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Song Trilogy #1
Lovesong
A sweet wild madness swept over Carolina Lightfoot at the sight of elegant Lord Thomas Angevine, reputed to be the most notorious rake in London. The proud Colonial beauty, graced with silvergold hair and flashing eyes, hoped to be his bride. Then, swept into a growing storm of scandal, she was banished to Virginia. Captured by buccaneers on the high seas, Carolina became the Silver Wench of the Caribbean...and the defiant prisoner of the infamous Kells, a brooding man with insolent charm andd a mysterious past.
On the island of Tortuga, where gentle winds caressed the perfumed nights and a lustrous moon whispered love's allure, Carolina must escape...to find Thomas again, and to flee Kells' passionate embrace, the rapturous temptation of his...LOVESONG
On the island of Tortuga, where gentle winds caressed the perfumed nights and a lustrous moon whispered love's allure, Carolina must escape...to find Thomas again, and to flee Kells' passionate embrace, the rapturous temptation of his...LOVESONG
526 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
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566 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 26, 2013
Okay, so the first half of the book I felt had alot of unnecessary exposition and kind of dragged on. But the Kells-Christabel chemistry spotlight in the second half of the book was perfect. I also really enjoyed the heroine. I liked that Christabel was selfless yet strong-willed and brave. I think Valerie Sherwood is a historical romance author you can rely on for likeable heroines and a more balanced alpha male. In particular, her romantic heroes are strong-willed and perhaps a bit forceful in the heat of passion but never cruel or psychotic like other bodice rippers of that time. Also, I am always convinced of their love for the heroine. Kells actually had a lot of tender lines in the book without coming across too "beta" or vulnerable. I look forward to reading the sequel "Windsong". Thank you, miss Sherwood!
November 6, 2015
I was really excited to read this book after seeing some discussion about it on Facebook in a group I recently joined (Old School Romance Book Club, a wonderful group in case you’re interested!). Luckily I found a copy, and copies of the next two books in the trilogy, on Book Mooch (a wonderful book trading site, in case you’re interested!) and immediately requested all three books.
The beginning of LOVESONG was interesting, but nothing fantastic. I was even a little ho hum about it. But then Carolina is sent off to school in England, and it picked up. She meets Lord Thomas, a total wanker, and normally I’d be hating on their relationship and berating Carolina for being such a ninny. But, she was young, still a teenager, and young girls can’t always help but be ninnies about boys. And the author wrote her so well, her thoughts, her feelings, her actions, that very much liked her and felt for her.
But then again I knew from reading the back cover and from the FB group discussion that the real “hero” of this book would be Kells, the wild buccaneer who will capture her later in the book.
And then Carolina goes home with her roommate for the Christmas holidays, and meets Rye. And I REALLY liked him. And even though I knew that Kells is still to come along, I wanted her to forget about Lord Thomas and let Rye love her.
And then comes disgrace, and she is put on a ship back home to Virginia, only to run away and board another ship back to England, only to be captured by a Spanish ship, only to then be recaptured by the buccaneers. For a little while I even convinced myself that Kells was going to turn out to actually be Rye. But then Carolina, now calling herself Christabel, comes face to face with Kells, and the man wasn’t Rye, and there didn’t seem to be any chemistry between them, and he was not described physically or in any other manner the way the hero of a romance book should be described. And even though I knew Kells is the hero, I was very disappointed that, while she was certainly now safely away from the cad Thomas, she was also away from Rye.
But I sighed and pulled myself together, and settled in to see what would happen. And I became completely mesmerized and stayed up late two nights in a row to read, and at the end I was so frantic to find out what would happen next that my eyes kept trying to skip ahead of my brain, and when I finally finished the book, I had that wonderful sated and satisfied yet wanting more more more feeling that only a really good book (or a really good man) can give you.
Review first posted on my blog.
The beginning of LOVESONG was interesting, but nothing fantastic. I was even a little ho hum about it. But then Carolina is sent off to school in England, and it picked up. She meets Lord Thomas, a total wanker, and normally I’d be hating on their relationship and berating Carolina for being such a ninny. But, she was young, still a teenager, and young girls can’t always help but be ninnies about boys. And the author wrote her so well, her thoughts, her feelings, her actions, that very much liked her and felt for her.
But then again I knew from reading the back cover and from the FB group discussion that the real “hero” of this book would be Kells, the wild buccaneer who will capture her later in the book.
And then Carolina goes home with her roommate for the Christmas holidays, and meets Rye. And I REALLY liked him. And even though I knew that Kells is still to come along, I wanted her to forget about Lord Thomas and let Rye love her.
And then comes disgrace, and she is put on a ship back home to Virginia, only to run away and board another ship back to England, only to be captured by a Spanish ship, only to then be recaptured by the buccaneers. For a little while I even convinced myself that Kells was going to turn out to actually be Rye. But then Carolina, now calling herself Christabel, comes face to face with Kells, and the man wasn’t Rye, and there didn’t seem to be any chemistry between them, and he was not described physically or in any other manner the way the hero of a romance book should be described. And even though I knew Kells is the hero, I was very disappointed that, while she was certainly now safely away from the cad Thomas, she was also away from Rye.
But I sighed and pulled myself together, and settled in to see what would happen. And I became completely mesmerized and stayed up late two nights in a row to read, and at the end I was so frantic to find out what would happen next that my eyes kept trying to skip ahead of my brain, and when I finally finished the book, I had that wonderful sated and satisfied yet wanting more more more feeling that only a really good book (or a really good man) can give you.
Review first posted on my blog.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 16, 2012
Although this appeared to be a bodice ripper, it was actually a very good book with complicated characters and story. Carolina has a irrepressible personality that copes with the restrictions on her of the 17th century culture in both the colonies and England. She makes mistakes but is able to move beyond them to find her life partner, the enigmatic Rye. Somewhat blinded to reality, she is only 17 so easily misled.
October 23, 2021
DNF@20% it might be the translation and not the book
I made the regrettable mistake of buying this in German as an ebook because no english ebook was available for sale. Big mistake!!
The writing was the floweriest cringefest of all time. I couldn't take it. And I can stomach a lot. It was so purple my brain nearly exploded and I didn't even make it to the romantic bits, gah!
I made the regrettable mistake of buying this in German as an ebook because no english ebook was available for sale. Big mistake!!
The writing was the floweriest cringefest of all time. I couldn't take it. And I can stomach a lot. It was so purple my brain nearly exploded and I didn't even make it to the romantic bits, gah!
March 23, 2017
I read this first when I was 12 and again when I was 20. I still love it. Carolina is a headstrong American girl who finds herself in England and in love. Willing to do anything for love, she boards a ship and has the (mis)fortune to be on a boat taken by infamous pirate Captain Kells. This is the first of 3 extraordinary books. Sure they're bodice rippers but books like this are the reason the bodice-ripper genre is so enduring.
July 26, 2020
With "Lovesong," Valerie Sherwood returned to the familiar territory of the multi-volume series. She also built upon the interest in Colonial Virginia begun in her previous novel, "Born to Love." Carolina Lightfoot, headstrong daughter of a family of equally spirited planters, gets up to trouble at home, is sent to school in London for her pains, where she comes in contact with dissolute aristocrats, social-climbing newly monied merchants and finally, thanks to the introduction of Sherwood's fondness for buccaneers, experiences adventure on the high seas and the buccaneer stronghold of Tortuga, site of much action in her "Love" series. Astute readers will see certain plot twists coming miles off--there is more than a little echo of characters and events from "Love" here, beyond the setting--and Carolina's naïveté and immaturity sit oddly with her otherwise fairly self-assured personality. Nevertheless, the novel was an entertaining return to better form for Sherwood, after the stumbles (albeit still NYT mass market paperback fiction bestsellers) of her two previous stand-alone novels and resulted in two sequels.
January 11, 2012
Not bad for a bodice ripper romance, if you excuse a typo or two (but then I've read Modern Serious Literature with more than this book had) It had all the necessary elements: golden-maned impetuous buxom heroine, hero who combined "mysterious English Nobleman" with "Rapacious Buccaneer dominating the Bounding Spanish Main". Sea voyages, heaving bosoms, misunderstanding between the man and woman destined for one another, this has all the elements I look for in proper bodice rippers, combined with a mildly plausible plot to boot.
December 28, 2024
LOVE this book! It has some similar vibes to “Bold Breathless Love” but also has its own great story with good character development and story arches. I love how we see Carolina grow up and become more of a woman throughout the book, especially when she is at school in London. Less bodice ripping but the story is so great!
nonvirgin-has-more-partners
January 5, 2023Why would i read a book in which a heroine gives her virginity to another man but not to a hero?sorry this books never gives me that happiness which would have i got,if a hero takes heroine's virginity.
July 26, 2010
I think when I first read this 20some years ago I would have given this 5 stars but it still held up pretty well in terms of action and character development.
November 4, 2021
Relatively good read although I found some of the story, especially the first half of the book, somewhat boring. It took a while for the two main characters to meet. She is a Colonial beauty who somehow does not fit in with her family. He supposedly is the third son of a Lord and unbeknown to most he is also a buccaneer named Kells. She sees herself madly in love with Lord Thomas Angevine and sacrifices her virginity to him. Things happen and at the end she is sent home in disgrace. She escapes her family and heads back to England but is captured by the infamous buccaneer Kells. The two are at logger heads with each other and she is adamant she loves Thomas. Her true love is revealed when Kells brings her Thomas and he admits he is not interested in her. She admits to Kells she loves only him.
April 18, 2020
I've been searching this book ever since i read this story its very beautiful book loveable character and amazing author. That will make your life like a rollercoaster while reading this book. this is one of my favorites books, that you must read. You will love it!
August 13, 2017
Loved books like this back in the day but I can't take the Alpha male Bullsh**t or the racism as a grown ass woman. Just not my thing anymore.
December 26, 2020
A competent-enough writer, but she's no Kathleen Woodiwiss!
December 3, 2014
synopsis:
carolina is sent away to england because her father can't stand her. (she is a reminder of her mother's infidelity.) once there, she falls for thomas, and thinks that he feels the same way. while she is visiting a friend, she becomes entangled with the neighbour's son. sent home in disgrace, she is captured by the dread pirate kells and taken away to his hideout in tortuga. as kells and carolina are forced to spend more time together, carolina comes to feel more and more for this pirate.
what i liked: the sweeping, unapologetic bodice ripper.
what i didn't like: not a lot. fun, overwrought.
carolina is sent away to england because her father can't stand her. (she is a reminder of her mother's infidelity.) once there, she falls for thomas, and thinks that he feels the same way. while she is visiting a friend, she becomes entangled with the neighbour's son. sent home in disgrace, she is captured by the dread pirate kells and taken away to his hideout in tortuga. as kells and carolina are forced to spend more time together, carolina comes to feel more and more for this pirate.
what i liked: the sweeping, unapologetic bodice ripper.
what i didn't like: not a lot. fun, overwrought.
May 22, 2013
I really enjoyed this book....however, Carolina really worked my nerves. Because of her it took me longer to read this than normal. Overall, it was a very good book.
October 11, 2014
was a good read
October 30, 2018
3.5 stars
2018 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge: A book set at sea
2018 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge: A book set at sea
November 1, 2013
Read at least three or four times. Great series.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews