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Defiant Fletcher #1
Defiant Embrace
Setting: Colonial North Ameria
The flame in his touch...
When the bold sea captain bought her in a tavern auction, raven-haired Mirella knew she had traded one terror for another. Instead of a roomful of hooting sailors, she was now alone with a handsome stranger who intended the very worst! Her mind raced to find the quickest means of escape -- but his nearness filled her body with unfamiliar desire. Before she could utter a word of protest, Mirella's ruby lips discovered the salty taste of his skin; then her creamy flesh exulted in the new-found pleasure of being covered by his hard male frame...
The fire in her eyes...
From long experience, Jason Fletcher learned that women were trifles for an evening's entertainment. But the moment he gazed into the voluptuous wenchs smoky blue eyes, he wanted to caress her silken curves forever! Though he'd never allow himself to love the bewitching beauty, he vowed he'd cherish her and keep her as his mistress. He'd teach her to respond to the blazing heat of his passion -- and force her to surrender to the ecstasy of his Defiant Embrace.
The flame in his touch...
When the bold sea captain bought her in a tavern auction, raven-haired Mirella knew she had traded one terror for another. Instead of a roomful of hooting sailors, she was now alone with a handsome stranger who intended the very worst! Her mind raced to find the quickest means of escape -- but his nearness filled her body with unfamiliar desire. Before she could utter a word of protest, Mirella's ruby lips discovered the salty taste of his skin; then her creamy flesh exulted in the new-found pleasure of being covered by his hard male frame...
The fire in her eyes...
From long experience, Jason Fletcher learned that women were trifles for an evening's entertainment. But the moment he gazed into the voluptuous wenchs smoky blue eyes, he wanted to caress her silken curves forever! Though he'd never allow himself to love the bewitching beauty, he vowed he'd cherish her and keep her as his mistress. He'd teach her to respond to the blazing heat of his passion -- and force her to surrender to the ecstasy of his Defiant Embrace.
- GenresHistorical Romance
496 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 1985
52 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Dawson Smith
27 books98 followersFrom http://www.barbaradawsonsmith.com/bio...
A member of Romance Writers of America since 1981, Barbara Dawson Smith sold her first historical romance two weeks after sending it to a publisher. Her books have won the Golden Heart Award from RWA, and Best Historical Romantic Suspense and Best Regency Historical from Romantic Times. She has been a finalist for the National Readers’ Choice Award, Romance of the Year by Affaire de Coeur magazine, the Golden Quill, and the Booksellers' Best Award. She has also been a five-time finalist for the prestigious RITA Award, and realized a lifetime dream in 2002 when she won the award for TEMPT ME TWICE. Barbara also writes romance as Olivia Drake.
Barbara lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband, two daughters, two cats, and who knows how many neighbor children running up and down the stairs. When she's not finishing a chapter or teaching a seminar on writing, she enjoys browsing in her collection of over a thousand research books.
A member of Romance Writers of America since 1981, Barbara Dawson Smith sold her first historical romance two weeks after sending it to a publisher. Her books have won the Golden Heart Award from RWA, and Best Historical Romantic Suspense and Best Regency Historical from Romantic Times. She has been a finalist for the National Readers’ Choice Award, Romance of the Year by Affaire de Coeur magazine, the Golden Quill, and the Booksellers' Best Award. She has also been a five-time finalist for the prestigious RITA Award, and realized a lifetime dream in 2002 when she won the award for TEMPT ME TWICE. Barbara also writes romance as Olivia Drake.
Barbara lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband, two daughters, two cats, and who knows how many neighbor children running up and down the stairs. When she's not finishing a chapter or teaching a seminar on writing, she enjoys browsing in her collection of over a thousand research books.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 26, 2024
Read: 7/15/24
RTC
RTC
April 21, 2015
Mirella Weston…
…is getting a lot of pressure from her creepy, rapey cousin Sir Harry…
…to marry him. See, Mirella's father managed to gamble away everything before he died, (mama's already gone—more on that later), and since he had no sons, Sir Harry is his heir. And he's really pressing the issue. He sure knows how to make a gal feel loved and wanted.
Natch, Mirella doesn't wonder why a guy who treats her like that is so determined to marry her. Yeah, she's beautiful and all, but, really, why?
Anyhoo, she decides to run for it. After awhile, her money is running out, and she's not finding ways to get by, so, when she sees a waitress position opening in a tavern, she applies.
Natch, Mirella misses all the signs that her new employer is even more creepy and rapey than Harry until he's actually auctioning her off to the highest bidder.
That's where Jason Fletcher, jaded, wealthy, slave-owning (he treats them well and I get that this was the culture back then, but I still can't like him for it) Virginian plantation owner, comes in.
He's just been reflecting on what deceptive b*tches women are, but why not? Like the slave-owning guy he is, he buys Mirella. He reckons she's a ho and the whole auction thing was all for show, so he's a bit befuddled when he, like, removes the gag from her mouth (cuz that didn't tell him anything) and finds out she's not into it. Still, he figures he can persuade this obviously well-bred young woman to become his mistress.
They have words, but Mirella can't help herself.
Long story short, Mirella is a bit conflicted, which irritates Jason, and then there are additional complications in the form of bimbos and creepy rapey types…
All kidding aside, I enjoyed this one. I'm going to have to revise my rating system, since I gave a number of books that I'm keeping to re-read someday 4 stars. I loved those books, but there was one thing or another that kept them from being "perfect" 5-star books. Seriously, it's hard to place a book in a continuum of 1-5 stars, when the vast majority professionally published books are too good to get anything below 3. That doesn't leave a lot of territory. I'm either going to have to be way harsher on the "average" professionally published book, or I'm going to have to go back and revise my rating for some of my favorites that got less than 5 stars, to make room for books like this one that is better than average but not making my permanent collection. 4 stars.
…is getting a lot of pressure from her creepy, rapey cousin Sir Harry…
…to marry him. See, Mirella's father managed to gamble away everything before he died, (mama's already gone—more on that later), and since he had no sons, Sir Harry is his heir. And he's really pressing the issue. He sure knows how to make a gal feel loved and wanted.
Natch, Mirella doesn't wonder why a guy who treats her like that is so determined to marry her. Yeah, she's beautiful and all, but, really, why?
Anyhoo, she decides to run for it. After awhile, her money is running out, and she's not finding ways to get by, so, when she sees a waitress position opening in a tavern, she applies.
Natch, Mirella misses all the signs that her new employer is even more creepy and rapey than Harry until he's actually auctioning her off to the highest bidder.
That's where Jason Fletcher, jaded, wealthy, slave-owning (he treats them well and I get that this was the culture back then, but I still can't like him for it) Virginian plantation owner, comes in.
He's just been reflecting on what deceptive b*tches women are, but why not? Like the slave-owning guy he is, he buys Mirella. He reckons she's a ho and the whole auction thing was all for show, so he's a bit befuddled when he, like, removes the gag from her mouth (cuz that didn't tell him anything) and finds out she's not into it. Still, he figures he can persuade this obviously well-bred young woman to become his mistress.
They have words, but Mirella can't help herself.
Long story short, Mirella is a bit conflicted, which irritates Jason, and then there are additional complications in the form of bimbos and creepy rapey types…
All kidding aside, I enjoyed this one. I'm going to have to revise my rating system, since I gave a number of books that I'm keeping to re-read someday 4 stars. I loved those books, but there was one thing or another that kept them from being "perfect" 5-star books. Seriously, it's hard to place a book in a continuum of 1-5 stars, when the vast majority professionally published books are too good to get anything below 3. That doesn't leave a lot of territory. I'm either going to have to be way harsher on the "average" professionally published book, or I'm going to have to go back and revise my rating for some of my favorites that got less than 5 stars, to make room for books like this one that is better than average but not making my permanent collection. 4 stars.
March 14, 2024
TW : OW. Hero had an explicit sex with his mistress while heroine was in the house and she heard them. So my mood had soured immensely.
Ughhh I knew I should have expected this coming, considering the year this book was written since it was all the rage back then to have a virile and egoistical alpha jerk hero paired with a weak, submissive virginal heroine and an unrelentless mistress in tow. Prior to their sexual interlude, Jason had blatantly flaunted and flirted with Samantha in front of Mirella in an attempt to rile her up and to make her jealous, without caring for her feelings at all. Like fuck you, Jason you disgusting, cheating douchebag! How in the world did the author / woman back then would think this would make the hero attractive was beyond my comprehension. The story was so good and engaging until page 237 - 240 when the sex with the mistress happened. And then I DNF-ed it! The hero was way past redeemable at that point no matter how much grovelling he may have done at the end so fuck it, I’m out!
I hate, really hate when hero does this to be honest as I prefer my man to be more disciplined, not easily seduced and monogamous. How would I enjoy their HEA knowing his rakish past might have come back in full force and cheat on heroine long after the epilogue? Please don’t mind my overthinking self but I love being wooed by a romantic story, not to be angered by an angsty tale of love triangle. Well if you could call it love!
Ughhh I knew I should have expected this coming, considering the year this book was written since it was all the rage back then to have a virile and egoistical alpha jerk hero paired with a weak, submissive virginal heroine and an unrelentless mistress in tow. Prior to their sexual interlude, Jason had blatantly flaunted and flirted with Samantha in front of Mirella in an attempt to rile her up and to make her jealous, without caring for her feelings at all. Like fuck you, Jason you disgusting, cheating douchebag! How in the world did the author / woman back then would think this would make the hero attractive was beyond my comprehension. The story was so good and engaging until page 237 - 240 when the sex with the mistress happened. And then I DNF-ed it! The hero was way past redeemable at that point no matter how much grovelling he may have done at the end so fuck it, I’m out!
I hate, really hate when hero does this to be honest as I prefer my man to be more disciplined, not easily seduced and monogamous. How would I enjoy their HEA knowing his rakish past might have come back in full force and cheat on heroine long after the epilogue? Please don’t mind my overthinking self but I love being wooed by a romantic story, not to be angered by an angsty tale of love triangle. Well if you could call it love!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews