it was a bad book. It wasn't, just obvious and uneventful.
Not too much to say about this one (she says before giving you a half-page "not too much"), which is a huge let down because I thought we were in for another dramafest like in Hills of Kalamata. Alas... The story starts with a gypsy woman showing up and telling the heroine, Julie, that she had been promised as retribution for a wrong done unto the hero, Doneus Lucian, whose full first name, Aidoneus, means the same as Hades. Sounds like lots of melodrama, right? Um, no. Turns out the guy's a spongediver and his whole persona is pretty spongelike (But not even like Spongebob. That would be exciting ;). She's an aristocrat so you can guess how the story progresses, especially when they return to his house with dirt floors and a cooking oven in the back yard.
I actually liked both characters, though the H started to wear on my nerves. I believed he lacked understanding that a person is the whole of who they are and if you leave something out about yourself, then the other person doesn't really get to know the real you(enjoy my deep philosophical musings? ;D) Anyway, if you read the book, you'll see what I mean.
This was not a bad book just drawwwwwwwwn out. There was a little bit of angst, which was actually more anticipation for something that didn't really materialize. The plot was seriously transparent, which is what made the dragging out of everything so bad. I'm guessing we were suppose to know and maybe share in the winks and nudges of the villagers, because it was so obvious what was going on. I was like, "tell her already!" when I wasn't all "what the hell you mad for? It's not who you are anyway!" It was so aggravating that this guy worked so hard to gain acceptance from his wife, endured all her uppidity and then totally refuses to forgive her because of one tiff that she tried to resolve the next day. Really???? Dude, what happened to your confidence?
But don't let me give you the idea that it was a bad book. It wasn't, just obvious and uneventful.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 12, 2013
I could swear that I've read this before, I just don't know where and when >_<
Anyhow, I think my review contains a spoiler so be careful readers.
First of all I gotta say this novel really got me so worked up, really, really worked up. The hero's mother came all the way from Greece to England with a very disturbing news for our heroine. Apparently the hero first fiancé got killed in an accident caused by the heroine reckless, immature, selfish cousin. And the hero demanded as a retribution for the wrong that been done to him that he married the little girl, which he saw playing as a kid on her 19 birthday; the same age of his deceased fiancé. The girl guardian(her uncle) give him his word on that. Fast-forward to the present day, the hero's mom demanded the the girl go to his island alone, emphasis on the alone, a week before her cosine marriage to a rich heiress to save the family fortune. Off course out of the goodness of our heroine heart's, she went, prepared to pay a bribe for the hero in return to his silence. When she arrived, the hero far exceeded her expectation. And he refuse outright to have the money. So she returned with the threat of the hero to reveal everything in the church on her cousin wedding day hanging over her head. And with her naivety she thought it was an empty threat, only to found the hero on the church steps the day of the wedding. So under such circumstances, she agreed to enter a marriage in name only.
Now that said let me rant a little. The heroine kept on referring to the hero as peasant. How arrogant of her, god, she needed some sense knocked into her. On the other hand the hero did deserve that, really. He pretended to be a poor sponge-diver, and kept the heroine living on the edge of poverty, while all the time he had this big, luxuries castle a short distance from where he kept the heroine in cottage that doesn't even have a bathroom, electricity(they latterly lived on candles), and all the basic really. (by the way: he kept on refusing the heroine request to do any renovation to the dump that he kept her in)
I kept on expecting the big scene when the heroine discover everything and rant and rage and kick him around a little, at least to relief some of my tension, and then after some groveling and begging from the hero they'll have their happily ever after. unfortunately that never happened. (so don't get your hopes so high like I did)
Finally I actually enjoyed this novel despite the fact that I really felt like I've read it before, it was such beautiful and charming story.
Anyhow, I think my review contains a spoiler so be careful readers.
First of all I gotta say this novel really got me so worked up, really, really worked up. The hero's mother came all the way from Greece to England with a very disturbing news for our heroine. Apparently the hero first fiancé got killed in an accident caused by the heroine reckless, immature, selfish cousin. And the hero demanded as a retribution for the wrong that been done to him that he married the little girl, which he saw playing as a kid on her 19 birthday; the same age of his deceased fiancé. The girl guardian(her uncle) give him his word on that. Fast-forward to the present day, the hero's mom demanded the the girl go to his island alone, emphasis on the alone, a week before her cosine marriage to a rich heiress to save the family fortune. Off course out of the goodness of our heroine heart's, she went, prepared to pay a bribe for the hero in return to his silence. When she arrived, the hero far exceeded her expectation. And he refuse outright to have the money. So she returned with the threat of the hero to reveal everything in the church on her cousin wedding day hanging over her head. And with her naivety she thought it was an empty threat, only to found the hero on the church steps the day of the wedding. So under such circumstances, she agreed to enter a marriage in name only.
Now that said let me rant a little. The heroine kept on referring to the hero as peasant. How arrogant of her, god, she needed some sense knocked into her. On the other hand the hero did deserve that, really. He pretended to be a poor sponge-diver, and kept the heroine living on the edge of poverty, while all the time he had this big, luxuries castle a short distance from where he kept the heroine in cottage that doesn't even have a bathroom, electricity(they latterly lived on candles), and all the basic really. (by the way: he kept on refusing the heroine request to do any renovation to the dump that he kept her in)
I kept on expecting the big scene when the heroine discover everything and rant and rage and kick him around a little, at least to relief some of my tension, and then after some groveling and begging from the hero they'll have their happily ever after. unfortunately that never happened. (so don't get your hopes so high like I did)
Finally I actually enjoyed this novel despite the fact that I really felt like I've read it before, it was such beautiful and charming story.
September 10, 2017
Another one for my quest to red the first 100 HPs. This one is numbered 28. It was a bit purple prosy but on the whole was pretty well done. I really enjoyed it right up until the very last. You could see all along that the hero was crazy for her. She was written pretty well as an 18 year old who was pretty clueless. The end failed it though Very lame. The rest was a 5 star oldie read. That bit was 1 or 2 stars so averaged out to 3 .
January 13, 2024
Sweet hero ,sweet hero.
Not much drama.
If you want to read about Greek customs and mythology this is for you.
I personal love Greece so enjoyed it even though it lacked drama.
Not much drama.
If you want to read about Greek customs and mythology this is for you.
I personal love Greece so enjoyed it even though it lacked drama.
September 7, 2025
2 1/2 ⭐️⭐️✨ #28 of first 100.
September 26, 2015
I really enjoyed it because the hero was so nice to her ...patient patient patient ...but I would have liked a little more detail in the intimate moments and more of them.
Plus in the end he should have told her ............NOT ...........his mother.
But all in all well written ....loved the detail in the setting.
Plus in the end he should have told her ............NOT ...........his mother.
But all in all well written ....loved the detail in the setting.
January 22, 2015
siempre empiezan negandose y al final son super inseparables xD
pero amo estas cosas! ajajaja
pero amo estas cosas! ajajaja
September 18, 2023
The title is more evil than the hero.
Actually the hero is the injured part, he’s a poor greek, a sponge diver who was engaged at 19 and his fiancée was seduced and killed by the heroine’s cousin. The heroine is a rich gentlewoman from royalty, and it’s often remarked that everything in her is noble and talks of noble ancestry. Yeah, right, but also very vile since her cousin after seducing the poor peasant girl refused to marry and run her over with his horse. The poor girl died and the hero asked for a retribution. He saw the 9 yo heroine and asked her in marriage. The uncle, to avoid problems with Greek law, accepted but of course never meant to keep his word.
Ten years later the heroine is asked to go to Greece to marry the hero. She goes there, thinking that, since he’s poor as a church mouse, he will gladly accept money. He finds a handsome, sexy and proud man who lives in a ruined and shabby cottage, but that refuses to let her go. He threatens to reveal his cousin’s evil act to his future wife, a rich woman who will be the solution of her uncle financial problems. So she sacrifices herself and goes to live with him for seven months a year, since the other five he will leave for his job of sponge diving.
Here I learned what this kind of job required and how dangerous was, since most men ended dead or severely maimed even when they were very young.
The heroine, who’s not a bad girl, only a little spoiled, at the beginning refuses to have anything to do with her forced husband, but as time goes by she decides to make his life a little better and starts cooking, cleaning and taking care for him. No sex though. The hero is not bad, he’s quite kind and considerate, but of course life is not easy in a poor hut in the rocky part of Greece and the hero works as a gardener in a castle nearby, a very beautiful mansion owned by some Americans.
Of course she starts having feelings for him and even has sex, but as soon as she tells the hero she pities him, he closes himself up and even asks her to leave the island. He’s actually quite stubborn and doesn’t talk much of him, neither accepts her money to make his hut a lil better, and I must admit she was really patient and didn’t hold any grudge for his too proud behavior, I mean, she only asked for a bathroom and water inside the hut, not for golden bathtub.
The heroine is also afraid for him and his job, she doesn’t want to fall in love with him and end a widow. Maybe with small children. In the end it is his mother who reveals that he saw a picture of her in a newspaper and fell in love with her on sight so eventually decided to blackmails her into marriage. Not the smartest choice of all, and even if I think that he wasn’t a bad man, and he always treated her very kindly, he could have tried to woo her instead of basically forcing her to live in a shabby hut that would be too much even for a less rich woman than the heroine.
I think that I understood after the first 20 pages that the hero wasn’t poor anymore but during his past 10 years he was able to become a rich merchant who also helped his people.
And of course the castle is his.
Being a AH book, the heroine isn’t angry about his deception at all, since the most important thing is that he loves her and all he did was because he loved her and wanted her to fall in love with him.
I suggest the hero next time should proposea nice holiday on his yacht where he could woo the heroine properly instead of trapping her forcibly in the hut from hell, without even water inside. It’s not romantic to be forced to bring water from a pit and to wash themselves only piece by piece, especially for an English woman who very probably sweats much more than local people. And with mosquitos everywhere.
Anyway it was quite nice, they were both besotted and there’s a lot of miscommunication but neither were unpleasant.
Actually the hero is the injured part, he’s a poor greek, a sponge diver who was engaged at 19 and his fiancée was seduced and killed by the heroine’s cousin. The heroine is a rich gentlewoman from royalty, and it’s often remarked that everything in her is noble and talks of noble ancestry. Yeah, right, but also very vile since her cousin after seducing the poor peasant girl refused to marry and run her over with his horse. The poor girl died and the hero asked for a retribution. He saw the 9 yo heroine and asked her in marriage. The uncle, to avoid problems with Greek law, accepted but of course never meant to keep his word.
Ten years later the heroine is asked to go to Greece to marry the hero. She goes there, thinking that, since he’s poor as a church mouse, he will gladly accept money. He finds a handsome, sexy and proud man who lives in a ruined and shabby cottage, but that refuses to let her go. He threatens to reveal his cousin’s evil act to his future wife, a rich woman who will be the solution of her uncle financial problems. So she sacrifices herself and goes to live with him for seven months a year, since the other five he will leave for his job of sponge diving.
Here I learned what this kind of job required and how dangerous was, since most men ended dead or severely maimed even when they were very young.
The heroine, who’s not a bad girl, only a little spoiled, at the beginning refuses to have anything to do with her forced husband, but as time goes by she decides to make his life a little better and starts cooking, cleaning and taking care for him. No sex though. The hero is not bad, he’s quite kind and considerate, but of course life is not easy in a poor hut in the rocky part of Greece and the hero works as a gardener in a castle nearby, a very beautiful mansion owned by some Americans.
Of course she starts having feelings for him and even has sex, but as soon as she tells the hero she pities him, he closes himself up and even asks her to leave the island. He’s actually quite stubborn and doesn’t talk much of him, neither accepts her money to make his hut a lil better, and I must admit she was really patient and didn’t hold any grudge for his too proud behavior, I mean, she only asked for a bathroom and water inside the hut, not for golden bathtub.
The heroine is also afraid for him and his job, she doesn’t want to fall in love with him and end a widow. Maybe with small children. In the end it is his mother who reveals that he saw a picture of her in a newspaper and fell in love with her on sight so eventually decided to blackmails her into marriage. Not the smartest choice of all, and even if I think that he wasn’t a bad man, and he always treated her very kindly, he could have tried to woo her instead of basically forcing her to live in a shabby hut that would be too much even for a less rich woman than the heroine.
I think that I understood after the first 20 pages that the hero wasn’t poor anymore but during his past 10 years he was able to become a rich merchant who also helped his people.
And of course the castle is his.
Being a AH book, the heroine isn’t angry about his deception at all, since the most important thing is that he loves her and all he did was because he loved her and wanted her to fall in love with him.
I suggest the hero next time should proposea nice holiday on his yacht where he could woo the heroine properly instead of trapping her forcibly in the hut from hell, without even water inside. It’s not romantic to be forced to bring water from a pit and to wash themselves only piece by piece, especially for an English woman who very probably sweats much more than local people. And with mosquitos everywhere.
Anyway it was quite nice, they were both besotted and there’s a lot of miscommunication but neither were unpleasant.
April 1, 2021
I'd heard my sisters say Anne Hampson isn't worth reading so I was a bit skeptical about starting this one. But since I'd downloaded it from the Archives library, I thought to give it a shot.
The beginning, if I'd be honest, wasn't extraordinary. I found the details about Julie's beauty and her status a little overdone but that was a vital part of the story so it needed to be impressed upon the reader.
Anyway, the Dark Avenger is an absolutely lovely read. I came upon it with least expectations and and to my surprise, found it wholly consuming and even moving, in a way.
Being an Eastern girl myself, the values held sacred by Doneus as a Greek and as an individual made me think highly of him. His gentleness of manner and speaking and prominent in his every action concerning Julie was a pleasure to read. How could Julie not fall in love with such a man!?
The book read so softly, like the reminiscence of a memory that I felt like whispering the words sometimes. The descriptions were ambiguous at times and the fact that quite a lot depended on chance or the initiative of one person in particular made it seem very unlikely and fanciful, in a way.
All in all, I'd definitely recommend this book to someone who's in the mood for a tender and moving romance.
The beginning, if I'd be honest, wasn't extraordinary. I found the details about Julie's beauty and her status a little overdone but that was a vital part of the story so it needed to be impressed upon the reader.
Anyway, the Dark Avenger is an absolutely lovely read. I came upon it with least expectations and and to my surprise, found it wholly consuming and even moving, in a way.
Being an Eastern girl myself, the values held sacred by Doneus as a Greek and as an individual made me think highly of him. His gentleness of manner and speaking and prominent in his every action concerning Julie was a pleasure to read. How could Julie not fall in love with such a man!?
The book read so softly, like the reminiscence of a memory that I felt like whispering the words sometimes. The descriptions were ambiguous at times and the fact that quite a lot depended on chance or the initiative of one person in particular made it seem very unlikely and fanciful, in a way.
All in all, I'd definitely recommend this book to someone who's in the mood for a tender and moving romance.
September 24, 2019
Hero engaged, his fiancee compromised by the heroine' s cousin. Heroine is exchanged for the fiancee,( she died )in ten years time. Hero was a poor peasant at the time. Ten years later hero sent for heroine, truth of nature of marriage revealed. Heroine batters her life in exchange for Cousin's. Marriage to take place. Hero and heroine wed, hero went incognito and claimed he was a peasant when in fact he was rich and highly respected. Hero loved heroine since she was younger and fell deeper when she appeared on tabloids. Hero's mother set up the arrangement and also help clear all misunderstandings. Story had potential but was but too slow.
April 15, 2024
"Dark Avenger" is the story of Julie and Lucien.
Loosely based on the Greek Mythology of Persephone and Hades, the heroine is forced to travel to Greece to meet the hero. His demand, she marry him to repay damage caused by her cousin. She reluctantly agrees to marry the "impoverished gardener" who lives in this mysterious town, and tries not to fall in love with him.. and fails.
The story is predictable but sweet. We can still the twist coming from miles away BUT it's handled so well and in a calm manner. The characters respect and adore each other and this made me happy.
Safe
4/5
Loosely based on the Greek Mythology of Persephone and Hades, the heroine is forced to travel to Greece to meet the hero. His demand, she marry him to repay damage caused by her cousin. She reluctantly agrees to marry the "impoverished gardener" who lives in this mysterious town, and tries not to fall in love with him.. and fails.
The story is predictable but sweet. We can still the twist coming from miles away BUT it's handled so well and in a calm manner. The characters respect and adore each other and this made me happy.
Safe
4/5
May 5, 2024
this was so great! surprisingly progressive, too.
priority
February 9, 2021In the ancient Greek legend, Hades, lord of the underworld, had carried off the beautiful Persephone to live in his dark kingdom for four months of every year.
And now Julie Veltrovers found herself a present-day Persephone, meeting a fate that had been awaiting her for ten years -- ever since Doneus Lucien had been wronged by Julie's family and had vowed that one day, when Julie was old enough, he would bear her off to Greece as his wife, to live there for seven months of the year. That day had coma, and rather than ruin her family's happiness, Julie was forced to submit to his plans.
But she had never foreseen that she would fall in love with this strange husband of hers -- a man that had only used her as an instrument of revenge (
And now Julie Veltrovers found herself a present-day Persephone, meeting a fate that had been awaiting her for ten years -- ever since Doneus Lucien had been wronged by Julie's family and had vowed that one day, when Julie was old enough, he would bear her off to Greece as his wife, to live there for seven months of the year. That day had coma, and rather than ruin her family's happiness, Julie was forced to submit to his plans.
But she had never foreseen that she would fall in love with this strange husband of hers -- a man that had only used her as an instrument of revenge (
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